well guys, that's a wrap...

I was telling my friend, Kristi, that I was trying to put a visual picture to what it feels like to celebrate my Ryan's 18th birthday today (and have him graduate from high school on Wednesday night).  I explained that it feels like Matt and I have been on stage with Ry for the past 18 years.  It started out with us playing a leading role in Ryan's life.  Then as the years went by we played less of a leading role and more of a support role (all the while still on stage).  When he turned 16 and got his license, things really began to shift.  Matt and I were still on the stage, but we played a quieter support role,  more behind the scenes of his life rather than leading.  Today, as 18 is here and with high school graduation following in a couple of days, Matt and I will get to graciously walk off of the stage and go sit in the audience.  The curtain will fall on his childhood and will re-open with his adult life.  When the curtain opens, We will get to watch our Ry live the life God has for him, not from the vantage point of us leading but from the vantage point of the audience.
Yes, still giving him our input and advise....when he asks for it, but, respecting that he is an adult and fully capable of making his own decisions.
Often, when the credits role for a movie, you will get to see the 'bloopers'.  The parts of the movie (or TV show) that were cut from scenes because they weren't done quite right.
As the 18 year long season of raising our Ry ends, and before the curtain falls and I walk off of the stage, I'm going to share with you a few behind the scene bloopers that we've experienced over the years :)

• Ryan was born at 5:25 p.m. on June 5, 1999.  He weighed 9 lbs. 3 oz. and had low blood sugar right out of the gate.  In an effort to raise his blood sugar, the hospital gave him formula.  Something about that formula and Ryan's newborn system didn't get along.  It produced the rankest smelling farts you have ever smelled- full blown suffer and rotten egg stench.  He never would let one rip when a nurse or dr. was in the room and I know they didn't believe either Matt or I when we told them the smell was from Ryan.  We gave up trying to explain and accepted the misplaced blame!
• When Ry was a couple years old, I laid him down for a nap and told him he could not get out of his crib or he would get in trouble.  He was determined that he was not tired and did not want to take that nap.  After peeling off all of the wall paper he could reach by his crib, he then figured out that his crib was on wheels.  When I heard his little voice say 'mom!', I peeked down the hall and saw his head looking out the door of his room....from his crib, that he had somehow maneuvered down the wall (peeling the wall paper as he maneuvered it down the wall) of his room all the way to the door- He was proud of himself that he had obeyed and not gotten out of his crib and still made it to the door.  There was something about the way his head was looking out the door that made him look just like a turtle peeking out of his shell....I totally should have disciplined him but instead I laughed my head off.  I never did repair the wall paper!
• By 4 years old, Ry was full blown into spiderman.  I've never been one to buy my kids Theme type of shirts- no mickey mouse or toy story was going to be found on my kids clothes.  I stuck to trending name brand and left it at that.  Ryan BEGGED for the spiderman pajamas when he saw them.  The shirt was red and had netting under the arms so that when he lifted his arms it looked like a spiderweb.  It also had a picture of spiderman throwing his web on the front.  Against my better judgement, I let him wear it to church (maybe it had something to do with his incessant begging and Matt's question to me about whether I was being a little stringent in not letting him wear it).  As soon as we got out of the car at church, a couple stopped Ryan and told him how cute his shirt was.  I leaned down and told Ryan to tell them 'Thank You'- He turned to them, threw up his arms like he was clawing the air, exposed the spiderwebs under his arms, glared and them, and loudly hissed.  They didn't even laugh.  I told him if he did it again I would cut the webs out from under the arms of the shirt and his prized pajama shirt would be webless....he proudly walked off, holding up his arms so everyone could see his webs.
• As 4 made it's way to 5, Ry had developed quite the love for movies.  I am not one of those parents that watched everything before my children did- It was more like a quick glance at what the movie was about and that was it.  We had the movie 'My Summer Story' that Ryan would watch over and over.  I had never seen it but thought it great that it kept him entertained.  The same year he watched 'My Summer Story' over and over, my brother in law, sister in law, and my 3 nephews moved into town.  One day, Ryan was playing with my nephew, Josh, and he (Ry) knocked over a light and broke it.  They were up in our shop and I was in the house- Josh came down to the house and told me that when the light broke, Ryan had said the 'D' word.  I was a little baffled as to where he had heard it, and, after investigating a bit realized he must have heard it from 'My Summer Story'.  Ryan and I had the appropriate vs. inappropriate language talk and I thought we were all good.   Shortly after that, Ry was standing by my pops, Phil, as he was working outside, and asked Phil 'What the He** he was doing?'.  Pops was shocked and asked Ryan What he had just said...Ry repeated it. Over the course of several months, he went on to drop several more cuss words at all inopportune times (Ryan dropped another round of He** in front of my brother in law, he was driving and had to pull his car over he was laughing so hard).  Much to Ryan's dismay, My Summer Story was thrown out due to his lack of discerning skills in what is appropriate language and what is not.  He then took up saying Butt-ler...saying the 'Butt' part really loud and whispering ler- Matt and I let him get away with it.  Was that good parenting skills....I wouldn't change a thing :)
• 6 year old Ry was sharing ownership of a bird with Eli.  Dutch was a blue Cockatiel that was super friendly.  One day, he tried to fly off of Eli's arm and ended up on the ground right in front of Eli's foot.  Eli stepped on his back and broke it.  As Dutch was dying in my hands, Eli was crying and felt horrible.  Ryan was sitting on the steps by Eli, stared right at Dutch and then stared at Eli and said to Eli, under his breath, 'Cry-baby!'  It's so funny now but then, I was horrified at Ryan's lack of sensitivity!!
• My last one is a series of pictures- behind the scenes of everyone of them is Ry, making his brother CRACK UP because he is telling a joke or saying something just for the shock factor (to which Eli is never shocked but instead laughs).  From the time Ryan was old enough to talk, he has kept Eli laughing, more than I'd bet Eli even realizes.

And, to my Ry, I love you I love you I love you and Happy Birthday!!  If you look in the front row, in the audience of your life, you will see your dad and I, always present and always available.  He will be cheering you on in an orderly fashion with proper clapping and I will be fist pumping and shouting accolades- you'll hear this mama, I promise!

That's a wrap on this one, guys!  Matt and I are two down and one to go....We'll talk high school graduation again in 13 years.  Yay for the class of 2030, when our Ellie graduates!!

Ry, proudly showing off his new Pit Viper glasses (thanks to Danika), while having 'Happy Birthday' sang to him tonight- Lookin good, Ry, Lookin good!!

Picture compliments of the Mail Tribune- June 2017

Ry (far right) and his ODF crew- August 2017