The 4 Webbs have so much to celebrate. Kendra's birthday is the most prominent reason. Her birthday this year is drastically different than last year. We hosted a graduation party for our friend's daughter to accommodate all of her friends and relatives. We love to be examples of what it means to "be the church" and one of the ways we do that is by giving of what we have and who we are to those who are a part of our group. The world will know we are disciples by how we love each other and that should start with those in our immediate circle of believers.
Anyway, the only party Kendra kind of had was at Stephanie's house where we crashed Brett's birthday party and hung out for an evening with them. Happy birthday to my wonder woman wife!
As I walked towards their house for dinner, Layla grabbed my hand. I looked down to see our shadow and it shocked me how grown up and mature she is getting. Just seeing her shadow so tall and her girlish aspects stopped me in my tracks to take a picture. Her long pony tail, dress, and purse are all clearly outlined.
Layla is still exploring the idea of writing down her feelings and sharing them with me and others. She colored a scenic picture and then hand-wrote a scathing review of my parenting skills. She wasn't being mean though. she was expressing how it feels to be her in our relationship, which is completely valid. I responded by created a hand-written note and folding it 80's style with the little flap you pull to open it up. In it I wrote how much I love her no matter what and gave her compliments about the wonderful characteristics she has. She opened it, read it, and gave me the biggest hug since I can remember. It broke down walls she was building in her heart and resulted in a great moment of connection between us.
We took a little trip to OKC to spend a week with Aunt Mary and Uncle Joel. The plane ride there was smooth and without incident. I'm so glad there was nothing exciting or interesting to share about the flight because it all went so well it was completely forgetable. Easton loved it because he loves flying. His nose was pressed against the window more than half of the trip.
Mary has a cat and that cat has six kittens. Easton and Layla were ecstatic to pick them up and play with them. We discovered Layla is allergic to cats just like I am. What a bummer! she is enamored with cats and enjoys playing with them so much.
Did I mention I'm allergic to cats??? Yeah, well, when Easton asks me to play with him and the kittens I hesitated. Then i realized that making memories with Easton and being interested in what he likes is more important than a little sneezing and itching on my part. This is true sacrifice on display!
Joel taught Easton how to ride a motorcycle. A real one. not a battery powered thing, but a real dirt bike. Joel had a strap tied to the bike and led him step by step through the process of steering, accelerating, braking, and safety. He's a great teacher who had Easton up and riding in under 30 minutes.
Within an hour he was playing follow the leader with me as I slowly rode across the 9-acre property. Then Kendra wanted to get in on the action. She did fine with the little 50 size engine bike, but then she stepped up to the 70 and it slid out from under her as she fell into the soft mud and grass from the wet pavement. I was happy she didn't get hurt and even happier she had enough and agreed not to get back on the bike again... ever... If I have my way this will be the last picture of Kendra driving a motorcycle.
Easton, on the other hand, is just getting started. He is still very cautious and safe, but his ear-to-ear smile says it all. He is having a blast riding this little beast around.
Joel's sign is too perfect to pass up. Kendra and Layla are walking around the property barefoot while Easton and I plow through mud puddles and make loud noises as we rev the engines.
We're having a great time doing nothing when we want to and being adventurous when the mood strikes. The clouds and rain have been such a welcomed change of pace for us. I'm enjoying every drop and gust of cool breeze as our friends in Phoenix top 117 degrees today.
See you soon!
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