Happy 28-month birthday, Ryan!

Ryan turned 28 months old on Monday, October 7 - the same day we carved our pumpkins as a family. One thing about being the youngest child is that you do things "faster" (or participate in more) because your older siblings are able to do them. So, you tag along for the ride and are expected to keep up as best you can. I think in a lot of ways it's a privilege (even if it's an inconvenience when you're a baby and are being toted around in a car carrier rather than snuggling your Mama because you have to get your siblings to school!).

One thing I think about for the youngest is that they are the completion of the family. If a family was compared to a fireworks display, the youngest child is the grand finale! Ryan definitely adds so much spice and fun to our family!!! The boys help him and constantly giggle at the cute things he says and does. And because he gets attention from all four of us, Ryan is a complete ham!

These pictures were taken sometime in September when the weather was nice. Ryan constantly asks to play in the garage (just like his older brothers!). His favorite thing to play is "basket-a-ball." He also will ride his scooter he got for his birthday. When he tries to ride his bike, which he hasn't really gotten the hang of yet, I insist on wearing a helmet. Most days he's not too fond of having it on, but on this particular day, he was okay with wearing the Mickey Mouse helmet.

Ryan also highly enjoys going for walks around the neighborhood. He loves to play "I spy with my LITTLE eye..." and name something. No matter what you guess, he says "That's right! I guessed it!" The boys think this is hysterical. Ryan always wins, even if he's not the one 'playing.' We laugh and laugh. Then we'll say "I spy with my LEFT eye" or "I spy with BOTH eyes" or whatever comes to mind. I was wondering if Ryan really understood colors, but by the end of the month, I was sure he knew them. And not just the 'typical' ones - he knows all of them, including white, purple, silver, etc. I always worry about my kids and they always do fine. I guess I should relax!

I took Ryan shopping for shoes and he's wearing an 8.5 sneaker now and has "the widest little feet" the woman had seen in a long time. Yep! That's my kids! She said a typical sneaker won't do but gave me a few models of the Tsikiohoshi (which run extremely wide to begin with) that would work. He always prefers certain shoes but he loves both pairs I bought that day.

Ryan is still wearing 2T pants but is in 3T shirts and I think we'll soon make the transition to all 3T. He is becoming quite the picky eater (watching his older brother Caleb) but loves meat, unlike Caleb. He REALLY loves meat, which neither of my other boys did at this age. He also enjoys cooked carrots and some other things my older kiddos wouldn't touch. Well, there's more I could write, but I'll save it for another time. Happy 28-months, my big little man! :)