Ryan - Thirteen

 Happy 13th Birthday Ryan James Nullmeyer!!

I can't believe you are finally a teenager. However, you've had the attitude of a teenager for quite a while now, so I actually can believe it!  Your personality is a combination of super serious and moody, with a strong desire for fun thrown in. You enjoy listening to adults talk and will often hang out with them at a social gathering, rather than do anything silly with younger kids. You come across as very "cool" and aloof to people who don't know you. At the same time, you love all things fun and seek it out whenever possible. Doing anything mundane or routine is like torture for you.

Because of your knee issue, you still have not been able to play sports this year. Any free time you have is spent in the garage. Sometimes you go out there to work on RC cars or the electric scooter, and other times you're building random things out of wood. Sometimes you're hyper-focused on old coins, and oftentimes you're researching the type of car you want to buy. This week you found the top of a broken lacrosse stick and screwed it into a hockey stick to make yourself your own lacrosse stick. You absolutely love just being in the garage and tinkering. Bonus points if Daddy is out there with you.

I wrote this about you last year, and it's all still 100% true.

You are: clever, artistic, self-aware, argumentative, hands-on, athletic, messy, mechanical, impulsive, sensitive, moody, competitive. You love: cars, pokemon, friends, playing guitar, junk food, watching hockey, legos, soccer. You hate: taking showers, healthy food, cleaning your room, being bored, having your braces tightened.

You spend the most time with Lucas, although the two of you continue to fight/argue like crazy. You like to boss your younger siblings around and we often call you the 3rd parent because you tend to interject and try to discipline them before we can. I wonder if this is a first-born trait?  However, there are some special moments when I see you snuggling with Andrew or being sweet to Jenna.

I ask you to smile for a picture and I get this:

Or this:

Random Ryanisms: You have an amazing singing voice, you hate going to bed, you can make a taco out of almost anything, you love reading Garfield, you bite your nails like crazy, you re-teach me how to use the TV every week.

Kindergarten Ryan with his Mommy:

13-year old Ryan (who still calls me Mommy but recently asked when he should stop)

Your gift to me today was to allow me to take a decent photo of you.

Most handsome teenager I've ever seen!

Ryan we all love you so much! I hope your birthday is filled with everything you enjoy. I pray the coming year is full of blessings and that you know how loved you are. Happy Birthday Ryan!