#6 for this guy! Ryker has been such a light in our house. He loves to laugh, and you can't help but giggle when he does. He continues to be a connector. We can't go on school grounds without him seeking out a friend or classmate, yelling "Hi or Bye (insert kid's name)!!!!". Everyday he does this and I just think it is so cool! He is also is always ready, especially when he is excited for something. He'll get his basketball clothes on quickly, or his Lion gear. I usually never have to hassle him too much, because he loves adventures and is ready to go.
Ryk loves hiking and is turning into quite the hiking buddy. If there are rocks, you can count on him climbing up them one way or another. He also has enjoyed swimming and is such a quick learner. I can see him jumping off the diving board in no time! He also has learned how much he loves basketball. He took a camp and the started playing in a basketball league. I find myself quietly shouting, "Pass the ball Ryk!" He has found his love for scoring and sometimes (lots of times) it is worth not passing the ball!
Ryk is not always so simple. He does get shy and is known for hiding behind me. I have to do some quick moves to get him in front of me again. He loves to laugh, and be goofy, which means lots of times we laugh with him. He doesn't always take it that way and pretty soon he is whining and upset because he thinks everyone is laughing at him. We try to explain that when you're the funny guy that will happen, but he still struggles.
Ryk loves nature, I realized that when looking at most of the pictures I have of him. He loves the rain, the snow, the sun. He loves the mountains, the flowers, the rocks. There was a task from kindergarten where he had to go in nature and find symmetry. The picture of flowers with him barely seen, is what he chose to be submitted for his assignment. He loved the way the flowers were in front, and he was barely seen. An old soul he is.
Ryk loves cuddles. He wants hugs. And his kisses are um...intense at times. I do not question how much this little guy loves his loves, because he no doubt shows us! I'm proud to be his mom and can't wait for this next year!
Love, Momma
****Grandpa and Grandma Hoffman wanted to share some of their favorite memories too***
From Grandma:
I can’t believe Ryk is already gonna be
6!!!
He was such an easy baby to take care of.
Remember the time that I was holding Ryk and he started sucking on my chin. I laughed so hard..., till I realized he had left a hugh hickey on my chin
When Ryker started to walk we thought he resembled a penguin. He’d sort of lean forward, arms stretched out backwards and waddle along.
For some reason Ryker liked to be on top of the table. Maybe because I’d sit him up there to talk. Or sit him up on the island at the Lashley house and we’d talk. But he and AJ REALLY liked to make a fort out of blankets and the dinning room table at the Lashley house. They’d sit in there for lunch and to watch things on my iPad. So fun.
Oh the iPad!!! Every morning AJ and Ryker would come down stairs, “struction” (construction). So I’d pull up construction stuff on the iPad for them to watch. Then trains took over. So we had to watch video after video of trains. I’ll never forget the sweet little voice of Ryk, “trains”, “struction”.
When AJ came and stayed with Grandpa and I in New Jersey while mom and dad went on a trip, we took the boys on a train into NYC. They were fascinated with the conductor and got their picture with him. In the city we went to ToysRus. They have a huge dinosaur there that moves and growls. I was holding Ryker while grandpa was up by the dinosaur when it started to growl. Ryker got so scared and started climbing up over my shoulder. It took a bit to calm him down. But, when mom and dad came back he learned to growl like the dinosaur and scare grandpa. It was so adorable to watch him growl. He was so proud of himself.
While we lived in NJ, on one occasion that the boys and mom came to visit they enjoyed the garage we had painted. We had painted the floor and walls and they boys wanted to eat breakfast out there. So, we all ate breakfast in the garage.
Blueberries! We could not provide enough blueberries for Rykerman. He had a chair that hooked onto the table so he sat at the end of our table and he’d eat blueberries like no other!
When we moved here to the Mountain House, Ryker, AJ and Dempsey came to stay the night. Ryker was anxious so he and Geandpa sat outside looking at the stars and talking. The rest of us slept through it all
Over the years there have been so many wonderful things that we have gotten to share with Rykerman. Playing, reading, swimming, boat rides, train rides, the ocean, flying, bath time and trick or treating. All kinds of wonderful things. These are just a very small account of some of them.
Thanks for the memories Rykerman. I love you and hope your birthday is great.
From Grandpa:
30 Sept 2017: Meg was hosting Erin Ricketts. AJ, Ryker and Dempsey stayed overnight at our house in Estes Park. At bedtime, Ryker asked if I could lay down with him. I did. After about 15 minutes, he turned to me and said. “You can leave. I want to have alone time now.”
I attended a Halloween party with Ryker this fall. The party was hosted by the parents of one of Ryker’s school friends. Ryker asked me to stay as most of the other parents/grandparents were staying for the entire party. Ryker participated in all the activities throughout the evening. One of his last activities was to construct a Halloween mask. As he was working on the mask, one of the parents started asking him questions. She knew Ryker from school and questions included: Do you have brothers and sisters? How old are they? Ryker replied that he had an older brother AJ and a younger sister Dempsey. The woman then said, “Ryker, you must be the best big brother.” Ryker replied, “No, AJ is the best big brother.” He is such a sweetheart. Love you Ryker,
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