Ryne is Nine!

Nine things I love about my son:

9. He notices every detail. I remember Ryne's kindergarten teacher saying, "Ryne was the only one who noticed I got my haircut." He especially seems to study people. He notices the ties the pastor wears at church. He notices that Marc's hair today is greyer than in the picture of him in the living room. Sure, it can sometimes get annoying in that autism sort of way, but I wish I noticed half the things he does in this world.

8. His favorite color is green (so is mine).

7. He is a music box. There is music stored up in this kid, and there are times when the box is opened that he just amazes me. I think I'll have to blog more about this someday.

6. He loves books. Marc and I have read to the kids since they are babies, resulting in all three becoming book-lovers. It does my heart good to see him carrying a stack of books to his bed to look through before he falls asleep. He's had most of our picture books memorized for years, but he never tires of them. In the last year he has started to show interest in chapter books. He's read all the Magic Tree House books (he's anxiously awaiting the newest book in September) and has recently been reading Boxcar Children books with us at night.

5. He loves to draw. This is another passion he shares with his sisters. It takes quite an effort to keep these kids supplied with markers and paper. We recycle several tree's worth of paper every year. (FYI -- a great source for paper is a local Freecycle group).

4. He loves his sisters. It's hard to get him to admit he loves his sisters, but the evidence is there. Hand-holding with Anna on their little adventures. Tearing up when Gracie gets hurt. Just a couple of weeks ago Marc and Ryne were on a short trip to Chicago -- the same day as Grace's performance. Ryne said, "I wonder if Gracie's doing her performance right now." Marc told him it would be a little later, but that I would be video-taping it, and Ryne was excited he would still get to see it.

3. He gives the best compliments. My all-time favorite was a couple of years ago I woke him up in the morning to eat breakfast before school. He was having a hard time waking up so I let him ride piggy-back down the stairs to the kitchen. He buried his head into the back of my neck and asked, "What do you smell like?" Since I hadn't had a shower yet, I was a little afraid to ask, but I did anyway.

"I don't know. What do I smell like?"

"The best watermelon."

That's high praise from a boy whose favorite food is watermelon. Marc complained, "How can I compete with that!"

2. He is the biggest cuddle bug. One of the best things about homeschooling is having more cuddle time!

1. He is fearfully and wonderfully made in God's image.

Happy Birthday, Ryne!