Cole's 3rd Birthday!

Today is my youngest child's 3rd birthday! Cole is such a blessing to us. I love how individual and unique every one of my children are. I assumed having another boy would be much the same since I already had one. Boy, was I wrong.

King David wrote in Psalm 139:14 "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." I love to tell my children that not only are they loved by God, but He made them special just the way He wanted them and has a specific purpose for their life. We gave him Thomas as middle name after my father. Little did we know how well that name would fit him. We call him Cole Thomas often, and not just when he's in trouble. ;) The kids call him Coley and the nick name has stuck in our family. These 3 are the Three Musketeers and if one is missing they feel it keenly.

I got pregnant with Cole at time in my life where I was completely overwhelmed. Although I had suffered with infertility for several years before having my first two children, his pregnancy came as a complete surprise and I wasn't as grateful as I should have been. I was scared that his birth would be traumatic as my previous two had been, but the Lord was with me. I went into labor naturally and Cole came swift and easily. He was the first baby I got to hold on my chest immediately after he came earth side and it was such a memorable moment. I fell deeply in love with him immediately. He was a great baby, so easy going and happy. Exactly what our family needed. He brought so much sunshine with him and his siblings were taken with him right away. Even as a baby they included him in their play. Many times I'd put him in the playpen in the kitchen with me so I knew he was safe and contained while I cooked dinner, and the other two kids would usually end up climbing in there with him to play. The bond they all share is incredible!

Cole is such an energetic kid! He's much like his big sister. He has a lot of personality wrapped up in a tiny body. He's my daredevil and will likely give me many grey hairs. He has to be reminded several times a day not to jump off of the furniture. I frequently find him reading a book or driving cars in a strange place, like up on the bookshelf. He LOVES water and the beach especially. He's a very quick learner and enjoys music. He and Everett build amazing hot wheels tracks and while Everett is my engineer and likes to make the car go precisely the way he envisioned, Cole would prefer to make it go as fast as he can and then crash it. He's really good at driving the Power Wheels and was driving the quad before he was 2. He seems to have all of the adrenaline-chasing genes from both my side and my husband's side of the family. He's very agile and takes to things very quickly. He's Mr. Independent but still wants to sleep with me at night and hasn't weaned. And he's doing great with potty training. He's super silly and has an active imagination. Ice cream is his favorite and he has a sweet tooth a mile wide. He's very self sufficient and my Mother likes to joke that if I were to ever become a negligent parent, he would never starve.

He and Everett will be sharing a birthday party in August when our close family members can all make it. I can't wait to see what God has planned for your life little buddy. Happy Birthday Cole!!