Tantrums.

I think I might have to rank June-bug #1 at throwing the best tantrums ever! It can be annoying but for some reason it is so hilarious many times. Brace yourself for:

June Koch's Top 3 Tantrums.

1. The poop protest. We were walking out the door to go to church (which is a process in and of itself: Adam leaves early for meetings, I get kids ready, get self ready, get snacks, activities to keep kids reverent, etc.) when June says "I have to go poop!" Fine, I thought, now she won't have to go while we are at church. So she finished up, I wiped her, then the tantrum began. It went something like this: kicking, screaming, rolling on the bathroom floor, yelling repeatedly: "I wanna wipe my poops!" Windows were open, neighbors were home. I put her skirt back on, carried her to the car and she continued to scream "I wanna wipe my poops!" I am such a mean mom for not letting my two year old wipe herself. Oh wait, I tried that once and decided never again!
   
2. Homeless man steals donuts. I went to the drive-thru pharmacy to pick up a prescription for the kids. As I was waiting for the pharmacist to hand over the meds this homeless man walked up between the wall of the drive-thru and my car, totally scaring me. He asked for money, I had none. So I handed him some left-over donuts we had in the car from Charlie's birthday that morning. June flipped! As the man walked away June started thrashing in her car seat "NOoooooo! MY DONUTS! DON'T TAKE MY DONUTS!" I quickly rolled up the windows, laughing inside. Sorry June-bug, I don't expect you to "get it" but I promise you that was the right thing to do.
3. Naked in Target. While shopping at Target June grabbed a bag of chips. I told her to put them back... she refused so I put them back for her. Cue tantrum. She was so angry. As she stood there in the back of the shopping cart she was so filled with anger that she did not know what to do with herself. She decided to take her shoes off and chuck them across the store. I know she just wanted a reaction from me so I ignored it and kept walking. I felt so calm, like: oh well, there go your shoes! June got really ticked because I kept ignoring her tantrum so she decided to rip off her skirt and undies... trying to get naked in Target. She out-smarted me... I reacted. That little rascal.

Memorial Day Track Meet & Picnic.

Charlie doing the long jump.

June helping Daddy and being the cheerleader.

Charlie racing. This picture is deceiving because seconds before it was taken Char was crying because he did not want to loose the race and seconds after it was taken he cried because he was not the winner! Valiant effort though. Life is not about whether you win or loose, it's how you run the race, right?!

Pony rides at the park.

We were happy to have the Menlove's join us for the day.

Everyone rode the ponies over and over... except Junie that is. She is not much of a pony lover!

Pretend City.

Charlie loves to play dress-up (not the princess type), the pirate, Buzz-Lightyear, firefighter type. He loves to imagine he is all sorts of characters, so what better way to spend his 4th birthday than by going to Pretend City. He had a great time playing with all his cousins on his special day.

Our favorite 4-year-old.

I cannot believe my guy is 4 already. Does a smile get any cuter than this? I love how easy to please Charlie is, so happy about life! We spent his birthday at Pretend City with his cousins and then topped it off with McDonald's nuggets for dinner and ice cream for dessert. He had a great day.

Charlie has been wanting to turn 4 ever since he turned 3!! When we ask him to have 3 more bites of dinner he asks if he could have 4. When we tell him to sit in time-out for 3 minutes he wants 4. He calls the freeway the "fourway." He wants so badly to be big. I got him a pair of shoes that were way too big but he insisted that they fit. He told me that he grew from taking a nap and now his "fast shoes" would fit him.

I love the cuddle moments with Charlie, I often tell him "You are my favorite guy." Then he looks at me with a huge grin; it never gets old. One time, after telling him he was my favorite guy I asked him, "Who's your favorite mommy?" to which he replied "Daddy!" :)

Charlie is one of the happiest kids I know. Everything is his favorite. If I give him a blue spoon with his cereal he thanks me because blue is his favorite color. If I give him an orange fork with dinner he thanks me because orange is his favorite color. Whatever cartoon he watches, shirt he wears, sport he plays... they are all his favorites. Life is good for our Charlie boy and he is definitely our favorite 4 year old!

(4 year old stats: Charlie is 42 inches tall (95%) and weighs 41 pounds (75%). The doctor predicted that he will be 6'2" as an adult. It will be fun to look back at this blog and see if he ends up being right.)

Male bonding.

Charlie adores his daddy-boy and they loved hanging together at the father/son camp-out. I think the night filled with sleeping in tents, roasting hot-dogs, and hangin' with the boys was a success. Cheers to fathers and their sons, too cute!

Can you feel the love?

Trained.

This girl is something else! The week after she turned 2 we went to visit a friend whose daughter was potty trained. While we were all hanging out June disappeared. We found her on the little potty seat with her pants down and diaper ripped off. Cute, I thought, but she's not ready. Well, the next morning this chick decided to unzip her footed pajamas, take off her poopy diaper and climb onto the toilet again. I went out and bought some undies for her that day! I still thought she just liked the idea of taking her diaper off and getting a treat, not that she could grasp the concept of actually being potty trained. She proved me wrong! Her determination amazes me. She has only had 2 or 3 accidents, always tells me when she needs to go, and even stays dry throughout the night. I never thought potty training could be so fun and effortless. Thanks June-bug!

Party like it's your birthday!

June's birthday began with a trip to the Donut Shoppe, what more could a two-year-old ask for?

(We told the kids we were having a contest to see whose face was the messiest. The winner: Charlie's cheeks & June's chin.)

Next, the four of us went to Atlantis Park in Garden Grove. It costs $1 to get in and there are 8-10 play structures for the kids to play on. We all had a blast!

Finally, we had a Pizza Party, Otter-pops in the Bathtub Party, & Slumber Party with the Menloves.

...as if that was not enough...

We took cupcakes to "Park day" and celebrated with friends!

(June opened this pink "ballerina" bathing-suit at the park from her friend Brinley. She insisted on wearing it over her clothes. She was all smiles on the swing as the tutu was flappin' in the breeze.)

June is 2.

Oh June-bug. To say that we love you is an understatement! We think you are one of the funniest kids around. I love it when you call out "Mommmmmy..." and I do not hear you so you yell "Hey, Nora..." It has become a joke with the two of us, you call me Nora sometimes just because you know it will get a good laugh out of me. You have the cutest 5 little freckles on your left cheek and a few on your nose, they go perfectly with your cheesy smiles! I know wherever you are because I can hear you singing the ABC's or Twinkle, Twinkle, your favorite songs. You also love the color pink, your pacifier, and watching Dora the Explorer. We all laugh at your ratted up hair every morning, we are still trying to figure out if that is a sign of a good night sleep or a bad one! You love to joke around and pucker your lips for a kiss only to quickly stick out your tongue, it's gross but funny. You climb up the tallest ladders at the park, insist on putting on your own clothes, and try so hard to keep up with your big brother. We love your determination, even if it can be exhausting at times. We love you June-bug, because of you Daddy and Mommy now have many gray hairs but more love and laughter in our home than we ever thought possible.

Interviewing the Birthday Girl... and her Sidekick!

We have been taking up June's birthday all month. She turned TWO on March 26th, hard to believe! I wanted to do an "interview" with her to document how cute this stage is (Charlie was kind enough to add his two cents.) June has a strong-will, a mind of her own, and some of the funniest faces I have ever seen. She brings a much appreciated pizazz into our home. We love you so much June-bug!!
The Interview:

BLOOPER #1:

(Notice the beloved "telescope" & Charlie in the background whacking his head on the table.)

BLOOPER #2:
(Notice Charlie spit milk at the camera & him blowing in June's ear as he tries to whisper. Not to mention the obvious where he is sitting on June's head.)

** As soon as I turned the camera off Charlie asked: "Mom, can you do an episode of me now?"

Top of the Mornin' to You!

St. Patrick's Day seems to come around faster each year. There is a lot of pressure I feel with performing the jig but as Adam would say: "I love the attention!" Partially true. I have also loved having my kiddos join me over the years, which makes the jig extra special. Another little leprechaun will be joining our family at the end of September... oh, the Luck of the Irish!