Our little man turned four last weekend. Ryan is becoming more independent by the day, while at the same time looking back frequently to ask, “Will you wait here for me?” Yes, Ryan, we will!
Ryan is dressing himself, brushing his own teeth and flossing, zipping up his coat, making his own peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, staying dry 24/7, unbuckling his car seat (with permission), opening and closing the sliding doors on the van, and writing his name. He continues to ask lots of questions, enjoy people, and move almost constantly!
This year, we kept the festivities low-key, with dinner at home on Saturday evening. Ryan has been requesting a Thomas-themed party and cake (“No cupcakes, Mama!”) for about six months now, and he got his wish. When asked what he’d like for dinner, he replied, “Easter chicken.” In-depth questioning revealed that by “Easter chicken” he meant “Butterball turkey.” I’ll venture to say that is a rather uncommon request from a nearly four year old boy! However, that wish was granted as well. Next year, I’ll be narrowing it down to a few choices, and he can pick one from the list!
On the morning of his birthday, we woke Ryan with our stellar version of Happy Birthday, and then let him open his present in bed (This was my family’s tradition, and I’m thrilled to be passing it on. We also got to enjoy breakfast in bed when we were older!). This year, he received his first set of K’Nex, and it has been the perfect gift at the perfect time. He is crazy about them.
I thought it would be appropriate to wrap up this post with a few Ryan quotes from the past year or so….
*After preschool one day, Ryan told me all about his music class: “We played with drums…bang, bang, bang…and then we played with tangerines.”
*Ryan shared with us over dinner (after visiting US Cellular): “I liked those strawberry phones.” It took us a minute to realize he was referring to the Blackberry!
*While pretending to attack Paul with his stuffed porcupine, Ryan said, “Watch out or he will porc you!”
Potty training:
*If Ryan stays clean and dry through lunch, he gets a Hershey’s kiss before nap. As he ate his treat one day, he asked me, “Mama, did you keep your underwear clean and dry?” I assured him that I had. He gave me a huge smile and said, “Yea, Mama! You can have a Hershey’s kiss. I will go and get it for you!” And he did!
*Paul always gets Ryan up and dressed in the mornings. One morning, as Ryan descended the stairs (fully dressed), I said, “You look handsome this morning!” Ryan answered confidently, “I know. I wearing my new underwear.”
*Over breakfast, we shared the following conversation:
Ryan: “Hey, Miles! Poop!”
Me: “We don’t talk about poop at mealtimes.”
Ryan: “Pee?”
Me: “No, we don’t talk about pee either.”
Ryan: “Bulldozers?”
Me: “Sure. Let’s talk about bulldozers.”
Just plain sweet:
*While Ryan was playing with Miles, I asked him if he thought we needed another baby in our family. He thought for a moment and said, “We should get another Miles. I really love him.”
*Driving in the car one day, we were listening to Joy Williams’ “I'm Gonna Break Your Heart:”
Ryan: “It isn’t kind to break someone’s heart, is it, Mama?”
Me: “No, it isn’t.”
Ryan: “We should switch to a different song, don’t you think? This isn’t a very good song to
listen to.”
*Upon entering the bathroom, Ryan exclaimed, “It smells wonderful in here!” When I told him I had just cleaned the bathroom, he said, “Oh, thank you.”
1 comment:
Great job, Jenny! Love the list of comments from Ryan.
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