Charlie is 4!!!

Well, after a week and a half worth of celebrating, Charlie finally turned four!  It's so much fun to see how excited kids get and to remember the joy in birthdays.  It seems as you get older, birthdays tend to be more of a reflection on life, not enough celebration.  As the kids get older, each year is my favorite, but I'll miss the ages they were.  

Charlie had plenty of John Deere celebrations filled with multiple deserts and remote controls!  Happy Birthday Little Buddy!!!

Learning to Fall

The other week Charlie and I converted his sister's Dora bike into a man's bike...John Deere!  I must admit I'm pretty impressed with the paint job and how a few stickers off an old toy can be given new life.  

Well, Charlie was anxious to ride so he jumped on the next day and took off down the sidewalk.  I was impressed to see him riding up and down as if he had done it for years...until...he hit the edge of the grass and fell over.  I got him to get back on pretty easily, but he continued to fall a few times and became more hesitant.  Then I realized something...I taught him to get on and ride, but never took the time to teach him to fall.

In life, we need to learn how to fall.  It's often when we fall that we are able to get back up and soar to new heights.  I take this opportunity with my children to tell them how we're going to fall a lot in life and it's important that we know how to get back up and try again.  

Finally, after holding the bike in the grass and tipping him over till he learned to put his foot down and catch himself as he was falling, whenever Charlie falls now he calls out with a big smile "Papa, I put my foot out!"  Now he knows how to fall.  

John Deere Date

My wife claims that every morning when Charlie wakes up he asks the same two questions: "Where's Papa?" and "Can I eat breakfast?"

Yesterday, he was pleasantly surprised to see that I was home when he woke up. I had the day off so and told him I was going to be home with him ALL DAY. His response...clapping and dancing! I am so loved!

So, we decided we needed to go on a play date. (My wife is great about making sure I get some date time with all my kids every month.) Charlie's favorite place...well, I think pictures explain it pretty well on it's own. He's a big fan of the John Deere store. Anytime we play "I Spy", no matter where we're at, he always spies "something green where Papa and Charlie go on a date." This boy is so darn cute!

McGuckin Family of WINNERS!

Every parent has a trick or two up their sleeves to get their child to move a little faster.  With three kids, loading up into the family van can often take a while.  With three different ages and three different styles of car seats, some are quicker than others.  Libby uses a normal seatbelt, AJ gets placed in his seat pretty easily, but Charlie has to climb to the back and strap into a three strap seat.  To get things moving, we like to race to see who can get their belt on first.  

The majority of the time, I happen to come in last.  One of the first few times this happened, I called out that I lost and a little voice from the far back row corrected me.  Charlie stated "Papa, you didn't lose.  You were the "last winner"!  A huge smile came across my face.  I love his way of looking at it better!  Instead of there only always being just one winner and a bunch of losers, everyone can be a winner!  

This is just a slight example of his compassion for others.  What if we all thought like a child; wouldn't life be a little better in some ways?

This is Charlie!

A compassionate young boy, Charlie is three years old and has a heart of gold!  He is very in tune to others' feelings and verbally expresses his loves in life.  

I am fortunate to be his papa cause he makes me feel like a king!  He always wants to do whatever I'm doing, go wherever I'm going, and say whatever I say.  He is a good reminder of how the choices I make in my life for myself can have a direct impact on young eyes watching from a distance.  The way he admires me reminds me of how I should be in my relationship with God.  Having a son is a different blessing than a daughter.  Both are miraculous and I'm fortunate to be blessed with them both.