Happy Birthday Ryan!

 

My Dearest Ryan,

I love you so much!!! Watching you grow up has been amazing. You are so special to me in so many ways. I always look forward to the next steps you will take and see how you grow, but for some reason turning five has been hard for me. It pulls on my heart strings a little more than usual. Okay a lot more. In the fall you are going to go to Kindergarten and I just can't believe you are this big already. I'm trying to hug you and kiss you more often and I hope you'll let me do it for a long long time.

I am so proud of you for who you are and who you are becoming. You are such a bright boy, full of questions and wanting to know how things work and why. You talk about your sister Annie all the time, trying to understand more of why she isn't here with us. If we are watching a movie, you are constantly asking me questions as if I have seen it before. You are now asking "Are we there yet?" in the car every time we are in it. I have you count the lights or exits and that completely satisfies you. :)  You have to have a reason for everything. You rely on common sense and "because I said so" isn't an answer for you. You have to know why.

You are really into superheros now. You love the idea of fighting the bad guys and saving the day. You are really good at playing video games. You are definitely your father's son! As soon as you learn how to read, you won't need mom or dad to help you. Your favorite games are Lego Batman (that has all the justice league super heroes) and Lego Marvel. Your favorite right now is Superman.

You are so very athletic! You can hit a baseball when it's being thrown to you 75% of the time. You love to ride your bike and do it with ease. You also love riding your scooter. You are awesome at kicking balls and catching them too. You love to be FAST. You can't keep still. You're always bouncing on furniture, trying to stay off the carpet. When we're out doing errands, you try to jump over the cracks. It's hilarious when you're on tile. You are always bouncing from here to there.

You are in preschool right now with Ms. Erica. You love school and especially love your friends. Your best friend in school is Kyson. You like to play karate with him. Whenever I pick you up, you always yell Bye to everyone around you. Your teacher tells me that you are very very social and very good about including everyone. You are so sweet and really want to be friends with everyone. Friends are very important to you. Whenever we go to the park you love to find friends to play with. You like to come and tell me when you've made a new friend and introduce them to me.

I am pretty sure you are also a class clown. :) You LOVE to make people laugh. You are always saying funny, witty things that crack us up. You also love to make Brady and Brynn laugh and will do anything you can to do it, even if it drives me bonkers. :) You love big words and when you learn new words, you'll use them often. I love to hear you say "You are correct!" I said that Brady's laugh was contagious. You asked what it meant and then have been saying "courageous" ever since. We can't bear to correct you. You love to read and you'll read anything! I am so excited for you to learn how to read so you can do it whenever you want.

You are very independent and want to do everything yourself. If you want a glass of milk, you'll try and get it yourself. You know that you are prone to messes so lately you have been putting down a paper towel under your cup on the floor before you pour your milk. You have to be the one to want to do it though. If I try to get you to do things, you won't do it and get stressed and give up. Hang in there Buddy. One of our mottos is "practice makes perfect." You have been earning fuzzies for good behavior and chores. When you put your mind to cleaning, you are fantastic! You've cleaned your entire room, the entire living room, and folded your laundry before and you were so proud of yourself. This is something that I love about you. You take ownership and get it done and do a good job.

You are a great leader and love to organize play time with Brady or your friends. When we are at Dennis and Cheryl's, you do a great job at keeping Brady, Kaden, and Brooklyn entertained. Other kids just love you so much because you are so fun. Sometimes your leadership turns into bossiness, especially to your little brother. :) Many times I hear you reprimanding him or talking to him just as Mommy or Daddy would. You definitely act like the oldest and are just like Mommy was when you were little.

You are an awesome big brother and love your siblings so much. You are so sweet and love hugs and kisses and cuddles, especially at night. You love to hold Brynn and make her laugh. She just loves you so much. You are Brady's best friend. He copies everything you do and loves you. I hope you continue to have good relationships with your siblings. I know you love your family very much, and we love you too! To the moon and back.

Happy Birthday Ry Guy! We can't imagine our lives without you in it. You are so handsome and smart and fun and kind. Keep being the awesome boy you are. You are going to rock being FIVE!

Love, Mommy

**

Every year I like to ask the kids questions and see how their answers change (or don't change). :) Here is Ryan's video this year. He was so much more mature and cooperative. It's amazing to see the difference now. I think he actually enjoyed being asked these questions. :) Here is the video and the questions and answers are below (for you, Mom and Dad). Enjoy!



"What day is it today?" My birthday.
"How old are you?" Five! Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Eleven. Twelve thirteen fourteen fifteen sixteen seventeen eighteen nineteen twenty.
"What's your favorite color?" Blue! And I'm having a Superman party.
"Do you have other colors that are your favorite, or just blue?" Hmm... My favorite favorite favorite is blue. And my favorite favorite is orange. I mean, my favorite favorite is black. And my favorite is orange.
"What's your favorite toy?" Mm.. I am going to go get it out. My Big Foot Truck.
"What is your favorite fruit?" I'm going to go get it out. (I wouldn't let him.) My favorite fruit is blueberries.
"What's your favorite TV show?" My favorite TV show is Sam Samwich. (He only said this because it was just on the tv and it's a short show inbetween shows.) It's Atlantis. (He loves Justice League, Calliou, Bananas in Pyjamas, Curious George, and so many more.) My favorite game is the one I am playing now... Lego Batman.
"What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch?" Hamburgers. Noooo.... Turkey sandwiches.
"What is your favorite game?" The one I was playing. (Lego Batman)
"What is your favorite snack?" My favorite snack is.... hmm.... yogurt.
"What is your favorite animal?" My favorite animal is.... a bat.
"What is your favorite song?" Shoo Fly Don't Bother Me (Same as last year)
"What is your favorite book?" My favorite book used to be Batman with the guy that has claws. "Wolverine?" Yes, Wolverine and the X-men. "Used to be your favorite or is your favorite?" It is my favorite book, but it got sent back to the library.
"Who is your best friend?" Kyson (from school). Freddie (from church). Madison (not from church or school).
"What is your favorite cereal?" It's your cereal up there. Blueberries and raspberries in the box. (Berry Cheerios)
"What's your favorite thing to do outside?" Ride my bike.
"What is your favorite drink?" My favorite drink is pop.
"What is your favorite holiday?" My favorite holiday is Halloween.
(Ryan get your hand out of your pants!) I have to say this too often. :)
"Why is Halloween your favorite?" Because you get candy.
"What is your favorite thing to take to bed with you?" Scout.
"What do you want to be when you grow up?" I want to be a police.
"I love you! Happy Birthday!"

*A big thank you to my friend Rachael for letting me use her old DSLR camera and then editing the pictures when I did a crappy job of taking them. I love these pictures of my Ry Guy.