Week Without Kendra

Greetings friends and family,

Kendra is in Sacramento and we've been surviving.  The house didn't burn down although it looks more like a hurricane survival than the "after" picture of a home makeover even with David around helping in so many ways.  The twins and I miss Kendra terribly and can't wait to see her tomorrow!  One of the nights we made pizza.  Not from scratch, of course, but still a fun exercise in building our own creations.  They turned out well because I used regular flour this time instead of coconut flour like last time (i don't recommend coconut flour).

This was the only view I had for the past 5 days of my woman.  I'm thankful for facetime.  It's not even close to holding her in my arms, but it's better than just hearing her voice.  and because I took some screen shot pictures I was able to relive the view during my work day.  Her hair is growing back in nicely, but recently passed the peach-fuzz phase.  It's still fun to pet her head, but doesn't have the same soft feel of the newly grown hairs.

On Sunday we went to church at Cornerstone.  I wanted the twins to see what a huge kids program looks like.  They had a class full of 2nd graders instead of a small class of all ages from 5-12.  They had several full-costume Star Wars characters including Darth Vader handing out candy.  When they did the Christmas reenactment play, the three wise men included Yoda and Obiwan.  Needless to say, the twins have a new "favorite church".

It's been chillier than normal lately here in the desert, but we've had some good days of t-shirt weather to go bike riding.  I shoot for one hour per day of physical play, but that's not always realistic.  They are getting great at riding their bikes, but still fall occasionally.  it's a learning experience that highlights my parenting philosophy:  fail young and simply or fail old and massively.  I don't want to keep them from ever scraping their knees.  That's not my role.  I want them to try and fail and learn.  That's much cheaper to buy a new pair of leggings or jeans and a band-aid than the cost associated with failing once they get out in the real world when I'm not there to keep them from falling in adult situations.  I have a keen awareness that I won't be with them every moment of their lives outside of school.  I'm already focused on what life will be like in a few years when they are more independent on their bikes and can ride to friend's houses.  They push the button to cross the street.  they look both ways before crossing.  they lead us across the street.  Everything they can do for themselves, I don't.

There are exceptions though...  When Layla asks me politely to get her a drink of water I gladly agree and serve her.  When Easton asks for my help to build his Legos with him I gladly agree because I know he just wants me to be involved and interested in him.  He built his 1,156 piece set in a day and a half.  with school and sleep and every obstacle I could throw at him including extra math homework.  This kid devoured homework at a crazy pace knowing the reward is getting to build more and then play with the dinosaur scene.

He takes the indominus rex everywhere we go now, even to school.  Layla's new hat collection is courtesy of aunt Stephanie.  every time i turn around Layla has a new hat.  this is the perfect time of year to sparkle and stay warm though.

We had our last meal with David as a Christmas dinner, kind of...  sushi after Layla's figure skating lessons.  She was decked out and warm on the ice.

We are ready to get on the road and have a California Christmas.  I woke up this morning to find Layla cuddling up with Easton as he played the PS3 Lego game.  Sleeping in a few extra minutes was good for my travel-readiness and now I'm excited to see my Kendra and Ouma and Oupa.  Time to hit the road!

See  you soon.

Normal Christmas, Hooray!

Greetings friends and family,

The 4 Webbs are in full bloom of Christmas cheer.  Our house decorations are minimal this year, but our thankfulness for giving us another Christmas together is so dense that I can barely go an hour without thinking about how thankful I am for us to have this holiday season together as a family.  We had the pleasure of attending the Christmas Extravaganza with our friend Stephanie and Brett.  Their son performed in the event and we sat in the sea of 1,000 people experiencing all the Christmas goodness.

This next picture turned out to be one of my favorites of the whole year.  Kendra and her friend Stephanie both have genuine smiles and this particular one shows the real glow of Kendra better than any other picture from the last few weeks.  She is healing and growing and living and dreaming and all the other wonderful aspects of life that I love to see.

and then there's the only sad part of my week and even that is still a happy part... sending Kendra off to Sacramento on the plane.  I want her to have a few days there without me and kids and without day to day chores of the house.  She's been stuck in Phoenix for 9 months without a single day of vacation anywhere.  What she endured this year warrants an extravagant vacation on a Disney cruise, but that's not in the budget right now so I'm giving her the next best thing:  time alone.  She gets to choose which friends and family to see and for how long.  She gets to nap or go to bed early or rest or read.  This will be the first week in nine months where she is not poked with a needle.  We miss her intensely, but I'm happy for her to experience friends and family on her own terms.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, Layla had a school friend, Alex, over for a play date.  I expected to have time for myself while they play, but that didn't happen.  I was invited into their world and gladly participated.  They dressed up and danced to Christmas music.  I was the DJ, judge, and cheerleader.

