10 Reasons I know Everett is Getting Older

1. He likes to "pretend" to be a dog or other animal, though he really prefers the dog.
   
   
2. If I don't know where something is and I know Everett had it earlier, I can ask him where it is and he will correctly show me almost every time.
   
   
3. He understands when something is sharp, hot, or dangerous and stays away from it (and makes sure I am aware of the danger as well).
   
   
4. He understands and can follow through on multiple commands all at once.
   
   
5. He knows how to put an outfit together, though his gift for "matching" obviously came from his father. I like this one because I can send him into his room for his clothes and he'll go get them for me.
   
   
6. He knows how to crack eggs into a bowl, use the KitchenAid (including attaching the beater), and that when something goes into the oven he must wait patiently for the microwave's timer to go off.
   
   
7. He can name* every animal or motorized (or person-propelled) vehicle in the book.
   
   
8. He loves to tease us. He regularly hides Joel's alarm clock. When I take out the trash he will run to the empty trashcan and whisk it away. He loves to hide things and then throw up his arms in mock astonishment and perplexity.
   
   
9. He can follow along with some of the plot lines in his movies (such as when Bambi loses his Mother, though he obviously doesn't understand the death concept), and will talk* to me about them as they are happening.
   
   
10. He can correctly identify his rights from his lefts.

*Bear in mind that even I can't detect most of the subtle differences in his words--out of context--most of the time, so I use words like "talk" loosely, as we are still working on the verbalizing part.