Ryan: Nine

Happy 9th Birthday Ryan!

I can't believe you are so close to double digits. Or as my sister told me, halfway to 18! (This makes me want to cry)

I went back and read my intro paragraph to your 8-year blog post....and I would say 1 year later it still describes you perfectly!!  "At 8 years old you seem to be half sweet little boy and half teenager! On the one hand, you still call me "Mommy" and love when I crawl on top of your bunk bed to snuggle with you. On the other hand, you have the attitude of a 14-year-old and throw up your hands in anger at me nearly every day."

Still call me Mommy? yep. Still have the attitude of a teenager? yep. And still like when I lie next to you and give you my undivided attention? yep

You still do not enjoy school, and do just the bare minimum to get by. However, you are doing well in every subject (especially math) and you really love your teacher! 

You are very sensitive to the way others treat you, and this includes the boys at school. I pray you can find a few really special, kind friends, and stick with them throughout your childhood. After school you always want to play outside, whether it's on our backyard swings, basketball out front, or running down the street to play with the neighbor friends. 

We are in the middle of baseball season right now and you are really blossoming into a great player! The coach says you're one of the best kids on the team at fielding the ball, and you're definitely the fastest runner. On the flip side, you love playing Nintendo on the weekends, and any sort of junk food is still your favorite.

A few words to describe you: Cool, Unorganized, Homebody, Handsome, Indifferent, Goofy, Argumentative, Athletic, Competitive, Sweet

You are especially sweet with your brother Andrew. I can count on you to watch him for a few minutes at a time, and you are always gentle and kind with him. You are most competitive with Lucas, and the two of you still argue and fight a lot. This year Jenna started to annoy you a little bit, and I've been noticing the two of you at odds a lot more lately.

You love comparing your feet with mine, or how long our body is....and you always comment on how you're almost as big as me. Someday I hope you're bigger!

You declined a friend party this year, and instead chose 1 friend to take out to dinner and mini golf.

Then yesterday we had a family party at our house.

You requested a very specific cake and I did my best to deliver. White cake with a layer of (organic) oreos, homemade chocolate buttercream frosting, topped with homemade whipped cream and a rim of oreos around the edge.

We snacked and played and then you received the most wonderful presents. A new baseball glove, a magic set, a chess set, batting cage, and an electric scooter. All pretty much a dream come true for a 9-year old boy.

Ryan, I pray so many blessings into your 9-year old and future life. I pray you would grow into the strong man God created you to be, and I thank him for entrusting us to raise you. You are such an important part of our family and we love watching you grow up. I love you Ry-Ry!