The Value of Family Time

Greetings friends and family,

The 4 Webbs and Max are loving the California life this summer.  I'm still working every day like normal from the local site while the rest of the Webbs play.  Max has an official dog carrier for our van since he is becoming Kendra's emotional therapy dog.  That means he can go with her more places. once he gets certified. 

I brought Easton and Layla's bikes from Arizona because they outgrew the ones Ouma and Oupa kept for them.  There are miles of bike paths and residential streets to explore when it's not too hot outside. 

One of the bike outings included Kendra.  This view from my handlebars is one where I am forever grateful.  Just seeing Kendra ride a bike and the 4 Webbs sharing an adventure together is a happy occasion every single time. 

Kendra and I are taking advantage of opportunities to be together by leaving the kids at home.  We took Max for a neighborhood walk one night and it was cool enough to deserve jackets, which we gladly wore like a badge of honor.  Kendra's hair is growing back in fully and she finally likes the color.  Max is getting shaggy and probably needs a grooming soon.  My hair is thinning and I keep it shaved so I don't look like Bert from the Muppets. 

We took the twins to dinner at Mongolian Grill because it is a family tradition dating back several decades.  Every time we are in town, this is where we end up at least once. 

When we were sitting after dinner I mentioned something about how Easton and Layla are best friends.  Layla leaned over and gave Easton a big hug.  Easton sat there not receiving or giving a hug because he's an eight-year-old boy and for some reason that's not cool anymore. 

I didn't include this pic in the last post because I took it on a different camera, but it's my favorite from this past week.  On our daddy dates we take lots of time talking together in the car rides and over snacks.  I've heard lots of dads talk about how difficult their teenage daughter is, but my main goal is to maintain connection with her through whatever phases of life come along.  As long as she knows we can all go through it together, then I'm not worried.  I find myself repeating the same sentence almost daily or sometimes multiple times per day, "I love you no matter what you do or say."  I want more than anything for her to believe that is true.

Easton is finding his own place in the family and the world around him.  I'm glad to see he's expressive and silly.  It took him a while to come out of his shell, but now he is more than willing to be goofy no matter where we are or what's going on around us. 

Badminton in pajamas?  why not!  They are both learning the motor skills, but could care less about the rules.  At their age, almost all sporting activities are for fun, not rules.  mechanics and body movements are important, but hitting it twice is perfectly acceptable.

Every year when we come to Ouma and Oupa's house we do this thing called "organic church".  There are several terms used to describe house church and almost all of them have a negative connotation, but there's no other way I can describe it.  Anyway, this is church:

we are the church.  church is not a building.  church is not a pastor.  church is not a service.  What makes it a church is when, the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.  What does that look like?  It looks like this.  A stranger to us goes up to Kendra and says, "I sense God wants to give you peace and rest."  He prays, Kendra receives, God is good.  I'm amazed by how simple and effective church is when God is the focus of our gathering. 

It's so refreshing being a receiver of body ministry instead of always giving out.  THis is our time of refreshing and I couldn't be happier with that aspect of our trip so far. 

vacation and relaxation are on deck. 

see you soon!