Katherine Heigl Celebrates Son Joshua's 7th Birthday in Sweet Post: 'This Child Is an Absolute Light in My Life!'

'Joshua Junior reminds us every day, never to take the magic and the wonder and the exploration of this human experience for granted," Heigl wrote

Katherine Heigl is closing out 2023 celebrating her son's birthday.

On Saturday, the Firefly Lane star posted a tribute to her 7-year-old son Joshua, whom she shares with her husband, singer Josh Kelley.

"This child is an absolute light in my life! " the 45-year-old wrote in the caption of the Instagram post, a video of Joshua explaining bird-watching to his parents, who were off-camera. "December is such a crazy, overwhelming month of preparing for the holidays that stinkers gets a bit shafted in the birthday department."

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Heigl went on to explain that her tribute was a bit delayed since Joshua's actual birthday is on Dec. 20. She said he was not only born in the middle of the holiday season but three days before her wedding anniversary (she and Kelley wed on Dec. 23, 2007) and a month after she and her oldest daughter, Nancy Leigh "Naleigh," 15, have birthdays.

"This year between buying gifts wrapping gifts, cooking cleaning and preparing I managed to invite a couple of friends, pick up a pizza, grab a store-bought cake turn a couple of Christmas gifts into birthday gifts and have a very mellow celebration Joshua‘s seventh birthday," the Grey's Anatomy star's post continued, praising her son for not complaining about the low-key birthday bash.

Related: Katherine Heigl's Friends Designed Eras-Style Shirt for Her 45th Birthday — Including a Nod to Her Teen Modeling Days

In the lengthy post, she went on to marvel at his growth over the past seven years. "Joshua Junior reminds us every day, never to take the magic and the wonder and the exploration of this human experience for granted. To savor every moment and every opportunity to grow and learn and discover," Heigl wrote.

"Happy belated birthday, my silly stinkers. I love you beyond measure, and I will as long as this ever expanding universe continues to reach out into the furthest corners of our imagination…and if I have my way…for even longer then [sic] that. Love, Mom," she concluded the heartfelt tribute.

Kelley expressed his support in the comments, writing "I love this so much honey."

Joshua has two older sisters — Naleigh and Adalaide Marie, 11.

Related: Katherine Heigl's 3 Kids: All About Naleigh, Adalaide and Joshua

Heigl and Kelley are raising their family in Utah, and in September, the actress explained why in an interview with  Hoda Kotb, 59, and Jenna Bush Hager, 42.

"I think some people are mountain people and I think some people are beach people," Heigl said. "I’m sort of a mountain person and have always been that way. And my mom realized, because we went out to LA when I was 17 and hustled and hustled for years, right? And I think she realized at a certain point that I needed somewhere to escape to and kind of clear my head and that grounded me."

She continued: "So we started trying to find, and dreaming about trying to find, that perfect place. And we found Utah and then I started making enough money to be able to afford to that."

She went on to explain that she and Kelley built what they thought would be a vacation home in Utah — over the years it evolved into the family's primary residence.

"I think my children sometimes wish they were in more of a hubbub exciting city," admitted Heigl. "But I said to them, ‘I understand that you are sacrificing that in some ways but I still think it was the right choice for our family because I am more centered and aware of what’s going on in your life.'"

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