Ryan turns 11!

This is a retrospective post on Ryan, since life was way too crazy during his 11th birthday to accurately tell his story. It was an intense year of growing up, both in the normal 10-11 year old way and in the life-is-handing-you-a-whole-lot-of-grownup-stuff-to-wrestle-with kind of a way. But I'm happy to report that he's grown a ton, his heart is tender and he's fierce and driven in the best kind of ways.

We'll start with where we left off: kicking off the celebration of 10 with his besties on a scavenger hunt and escape room. The boys barely made it out, but successfully (and with a little help from mom and dad) celebrate the win with the world's heaviest Pump Room sundaes. Who knew gummy sharks could weigh so much?

Ryan excelled at baseball and even found his groove pitching. The mind game of hitting continued to be a challenge, but overall he had a really great baseball season with Coach Schuller and Coach Cavner.

Cottage life is Ryan's best life. Between tubing and chasing Molly, Ryan loves hanging on the porch or in the lake. The fish didn't really bite, but he did spend a good amount of time fishing.

Ry had tons of adventures over the past year. Between trips to Florida (Ft. Myers), Ithaca, the cottage, Nashville, Great Wolf Lodge and Disney World, he saw a whole lot of adventure on a single birth year. One of the most transformational experiences he had was At Lake Ann sleepaway camp. There he made the very adult decision to accept Christ into his heart and learned a new appreciation for church and the Bible.

In February, the kids traveled to Florida with me for a work trip, staying with my parents in Ft. Myers as I went on to Ft. Lauderdale. They miss my parents a ton when they fly south, so it is a much anticipated few days consisting of days at the pool and an annual trip to Junkanoo for beachtime, cocktails and seafood.  

Ryan's core group of friends did not change much, though the addition of Ben rounded out the crew once football hit. We were more intentional with taking friends to the cottage since the field of boys to play with has narrowed a lot. The Bustrums visited over the 4th of July and it was one of the best days of the summer. As Brady declared after tubing for the first time, "This is the best day of my life."

We took a special New Year's Eve trip to Nashville and spent time with Uncle Johnny, Aunt Jill, Jackson and Carter. We saw a lot of the city, earned how to play pickleball and rang in the New Year in style. The kids had a blast with their cousins!

Another big family moment was taking the kid to their very first Spartan football game with the Vashers. It was a bit surreal to be there with my kids, but it was magical to see how in awe they were of the stadium, game and surrounding excitement. We even ran into my former housemate and got to enjoy dinner at Munn together with our kids. Talk about a 360 moment! It added fuel to Ryan's football dreams.

Ryan's favorite moments and biggest character building moments came on the football field. Not only is it special to have his dad coach him, getting to play the game that he waits all year for make the kid so happy. At the summer camp, Ryan won 4 of the 6 awards for performance....even we were surprised. He loves the strategy, the uniforms and the hits (if we're honest.)

Ryan transformed from brother/playmate to brother/co-parent this year. He came back from Lake Ann with a new perspective on leadership and showing love to his sibling and we noticed such a change in his maturity. If anything, we have to pull him back rom taking over-responsibility for her. And if you asked Elise about it, she'd tell you that she's tired of him bossing her around!

Family time was the best time this year. Having lost his Uncle, Nana, Eric's mom who had become use to seeing at family functions and our close friend Craig, it seemed like Ryan had a new appreciation of his family and the time we get to spend together. Through the sadness, Ryan wrestled through these pains with sensitivity and more grace than most adults have, but it was very tough. Coupled with a bad match for his 4th grade teacher and we could not see 5th grade get here soon enough. 

The transition from 4th-5th was needed, welcomed and so positive. Ryan instantly connected with Mrs. McCalls kinetic energy. They just got one another. This was also the year that Ryan started to care about his appearance. He got contacts, started to invest his time in finding the right things to wear and doing his hair. By September of 2019, Ryan was on track, excelling at school and loving life.

Ry, we are so grateful to have you as our son. Your deep questions and insights, your passion and dedication and that laugh....It's from the core of your soul. There is nothing halfway about you. Thank you for being on of our biggest joys. We love watching you grow and become.