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The Best Things About Carl (at 4 years)


1. When I ask him to do something, he says, "Of course!"
2. He is (almost) always friendly to (almost) all the kids in the neighborhood.  He really is a friendly kid.
3. He loves to listen to the same stories over and over again then recites them from memory.  I love to watch him "read" to himself by reciting back whole books.
4. He also loves rhymes.  Whenever we read poetry, he points out "That rhymes!" with delight.
5. His favorite book right now is D'Aulaire's Book of Norse Myths.  He asks me to read it for every naptime and bedtime story.  We have read it forwards and backwards at least half a dozen times this fall and I love it!
6. He speaks very dramatically, often accompanying his statements with dramatic poses.
7. Sometimes he spontaneously says sweet or grateful things.  That means a lot to me.
8. For example, every night before bed, he tells me how much he liked dinner.
9. In this mom's totally unbiased opinion, he was the star of last Sunday's primary program.  He stood right at the front, looking out at the audience, and singing every word.
10. He does have a lovely voice.  I also enjoy hearing him sing around the house.
11. I think it's pretty awesome that he can ride a bike.  Like a champ!
12. He also taught himself to write capital letters.  However, he does it backwards.  The letters are backwards and he writes them right to left instead of left to write.  I think it's sweet.
13. His artwork has become very detailed lately.  I love the elements that he copies from Soren; his drawings are peppered with speech bubbles filled with backwards gobble-di-gook.  But he also has his own, bold style.
14. This is a pretty selfish thing to love but here it is: He still naps!  Every day.
15. He likes to make pancakes with me on Saturday morning.
16. He will still hold my hand when we go for a walk.
17. He is a leader among the neighborhood kids.  He will invite them to play group games with him and makes sure that everyone follows the rules. (Sometimes a little over-zealously but we're working on that.)
18. He has learned to ask my permission before going to visit a neighbor's house and does so diligently.  After a few scary months this summer when he would just take off and be lost in one of the other apartments, this is a huge relief.
19. He loves his grandparents (on both sides) and talks about them frequently.
20. He shares other people's excitement with them.  He is excited about cars with Soren, motorcycles with Scott, the Bountiful Basket with me, trains with Ethan, games with Thomas, etc.  It makes him fun to be with.

Comments

Oozaroo said…
He really is a fun person to be with. Also? Rachel used to write backwards like that, too.

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