September 2018 Happenings

Since we are in the last few days of October it is probably time I put together a recap for September! Despite having already done several Birthday posts there were still a lot more celebrations, starting with Zach's 2nd Birthday. C and Tio  had dinner at their house. They were very sweet and included my parents in the celebration and Grammy and Pop Pop came to town for the party too! Zach was super cute playing with Jon, opening presents, and held his own during the epic glow stick dance party that ended the night.

We still "share" Skittles the cat with our neighbors which means playing with her when she comes over to visit and taking care of her when they are out of town. The boys love going over every day to check on her and usually turn it into an adventure trying to find short cuts, crawling through bushes and scaling the fence.

I helped start a women's professional group at work. At the beginning of the month we cooked and served dinner for people staying at Terry's House which is a place for people to stay while their loved ones are patients at Fresno Community Hospital. Many of us have been served or have had family members served by the hospital so it was really great to give back to others going through medical issues.

Even though Kieran has been in school all Summer he officially started his second year of preschool. Lyla is once again in the same class and Kieran says they play together every day. Some of the teachers call them "Double Trouble" but always reassure me that they are actually really well behaved, just inseparable.

Reed's school hosted a Goodies with Grandparents morning that Nonna and Pepe were able to attend (Grandma and Grandpa were out of town). It sounds like everyone had fun and Reed loved showing them his classroom.

Mark turned 60 and Penny organized a very nice Birthday dinner to mark the occasion. It was a special evening eating, drinking, reminiscing, and telling funny stories and we felt very lucky to be included in such a wonderful night.

A few nights later was Grandpa's Birthday. It was right in the middle of the week and Reed had music class but we couldn't not celebrate. Jon was a sweetheart and made dinner while I had the boys at class, so we were able to celebrate with Grandma and Grandpa as soon as we got home.

To round out our week of Birthday parties we celebrated Maisie (3) and Carver's (5) Birthdays with an afternoon at the Stoothoffs. Reed was obsessed with gathering all of the balloons together and Kieran thought it was super fun to break apart the balloon man over and over again. The boys always love playing with the Clovis kiddos and we really don't get together as often as we should. Of course the day wasn't complete until we got a picture of  the Birthday twins (Jon & Maisie) together.

If you think we were done with Birthdays you obviously don't know what September is like in our family! Actually Jon's Birthday was pretty unexciting. The boys made him breakfast, he worked all day, came home and had a few hours to himself while the boys had their soccer team pictures, and then we met him for dinner.

On Reed's actual Birthday I continued our tradition and made him a Birthday stack of pancakes and forced him to wear the Birthday hat from his first Birthday. He also got to celebrate with his class. He chose to have me bring popsicles for all of the kids and Mrs. Martinez made a big deal about making him the center of attention and giving him 7 hugs, 1 for each year, which he thought was really funny.

All Reed wanted for his Birthday was a turtle or a tortoise. After lots of talks about responsibility we agreed and shortly after brought home our newest family member, Shell-Ten. So far Reed has been pretty into taking care of him. He turns his light on and off each day, feeds him twice a day, and loves chopping up food for him. We also take him outside at least once a week, which he loves. With a life expectancy of 60+ years I really hope Reed's fascination is here for the long haul!

Mixed in with all of our activities is still one day a week that I'm home with Kieran. We have been having a great time playing with Dodger, running errands (including getting haircuts together), and having lunch dates.

Saluti

It is with great sadness and shock that we said goodbye to Papa last week. After having a lovely day spending time with him at the lunch we had for Jon and Reed's Birthdays we received the heart breaking call the next day that our goodbyes the afternoon before had been our last ones. While all of us wish we had known that would be our last time together it is also comforting to know that if Papa had his way he would have gone just like he did - spending the day with his family the day prior, no hospitals or nursing homes, just working out in his yard and then leaving us with Gran by his side.

Jon's stories of Papa growing up usually involve playing games, reading books, playing tennis with him on their annual Pajaro Dunes trip, and sneaking candy past Gran. He was an extremely active guy and had no greater joy than spending time with his family. He was the perfect gentleman always opening Gran's car door, rushing to help anyone carrying a package, platter, or bag of trash, and always going the extra mile to help out in any way. Papa was the maker of lasagna, marinara sauce, and all things Italian, he loved to garden, was always up for a beer or glass of red wine, and never shied away from a cup of black coffee (even if it was late at night - we always marveled at how he could sleep after one).  He loved watching his great grandkids play and even when it got hard for him to play with them he can often be seen in the background of a picture beaming from ear to ear watching on. He enjoyed teaching the kids words in Italian and they will always know mangia (eat) and panza (belly) because of him.

Jerry Cozzi was a lifelong resident of Dos Palos, California. He came from a very large family being the youngest of nine children and is known as Uncle Jerry by too many to count. He served in the US Navy where he received the Defense Medal and the Navy Occupation Medal.  He and Gran were engaged for two years and married in 1954. A year later Nonna was born followed by Diana. He spent the next 25 years farming and retired at an early age when his older brothers were ready to leave the family farming business. He filled his time with community service, belonging to the Dos Palos Y Service Club, the American Legion, and was a volunteer fireman. He and Gran were rarely without each other and were truly best friends. He was 87 years old.