Then they had a tea party.  I mean, WE had a tea party.  I put together their snack track with pears and crackers and oranges.  I displayed it to look like flowers on the plate.  I also folded their napkins like a rose.  Neither of them used their napkin to wipe off the fruit juice.  They kept them in the shape of a rose, which defeats the purpose of a napkin, but I was flattered by how much they appreciated the setup.  Layla had a bell and would ring it every time they needed a refill of the "sunshine juice" I made for them.  It's just pineapple juice, but to a princess everything is magical.

It was a cold, blustery day... Well, OK, this is Arizona.  It was a little on the chilly side so they wore light jackets to go play in the neighborhood park.  I had the privilege of playing the role of the prince in their playground game.  It was basically tag, but they were able to make up rules on the fly.

About three months ago Easton asked me for the Indominus Rex Breakout lego set.  I told him "maybe for Christmas".  He talked about it almost every single day since then.  This dude is persistent!  I called the Lego store every Tuesday morning at 10:00 sharp for the past several weeks waiting for them to get one of the sold-out sets.  I finally picked one up this past Tuesday and Easton went bananas.

We will be Sacramento for Christmas day and he doesn't want to take the set there because it's so large he would have to dismantle it to bring in home.  He was willing to wait to put it together until we return from the holidays, but because of his willingness to be patient I gave it too him early.  He knows the number of pieces, the number of bags in the box, and every functional part of it.  He discovered Youtube and product reviews...

This is Kendra showing her jars homemade lemon curd.

When life gives you lemons...  make lemon curd and give it away!  or make lemonade and give it away if you don't have cooking skills like Kendra.  She turned the lemons in our backyard into a delicious topping for pancakes and she's giving it away.  She is like a bee pollinating and buzzing around being a blessing and encourager to those who cross her path.  I love watching her switch from receiving mode to giving mode again after so many months of people blessing us.  All treatments are done and she is continuing the recovery from radiation.  She will continue taking inhibitor pills along with getting vitamin C and curcumin intravenously for the next few years as long as we can afford it.  The good thing is that she gets to spread her joy in the doctor's offices.

Joy is not what she is doing, but who she is being and when she is joyful it shapes the atmosphere around her.  I've discovered there are too many people whose mood depends on what is happening around them.  Happiness is based on "happenings", but joy is based on a Godly relationship.  That leads me to a word that isn't used much in our culture: rejoice.  The word "rejoice" means to be joyful over and over.  If joy relates to an incident instead of a culture inside of you then it isn't sustainable.  Kendra loves Disneyland because it is a joyful experience, but that's not the joy-fuel she runs on all year long.  Anyone can be joyful at Disneyland because their goal is for everyone to experience that, but being full of joy while walking in the valley of the shadow of death requires the culture of joy to be already functioning from the inside.  Speaking of the 23rd Psalm, I like to lay down by the still waters and in the green grass, but when I'm going through the valley of the shadow of death, I just keep walking.  People have asked, "what do you do when you're in this season of difficulties?"  I keep going!  I keep moving forward

Kendra's in the middle of her story.  We reached the end of a chapter and are turning the page, but we have no idea what the next chapter will hold.  We don't know which chapter we just finished nor how many chapters our book will have.  I stopped asking questions God isn't answering.  Godly confidence, or Godfidence, is the result of faith.  If you have faith then you will have confidence, but that require trust that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.  The promise only applies to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.  I've seen too many atheists claim this promise in their life, but it is conditional.  If you want all things to work together for good, then love God and discover His purpose for your life.  If something isn't good, then God's not done yet.  This is one of the many truths that I meditate on during the hard times.  Through my impatience and worrying and striving to get ahead of the process by my own efforts, the truth shines brighter to help me see that God is not done yet.

