Five Years Old!

This morning I was awakened by a very excited little boy who asked me in a giddy whisper, "Am I really five years old today?"  I can't remember the last time I've smiled at 6:30 in the morning, but I was beaming this morning.  I whispered back, "Yep, you're five years old today!" and Caleb did a little jig, then crawled in bed with me to snuggle and wiggle and relish that May 8th had finally come!

First things first: presents!  He opened one present in the morning and was enamored with it: a Wild Kratts adventure pack!

This boy loves Wild Kratts and was over the moon to wear the night vision goggles and creature pod.  Caleb and Kai pretended to go on a "creature adventure" and find nocturnal animals.  "We found an aye-aye!" he declared.  "Nope, it's a loris!"  This boy knows his animals :)

It was the start to a rather incredible day.  Caleb was just so excited about his birthday and told many people, "I'm already five years old today!"  His brothers were pretty excited too.  Who wouldn't be excited about cupcakes and balloons and new toys even if they're meant for your brother?

Next up: cupcakes!  Night vision goggles required.  You never know when a raccoon or kinkajou or some other nocturnal creature might try to sneak into the kitchen and snitch a cupcake :)

Caleb and Kai helped me mix the batter and the frosting while I tried to keep Asa out of the way (which is no small feat), then it became clear that Asa needed to nap sooner than later so we were saved from further hassle after he went to bed, and then I had some time and space to be creative.  I was able to make five cupcakes with animal sprinkle designs before I gave up because it was so time-consuming.  But I'm proud of these and Caleb was super excited!

 After a favorite lunch of macaroni and cheese with sausage, we headed to Caleb's class for a birthday party - a Wild Kratts party!  We made lion magnets out of clothespins, then drew safari pictures to hang on the fridge with said magnets, then played an animal game and ate cupcakes and watched an episode of Wild Kratts.  All in all, a pretty good time!

And finally, after a homemade pizza dinner, there were more presents when Daddy got home from the hospital.  It was a pretty fabulous day!

Our boy is an incredible little man.  He's creative - oh so creative! - and imaginative.  He loves to read books and loves to tell stories.  He loves to draw pictures and "animal scenes" and loves to do whatever projects I can concoct for him.  Caleb loves to play with his brothers and loves to build forts and loves to have lightsaber duels and loves to get cozy on the couch with a stack of books.  And he has grown so much this year.  He's still a shy kid, but has learned how to speak up a bit more and has learned how to properly greet people when needed, which is a big deal in Kenyan culture.  He gets himself dressed and ready in the mornings and is super helpful when I need him to be, especially with Asa.  He loves to learn about Jesus and read new Bible stories and is currently intrigued with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the blazing furnace.  He's an amazing kid and we're so thankful to call him our son.  We love you, Caleb!  Happy 5th Birthday!