This week we celebrated the 1 year anniversary of Coy Boy's birth. In the weeks leading up to his birthday I caught my thoughts drifting to the past year of his life. It still amazes me how much a spirit can grow in such a short amount of time. I often remind myself as I interact with our small children that it isn't their spirits which are small, but their bodies. I am thankful for the glimpses God gives me into their souls so I can remember they are really giants inside those petite statures. There really is no adequate amount of words which can express my deep love for our little guy. It is the same love that resides within me for each of our children, but I find it interesting that there is a motherly love which is a coverall as in "You're my kid. I gave birth to you. Therefore I love you," and then there is a love for each of my children because of their individuality and the joy their unique attributes create in our family unit.

I think my mom put it best in the simplicity of her message to Coy via the birthday card she sent:

"Life is good with you in it."

And this morning as Emery gave the family prayer she said,
"We are thankful that Coy is a year old and that he'll be able to do more special things."

Coy is our mild child. He's calm and reserved about most things. He quietly zips around our house exploring and testing the validity of objects by tearing, poking,pulling, pushing, sucking, and sometimes even biting (the newest craze is to crawl around with a large ball in his mouth. He very nearly resembles a small, expensive dog). He has yet to do an ear piercing, completely exhausting and irritating cry that never ends. His whimpers are minimal and so are his demands.

His favorite game requires 3 people and it must always be mom, dad, and Coy. When dad comes home and picks him up he loves to lunge for mom. Once mom is holding him he then turns and lunges for dad. I love the giggles this creates and his dimply smile makes me want to nuzzle his skinny neck endlessly.
Each night after family prayer we stay on our knees for a family hug. Coy is always in the middle and the other three kids love proclaiming simultaneously, "Kiss the BABY!" Coy bows his head each time, a little shy from the large dose of sudden affection and attention. For now he seems to favor me the most and I'm going to soak up his undivided attention for as long as it will last. The other three turned to the dark side soon after their 1st birthday and decided their dad was much more interesting. I can't blame them for thinking this.

For now Coy shows no signs of walking anytime soon. He is a speedster on all fours. If I could move as fast as he does I wouldn't entertain the idea of walking on twos either. Cheetahs don't run upright.

He's a small little fellow with a big appetite. He may be skinny, but he knows how to pack in a sizable portion of food in one sitting. (That's why you should never bet against the small Japanese fellow in the hot dog eating contest). I must say Coy is a connoisseur of foods. (Or is it food snob?) He won't eat just any old slop you throw on his tray. Coy loves things that move just like his big brother. Unfortunately, the Beefster doesn't find this flattering and wishes Squirt would back away from his car collection.

Each of our children arrived in our family during certain seasons of our marriage for certain reasons. The longer Coy is in our family it becomes more evident why he was chosen to be #4 and why he was sent during our time here in Ohio. It is a busy time for our family as Shyler completes his residency. Things can get quite stressful at moments, but this sweet, quiet little boy brings things back into perspective and reminds us how simplistic pure joy can be.

Happy Birthday Coy!

We love you!

(In case you have forgotten since your last affectionate mauling 2 minutes ago).