And He will give you the desires of your heart...: Happy Birthday Colson Lukey!

Yesterday was Colson's birthday. My baby is now ONE! He is seriously the cutest thing in the entire world and he makes our lives SO SO happy. What an amazing, unexpected blessing our little Lukey is!

For some reason, Colson's birthday was not near as hard on me as the twins turning three. Maybe it's because I have felt like he was one for awhile now. The boy started walking at 9 months!!! And I still feel like he's my baby even though he's one year old.

Colson has seriously been PURE JOY in our worlds! He is a MESS! All the time. His smile melts everyone around him. His eyes are ELECTRIC BLUE. His laugh is contagious. He is literally into anything and everything. He rarely wants to be held because he can't stop moving long enough. But cuddles with him in the middle of the night are kinda the best thing ever.

Every time I look at him, I thank God for having such a BETTER plan for us than we could ever imagine. For stepping in and intervening when we were making our own plans. For knowing that we needed our little Colson Lukey to make our family complete. For making sure that he arrived in his own time and in his own way with his own personality.

OH how I love this boy. I thought about the day he was born yesterday and all the wonder and excitement that it held. I wrote about it last year here. Some of my very favorite memories of that day are:

- Spending quality time with Adelyn in the wee hours of the morning before everyone else woke up

- Hearing Derek tell me "Baby, it's a BOY!!!" And then saying over and over "It's Colson, it's Colson"

-Hearing Colson cry over and over again until they laid him on my chest.

-The hour that I got to spend with Colson and Derek in recovery before we got moved to our room

-Everyone going crazy over Colson's hair

-Getting to hug and hold all three of my babies in one day for the first time

And then bringing him home and Adelyn having the stomach bug. Trying to figure out how to survive without being able to pick up the twins. Letting Colson sleep in our room for TWO whole weeks...which we never did with the twins. Never being able to put Colson on the floor because the twins would lay on top of him. Wondering if we would ever get back to "normal" and then realizing normal was something completely different each day.

What a year it's been. Three kids under three is NO JOKE! This has been the most physically-demanding and exhausting year that I have ever experienced. I have slept less, moved more, done more laundry, cooking, changing diapers/pull-ups, potty training, car-seat buckling, stroller hauling, grocery shopping, tear wiping, hugging, holding, and rocking then I ever imagined possible. Just getting in and out of the car for an errand is a workout. Throw in basketball season and trying to juggle three kids in the stands, eating out in restaurants, putting on pajamas, going to school, working, and everything else. It's been a YEAR!

But OH MY GOODNESS has it been a good one. Full of JOY! Full of LAUGHTER! HUGS. KISSES. UGGA-MUGGAS. Watching the twins fall in love with Colson. Learning all of the wonderful parts of his personality. Seeing who he takes after. Seeing who he likes. What food he likes. His first word "uh-oh" or his first steps. I am so so thankful for this blue-eyed boy and the JOY that he has brought to our family. I am so thankful for my crazy little twinkies and the energy they bring.

So...Happy Birthday my Colson Lukey! You are the most unexpected, wonderful surprise that we ever did have. Your blue eyes melt me. Your smile delights me. Your kisses are sweeter than cotton candy. You are our Captain Destructo, our Super Baby, the apple of our eye. We love you BIG baby boy. And we are so thankful that God decided we need you too!