Sometimes God gives us an acorn instead of an Oak tree.  He answers large prayers with small answers to see if we have the stamina and focus to steward the small answer.  I've prayed some large prayers during the past 9 months and I celebrate every acorn.  Anytime God engages me in a process it's because he's growing me into the kind of person who can handle the Oak tree.  All of God's disciplines are so that his blessings don't kill me, not punishment.  No one has ever been punished into purity or Godliness.  Discipline comes by God speaking the nature of reality directly to my heart.  Hebrews 4:12 says "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. "  the phrase "word of God" refers to the living, active voice of God, not just the Bible. My main point is that the first target of this verse is myself, not others.  I am not allowed to use the Bible or words given to me by God for the purpose of cutting up other people.  However, I can choose to grow when I let the word of God work in my own life.  The world will be a much brighter place when we allow the word of God to shift the way we see Him and ourselves instead of slicing up other people with it.

The measure of a man's ability to cherish his wife can be seen in her face.  Kendra gets more beautiful every year and I have a small part in that.  When I believe she is worthy to be cherished then I will choose to grow in my ability to cherish and serve her.  She must also choose to receive, but I am the initiator.  If you want to know how I'm doing as a husband, then look at Kendra's face and you'll know infinitely more truth than whatever words I say.  Look at her face as she browses the cereal isle at the grocery store instead of her selfie face. Reality is not displayed in a well-timed selfie, but in the mundane daily routine.  It is in these moments that she reflects back to me how well I cherish her.  As a second measure of the strength and fulfillment of a marriage, ask the wife, "how is your relationship with your husband?".  Her answer is 99.5% more accurate than the husband's.  I totally made up that statistic, but you get the point. I used to not understand what it means to cherish Kendra.  Now I understand it experientially, but I can't find the words to describe what it really means to cherish Kendra.

See you soon!

Sliding into Christmas

Greetings friends and family,

Having Ouma around for a month made these last few weeks of radiation and recovery tolerable.  I always wish she could stay longer, but I understand the sacrifices she made to be with us as long as she did.  We convinced her to stay as long as she did by bringing Oupa out to join us for a week.  Our house was buzzing with people and I welcomed every minute of it.  All five of us, Kendra and I and Ouma and Oupa and David, provided just the right amount of involvement to keep the twins on target.  From trips to school, extra curricular activities, and adventures, the twins were well cared for by us.

The latest attempt to allow the twins to find their passions was to give them piano lessons.  We know Rhonda from our old church and she teaches kids something called "musicality".  That means piano, percussion, and all the instruments.  They only go once per week and we're just doing an eight-week session to see how it goes.

The piano in our house was given to us and it's sat mostly untouched for the past year because neither of us play.  However, now that lessons are ongoing our piano is playing Christmas tunes daily thanks to the twins.

I don't know if we'll put them back in after the holidays or not.  It's a lot of work to burn an entire evening each week and it's more costly than I expected, but we'll see how much Easton or Layla take a liking to it.  As you can see by the picture they are all smiles and having fun while learning to make music, but longevity is the real key marker of whether there is passion.

Easton memorized several Bible verses a few weeks ago, but the love chapter in 1 Corinthians 13 is one I want to make sure he gets deep down in his heart.  I bribed him by getting him a cheap Star Wars poster and promised to give it to him when he could quote this section of the chapter from memory.  This makes me so very proud!

Kendra had some girl time with Layla when they went to watch the Nutcracker ballet at the movies.  We couldn't justify spending $80 per ticket for the two of them to watch it live, but for a few dollars they were able to see the New York ballet perform it on the movie screen.  They had a great time dressing up fancy and going out together.  Unfortunately there were no pictures taken, but memories were made and that's the important part.  

I had the day with Easton and we spent a few hours on the canal path riding bikes.  We stopped often to throw rocks in the mud and chase the small schools of minnows around in the water.  There are many situations where I will let Easton take the lead and make the decisions.  when he wants to stop and throw rocks, we do.  when he wants to ride fast, we do.  when he wants to take a break and drink some water, we do.  There aren't many situations in his daily life where he gets to spread his wings and call the shots.  These times are special to me because I get to be a witness to his maturing process one decision at a time.  

