A gazillion things about Tallis

Tallis Bryce Larsen

 

... is four and a half years old.

 

... is not a fan of winter. He's very aware of the lack of sunshine and he prefers not to bundle up. Yet he's still a good sport about it.

 

... is still desparately in need of a nap every day, even at 4-1/2. Life tends to fall apart in the late afternoon at our house if he didn't get a nap.

 

... loves to eat apples, chocolate, mushrooms, mashed potatoes, hamburgers, ham or turkey sandwiches with mustard and mayo, milk, ice cream, egg salad sandwiches, broccoli, and peas fresh from the garden.

 

... enjoys swingsets and slides and sandboxes.

 

... knows just about everything and will make sure you're aware of it. What he doesn't know he will ask and ask and ask and ask. (Part of being four?)

 

... is a little attorney, trying to negotiate his way out of roadblocks and those annoying "no" answers. (Another part of being four?)

 

... thinks blue is the best color ever.

 

... is often shy about talking to people he doesn't know well. He uses one-word sentences or little sounds instead.

 

... adores Curious George. I think the little sounds mentioned above come from what he's heard Curious George "say".

 

... has found his happy spot in his preschooler yoga class. I think he has a crush on his sweet teacher.

 

... likes to tuck in or purse his lips and put a finger on them when he's considering something.

 

... is very serious and thinks profoundly about things.

 

... is always wanting to create his newest inventions from the flotsam and jetsam of life we have around the house. He's very imaginative in the machines he wants to build, much to my frustration because I just don't have parts for various rockets, construction equipment, cars, robots, etc, laying around the house. He wants to build REAL things, not pretend.

 

... has a surprisingly acute memory, but sometimes oddly selective!

 

... wrapped a lot of our Christmas presents this year. He LOVED that task and was very cute about it.

 

... thinks Hawaii, especially the beach (minus any seaweed) is the greatest place on Earth. The happiest and most energetic I've ever seen him was running in the surf for hours on end while we were there.

 

... likes to go on dates with his Mom. In fact he NEEDS to go on regular dates with his Mom or his behavior starts to slide.

 

... has learned that mommies like flowers and pretty things and tries to provide.

 

... is actually a dog named Barker. In case you were wondering.

 

... is shockingly skilled at throwing a Frisbee. Good arm! But he can't catch one in his mouth. Maybe he's not a dog after all, but don't try to tell him that.

 

... probably won't sing for you, but he knows the words to lots of songs.

 

... is very happy to have new shoes that light up when he walks.

 

... likes to abbreviate instead of being wordy. For instance, in Tallis-ese "ice" means "ice cream". Since I never remember what his abbreviations mean he always has to explain himself anyway. Hmmm.

 

... kicks a soccer ball with a lot of control and loves to run - nice form, too!

 

... is a good hiker. Thank goodness for that, since his Daddy takes him on hiking adventures all summer long.

 

... loves to do things by himself, and is fairly skilled at a lot of it!

 

... is a real champ at the dentist. He loves it, and can describe in detail every little prize he's gotten from the toy bucket every time he's gone. He plays dentist with us, the critical part of that being that we get to choose a toy from his bucket after we brush our teeth.

 

... does a cute little wiggly dance when a song he likes is playing.

 

... was very disappointed to hear that the school teacher he'll have next year when he starts kindergarten is not a doctor. "How am I going to learn how to be a doctor in school if the teacher is not a doctor?" So we got an illustrated anatomy book from the library's children's section, and he was so relieved that he could teach himself to be a doctor and get a headstart. He tells us all the time about how his kidneys and bladder and blood work. Fascinating.

 

... is going to be the only kindergartener in his school when he starts next year! It's a one-teacher school with about 14 students from K-12. Wowzers! Small town life indeed.

 

... has an endearing smile and gorgeous eyes.

 

... loves inflatable play places – what four-year-old boy doesn’t?

 

... has a hard time turning his brain off to go to sleep, but once he's out he sleeps like a rock.

 

... strongly leans toward introversion. He's not a fan of large groups of people, always seeks out one-on-one interaction, loves people but in small doses.

 

... is a skilled, but stubborn, early reader. Unless he's feeling very comfortable and content, he won't read for anyone.

 

... loves to ride his bike and is quickly outgrowing it. We bring it to the school gym so he can ride whenever there's "tot time" open gym.

 

... likes the excitement of the "big city", particularly Anchorage.

 

... is cautious and conscientious. He's rarely rash or adrenaline-driven, and thus rarely gets "owies". He instructs us all on fire safety, knife safety, driving safety, you name it.

 

... gets most of his owies when he's tired, when he gets very clumsy!

 

... weighs 35 pounds and is 40 inches tall.

 

... is fairly competitive. He does not like to lose, but he is generally willing to "take turns winning."

 

... is the best big brother a little guy could ask for. He's always watching out for Rhys, teaching Rhys things, even kissed Rhys on the cheek a few times this week.

 

... surprised his Mom when he kissed Rhys on the cheek, because he's not terribly affectionate, except with me. He's very demonstrative with me, but not much of a snuggler, hugger or kisser with anyone else, sometimes excepting Dad.

 

... has felt the Spirit strongly on a few occasions and is working at recognizing it.

 

... goes to work with me often and is very cooperative and good about it (up to a certain limit that we try not to reach).

 

... loves his friends and wishes he could play with them more.

 

... also wishes he could see his cousins and grandmas and grandpas more.

 

... likes airports and the excitement of going on an airplane, but flights less than 4 hours please!

 

... has just started in the last few months to get detailed and creative in his drawings. He's now officially moved past scribbling into absolute cuteness.

 

... loves hotels and swimming in swimming pools. All hotels must have swimming pools.

 

... held a crab (as safely directed by an experienced crab holder) on the beach in Hawaii. He's become pretty fearless about touching critters. The touch tank at the Alaska Sealife Center is now a favorite, with urchins, anemones, crabs, snails, sea stars, etc. Not the case several months ago.

 

... devotedly watches (when there's a TV around) his favorite shows - "Super Why" and "Umi Zoomies" - he likes them because they are little superheroes who help people, and he wants their really cool cars.

 

... hopes that the next car we buy is a "really cool car", but accepted the explanation that "really cool cars don't have rear seats, so we can't put your carseat in a car like that." He checked it against all his "really cool" Hot Wheels and discovered it's true.

 

... likes to know how things work, and often figures it out by himself. He's got some inborn engineering attributes.

 

... says beautiful prayers all by himself.

 

... has the cutest voice ever when he talks on the phone (no bias on my part, of course).

 

... is slowly learning how to cook. He likes helping in the kitchen and around the house and since he's so cautious I've been letting him, under supervision, stir things on the stove and measure without help.

 

... will happily hold the door for you. A little gentleman.

 

... is dearly, dearly loved!