JJ Watt and Wife Kealia Celebrate Son Koa's First Birthday with Adorable Photos: 'Best Year of Our Lives'

Koa recently appeared with Watt as he was honored by the Houston Texans earlier this month

JJ and Kealia Watt are over the moon as they celebrate the first year of their baby boy's life.

On Monday, both the retired defensive end, 34, and the soccer star, 31, shared photos on their respective Instagram accounts celebrating son Koa's first birthday.

Sharing photos of the toddler exploring the world in recent months, from walking with a toy to crawling on a park jungle gym, the proud dad wrote, "Happiest year of our lives. Happy Birthday Koa James!"

Kealia shared some of the same shots in her Instagram carousel, writing, "Our baby is 1 🥹I don’t know how the time passed so quickly but it’s been the best year of our lives with sweet Koa bear💙."

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Related: JJ Watt Feeds Son Koa Before His Final NFL Game in Sweet Photo from Wife Kealia: 'We Love You'

JJ and wife Kealia Watt caught up with PEOPLE last month, smiling proudly as they explained how Koa is already taking an interest in sports.

“I imagine we'll be coaching in some capacity in the future,” JJ said, adding that his favorite toy this summer has been a soccer ball.

“He loves chasing it around and kicking it,” JJ said.

The Watts said their summer has been full of traveling, often visiting with their siblings so that Koa can spend time with his five cousins. Kealia's sister, Megan Cushing, has three boys, and JJ’s brother Derek Watt has two sons.

“We’ve loved it. We've gotten to travel so much with him,” Kealia said. “It’s been really, really special.”

Earlier this year, the athlete opened up to PEOPLE about fatherhood, sharing how his new role has already made a major impact on his life.

"It's changed me in so many ways," he said of being a dad. "I've said before, it's a love that I never knew I could have, and it just makes you see the world in a different light."

"Your perspective changes, your priorities change, and your marriage changes. I look at my wife in an even more beautiful light now, watching her be a mother to our beautiful son."

The former NFL player announced his retirement from the league in late December, just a few months after his son was born. He told PEOPLE that with all his newfound free time, he's "going to be looking after my own son, so it's going to be very exciting."

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