The Big Five: Ryan

To our Ryan, despite my numerous pleas to stay age four forever, you've gone ahead and done it -- turned five! How did the time go so fast? In case you plan to keep changing and growing older, here's a peek at you on your fifth birthday.

You used to adore all things firetruck, but that's old news. Now, it's baseball. Playing baseball, talking baseball, reading about baseball -- you love it all. Cousin Scotty passed down his major league baseball bed sheets to you, and they've now replaced your once-loved orange bedding as your favorite set.

You started with the National League sheets on your bed, and spent time poring over every team name and emblem until you had memorized them all. You love it when we point to a baseball team and quiz you on their name and city. Now that you've got the National League down, you're on to the American League, with a head start on familiarity with the Angels and Orioles after recently attending a game with your Dad (which from all reports I've heard was likely one of the best days of your life).

You love projects around the house and yard, especially if they involve a trip to our local Ace Hardware Store. The staff at Ace knows you well, and always makes sure you get your bag of free popcorn and can operate the train that navigates the ceiling. I can genuinely say that your assistance with projects is very helpful, as you know the names and locations of most every tool in the garage and are happy to fetch them (and even help me operate them in some cases). You seem to have a better understanding of our never-ending house projects than I do, happily filling me in on each one's status and estimated time to completion.

You've always loved to help me cook, especially on nights when your Dad has to work late and we enjoy a well-loved tradition of "breakfast for dinner". Banana pancakes are your specialty. Along with cooking, you continue to love to eat. Every time I turn around it seems you're declaring, "Mom, I'm STARVING!" Fruit is still your preferred snack, from fresh to dried. I felt bad the other day for telling you you couldn't have one more apple, only because you'd just polished off three.

Though your language is constantly changing and growing, you still say some cute things that remind us that you're not all grown up yet. Sunscreen has turned into "skunskreen" and instead of saying "my" you say "mine", like "mine arms" or "mine shoes".

The year ahead is sure to be full of adventures and independence, with a new preschool and kindergarten next fall. We look forward to sharing it all with you, and watching you continue to grow and change. We love you little man!