Sweet Cyrus Turns 1!

Could it be??? Has it really only been one year since this little darling became a part of our lives??? Just a mere 365 days is all we have known him, but we like him enough to keep him.

Here are a few things you should know about the birthday boy:

• He has been nicknamed, "Cutie" by his older brothers. There is even talk that he is "the cutest Bandito," which is quite the honor.


• He loves to explore and man is he curious, curious, curious. He wants to get into everything, and if he is somewhere that he has never been before all he wants to do is get down and look around.


• His favorite toys include: a toothbrush, a wet washcloth fresh from the bath, a calculator, the curtains, and ink pens that you must click. I know you might be thinking that we should buy him toys, but why when he is so happy with junk from around the house?


• Cyrus will immediately start to shake his head back and forth if you sing Popcorn Popping because he can't wait for the "It wasn't really so . . . " line.


• His best friend in the morning is Calvin, and his best friend when Calvin is at school is Wyatt.


• He likes to have his back scratched and will sit very still if you do.


• Cyrus started walking at 9 1/2 months and is sure to fly any moment

Dear Cyrus,

You have brought such sweet happiness into our lives. We have all enjoyed watching you reach each milestone. I will never forget the day you arrived. I will never forget when I started to have labor pains in the middle of the night that your Dad said (while still mostly asleep), "Take a few Tylenol and go back to sleep." Too bad those don't work with contractions.

It's so funny how you don't realize you were missing someone until they arrive. It was that way with you. You made us feel more completed that we had felt before. You made our hearts grow even bigger than they had been. And now I think of you just as I do your brothers: don't grow at all. Not even a little bit. Just stay right where you are.

I love the aggressive manner in which you took down your birthday cupcake. May all one year olds aspire to your hungry determination. I love your little chipmunk teeth and open mouth kisses. I love your fine, poky red hair and bow-legged walk. I love crawling into your room after your nap to surprise you and find you sitting up and smiling from ear to ear. I love that your started to hum such happy tunes so quietly in the car the other day. I love that you screech when Wyatt tries to take your toy because, you know, you gotta stick up for yourself.

We love you, Cutie.