Charles says so many cute things, and I'm terrible at remembering to write them down. Here are a couple off the top of my head.
Charles' favorite song is "Wheels On the Bus." He sometimes makes up new verses such as, "The mommy on the bus says, 'Sit on your bottom,'" or, "The tiger on the bus does jumping jacks," or, "The Charles on the bus says, 'Look, another blue bus!'" This last one is a reference to the blue U of M buses that we ride to get to campus for U of M museum outings. Taking the bus there is half the fun. My favorite verse is "The daddy on the bus says, 'I love you.'" Other favorite Charles songs include "She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain," "Popcorn Popping," "Ring Around the Rosie," and "Follow the Prophet." He also likes to hear "Hush a bye don't you cry," "Bye Baby Bunting," "Banbury Cross," and "Rock-a-bye Baby," all sung in sequence. If I don't sing all four in a row he acts cheated, like I cut off a song halfway through.
Charles appreciates positive reinforcement, and fishes for it all the time. He will often call out in the car, "My not taking my shoes off!" or, "My not picking my nose!" (Both of these misdeeds are major temptations for him.) "My not hitting brother!" and "My not biting!" are also popular when we are at home.
Today I took the boys to County Farm Park. There is a very tall playground there, and two parts of it are connected by an inclined tunnel. Charles really struggled to climb up it at first. He kept getting halfway up and then start crying. But then "Silas to the rescue!" showed up and helped him get through it. He helped him climb through it several times and then finally Charles could do it himself, and he happily announced, "My did it!"
After seeing a dog at the park Charles told me he wanted a dog. When I asked him what kind he thoughtfully replied, "A doggy with teeth. And with feet."
