Thomas is 4

4 in January. Baby Thomas really isn’t my baby any longer. Sigh.

Matt and I keep asking each other, were all of our four-year-olds like this?

T has always been the sweetest little boy, and is universally loved. He is dangerously delightful and frequently has sugary treats in his hand he has charmed someone into giving him. (I’m trying to pack the kids in the car after a long day at a cub scout campout, and some kind person is putting marshmallows on his stick. That kind of thing.)

Sharing a drink with his buddy, Jake.

But increasingly, his spunk is breaking through the sweetness. He is a big boy, but is not above throwing a big tantrum to get what he wants. He is an adorable fighter of imaginary bad guys, but sometimes forgets that other kids hurt for real when he whacks them with a plastic sword. Ask him to smile, and you may get a dimpled grin, or you might get a teeth-baring growl!

Also, he keeps finding and stealing my candy. Without even asking. The nerve.

Thanks to my friend Julie for reminding me to “get in the picture!”

Oh, but as all four-year-olds do, he amazes me every day with his smarts and curiosity. “Mom, what if someone steals our house?”

Well, our house can’t move, so someone can’t really take it…

“No, I mean what if someone gets in while we’re gone and just stays there?”

Or,

“Mom, if the light is red, why are those other cars going?” (He was asking about the cross-traffic, though we have lots of red-light runners here in South America!)

Or,

(at Mary’s birthday party)”How did these people know we were having a party?”

Well, we invited them.

“But how did they know how to find our house?”

Two parties in one week = you only have to decorate once!

Perhaps my favorite thing about Thomas right now is his admiration and love for his siblings. He was sick yesterday, so no preschool, and at about 9 AM, he asked, “Is it time to go get the kids yet?” Another day, he wanted to make a sign for his bedroom door. It’s a bit of a tacky trend at our house at the moment, and the other kids have signs on their doors that say things like, “No boys allowed,” and, “You Shall Not Pass.” Thomas dictated exactly what he wanted his sign to say.

“Sam, Ben, Jon and Mary, You can come in whenever you want.”