Happy FIRST birthday, Joshua!

Well, it's a little late, but it probably will be every year. We decided to push Joshua's birthday celebration back to the end of January so that everyone could have a chance to recover from Christmas first. Having a birthday on January 2nd may not be the biggest blessing Joshua will have in life as (outside our own little family) it'll probably get overlooked regularly. But January 2nd will always be one of my absolute favourite days and I'll never forget it:

What an amazing thing to have a son. This little guy was the perfect fit into our little family from day one.
The year has not been perfect, oh no, it hasn't.
Although Joshua has a pretty laid-back disposition, the last 12 months have been laden with thrush, numerous colds, the flu, difficulty teething, slow mobility and other things that have created many scenarios similar to above. Nope. We've had our fair share of tears this year!
But Joshua's early and most excellent smile made it all 100% worth it!!
And the smiles have only increased in size and number and so have the kisses we can't help but smother him with!

This month as I've thought about Joshua's birth, my heart has been truly celebrating. I am convinced that God hand-picks who our kids our going to be not only for what they will be and do for His glory, but also for what they do to their parents! Because Joshua has not always been a happy boy, I have learned a new level of patience and unconditional love. God has spoken to me so often through Joshua's tears about how to draw close to people when they're broken instead of turning away. God knew I needed a boy who prefers and learns baby sign language much more quickly than words, so that I would begin to think more about what comes out of my (rapidly-moving)mouth and see how much value there is in silence. God also knew how much JOY Joshua's exceptional smile, giggle, and sense of humor would bring to my heart. Joshua, you will never know how deeply we love you. I thank God for the gift you are to us every day.

p.s. I was going to post Joshua's birthday party photos today too, but it's gotten late and I'm fighting a cold...so I think I'll wait until later in the week. Check back Thursday or Friday for the long-awaited "devouring of the cupcake" video and photos.