Grandpa's Birthday Dinner

Now that we have two new cousins with September Birthdays I think the month of celebrating will go from crazy to out of control! Last week we celebrated Grandpa's Birthday with a quiet dinner in our backyard. We had a lot of fun hanging out and catching up and it was chilly enough most of us ended up in sweatshirts which was very welcome after another hot summer. I think Grandpa loved playing with the boys, talking to Jon about music, telling us all about their trip to Washington, opening presents, and eating brownies. It was a lovely evening and we should do it again soon, even if we don't have a Birthday to celebrate. We love Grandpa so much and any time we get to spend time with him is a good time!

River Playdate

A couple of times a year the boys and I meet up with my friend Michelle and her son Ryan to have a play date on their property that runs along the Kings River. I usually don't get any pictures because it is a wet, muddy, sandy, wonderful mess, but this time I was brave and brought my phone along so I could get a few pictures of the boys playing together. The water is moving really slow and is very shallow right now, so it is absolutely perfect for the kids to swim in. Making sand angels in the dried up areas was a big hit too! We also got to meet Ryan's new sister and she is just precious!

A Couple of Firsts for Reed

Last week was a big week for Reed, on Tuesday he started the Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program at his preschool and then he had his first soccer game. I thought moving to the TK class at his school would be a breeze, he's familiar with all of the teachers there and other than it being in a different classroom and four, instead of three, days a week it is pretty similar to what he's been doing for the last year. I however, was wrong. For the last two weeks he's been crying almost daily about moving to the big kid class and not wanting to be away from Mom and missing out on his morning with Grandma each week. It's been rough and I've been dreading the first day. However, after a lot of conversations with me and two awesome teachers he did great on his first day (and the rest of the week too). I also often joke that I could probably leave Kieran at preschool and he'd be totally fine with it, it was pretty perfect when on the second day (the first full day) Reed refused to pose in the photo booth but Kieran was completely game to! I'm so excited to see what Reed learns this year and to watch him mature into the elementary school kid he will be next year.

On Saturday Reed's U6 (Under 6) soccer team, The Snakes, played their very first game. They've been having twice a week practices for three weeks and although the game was almost comical at times I was really impressed with how well the kids listened to their coaches and did their best. I think Reed is the youngest player on the team and a couple of the other players have a year of playing under their belt so he definitely has a lot to learn. The fact that he got his foot on the ball a couple of times during the game, at least kind of tried to block a goal, and only ran the wrong way once seemed like pretty big accomplishments! The most important thing is that he had a great time, so I think this has been a really positive experience for him so far. He also had quite the crowd cheering for him - Mom, Dad, Kieran, Pepe, Nonna, C, Lyla, Zach, and Lyla's Grammy all came to the game and we definitely made a lot of noise - I think he loved it!!! The Snakes won and all the parents made a tunnel for both teams to run through at the end of the game it definitely is the kind of atmosphere I was hoping for Reed's first competitive sports experience and am excited for the rest of the season!

One Week, Two New Cousins!!!

Last week (technically 10 days ago) was a big week for our family, the boys gained two new cousins and Jon and I gained a nephew (our first) and a niece (our fourth). Obviously we found out quite a while ago that Aunt Kari and C were expecting around the same exact time, so it was really fun to guess which baby would come first and the genders too. Kyle and Kari found out they were going to have their third girl a few months ago but C and Tio decided to be surprised and wait until the baby's birth to find out.

C had a scheduled C-Section after having an emergency one with Lyla. I was so nervous the night before her surgery I couldn't sleep, I just remember being in the same position with Kieran three years ago and what a mind trip it was knowing you would be meeting your baby soon when you aren't even in labor and anticipating the hard recovery you are going to have, plus all of the other unknowns that come along with having a newborn! Anyway C did great during her surgery and we found out shortly after that we had a nephew, Zachary Paul weighing in at 8lbs 14oz and 21 inches long. Reed was ecstatic because he really wanted a "boy cousin" and he also had decided the baby's name should be Zachary months ago (apparently C and Tio had decided on the name just days before Reed suggested it and had a very hard time keeping mum about the crazy coincidence). Lyla and the Grandparents got to meet Zach when he and C made it to their room and the reports were that she really loved meeting her baby Brother. We went up to the hospital to visit everyone that afternoon but unfortunately C had some complications that required her to go back into surgery. This was very scary at the time but when we found out all of the details after the fact it was even scarier and really made us appreciate modern medicine. Anyway, the next day we made our way back up to the hospital to meet the little guy and visit C (and Tio). Of course it was love at first sight and we are so excited to have Zach as part of our family!!! Since the boys are so young they had to wait until C and Zach got out of the hospital to meet him but they were mesmerized by him and absolutely loved their introduction!!!

After such an emotional few days welcoming Zach into the world we were all on pins and needles waiting for Aunt Kari to go into labor. Three days later she was having frequent contractions and, after Uncle Kyle's urging, she checked into the hospital and about four hours later Lydia Megan was born. I knew they were at the hospital so I left my phone on right next to my bed hoping to hear something from Grandma or Uncle Kyle in the middle of the night. At a little after 4:00 am my phone started beeping and I got the good news first hand from Uncle Kyle, their little girl was a whopping 9lbs 5oz and 21 inches long. Of course I immediately demanded more pictures and he obliged. The next day Annaliese and Haleigh got to meet their baby Sister and the pictures are absolutely precious. I'm dying to meet my new niece but so far figuring out a time to visit when they are free hasn't worked, luckily Grandma and Grandpa went to visit a few days after her birth so I've been living vicariously through them!!!

Reed Says Summer 2016 Edition

As always Reed has said some pretty funny things over the last few months that I just have to share!!!

We were talking about our neighbors and how their son (who just graduated from college) lives with them. Reed's immediate question was "how can a son be a grown-up if he still lives with them?"

I was deciding on what to wear for a funeral and asked Reed what he thought about my outfit. He was not a fan and told me that "if that was me getting dressed I would look much better."

We've been swimming a ton this Summer and not to long ago we all put our swimsuits on to get in the pool. Reed took one look at me when I walked out in my two-piece suit and said "I'm not sure about your bathing suit, you look a little flat and a little chunky."

Sometimes when we walk the dog Reed will get a little hair or saliva on him which I've taught him to report to me so I can wipe it off immediately to avoid an allergy incident. Reedcito announced that "Dodger got hair on my favorite arm!" When I questioned why it was his favorite arm, he replied "yeah, I like to use it for more things than my other arm.'

The Monkey started laughing when things were not going right one morning. I asked him what he thought was funny because I was a little upset about his behavior. He told me that "sometimes all you can do is just laugh about some things Mom!"

I really do think he's inherited Jon's fear of getting older. Out of nowhere Reed turned to me and said "I don't like having change, I want my life to always stay the same."

Before getting in the pool The Reedster asked me "Mom, do you know why I wear a top (rash guard) when I go swimming? So I don't get water in my belly button."

Reed's thoughts on creation - "How did the first people come to life Mom? I think God or Jesus carved two people out of playdoh and they came to life."

Me- "Dad might stop by your soccer practice tonight."
Kieran- "And we will say go Reed, go Reed, go Reed!!!"
Reed- "Save it for my games Buddy."

We were at the zoo last week with Lyla and all three kids kept holding hands, which was adorable, but one time Lyla came up to Reed and said "Reed can I hold your hand?" He looked at her so sweetly and said "you can always hold my hand Lyla."