I yearly make Ryan a photo book of the past year, I always start it with a personalized note. I hope someday he likes these and realizes how much I loved and treasured him. Here is his 5 year old letter, enjoy!
Ryan,
Again I sit and write this in complete and utter shock that another year has passed us by; my boy is 5 years old, writing that chokes me up. This year has bought so much intelligence, you are amazing and smart. You read many sight words, probably 50 and can get through a level 1 book; I will tell you I am not sure how that happen but clearly school is doing a good job. You run the computer almost better than mommy and I just crack up when you tell me "Mommy I am going to go to www lego dot com front slash ninjago" or some other site you saw on TV. Talking about Lego's, right now there is nothing else for you, they are your utmost favorite #1 toy and trust me Santa bought you plenty of them. You have come a far way with them too, when you first started you had trouble building some of them so we helped you but now you are a pro and do most of them by yourself only needing help with the really hard ones for the 7+ year olds. You are the sweetest boy, well frankly you have always been but lately even sweeter. Now daily you try and help me with things like carrying the stuff in the house from the car, you help me sort the laundry, clean and cook. You are so sweet that when I was recently sick you declared "I am going to hug you tight mommy and make you feel better" and you did, and yep it worked. I will be honest, I fear you growing up and stopping all this and someday leaving our home or moving far away. I feel like I want to put the brakes on now and say "NO he is now 5, I am not letting you let him get any older!" but yet this year is the year of beginnings. We did the eating solids, getting teeth, sitting up, walking, running, etc and now it is school. You will start school in September and frankly I am so scared. I am scared to put my little boy in this school with bigger boys and new teachers and places and walk away but I also know that you will run with it and learn and thrive and meet new people and just love it. You will meet friends that you may know for life as mommy has with some of her friends from kindergarten. You will remember these years too, as I do, but not much before these years. Again this year we had such fun, more Myrtle Beach, more Disney, more Imagination Movers, more running around, more swimming and Grandma and Grandpa, all the things we love. With school some of those things will slow down this year but we will still have great times, I am absolutely sure of that.
I love you everyday more and more, I swear I wish I could shout it from the rooftops sometimes the way it makes me feel to be your mother. You are handsome and polite and sweet and everything I could ever wish for. I hope you realize that even in the days where I yell or I am sad you could never do anything to make me feel different. As you get older I hope you know that I am your #1 fan in life and will never turn from you no matter what happens. I love you when you are bad or not doing what I want, I love you if you becomes a garbage man or the President. I will always be available and present and you need to do nothing special to please me. Remember life is only about pleasing yourself and fulfilling what makes you happy. Your happiness is mine.
All my love: Mommy xoxo