This girl is on a whole new level of living life without caring what others think.  We had a family over to hang out with the 4 Webbs.  We ended up in the greenbelt playing around.  Kendra brought a hula hoop for the kids, but it was too enticing for her to leave it to just the young ones.  She showed them how to do it right and they were amazed!  It's hard to describe the elation and pleasure I get from seeing Kendra have fun and hula hoop.  She is a miracle and although her back is still sore and rebuilding through physical therapy, she is whole and healed enough to experience pain-free hula hoop fun.

As we try out a different church each week our paths have crossed with several other families who left our old church and are seeking a new one like us.  One of those families has a daughter who is the same age as the twins and they've been friends for as long as they can remember.  I'm grateful for the relationships that have continued beyond the four walls of the church.  We are seeing very quickly who were our church-only friends and who are real friends.

christmas is coming quickly, but not fast enough or these two!  I read about the Jesse Tree from a Facebook friend and discovered a site where the once-per-day Bible stories have a corresponding ornament to tape or hang on the tree.  It's like Bible trivia with a focus on Christmas and we'll do this again each year for the next several years because it's such a great way to build anticipation for the day of Christ's birth instead of just the day of getting presents.

I'm in a weird place right now.  Kendra's in the middle of her story.  We reached the end of a chapter now that radiation is done and we are turning the page, but we have no idea what the next chapter holds.  I'm not even sure which chapter we just finished and not sure how many chapters our book will have.  The two of us started dreaming again for our future in ministry.  We even have confirmed plans for the first half of 2016 and I'm super excited.   Even so, Kendra and I are walking out this journey of her healing with eyes wide open and one step at a time.  As far as we are concerned, God healed her completely through miraculous means and the hands of doctors. Now Kendra gets to maintain her healing and move into the next phase of recovery that includes inhibitor drugs and vitamin c and curcumin.  One step at a time, one day at a time, one success at a time.  Everything in our lives has shifted the way we see reality by getting our focus very intently on this moment, now.  We are grateful for yesterdays, hopeful for tomorrows, but experiencing todays like never before.

See you soon!

Thankful Thanksgiving

Greetings friends and family,

November is gone and the end of the year is so close I can taste it.  There will be no tears shed for 2015 when the fireworks go off New Years Eve.  This has been a year of less-than-ideal circumstances, trials, and difficulties.  There are days when it feels like nine months ago. Some days it feels like nine years ago because so much has happened.

There are not seasons of highs and lows.  I've discovered there are highs and lows happening at the same time, all the time.  The most amazing and profoundly impacting moments are sometimes happening at the exact same moment as ones with the greatest pain and disappointment.

The radiation treatment Kendra received caused all kinds of problems with her guts including a painful urinary tract infection.  The pain became so great that I took her to the emergency room where they discovered she had an infection.  five hours of our life we will never get back, but the two of us had lots of quiet time together between nurses visits, shots, and questions.  It was a hospital date.  That is part of the way time is redeemed.  yes, it sucked for Kendra to experience this, but in the middle of the circumstances we made the most of it and enjoyed each other's company.  Plus she was on heavy pain meds and laughed at my jokes even more than normal.

While all that was happening, Easton and Layla were dressed up as Rainbow Dash Pony and Batman.  They are well aware of Kendra's circumstances, but I love how they are living life and experiencing all the awesomeness of childhood in spite of what's going on inside Kendra.  There is life happening around me and it brings perspective.

There is also life going on in our back yard garden thanks to David.  He planted some seeds, made use of our separate garden sprinkler value, and let the sun do the rest.  We can't wait to taste the fresh veggies in a few weeks!

We spent the Thanksgiving holiday mostly at home resting, but for the big meal we went to Stephanie's house.  The mix of people who showed up made for a fun group.  Ifeanyi showed up and sat in Brett's massage chair.  Layla jumped in to explain how it works and get him set up for a good massage treatment.  The way Layla and Easton are comfortable around people makes me so happy.  Tall people, black people, famous people, poor people, mean people...  We expose them all walks of life and culture so that they see people as just people.  It's very difficult to discern or have insight into someone's heart if you can't get past the "differentness" in their exterior.

I don't know when the switch was flipped for Layla, but she is now a young lady.  That blows me away.  I turned around on our way to church to see her doing this and had to take a picture.

She's fashionable, gregarious, and communicative.  Those words aren't used to describe little kids.  Those are young lady descriptions and they fit Layla very well.  I just stared at her with a wrinkled forehead and snowball eyes and mouth open.  There she is.  almost eight years worth of my heart sitting right behind me in the van being exactly who she was made to be.

