It is always surreal to attend the birthday parties of children whose parents I have known since my academic years. Ryan Reyes and Darlene Geson Reyes are two people I’ve known since high school, and thinking about who I perceived them to be back then — then witnessing who they are now — is both jarring and heartwarming.
Now, they have their second-born, Sanxo Mateo Reyes, who recently celebrated his first birthday last December at the Oakridge Horizons event space. I watched with admiration as they continue to raise their two children with so much intention and love. The celebrant, Sanxo, is a cheerful child whose friendliness makes him unafraid to interact with everyone around him, never failing to draw smiles with his expressions and small gestures. His loving older sister, Sienna, dotes on him endlessly — so much so that he has grown to share her love for Paw Patrol, Blippi and Ms. Rachel.
Yet Sanxo also holds his own distinct interests, such as a fascination with bubbles and various forms of transportation — fire trucks, excavators, cranes, police cars, ambulances and buses — which inspired the “Little Town” theme of his birthday celebration. With a lively mix of activities aligned with what delights him most — ranging from a Paw Patrol mascot appearance to a bubble show and light show hosted by the Dreamcatchers dressed as Ms. Rachel and Blippi — the afternoon was not only filled with joy, but also offered guests a glimpse of who Sanxo is in this brief, beautiful season of his life.
In many ways, the celebration felt like a reminder of how time slowly reveals itself through people. In Sanxo’s cheerfulness, curiosity and ease around others, one can already sense the beginnings of who he is becoming. And in Ryan and Darlene, I saw how time had unfolded them, too — not into entirely different people, but into fuller versions of who they always were.