FOUR

Our Rykerman turned four this past week. I write, every year, how I can hardly believe that he is another year older. It does blow my mind how quickly the last four years have gone. He is growing and changing each day. I watched him as he "flew" through our backyard in his superhero attire and realized he is a little boy...no longer a baby or even a toddler. He is a big boy. We couldn't be any more proud of how he is developing as a person. He has a genuine interest in others, in building friendships, in teaching his brother, and in learning about God. He has memorized so many verses of scripture (23 from our alphabet series and probably a dozen others through song and lessons at CBS over the last two years). While that is fantastic and I hope that he continues to hide God's word in his heart, more important is seeing him develop his own faith and relationship with God. I can't put into words how it makes me feel when I hear him applying those verses or lessons to his life. For instance, when he accomplishes a task that he found difficult or challenging, sometimes he will say, "I didn't think I could do it but I did! And I couldn't have done it without my God!" His prayers are so innocent and tender. I'm hoping that if I write this stuff down that it will help me capture who this amazing little boy is right now in a way that a picture can't and in a more secure place than my memory (the memories are priceless but I've found that the older I get the more quickly they escape power to REmember). Ryker is an amazing gift and we're so blessed to be entrusted with being his parents, to love him and raise him! Now, more about his birthday and the month of October...blogging once a month has, unfortunately, become my new norm.
The month was up and down, weather-wise, so we took advantage of the nice, sunny days by hitting the park or playing outside in the backyard (or taking walks). We didn't spend a lot of time away from the house, though, as we had some improvement projects that kept us close by in the event contractors would need us. The boys enjoyed seeing people work on the house, using tools like Handy Manny (well, not exactly...their tools didn't talk). Then they painted, and the boys liked watching them on ladders. I could learn a lot from my boys; instead of having a negative perspective about the work being done, they take it as an opportunity to see new things. Likewise, there is a lot of construction going on at our church (and at the other church we visit once a week for Bible study) which has provided times to see diggers and dumpers in action. The boys love to watch the dirt and rocks get scooped up and then dumped into the big truck! We've spent some good time with friends and family this month. The boys were thrilled to meet Brayden at a new park that is shaped like spaceships. They played and played (and the mommas took advantage of the fenced in area and one entrance/exit to catch up a bit while watching the boys run and climb). They had their first overnight away from home--without us. Grammy and Papaw came to get the boys and kept them for the weekend so that we could get the house repairs finalized (and I could prep for the birthday parties). They went to the pumpkin patch, fed some animals at a petting zoo, watched races with Papaw, and played with Grammy, just to name a few things. We got tons of things done, too! Grammy & Papaw said it was the best weekend. Ryker got some playtime with his favorite girl, on multiple occasions, both here and at her house. Lainie came to visit us and we spent the evening running around the house scaring each other. I'm so grateful to the designer of this house in respect to the built-in race track that is our floor plan. The kids love running around! The boys got to visit a park with Anna and have had fun learning and playing with all of their CBS friends. One of the best parts about October was the time Ryker got to spend with Emerson (and I with his mommy). I must admit, when they moved away last year at this time I was slightly scared that Ryker would forget Emerson, because, though they were inseparable when they lived here they were also really young. I could not have been more wrong. Ryker brings him up in conversation, on his own, with great frequency. He asks to play with E all the time. He prays for him. It is adorable (and more often than not makes Mommy a little bit emotional because we all miss their family). This month, however, they were near more than they were far! The boys got to play at Lions Park one afternoon. They laughed, climbed, slid, swung, and pretended to run the bases together. A couple weeks later, on his birthday, the doorbell rang and Ryker opened the door to find his buddy standing on the other side. The boys had a blast playing with superheroes and cars. It was so nice to have them here. As part of the birthday planning, Lauren and I had decided to give E and R their first sleepover, here. On Friday, Emerson once again rang the doorbell to surprise the birthday boy. This time, though, he had his sleeping bag. E and his mom had the brilliant idea of making it a superhero sleepover. So, he came with his Spiderman outfit and brought Ryker a Captain America suit...and the heroes played and laughed and pretended into the wee hours of the morning. Literally. It was 12:30 when the room finally got quiet!
You'd think that would have been enough for the month of October, but I still haven't mentioned the birthday parties. Ryker has been talking for months (probably close to four) about having a superhero birthday. We have to chuckle at him because he has never seen a superhero on television or read about them in the comic books from which they come. He simply saw a kid at church with a small Batman figure that he pulled out of his pocket, and from that time he has been telling us how he likes Batman. Then a couple of his older friends shared about other superheroes, so he knew them by name and name alone. When his aunt and uncle brought him his first Batman on Deklan's birthday (and t-shirt) he was ecstatic. So, the last two months have been very hero heavy at our house. We searched the internet, he and I, looking for great party ideas. He wanted lots of his friends there. We had to cut him off, otherwise he'd have invited every 2, 3, 4, and 5 year old at church or CBS to join him in the celebration. (Again, I love that he loves spending time with these kids...we just didn't have the room for them all at our house.) So, after he handpicked his guest list (which never made mention of us...I tell myself that we were a given in his mind) we decided we'd have to break this up into two parties. His birthday fell on a Tuesday. This was the first time it hadn't fallen on the weekend, and it proved to be a pretty good deal for Rykerman. We had his family party the weekend before he turned 4. Then we (Jevon, Deklan, and I) had a little party for him on his actual birthday, and then party number three was for all of his friends the Saturday after his birthday. It was a lot but totally worth it...the parties were smaller so that he got to spend time with the people at his party instead of being overwhelmed by the multitudes at one giant party. We thought they were a lot more fun, too. We were blessed to have so many people come and show their love and support for Ryker and our family. He was so happy to be surrounded by so many people that he loves. Like any 4 year old, he was pretty excited about the generosity shown to him in the way of gifts. I'm pretty sure that every Batman in production is now in our house. He has spent hours playing with his figures, Batcave, and vehicles. He was really pumped to dress up like his favorite superheroes, too! He has been Batman, Spiderman, and Captain America at different times this week. He looks so stinking cute in his gear, and it cracks us up that he asks to be referred to as the superhero when he has his mask on but as soon as he pulls it up off of his eyes then he says, "It's just me, Ryker." He's got a great sense of humor! The parties, themselves, were so much fun for us. Daddy worked tirelessly the evenings leading up to the party preparing the cityscape decor (Ryker called it Gotham City). He also became master architect for the cake, as I (once again) got in way over my head. These were very much homemade parties and I enjoyed that all the details that went into them were hand made by us. Daddy is not a trained set designer and Mommy is a lousy seamstress, but we absolutely love him to pieces and want to make his big day special. He loved it! Any imperfections were completely lost on him. Seeing that giant smile and those oh-so-sweet dimples was worth it all. He loved his Rykerman cape. He couldn't wait to give Deklan his Captain D-structo cape, either. However, he was quite puzzled when I told him Daddy didn't have a cape. So, after questioning me several times as to why Daddy didn't get one... (and Daddy, on multiple occasions, saying that Mommy didn't make him one, in a tone that was slightly "woe is me") Daddy got his cape. The boys were excited to sport their super attire together...my hero trio! The kids made masks at his family party. The kids took on superhero training academy (an obstacle course in the backyard) and a pinata for the friend party. Ryker was hilarious as he ran through the course with cape flapping behind him. He had a blast! What a fantastic birthday!
I forgot to mention Halloween. I know it isn't until tomorrow, but we had our fall harvest party this weekend at our church. Ryker was very excited to wear one of his new superhero suits. His original plan was to be Jake (from Jake and the Neverland Pirates) so I couldn't tell you what he will be tomorrow when he walks the neighborhood. Maybe he'll change mid-way? What a great dilemma for a four year old! Anyway, trunk or treat was fun. The boys, both, did a nice job of taking only one or two pieces each time and saying "thank you" to the kind people that braved the wind and cold to hand out candy.
We want to thank you for following along with Ryker's adventures over the past four years. Below is this month's installment of pictures (hope you've got some speed on your connection because there are a TON). We are so grateful to God for the gift of time, together as a family and for blessing us with the boys. They are healthy and growing, both physically and spiritually...and we couldn't be more thankful!
We will see you in November...

