Ryker Brenneman: An awesome August

What a lively August we've had so far! There's been the usual outings to the park, splashing, running, sidewalk chalk drawing, and playing with friends. Those things would have kept us entertained enough any other month, but August offered up some additional events of note. August saw the return of our State Fair. Last year I had a good time seeing the animals and playing on the little farm. I also loved climbing on the tractors and eating yummy food. Aside from the cars and the ferris wheel, I wasn't much for the rides. This year, I had a plan to try a few more things than I did in 2011. I found there was so much to do that I made three trips just to fit it all in. My first trip was with my friends. We ate ice cream and downed lemon shake-up after lemon shake-up. We tried the farm and learned about gardens. Most of all, we had fun checking out all the animals together. Anna, Jacey, Brayden, and my brother and I had a full first day. On the second trip, I showed Aunt Terese, Uncle Tom & Brandon how much fun I could have playing carnival games. I hadn't played any before, but I felt pretty confident shooting hoops, so I tried that one. After sinking two buckets and winning a sword, I took to fishing. A couple of inflatables later I gave skee ball a whirl. I was really grateful for the games they let me play (and the resulting prizes). They wanted to take us on some rides, so I went all in and tried several. I rode the cars with D, spinning teddy bears with Aunt Terese, and another car ride. The day was only beginning, as we went back to their house for more fun with games and toys. What a wonderful day! My last trip to the fair was with my family. I had such a good time on the rides that I decided to partner up with Daddy (and my bud Brayden) to try and tackle every kid ride on the grounds. It was awesome flying high in a bumble bee, floating in balloons, rumbling on a semi-truck, and zooming down the giant slide. Wow! As entertaining as it was for us, I think Daddy enjoyed it even more.
With the fair finished until next summer, I turned my attention to two birthday parties. I called Emerson on his real birthday and talked to him about his day. I wish I could have been there to play with him on his birthday, but I knew I'd get to see him that weekend for a party. I got up early and went to the splash park to celebrate with him. We climbed the monkey bars, ran through the water, and ran laps around the park. It was so much fun! Afterwards, we took my brother to chick-fil-a for lunch, where we played on the slide for a bit. After all, it was his birthday, too! We came home and once he went to sleep we started getting ready for the party. I helped Mom paint his Jimmy & Jerry Gourd decorations. My Grammy & Papaw, Aunt Owi, and Grapes Grandma, and my Grandma and cousins got here early so we played before dinner. Afterwards, the festivities began.
My little brother is pretty great. We crack each other up. We love to laugh and to run laps around the house, jump and climb on things, and push Mom and Dad to their limits. I am so glad he's my brother, even when it is hard to share with him. His birthday was kind of hard for me this year. Last year, when he was little (and I was younger) I wasn't that affected by him being the center of attention and having a party. This year, though, I really wished I could have a party, too. In fact, I asked if I could have my birthday party the same day. Mom and Dad explained, though, that God put me here exactly when I was supposed to be here, and that means October 23rd is the perfect day for my birthday. There are good things about having a birthday that isn't the same day as D's birthday. So, after some prayer and some explanation, I was happy that the day was all about D. We had lots of friends over. I spent the evening playing with my closest pals and my family. Emerson and I had so much fun laughing and joking around together. D had a pinata. I busted it almost completely through and Emerson finished if off. Then we ate all the candy! We're so blessed with such loving people in our lives that support and encourage us. They're also very generous to us. D received lots of very nice gifts. He even lets me play with them when I ask nicely. I got him a Jake & The Neverland Pirates sword, but he is happy to share that with me, too. When your little brother shares, it ends up kind of being like your birthday party anyway.
It has been an exciting month at church, too. I transitioned to a new classroom because I'm a big boy. I get to play with Claire and Allison on Sunday. We go to wiggle worship and sing songs and learn more about Jesus. This month we're talking about Moses and how God is always with us...Moses' story exhibits that every step of the way and talking about that has helped me to understand that God is with me always, too. I am continuing to learn my scripture verses, and I like to pray more and more. I do it all the time. Today my prayers have been for Deklan to feel better because he broke his leg last night. (You can read about it on his blog.) I am bummed that he won't be able to do as much running or jumping for the next three weeks, but I am grateful that he's going to be okay. With his injury, I let him play games on the candle (Mom's Kindle) for a while because it makes him smile and I knew he needed to smile. Games on the candle have been a recent favorite activity. Mom has to limit it because I get so sucked in, but I just can't help myself. I've been gifted with some amazing hand-eye coordination. I scored over 500,000 on Temple Run the other night!