Charlie: #4

Charlie, our loud, intense and sweet little boy, is officially 4!! He had been talking about his birthday every day for the past year I think, so when the day came to celebrate he was ready! He even came downstairs that morning and immediately told me "Mom, I'm the birthday boy today!" While his actual birthday was spent traveling home from Branson, we celebrated before that trip with the Vincent family and had so much fun! (We definitely missed our Okos family!)

Here's a little bit about Charlie:

• Charlie has no problem "hanging" with the big kids
• Now that Johnny is at school all day with Mellany, that leaves Charlie by himself....some days I think he likes it, but most days I don't think he really cares for it. He has adjusted well for the most part but I can sure tell he misses his siblings (especially after all the months we have spent together)
• He loves to be silly and tell "jokes" and he is actually really funny
• He loves to tell all of us that he loves us and he loves to give hugs.
• Charlie is loud....when he laughs he is loud, when he cries he is loud, when he talks he is loud....you will never have a problem hearing what he has to say
• Food makes Charlie really happy. He loves McDonald's chicken nuggets and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches the most. He also enjoys a spoonful of peanut butter while I'm making sandwiches. He really is pretty consistent on what he likes to eat on a daily basis....cinnamon bread for breakfast, pb &j for lunch and then pizza for dinner 
• He loves to watch Paw Patrol, Bluey and the movie "The Grinch"
• He loves tractors, trucks and any kind of construction equipment
• He loves to ride the Power Wheels John Deere Gator
• Charlie is a huge helper and loves to have a "job". 
• He loves to be outside! He loves to help John with anything....driving the tractor, yard work, etc. 
• While driving, he will point out every single tractor, truck, lawn mower, semi, dump truck, excavator, etc. etc. etc. along the way
• He is wearing 4T and 5T clothes
• He is very kind to Winston and loves to walk him on the leash
• He can ride a bike with training wheels, rides his scooter very well, but is fastest on his strider bike
• His favorite snacks are goldfish, clif bars and granola bars
• He really only likes to drink water and apple juice
• He can follow simple directions very well (putting clothes in the laundry basket, throwing away trash, putting away a toy)
• He loves any kind of sport with a ball....basketball, baseball, soccer....and he is actually pretty good at all of them. He has quite the arm and leg
• He can count to 15 and sing the ABC song. He can also identify all the colors, several shapes and a few letters
• His favorite songs are "International Harvester" and "We Ready" 
• He's a great snuggler
• He's taken a few showers and almost prefers them to baths
• He wants to know about everything....he is curious about life and wants to see it all
• Charlie can very clearly tell you what he wants/needs and can explain himself very well
• His pout is seriously cute (and he knows it)
• He speaks very well. He has quite the vocabulary, he can say his words clearly enough for most to understand, and speaks in complete sentences.
• He loves to pick out his own clothes and can take them off fairly easily about 90% of the time, he can also put on his own shoes
• If he isn't at church or school, you will see him wearing a hat 
• He is very kind hearted and just wants everyone to have fun.  If he gets in trouble or upsets others he starts crying and runs to his room. 
• Charlie is very outgoing around familiar people, but when in front of people he doesn't know, he is extremely shy
• He can brush his teeth by himself pretty well
• He is starting to enjoy coloring and really loves using his sticker book
• He loves to dance! (He's got some rythm too!)

3 Year Wellness Exam

Weight: 36.6#

Height: 41"

We had a great 4 year wellness exam! Dr. Fahler asked all the typical questions around friends, eating habits, screen time, school, etc. He gave Charlie a physical exam that went just fine and we looked at his growth charts which looked so great! (I can remember how as an infant I would just pray for him to even measure on the chart above the 10% mark and now he's in the 60% for height.....so thankful we are beyond that phase of his life and to have a completely healthy boy!)

We were able to get his kindergarten vaccinations and the flu shot (which weren't fun at all for him and were actually quite painful) and we were on our way to grab a cake pop to eat in daddy's truck! 

Birthday Celebration
Charlie's birthday celebration was pretty simple. He wanted the Okos & Vincent families to come over for his "party". While the Okos family couldn't make it, the Vincents were able to and we had a pizza dinner, a dump truck cake and opened presents! The kids were able to play outside and had so much fun together! 

Happy Birthday Charlie!!