Remember When

There is a lot of homework at the end of the school year. Even for Kindergarteners.

Another project the twins are working on is a time line. Nonna helped the Puoci girls go through some pictures and below are just a few super-cute ones that I thought it would be nice to revisit. It's a good thing the Puoci Girls turn out so cute!

Soooo tiny, in Nonna's arms

Halloween 2002

Lollipops make for great lipstick.

Ah, Fourth Grade

Tori and Dad working on her California Mission Project, Mission San Francisco de Asis

Nonna Marinette

Juliette’s questions for

Nonna, Marinette Naffaa

Where were you born?

I was born in Cairo, Egypt.

Where was your mother born?

She was also born in Egypt. I don’t know which city.

How did you get eight grandchildren?

I have four daughters. Three of them have children. One of hem does not have any. I have four grandsons and four granddaughters.

How did you get so good at basketball?

In school my favorite sport was basketball and I played a lot with my friends during recess.

How do you cook such delicious food?

I learned to cook from my mom and my older sisters. I have an Egyptian cookbook that helps me remember all the ingredients.

Growing Up

Things I love

When a Beach Boy song (or even better, a David Bowie song) comes on the radio and the girls start singing along since they know EVERY word.

The way Juliette holds her own, private conversation with herself in the middle of the night when she gets up to go to the bathroom. No one knows what’s going on but her.

The way one twin takes care of the other when she’s sad (providing the twin isn’t the offender, of course).

The way the girls baby-talk to my stomach.

Juliette, who is so easily “grossed-out”, lets Ramsey lick her face

How all three girls have the same notch in their ear as Dad.

How both Annie and Julie have a mole on the back of their leg like Grandma

How Annie is very much Julie's Big Sister.

Things that make me just a little sad

Tori is too tall to hug around my waist and tall enough to put her arm around my shoulders

Tori’s hand-me downs go straight to the twins; they don’t have to wait to grow into them. (It does save on storage, though.)

Annie and Julie aren’t AT ALL scared to take the bus to school next year.

Tori’s Tiger Stripe is fading

Grandpa the Great, Russell Jackson

Annie and Julie's homework this month is to interview one of their grandparents. Annie choose her Great Grandfather, Russell Jackson. She chose 5 questions; they are below with their answers.

How do you make all of your pictures so beautiful?

The pictures are beautiful because they represent God’s beautiful animals. You have to use the colors that you see in the animals and that makes the pictures beautiful.

Where were you born?

In the State of Nebraska in an itty-bitty town called Paxton. Today babies are born in a hospital. I was born in a shack. There were no doctors or nurses, just a midwife.

Editor’s note: Great Grandpa was born in 1924.

Do you have any brothers and sisters?

I had 2 older brothers. They have both passed away. They were 5 and 6 years older then me. I didn’t have any sisters.

Are you good at basketball and football?

Well that’s a good question! I played both basketball and football. I was very good at football and received lots of scholarships for the University of Nebraska but I didn’t get to go. I played basketball for 2 years but I had to quit. The school was 9 miles from where I lived and I had to walk home. Basketball practice didn’t start until 5:00pm and it was too late for me to walk home after practice so I had to quit. I didn’t want to quit but academics were more important. The world was different then. There were no school buses. A lot of boys rode their horses to school.

Do you cook or does Great Grandma cook?

[Great Grandpa Laughs] Well that’s another good question. [Pause] I cook. I enjoy cooking. I don’t like to do dishes.

Note from Grandma Terry, Great Grandpa’s daughter: “Great Grandma does the dishes!"

Graphiti

I have been trying this new “math-craft” type thing at school and it’s really fun. They are called graphiti. Look for them on the web and let me know what you think.

- Tori :)

For Tomorrow

Happy Birthday
Nonno & Zoe
We Love You
(Taunte Rita, too)