Happy 2nd Birthday, Ryan!

Dear Ryan,

We can't believe you are TWO whole years old now!  TWO!  This past second year has really flown by, and you have made it so exciting, so happy, so complete.  You are such a joy to be around, and we can't imagine life without you!  We say all the time that you are THE BEST little boy ever because you are so wonderful and make us so proud!

We love you so much!  We love the way you wake up in the mornings, already being silly and ready for the day.  We love how you are completely full of energy and ready to move as soon as you get up.  There isn't a slow wake-up process for you!

We love that you love swings, slides, parks, and open fields.  The world really is your playground and you want to have fun as much as possible.  We love that you love your lawnmower and enjoy pushing up and down the sidewalk, like you're taking a nice afternoon stroll.   We love that you love being outside and being active!

We love your budding independence - how you try so hard to buckle yourself into the carseat, how you try to put on your own socks and shoes, how you want to zip up your own jacket, how you want to brush your own teeth, how you want to feed yourself all the time now.  We savor doing these little things for you because we know we won't be able to do them much longer for you.  "Ryan do it" and "all by self" are now frequent phrases of yours and while we're so proud that you want to do things for yourself, it hurts our heart a little because it's a daily reminder that you are growing up.  You are so focused and so determined at times!

We love that you are so good-natured and so happy.  We love that you love bouncing all around, constantly moving, and you never seem to want to stop.  You love to take every opportunity to bounce - on beds, on the floor, on the couch, on chairs, ANYWHERE you can!  And you laugh - OH, how you laugh! We love hearing you laugh all the time - it really is one of the best sounds in the world to us, and it fills our hearts everytime we hear it.  We love your sense of humor and your happy-go-lucky nature.  We love that you find so many things funny, and it seems that all you want to do is laugh and laugh and laugh.  We love your "funny face" and that you give a fake smile in some pictures when we ask you to smile :) 

We love that you love reading and will read books over and over again with us.  We love that you never tire from hearing the same story over and over again - and we also love when you try to read it yourself at times :)  We love that you "get your needle stuck" on certain things, just like your parents. 

We love that you have manners, and especially when you say "plea" and the occasional "peas" instead of please :)  We love that you'll say "thank you" all on your own, without any prompting at times.  You worry when someone else is sad or upset and on your own will offer a hug to someone in need.  We love that you have such a big heart!  You are such a generous and loving little boy - always wanting cuddles and hugs, always willing to share whatever you have, always wanting to make sure that other people have what they need.  You want other people to be as happy as you!

We love that you love your family, and always want to spend time with others.  We hope that you continue that love and let it grow bigger and deeper throughout the years.  Family is so important, and we're so happy that you have been able to spend lots of time with everyone.

You are by far the best and most important thing in our life, and you make every day so special for us.  Yes, you are a complete handful, but in the best possible way.  You are the sweetest, most precious thing we have and we are so blessed that you're in our life!  We wouldn't trade anything about you and we love you just the way you are.  You make the worst of days so much better, and the best of days that much brighter.  You have made us so happy and we are so lucky that you are our son and that chose us to be your parents.  We can't thank you enough for the past two years - all the laughs, the tears, the funnies, the sillies, the snuggles, the cuddles, the hugs, the kisses, and ALL the love you've shared with us.

We love you to the moon and back!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy