5 years.

This boy has been wanting to turn 5 ever since he turned four.  I have a feeling he will want to be bigger for the rest of his life since his "best cousin" Zachary is a year older than him.  In Charlie's mind turning five means: loosing a tooth, riding a bike without training wheels, going to kindergarten, and running faster than he did when he was four.  Life is grand for Charlie Koch.       

(A chocolate donut for the birthday boy)

Everything continues to be Charlie's favorite.  During every show on TV, each playdate with a friend, every meal, each article of clothing, book, or activity, Charlie always remarks: "This is my favorite."  Charlie loves dressing up in various costumes including: a pirate, Peter Pan, Buzz light-year, and Super C.  This kid always has a tune in his heart and sings all day long.  Char has also developed a love for coloring.  If someone told me a year ago that one day Charlie would like to color, I would have not believed them.  He is great at coloring, a bit of a perfectionist actually.  Charlie loves his friends and family, I have seen such a tender side of him talking so sweet to his baby brother and learning to get along with his crazy sister.

Ever since he was a baby Charlie has been humming while eating, he continues to do so.  It is as if after each bite of food he is saying, "Mmmmmm..... Mmmmmm."  I love it.  There are very few things he does now that are "litte-kid-ish" but that is one of them.  He also still says va-nill-na for vanilla and I hope he always does.  Charlie is our prayer-reminder, trampoline-jumer, racetrack-builder, fun-loving, happy-go-lucky kid.  He reminds me each day of all the simple things in life I have to be grateful for.  His smile lights up a room and melts my heart.  We love you Char, hope being 5 is as grand as you are!