Happy 5th Birthday Ryan

My dearest Ryan,

What a year this has been!  You continue to surprise and bless me every day and you make our lives so much fun.  As we celebrate your 5th birthday I want to take time to reflect on lots of the fun things that we did this past year!

We started the year off with a big treat as you got to ride the Zamboni at the Minnesota Wild hockey game with your Dad!  You have always loved Zambonis and hockey so this was an amazing experience for you!  You were beaming and had SO much fun.

 

 

We were living in Minnesota until July of this year and we survived the Minnesota winter together.  There were many days that were -40 F in temperature and LOTS of snow until April, but you made the best of it and always had so much fun!

 

 

We actually had a lot of fun living in Minnesota for the year and your favorite parts were getting to hang out with your Great Grandparents and other extended family, going to the lake and also the Mall of America!

 

 

We had a very special Easter this year and it was so much fun to also watch you learn about and take in the Easter story.  You love Jesus so much and asked so many great questions about what happened to Jesus.  You even asked why a doctor like Daddy didn't save Jesus why he was dying on the cross!  We explained to you that it was in God's plan for Jesus to die, because he loves us so much!

 

This spring you had your first time under anesthesia for your ears.  It made me so nervous, but you and your Daddy went together and you of course were a rock star.  Plus you looked pretty adorable!

 

 

 

Spring continued to be a crazy time for all of us as we sold our first family home, the home that we took you home from the hospital in!  It was really emotional for us all (especially Mommy), remembering all of the special things that happened in that home, your first steps, first Christmas, so many firsts!  You still talk about our "Pinkney House" often and I hope you have lasting memories of it.  Thankfully, you also love our new home and I look forward to all of the fun memories we make as a family together in our home.  This past year has really taught us that it is not the physical house, but the people who make it a home!  The moving process this summer was pretty hectic, but you always made it lots of fun and were our big helper! 

 

 

One thing that I love about your is your amazing imagination and also your memory.  You love to play dress up, and anyone who you see you want to be JUST LIKE THEM!  You love mailmen, doctors, firemen, UPS men, priests, construction workers, janitors, etc!  You wore your mailman outfit for probably 7 months straight since you got it on your 4th birthday.

This summer was lots of fun and you spent most of it on your bike or playing outside.  You have so much energy and are so much fun to play with!  We also got to go on a fun camping trip as a family for the first time!

 

 

 

We started homeschooling at the end of this summer and you continue to simply amaze me.  The speed at which you learn things is remarkable and the questions that you ask are so much fun.  I was so worried to teach you to read, but you are doing fantastic and it is our favorite thing to do together now!





 

You also started taking Tae-kwon-do at the Homeschool Learning Center and it is your favorite activity.  You are so much fun to watch and take it so seriously.  I cannot wait to see you continue as you get older.

 

 

You love being active and all sports, especially football.  When we went on a family vacation this fall to Wisconsin and you learned about the Green Bay Packers your little life changed!  You are a mega fan of Aaron Rodgers.

 

We had such a fun fall!  One great thing about homeschooling is that we can adjust our school schedule to allow for other fun activities.  We started going to monthly plays at the Children's Theater here in town, went apple picking and had fun at Vala's pumpkin patch many times!  You also were a fireman with your brothers for Halloween this year!

 

You are the best big brother and do such a great job helping take care of your brothers and teaching them new things.  I think God knew that you were the best one to "lead our pack"!  Your brothers are your best friends and favorite playmates!

 

 



 

You love God so much and love learning more about Jesus, the Saints at the Church.  You love to dress up as a priest and lead our family in prayers or a decade of the rosary.  I cannot wait to see your faith continue to grow as you get older.

 

 

Happy 5th Birthday to our sweet, caring, charismatic, independent, hilarious, loving little boy!  I look forward to seeing what adventures await for you in the coming year!

Love,
Mommy