To Charlie

Dear Charlie,
  It has been a month since you turned 4. A big part of me is amazed that we've been able to keep track of you that long. Seriously. You hit the ground running (from birth I think) and you haven't stopped for even half a moment since. It should be recorded that you really are a runner. You are starting to learn about fear, a little bit, and sometimes try to keep an eye on me when we're in public, but sometimes the old urge comes over you and you bolt. You've never been one to take it easy. You don't sit still. You are always learning, always exploring, always chatting, and ALWAYS surprising us.
  You are mister social. You love to be around other kids and love to play. You play well with boys and girls-especially the older ones. Wherever we go, you make a friend. I can almost bet that the friend will be anywhere from 2 to 4 years older than you. And the older friends don't just tolerate you...they love you! We always have older kids asking you to play. You are never intimidated by a crowd or new faces, in fact you thrive. You say hello to everyone and introduce yourself as "Charlie and Charlie Michael King." People wonder why your name is such a mouthful.
  You love primary. You love to participate and share stories. I'll be honest, I was pretty concerned about your behavior for the first few months. You never stayed in your seat, you made faces at the other kids and jumped up in the front of the room, and up onto chairs, but we're making progress. You've now learned to tell the teachers that you need to go potty when you get bored. And yes, you use that opportunity to roam the halls at least 4 times during sharing time. You also love singing time and know the words to an unbelievable amount of songs. You've been making up songs lately. There's no tune to speak of and the words are hilarious. "I love my dad. Oh, yeah. I really love him. Yeah. My dad is the best."
  You narrate all of the pretend games that you are going to play. I don't know where it comes from, but it is about the funniest thing ever. I overhear you saying, "Stella, do you want to play Mommies and Daddies going on a vacation?" Or "Let's play mommies and daddies going to the movie theater." Or of course, "Mommies and daddies burying their dead dog." Yikes. You are learning to play with Stella. This has been a painstakingly slow process, but I'd say at least 40% of your interactions with her are now positive. There's less wrestling her to the ground and more "going shopping" (unloading every book we own into boxes and bags in other locations). When you are trying extra hard to be kind, you talk in this really high voice and smile and I'm laughing just typing it. It is always funny and sweet.
  Charlie boy, I never thought we'd get you to slow down enough, but you've turned into quite a snuggle bug! It is so wonderful. You love to snuggle with us and hug us. You still love to play with my hair and it's the only thing that keeps you from insisting that dad lay with you every night. You tried to lay down with him the other night and then sat up and said, "Sorry Dad. My mom has the longest hair." Then promptly left to find me. You are still like velcro when you come into our room in the night. I do love having you there. When we tell you it's been a rough day, you are quick to apologize and profess your love. You rarely walk by your dad without patting him on the arm or rubbing his back.
  You are starting preschool this year. You call it "pretty school" and you are stoked.