Man Alive! Riley's 5

Riley turns 5 today and boy-oh-boy has he had a busy year.

1. He gets mixed up and says "cemetery" instead of "military". "Hey mom, look at that huge cemetery helicopter!" I love this and don't plan or correcting him any time soon.


2. He carved his own pumpkin this year. Ryan cut the top off, but Riley scooped out the guts, traced the pattern, and cut out the face himself. He also set up the Christmas tree himself.


3. He prefers non-fiction books to fiction. Lately he's into ones about space, dinosaurs, and volcanoes.


4. We took off his training wheels in May. I had him dressed in layers so when he fell he wouldn't get too many scrapes. But instead of falling he hopped on that bike and never looked back.


5. Every time I don't know the answer to one of his questions, he says, "It's OK mom. I'll just look it up online." Or sometimes he says, "It's OK mom. I'll ask daddy. He's smarter than you because he's older." (If only that were the reason!)


6. He hates being by himself and won't play by himself.


7. He takes a nap most days and is an excellent eater.


8. He can't wait to go to kindergarten and ride the bus.


9. A few months ago he was trying to decide who to marry: Lauren or Isabella (the cutie in the slide show). He loves girls and his best friends have always been girls.


10. He had a naughty year.

• He painted Marissa's toenails in her room and got red toenail polish all over her carpet.
• He poured dish soap all over Marissa's head and dumped sand on her head a dozen times at least.
• One day I couldn't find my wedding rings. I searched and searched and a few days later I was cleaning Riley's room and found them behind his bookshelf.
• Then there was the time he cut a hole in his screen and went outside when he was supposed to be napping.
• I could go on and on.

Happy Birthday Bruisey! We love you!