Grammy & Papaw's talking rock

Pumpkin patch

Found one!

Apple orchard

King of the hay hill!

Wrote his name by himself at CBS.

Flying a kite

Can't keep from climbing.

"Jake" and his Neverland pirate brother.

Happy Birthday surprise (Ryker, still in his pjs)!

Birthday boy and Gotham City.

Rykerman, showing off his cape.

Thumbs up for birthday pizza.

Mommy's HERO TRIO

So strong!

Take flight!

Making masks

Superhero cupcakes (Batman, Green Lantern, Superman, Spiderman, Flash, Incredibles, and RYKERMAN)

Flying through the house

Superhero cousins

Grandma got him this Dark Knight costume.

Spidey and Captain start the superhero sleepover.

Friendly battle

The two fearless friends are no match for Daddy, aka BRENN-A-MAN!

Roasting hot dogs after saving the planet.

The Supermen try to sleep...

...still awake at midnight.

Looking a little tuckered after the late night.

Superhero Academy

High 5; you're officially a hero!

Busting the Rykerman pinata

Flying high above the "city".

A yard full of superheroes

The cake: Batman, Superman, Spiderman, and Rykerman (Ryker, upon seeing it for the first time, said, "I suspect you'll be making a Green Lantern cake?" To which Mom responded, "Uh, no. You suspect wrong." Ryker then replied that he will just be grateful and thanked Mom for making the cool cake.)

Happy Birthday to Ryker!

Harvest Party (Mom, Iron Man, Captain America, Dad)

We didn't get all the pictures posted from D's party in August, so here are some of those, too. Please, check out his blog to see more. Also, check out the boys' YouTube for updated videos.