We met Stephanie's family out for dinner one night and she brought stuffed animals for the twins.  They've been asking me for the big eyed beanie babies for months, but I haven't given in to their request for one.  Steph is showing us over and over how to be considerate and thoughtful of others.  I'm so grateful for her family's example... and now we have two reindeer in our house.

The day after Thanksgiving is normally set aside for a trip to visit Kendra's cousin Megan and her husband Brandon.  We attended their wedding last year so it's still a little new for me to reference them as a married couple, but it's always a valuable use of our time to visit them up in Scottsdale.  We arrived just in time to step onto the back patio and catch the sun setting over the horizon.  Of course, the picture doesn't do the sunset justice, but you get the idea.  This picture represents so much more than just a Thanksgiving sunset.  It represents nine months of hopes and prayers.  When Kendra went into the hospital nobody knew if we would ever see another thanksgiving sunset or if Kendra would be able to stand or even walk.  Yet, here she is and here we are together soaking in the wonder of life and relationship.  Nothing is guaranteed for any of us. Not even next Thanksgiving.  Being thankful for the moment never gets old.  Even without her healing and health of the past.  even without the hope and future.  Nothing else matters but this moment in all it's mundane majesty.  It's just a couple standing on a balcony with a sunset.  Even so, it means the world to me and I will continue to be thankful in all things no matter what happens.

See you soon!

Cardinals Weekend Extravaganza

Greetings friends and family,

Our house is full of people and our hearts are full of gratitude.  My friend David is still with us even though he'd rather with his family in Utah.  As soon as he gets a job he'll be gone, but in the mean time he's making our house his house.  Ouma is here for a month and Oupa is here for a week.  And one night our friend Matt slept on the couch because he worked late and wanted a place to crash.  Add in all those characters with the 4 Webbs and we have a very busy household.  I haven' heard a single complaint from anyone involved either.  We are functional and helpful for each other and considerate.  It's wonderful to watch our household flow through the days with this variety of great people around.

I get up with the kids most days to take them to school.  Lately we've been eating out for breakfast because there is no quiet way to make breakfast and eat with two seven-year-olds.  They have better volume control that they used to, but there is no way around banging pots and pans and bowls.  Anyway, part of our time together over breakfast includes memorizing Bible verses.  It's amazing what kids can memorize and how quickly they can recall these verses.  I don't care about them knowing verse and quoting them.  I care that they understand and believe them in their hearts.  This is not an exercise of intellect.  it is giving them truth on which to build their belief system.  At some point in their life someone will say something like, "all gods lead to heaven and whatever you believe in is good enough."  I want this verse to come out of their heart so they are not deceived.  I'm not teaching them verses so they can debate theology.  I'm teaching them these verses so they can manage their own relationship with God.

A big milestone for us was reached this past Friday:  Kendra's last radiation therapy appointment!  She was scheduled to go on Monday also, but she told the radiation doctor her body just can't handle anymore.  He agreed it wouldn't be a big deal to miss one treatment.  The moment was oddly satisfying and boring at the same time.  She hugged the doctor and we walked out.  No fanfare or line of people cheering.  No bell to ring or celebration music.  Just a slow walk, hand-in-hand, out of the facility.  I caught one last picture before we left because we believe this is the last time we'll see the inside of this building other than followup appointments.  I only went with her to a few appointments because Kendra's friends took time to be with her there day after day.  They add so much light to her journey and I'm grateful for their willingness to take Kendra to appointments.

We are at an odd place where many aspects of life are changing and some are staying exactly the same.  We left our church and we left the cancer treatment world all within a few weeks.  Even so, there are many aspects that are consistent and ongoing.  Our important friendships and relationships are holding steady.  We have a steady flow of friends to spend time with and that has been very fulfilling for our whole family.  We had a game night where 20 friends came over for kid-less fun together.  Everyone brought food and we played games until 11:00pm!  Our house was loud and filled with people doing life together.  We don't just talk about it, we actually are friends by sharing life and laughs.  There is no lack of love and friendship.  These are very valuable and necessary aspects of life right now and always.

