Capturing the Kerrys: Ryan turns 10!

The jump from 9 to 10 was a big one for our boy. This would be the year he started to discover his inner compass.

If I'm honest the back have of 3rd grade and first half of 4th grade weren't spectacular for Ry. Though much stayed the same: Ryan's love for sports, his great artistic abilities, his time spent reading during the early hours of the day. But this was also a time when he pushed boundaries, figured out what his core values were (as much as any 9 year old can) and experimented with with different social dynamics (leader vs instigator; solitude vs a crowd.)

Football continued to be a place he excelled. He can play on either side of the ball and understands the complexity of the sport much above his grade level. That led to an exciting season and some stellar touchdowns. Max could not have been prouder and loved coaching him and his buddies.

Ryan also began to really appreciate basketball. It does not come as easily to him as football, but he's aggressive (maybe a bit too aggressive at times) and is a decent shooter. If anything, the head part of the game is where he stumbles since he's prone to frustration because he has really high expectations of himself. One particularly physical game, Ryan took an elbow to the mouth, shearing off his front bottom tooth. He caught the broken piece mid play. Called a T/O long enough for me to grab the piece and put it in my bag and he was back at. Thankfully a little cosmetic dentistry and all was well.

Ryan spent hours playing outdoors. Be it with Molly or building forts, he loves his time outdoors and sledding in the empty property on the outside edges of our neighborhood.

This kid laughs from his belly and is equally as focused when he's engaged in an activity. To say he has intensity is an understatement. He also has a style all his own. I don't think Under Armour would expect some of the combos he puts together with their clothes, but I love that he embraces his style and doesn't really care what anyone else thinks.

We caved and let Ryan get a Fortnight costume, even though playing the game has led to our own battles at home. It's hard to balance setting important moral boundaries with trying to allow him to fit into his peer group. He has the best group of friends, and most are able to play, which makes it even harder when we ban first person shooter games. Cerebrally he gets why we're opposed, but in the moment, he just wants to connect with his friends.

Ryan had a really fun field trip with Mrs. Detweiler's class to the zoo. The kid asks so many questions and tries to answer every answer. His class also got to burn off some energy on the Tiger area's play structure. Probably the highlight of the trip!

Ryan stepped fully into his role as a big brother. Having Elise in the same school has given them some common ground and Elise loves being known as "Ryan's little sister." (We'll see how long that lasts.)

Ryan also took on Baseball this year with Rockford Little League. He had a great time playing with his buddies. He did really well fielding and playing 1st base in particular.

This captures the full spectrum of our boy through portraits. A little bit goofy. A whole lot of focus. And his mind is always working. We realized that he was in desperate need of glasses, so that has been a big change, but he's very responsible with them and they've made a big difference with his behavior in the classroom. He is always placed at the back of the room because he's so tall, but without being to see the board, he'd check out and either read a book or play around since he could not make out what he was supposed to be focused on.

For Spring Break, we headed to Chicago. So many great memories and Chicago institutions visited! Without thinking, we headed to the Art Institute and gave the kids NO WARNING about the nudity of classical art. Probably the hardest we've laughed in a long time. We also went to Blue Man Group, did an Escape Room (probably the kids favorite place) and visited the aquarium. Staying at the Embassy Suite was also great....except when Ryan ordered Wifi without us knowing! At $22 a day, it was a surprise when we checked out! Then again, we probably ate and drank $10 that by Chicago standards thanks to their breakfast bar and happy hour deal.

Fire and ice. Ryan got more adventurous behind the boat and tried snowboarding for the very first time. He did GREAT on a board and will definitely need to do it again. (I also wasn't too shabby, which surprised me and Carrie Elzinga who was brave enough to go with us!)

Ryan cemented his love with Molly who became his true BFF. We never believed he'd get over losing Cali, and in fact, I don't think he has. But he has loved helping to raise a puppy. She's such a great addition to our family. My favorite quote this year: “Molly is just so cute and calming. And then the light hits her coat and makes her glow and it just makes her even cuter to me.”

This year we really learned to appreciate all the wonderful, unique contradictions that make Ryan so amazing. Just to name a few: He's sweet yet tough, studious yet hilarious, observant yet blissfully unaware (like only a 10 year old boy can and should be), he's a loyal friend yet a brave opponent, and best of all, he's his own person yet still ours!

A few of this year's highlights that we're sure will be passed around the dinner table or campfire for years to come:

• Battle tubing with Zach. I will never forget his face when Zach leapt off his tube and on to Ryan's! He held his own against a 32 year old man.

• The field trip to Impressions 5 and the State Capital.

• Teaching the class how to draw

• His report on the Red Fox.

• Getting attacked by a turkey at the cable company.

Ryan makes friends pretty easily and is fiercely loyal. We're grateful that his core circle has largely remained the same and that the families of his friends are some of our favorite people.