Ryan Matthew - 2 1/2

Our big boy recently turned 2 1/2.

Words that come to mind when I think about him are sweet, funny, thoughtful and sensitive.

I am constantly amazed by his awareness and consideration of other people, especially his sister.

He is such a processor. If something you say doesn't make sense, he will be quick to ask you a follow-up question that usually starts with, "but" with an emphasized "T."

If he overhears Matt and I are talking about our days and he doesn't understand something one of us says, he will say, "What did you say, Daddy?" to join in on the conversation. 

He got a double dose of strong-willedness from his mama and his daddy and is not shy about offering up his reasons about why he should or should not do something.

His love language is quality time- reading, cooking, playing toys, exploring, doing puzzles, or watching a show together are some of his favorite activities. 

Recently, he has started sending himself to time-out if he does something he knows he's not supposed to do. I had to refrain hard from laughing the first time it happened. And maybe it's his quality-time nature, but sometimes sitting quietly with him in time out is the most effective way to bring him back to a positive place for playing.

He's pretty self-aware, and when he's having an emotional or extra-sensitive day, he'll say (usually through tears), "I'm just havin' a tough time." Sweet love.

He is such a protector of Natalie. Just yesterday there was a little boy who crawled up to her at music class, and Ryan very quickly crawled right in between the two of them. 

He is quick to tell me if he thinks Natalie is crawling too close to the stairs (sometimes when she's not even to the door of her bedroom), when she's reaching for something too small for her mouth (whether it actually is or not), and will let me know when we need to use a whisper voice when she has fallen asleep in the car.

He loves his milk & stories time before nap and bed. Just a few weeks ago, we had friends over for a playdate, and around 12:15 (he usually naps at 1:00), he started requesting milk & stories and telling our friends, "bye," and "thanks for coming." If only we could be so straight-forward as adults.

I know it's only a few days a week, but I'm trying hard to soak up these remaining months before he starts preschool in the Fall. Somehow I feel like time is going to move by even faster when we have real schedules to keep up with.

Watching him grow over these past 2.5 years has brought us so much joy. We are so proud to be his parents and cannot wait to see where The Lord takes him!

A big thank you to Megan Wallach for taking these sweet pictures for our family!