Our friend, Brett, works for the AZ Cardinals.  His wife, Stepahnie, is one of Kendra's best friends and has been for last year or so.  They made it possible for us to have a memorable weekend being around the team.  We went to the practice facility where we watched the team run plays on the field.  Easton and their son played catch a few feet behind the line of monstrous men.  He is completely oblivious to the magnitude of just how amazing it is to be there.  I didn't mind at all either.  He sees that whole line of guys as just some other men and fathers.  I'm glad he is able to see humanity as they are and not as the TV or fame makes them out to be.

We hung out while they practiced and watched the way things flow like a flock of birds on the field as they ran plays and coached.  I would have been content to just sit and watch them do what they do best even at a half-speed trot through their playbook.

After the practice was over we had the chance to meet lots of the team.  Tyrann Mathieu came over with his kids and Kendra got a hug from one of them.  Tyrann is a quiet, gentle guy who took the time to meet us.  That's not the same powerhouse, warrior people see on the TV screen, but I am thankful we were able to see the reality of who he is off the field.

Then there's this guy, Terry McDonough, who we met and had no idea he is a vice president in the Cardinals organization until a few minutes into the conversation.  He interacted with us even gave Kendra a shirt because she wore a hot sweatshirt that was overly warm for the perfect weather.

Another one of Brett's patients and friends is Frostee.  He met our whole family and although he has no idea who we are or remembers our names, it was such a surreal moment to be talking about normal life things to this guy who is on the TV every weekend. I learned he's been married a year.  I also learned we have virtually zero in common.  His world and my world would never crossed paths if it weren't for the invitation of Brett to be there.  OK, maybe our paths would cross at the DMV if he has to get a driver's license or something.  Other than that scenario, it was a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Carson Palmer is one of Brett's success stories in that he helped rehab him.  Carson came over to our group and met us all.  He even signed a small football for Easton!  I wish I had a better story to tell about this moment, but we were all just star-struck.  I've decided the term star-struck just means, "we have absolutely nothing in common and this is awkward because we will never meet again and we are both ok with that".

That all happened on Saturday and then came Sunday.  We visited a church Sunday morning then loaded up the battle wagon and headed to the stadium to see the Cardinals play football for real.  Stephanie brought Oupa and Kendra.  I won tickets from work so I brought David.  The five of us had the best time together.  We tailgated because we are too cheap and too healthy to spend $20 for a hotdog.

The seats were unbelievable and the energy in the stadium was enough to turn anyone into a sports fan.  Kendra's time with her dad was special for many reasons and this memory will remain up there with the best of them.

This celebration weekend for Kendra was brought to you by... Stephanie.  She put this all together and made it happen with great enthusiasm.  Those two are fun to watch together because they know how to enjoy every moment from doctor visits to last-minute game-winning scores.

I could see Kendra and we did some hand signals back and forth a few times.  David and I had our own experience across the stadium.  He has been my friend for eight years.  Having him live with us is making his imminent departure even more difficult for me.  He knows things about me that no one else in the world knows.  He and I are deeply vulnerable and open with each other.  That's not something two guys can jump into quickly.  It takes time and bonding experiences and trust and all the good stuff that makes a friendship really work.  He was the first person to come to mind when I learned I had one ticket to share with a friend.  Once he's gone to Utah we will always remain as friends, but having your best friend live down the hall is so much more engaging than keeping up with him through phone and text.  I'll be grieving for the next few weeks, but these kinds of memories are what leads to life-long friends.

Turkey day is coming soon and I'm looking forward to family time and vacation time from work.  See you soon!

Yellow Belt and Photoshoot

Greetings friends and family,

It is important for fathers to celebrate their child's successes.  There may be a limit on going bananas over the tiniest achievement, but I would much rather be riding that line than hugging the other side of the pathway by ignoring successes.  celebration my or may not include a monetary cost, but it should always include an outward expression from the heart.  I'm not suggesting that the amount of money spent on a child's milestones have anything to do with how well a child does as an adult.  However, the father's outward expression of joy and pride.  Zephaniah 3:17 says, "The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.  Notice that God rejoices and sings loudly over us.  Not just for performance and accomplishment, but for who we are.

Easton is a yellow belt in Taekwondo now!  This is a picture of a boy looking for his father's approval and affirmation before his big "test" to show he has what it takes to be a yellow belt.

