Cole has a REALLY fun birthday...he burst into the world on July 4th, 2007 :)
I still remember holding my sweet baby boy in my arms hours after he was born, and thinking,
"What a day to arrive!"
John sat next to us in our hospital room, missing a gig he was supposed to play with a band, and we stared...
We stared into the eyes of a son neither one of us realized, would change the course of our lives forever. Little did we know he'd shape our passion and ministry as a family, while placing a newly responsive place in our heart for children and people who live with a disability.
What a boy.
What a GOD.
To impact our family's life in such a way through the life of a son.
He's a gift...one that keeps on giving.
When we asked Cole how he'd like to celebrate his birthday this year, he said he wanted to play soccer, with his friends, in the park :) So...play we did!
In fact, (I love this part..) our church's VBS was held the week before his birthday party, so being the social boy that he is, Cole walked around making new friends all week, and inviting each and everyone of them to his party...our guest list of a few friends quickly grew into almost 40!
We played SOCCER...
GOAL!
We ate CUPCAKES (that looked like sports balls, per Cole's request)
We PRAYED for our boy...
thanking God for the year that had passed, and asking His blessing on the one to come...
We ate SNACKS...(peanuts, popcorn, cheese/crackers, and fruit)
Cole asked everyone to bring their bikes (of course!) and we had a mini Tour de Park...
(I realize he and Ryder are the only kids without helmets...we totally forgot to bring them with all the other things on the list!!! This is a RARE occurrence...I promise!)
On your marks...get set, GO!
Downhill to the finish!
And Cole wins the race!
(the sweet part, is that he took a wrong turn halfway through, and all his friends stopped to let him jump back in front...such sweet friends!)
And then, a little BASEBALL...
You can see here, the Cole's friends ranged in age from 3-12...he really does love his buddies of all ages...and we love them too!
Gramma sitting with the girls, cheering on those playing in the field...
What a day! What a boy...
What a BLESSING to our family and those God places in his path.
Dear Cole...
You just turned 5, and Dad and I are LOVING this stage of growing you are in these days...
You LOVE to play...especially really physical activities like soccer, biking (even up hill), and baseball as well as being imaginative. You also love to read...we'll be working more on reading the words this year, but you could sit for an hour looking through the pictures in your books even now. You are so interested in the stories, picking so much up from the clues the pictures give.
You also love your brother and sisters. You and Cora like to play pretend, while Ryder is your soccer and sports buddy :) Seeing Rylee makes your face light up and your heart melt every time she walks into the room. Sometimes I have to warn you not to squeeze too tight!
Right now, I am most thankful for the SPARK of pure excitement and JOY you live each and every day of your life with. You wake up each morning, ready to live life to the fullest for that day, and have HIGH expectations for each moment...I love that about you :)
When you pray, you pray with a deep reverence for God and who He is...Dad and I smile each time you beg to pray before dinner and thank God for His wonderful blessings from the day. You have such a tender heart :) Thank you for praying for me, and placing our prayer rock on my pillow to let me know that you are...and here's my prayer for you...
Dear Jesus...May your will be done in the life of our Coley this year, Lord. I know you see him and know him better than I ever will. Instead of asking for perfect health, or even that you would keep him from harm, overwhelmingly more than all of my desires to see him flourish in every way, is my desire to see you glorified in and through his life. May he come to know You in a more authentic way, and because of the growing role of the Holy Spirit in his life, may You minister through him in ways I could never understand how to pray for. Thank you for changing our lives through your created one. Continue showing us what it means to raise him up and let him go, all at the same time...We love you and pray your kingdom comes in Cole's life and those he is around.
Amen.
We love you Coley...and are SO proud of the little man you are becoming, because of your growing desire for Jesus...He is the only one who matters, and makes it ALL, worth living.
Love, Mama :)