This is the first death of someone the boys knew well and watching them grieve has been hard. Reed sobbing the night I told him and then again at the funeral services was truly heartbreaking but also reflects just how loved Papa was. This is a goodbye that will take us all a long time to get used to. Papa will be the standard of gentleman we try to raise our boys to. The bar is extremely high - my last image of him is him linking arms with Great Grandma Didi to walk her to her car on Sunday - chivalrous to the end, a truly great man. Saluti Papa you will be missed greatly.

A September Birthday Luncheon

Even though Reed chose Monterey over a birthday party we still told him we'd do something just family to celebrate and that I would make him Hotwheels cupcakes. We had C, Tio, Lyla, Zach, the Grandparents, and local Great-Grandparents over for a nice lunch. Talking to everyone it seemed like it was easier to do a lunch instead of a dinner and it ended up being really nice spending time with everyone with no rush to leave because they didn't want to drive in the dark or it was approaching bedtime for the kiddos. Reed and Jon were both spoiled with Birthday presents and the kiddos, Jon, and Pepe put on a show for everyone when they played soccer until they were red-faced sweatballs. It was such a wonderful day spent with each other we were so glad we made the effort to get everyone together.

7 Years

I can't believe how old Reed is looking lately, he really is a BIG kid now. He is such a fast learner when it comes to things like math and reading, but other skills like tying shoes and taking a shower take a ton of patience on the part of Mom and Dad to get him to understand. Reed is super into science and loves watching old episodes of Bill Nye the Science Guy, loves science experiments, and reading books about elements, dinosaurs and nature.

Reed is still definitely my sensitive kid. He gets super emotional about anything sentimental like looking at pictures of Dodger when he was a puppy or hearing stories about relatives that he's never met. For some reason he's able to really hold it together when it comes to situations that arise because of his allergies. If he isn't able to eat something it really is no big deal to him usually or at a minimum he'll hold it together until he can tell me later about the experience.

Currently I'm moving Reed from school to daycare 3 days a week and as much as I'd love not to have to leave work to do so, I really enjoy our 5 minute chats in the car ride. His teacher this year has very high standards as far as behavior in the classroom goes and Reed is really thriving. It's such a privilege to see the baby you snuggled with turn into such a responsible young kid.

Interesting Facts


Weight: 47.5lbs

Height: 3'  11.75"

Clothing Size: For the most part Reed wears a Big Kid S

Shoe Size: Big Kid 1M or 1.5M depending on the brand

Reed likes: Playing with Hotwheels, reading, building Legos, riding his bike, playing soccer, and playing anything with Kieran.

Reed dislikes: When people don't follow his rules or when he feels like people are being mean.

Nicknames: Reedster, Reedcito, Buddy, Monkey 1, Reed-man,  Darlin', and Reeder.

Food: His current favorite is hot dogs, followed closely by pizza and hamburgers. He will eat any meat, carb, or fruit but is super picky when it comes to veggies and refuses to touch a bean. He is allergic to dairy, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, and eggs.

Communication: Reed can read! I'm not talking about sounding out words either, the kid can plow through a 32 page beginning reader book in a matter of a few minutes. He just completed his reading assessment at school and is a DRA level 18 (they aim for kids to be at a level 16 entering 2nd grade). He reads books to himself every night when he goes to bed and often times I have to tell him that it is time to go to sleep otherwise he would stay up for hours reading. He is also writing a bunch, his spelling isn't great but he gets his point across and often tries to tackle some really big words.

Favorite Subject: Reed absolutely loves math and anything having to do with numbers. Reading and science are definitely new favorites.

Favorite Color(s): Blue

Best Friends: Reed still loves Faith and says they play sometimes when he isn't playing soccer at recess. When he was super upset about something at school he told me he found her on the playground and that they built a house made out of woodchips and it made him feel better. He also says his classmate from last year, Victor, is a best friend and they hang out every day at school.

How Reed is sleeping:  He goes to bed around 7:45 pm and sleeps until around 6:30 am most mornings. He sleeps in a twin bed, with a night light and sound machine, and an assortment of stuffed animals (Soft Sheep is always in the mix). He rarely naps, but once in awhile if he's extra tired he might fall asleep in the car.

When he grows up he wants to be: a farmer like Tio

Milestones over the last year:

-Reed took a ride on a school bus for the first time (for a school fieldtrip)

-He had his first soda - rootbeer

-The poor guy took his first punch when a bully at school decked him for no reason

-The Monkey got to eat a donut for the first time

-One night he forgot Soft Sheep out in the living room and for the first time since he was six months old, slept without her (and didn't even notice)

-Reed took his first train ride (from Fresno to Hanford)

-He learned to do breaststroke, backstroke, and attempted butterfly this summer

-Reedman makes his own breakfast almost every morning

-He went on his first official hike (with Grandma and Grandpa in Redwood Canyon)

-Reed learned to tie his shoe

-The Reedster now takes a shower (instead of a bath)