Ryan's Time has Come Again

Judy and I love to have all three Kirby grandkids

over any time it can be arranged. But we have also

loved our special event individual sleep-overs.

It was Ryan's turn this week, and oh, what fun we had.

Besides me and Judy, Kitty was thrilled to have company.

Ryan's light touch and gentle manner made Kitty

feel relaxed and safe.

Judy and I feel safer now that Ryan is around with his Nerf Megablaster.

Bad guys, beware.  He'll take you out!

Our Ry Guy does more than defend. He's Judy's go-to guy for
spaghetti.  Or muhsgetti.

A pinch of this, a dab of that. The great chefs never measure.

Voila! (I don't know the Italian word for "voila.")

We certainly did a lot more than cooking and target shooting.
Our living room became a monumental Jurassic Park fight
for survival.  The dinosaurs on the left are the spectators for
this battle royal.

Ryan has other ninja skills when he doesn't have his trusty Nerf blaster.
I'm glad he's on our side.

Oops!  Granny and Ryan are caught with a hand in Granddaddy's
jelly beans.  Note: Ryan is not the perp!

That night we enjoyed one of our highlights, though I

don't have pictures to document the occasion.  Judy, Ryan,

and I laid out under the stars on a sleeping bag and had

the time of our lives. I see us doing more of this with all

of the children in the years ahead, just as we did with 

Jennifer and Amanda years ago.

What would a sleepover be without breakfast at Granny's Doughnuts?
Ryan selects the smiley face.

Now the smile is on RYAN'S face!

Ryan shows a real knack for the harmonica. His rhythm is

also great.  In this version, he overdid the "high C", a little,

but I love his enthusiasm.  I forgot to tell him that MY dad,

his GREAT Grandpa Loyd, also played a mean harmonica.

In our last few hours, Ryan showed great skill in building
this sliding board from Fiddlesticks (oversize Tinker Toys).

Line up for your turn!

Then came his ultimate challenge.  This set of Castle Blocks
belonged to Jennifer, his mom. Like Claire and Evan before him,
Ryan meticulously studies the picture on the box to construct
an exact replica.

Perfection!

No, I take that back.  THIS is perfection!

Our special time with Ryan was full of memories.

We won't forget a thing, and we don't think Ryan will, either,

as we store up treasures for the years ahead.