My Grandson Riley

It has been a while since I did an update on the boys.  So today I will dedicate my post to my oldest grandson Riley.  Riley is now 8 years old.  He is in third grade now and has some challenges but he tries hard. He is very competitive and loves to win.  Maybe it is just being a boy but he always thinks he will win.  A little David going after giants. 
He won first place a couple of weeks ago in the Pinewood Derby race.  One blue ribbon for racing and one for "show".  He walked on air for a few days and I thought I would never get him to sleep that night. 

He is a very sweet boy.  He was baptized on January 29th this year by his own asking.  He watches out for his brother as well as for others around him... such as when he heard that a boy at school said he was going to bring a gun to school.  Riley told me about what was going on and we had to go check it out with the principal. He was praised for bring it forward.  Just because something sounds like a rumor one can't be too sure these days.  It had to be reported.

Sadly enough a few week later a boy did actually bring a gun to school in Bremerton WA (across the water; Puget Sound) to school.  The gun went off and it hit an eight year old little girl who almost lost her life.  She has had multiple surgeries and has a long road ahead to recovery but the good news is that she is now in satisfactory condition.  If one of the kids would have mentioned anything they knew like Riley did, it might have been avoided.  Riley knew that a gun would bring death or injury and he trusted me enough to tell me about it. 

Riley was born on my birthday on August 29th.  He says we are a members of a birthday club.  We have a very close bond.  I had one too with my grandmother Nellie... and I was born on her birthday.  She is also a member of the birthday club. 

Another thing I can say about Riley is that he sometimes is very wise for his age.  Once when I was feeling low about what happened with my ex, he grew quiet and then said "Grandma, no one can change what happened.  He was a mean man.  The only thing you can do is move ahead, move forward."  I didn't think seven year old kids could talk like that.  He stunned me.  So I took it as if God himself was helping Riley with the words. 
Riley can be full of mischief too.  He can get into a mood to play tricks or to manage to get his way.  He is a typical kid.  He loves most to pick on his brother.

Last week he got a really great report card.  I took him out for dinner at his choice... Red Robin for a reward.  He loves the fries there.  I have posted his photo there.  He isn't smiling because it was about the tenth photo I took because of the light in the restaurant.  Isn't he looking older now?  His hair has red in it for "Crazy Hair Day" at school.

Tomorrow is Spring... can you believe it?  Tomorrow I will write a little on Brady and bring you up to date on him too.l