{ Ryan at 3 }

Some say that kids can be handful. I’d have to say that Ryan would be an armful. And not just in the busy body kind of way, but also in that jump into your arms and squeeze a giant hug out of you kind of way. I think this kid was only born with one switch and mode-on and intense!

The other day I was giving him a big hug at breakfast. I scooped him up and sat him on my lap. I put his little face in my hands and looked him in the eyes and said, “Ryan I haven’t had my 10 hugs today yet.” (It’s a little deal we worked out.  I just need at least 10 hugs from him each day!) He smiled and grabbed me around the neck to give me a big bear hug and then I said, “Ryan, you are just so big! I thought you told me you weren’t going to grow up on me.” He looked at me with those sweet little eyes and said, “Mom, I have to grow up. I need to be a missionary!” It was a good mom moment. I had to fight back the tears a little because it suddenly put all of that intensity into perspective. I just hugged him even tighter. He then pulled away and asked, “Mom, can girls be missionaries too? Because you could be a missionary!” I just love this kid more than words can say.

There are days when I wonder if his little body can contain that big spirit of his-we’ve even considered changing our Family Mission Statement to “Big Spirits-Little Bodies”.  It describes Ryan to a T. He is almost always 5 steps ahead of us-literally and figuratively. He bounces around at the head of our outings and is always thinking ahead to what his next move will be. It usually involves him plotting how to get up early so he can climb up the shelves in the pantry and steal the Oreos and eat quite a few before we get up or how he can climb out of his car seat while we are driving without being noticed. He definitely keeps us on our toes.

And this kid is quick as a whip. He picks up on things so fast. I was asking Scott some questions the other night that had to do with him matching some of his words from school, and Ryan would be the one picking out the words. This kid is so smart! He loves to show me all of the things that he has learned at Preschool-his letters, his shapes, his numbers, and telling me useful information about eggs and other things they have studied. He will quiz me about shapes-Does it have three sides? Does is look like this-and he will make a shape with his hands. One day after Preschool he took a pen and drew a rectangle on one of our dining room cloth chair backs. I wanted to scream. Actually…I think I did. I felt really bad after that. And then felt worse when he turned to me and said, “ I just wanted to make you proud of me”. Ouch! I have learned that Ryan is a lot like our dog Simon who likes to scratch and chew on our back door when he wants our attention or to be with us inside. He really just does whatever it takes to make us notice. At times it drives me crazy! (The dog that is). Other times I just feel bad that he is kind of ignored-it’s those times I see how he is really reminding me of a sweet little three year old that needs my attention too.

The other night after prayer time we were all exhausted-prayer time has become almost a full contact sport around here- Ryan being the main offensive player. Lots of spirit there I tell you! Lots.Of.Spirit. So much that his little body just can’t quite keep up long enough to sit still. After the prayer I said, “Ryan, I think I know why you’re acting this way. You are just like Simon. When you don’t get to go on a walk each day you get a little wild and crazy just like Si Si, and you just want to be hugged and pet like him. He looked and me and then ran to give me a big hug. The type that doesn’t stop right away. He knew I knew he needed more of me some days. I have to remind myself of that when he gets to be a little too antsy. It’s usually those times I remind him about our daily 10 hugs, and I pull him near for a hug.

It’s funny to me just how observant he is too. At dinner time I will ask one of the other kids to go tell one of their siblings that it is dinnertime. They will try and go to the stairs and yell for them. I remind them that I could have done that, but I needed them to go up the stairs and tell them. Now whenever I ask Ryan to tell someone it’s dinner time he gets this sly little look on his face, makes sure that I am watching and then yells from the stairs. Then waits for my reaction. And then laughs and runs away. Little stinker. He usually is all about the reaction-maybe he would be a good comedian. He has a great way of setting up the plot and then..wait for it…seeing the reaction. I asked him once why he did something and he openly admitted to doing it so “they would laugh at me”. He has a way of saying just the right thing that is a perfect mix of sincere and still making us laugh. At dinner he tries to beat Aaron in thanking me for dinner. He will say “Thank you for dinner honey-poo!” It’s so funny because Aaron never calls me that-he just felt the need to add that little honey-poo part to spice things up. Sometimes he will say “it’s yum yum yummy  in my tum tum tummy” So cute.

Way back in January for Aaron’s birthday we got him an Apple TV. A few days later Ryan informed me that,” You don’t really eat apples when you watch it. And anyways you can’t eat apples upstairs because they are slimy. And giant squids are slimy too.”

When we were driving a few weeks ago Ryan asked me why I like driving? I’m sure I was confused and started to mutter something about having to or because we were going to preschool. He interrupted me and said, “Because it’s your true potential?” He loves Lego Ninjago! Anytime we can fit that true potential thing in, he cracks up!

Another time he asked me if I was sleeping while I was driving. Good thing for us both I wasn’t at the time.

And then he asked if we were at Preschool yet. I said no, but mentioned that I could tell him when we get there. He just sighed and acted tired and then said, “Just tell yourself when we’re there.”

One morning, way back at the beginning of the year I was changing his diaper and I pulled off his jammie bottoms and noticed that they were Scott’s. I asked why he had on Scott’s jammies and he said “Because I am just SO long!”

At naptime one day I was wearing a necklace that was making some jingling sounds as I was trying to get comfortable. He turned to me as we were falling asleep he said, “Take off your necklace it’s too sounding”

I think my favorite line I heard from him was when we were out shopping. Some ladies were passing by us on the sidewalk and Ryan turned to me and asked, “Is that a Granny? (He loves the word Granny for some reason-we don’t even call our parents that, but he loves it none the less.)  No Ryan it's just a lady” “Oh, good I LOVE ladies!”