A yellow belt is not something he earned or possesses.  It's who he is.  I made this very clear to him.  Too often I hear parents congratulate kids about their performance or what they physically posses.  This leads to the performance mentality that leads a child to believe, "The better I perform, the more I am loved."  It is much more beneficial to call out a child into who he (or she) is becoming.  Once his belt was officially given to him and tied, he turned to face the crowd to be announced as a yellow belt.

Here's the whole class of students who tested for their belt promotions.  He's still actively pursuing becoming a black belt.  We are supporting him in his goals and desires, but that means sacrificing other things we could be doing with our time and money.  He understands the value of a dollar much more than I would expect for a seven-year-old.

The staff at his martial arts school are very professional and I'm continually impressed by the way the school is run in excellence.  He's not getting trained by some young kid.  He's getting direct training from a champion and that's hard to beat.

Kendra wasn't able to attend the big event because of the side effects of her radiation.  I was disappointed, but know she is limited in her abilities to get out of the house.  Lucky for us, Ouma is here!  She was able to experience the exciting evening and be a part of congratulating him.

The night before this we went to Krispy Kreme for a box of doughnuts.  I went to see how Easton's bedtime routine was going and found him happily brushing his teeth with the hat on.  He is such a kind, funny boy just smiling and scrubbing his pearly whites.  The dentist gave him an A+ rating on his teeth (no cavities).  That's good news worth celebrating.

I took the twins to the skate park for an afternoon outing with their scooters.  After they grew tired of the scooters we scooted over to the playground where the twins joined a few dozen other kids for games of tag and "sharks and minnows" (whatever that is).  Layla climbed on the monkey bars for the majority of the time.  When i asked how she is doing she said, "I'm ok and don't have any blisters... yet."  She sure has lots of dirt on her hands and callouses, but this girl is a princess warrior.  Here's the warrior side...

And then we had a 4 Webbs photo shoot by the Tempe Town Lakes and Layla leaned on the princess side of her personality to sparkle and shine.  She looks like a young lady and it scares the daylight out of me.  I took the picture and then looked at it on my phone.  Then I gasped and wrinkled my forehead because it hit me like a ton of bricks just how much she's really grown up already.

Our photographer is a beginner and a friend from church.  This was her first family photo shoot ever so we have no idea how the pictures are going to turn out.  It was a no-risk situation other than the possibility of zero out of 100 pictures turning out.

And then there's Easton.  Wow.  He's becoming a young man one day at a time right before my eyes.  I'm most proud of him for being kind.  He recognizes injustice easily and has the ability to apply himself to a single thing with laser like focus.  Whatever he chooses to do he does it with is whole being and that's a great character trait to have.  I don't know who he is becoming, but he'll be the best Easton he can be and that's enough assurance for me.

We caught the sunset for some great backgrounds and even some night shots when the lights came on.  Turned out really well as long as the photographer captured it on the camera.  Ouma was with us and helped tremendously with the shuffling of kids and stuff as we moved from one site to the next.  She even got in a few pics, which I think will turn out to be some of the best ones.

Afterwards we treated our photographer to dinner so we could get to know her on a more personal level.  It's tough to really find out about a person while she's giving instructions for taking pictures so frantically.  Anyway, as we waited for our table to open up, I stepped outside with the twins to enjoy the night air.  Layla stepped up on a light pole and I took a few more pics just for fun.  In a word...  Layla is "cheery".  Every seven year old has their moments of emotions, but overall we are blessed to have such a joyful soul reside in the body that is half Kendra and half me.

Some day I'll bring these specific pictures out when Layla is a senior in high school or something and see how much she's changed or not.  I still see the same face as when she was a newborn.  No matter how old she gets or how much her looks change I'll always see her as my little girl.  I've heard about dads describing their daughters that way even when they are grown women, but it's very different being the one to describe Layla this way.

The Casa de Webb is completely full and there is no room at the Inn.  My friend David is still around, Ouma and Oupa are both staying for a week, and the 4 Webbs make seven people living under one great room.  I'm loving it because with five adults I feel like we can adequately manage the house and the twins.  Like all good things, it won't last, but I'm making the most of it while I can.  My blogging time is always in the 10-midnight time frame, but with David around and now the in-laws, we are spending every night talking and sharing and hanging out together so my blog time suffers.  It's a trade off though, so thanks for your patience.  :)

See you soon!