Our Kai Guy is 9!
This kid is a quintessential middle child. He's easygoing overall, he's independent, he self-entertains extremely well, and he doesn't demand our attention like, ahem, some other children in this family. So sometimes he gets lost in the middle. Because of that, and because his closest friends were all gone during his actual birthday, we wanted to make sure Kai felt extra seen and extra loved for this birthday.
So we spread out the celebration into three separate chunks and let the birthday bliss last for awhile.
First, I took Kai for our first ever Mother/Son Sleepover. He was as giddy as I've ever seen him and it was such a life-giving experience. We went to Anabas, a nearby restaurant that we occasionally go to for supper but which also has river cottages for overnight stays. Anabas is in the middle of nowhere - you would never expect to find a place like this in our area - but it's an absolute gem. It sits along the Mutonga River and has a lovely little trail that follows the river and ends at a fabulous waterfall. It was the perfect place to hang out with my birthday boy.
From the moment we got in the car, my Kai Guy was filling me up. He grabbed my hand and held it the entire drive (which is less than 15 minutes, but that is a long time for a boy to hold hands with his mama!). When we arrived and got to our room, he was practically bouncing off the walls with excitement. He thought it was so cool that there was a closet ("I'm gonna put my clothes in there!") and a hot water bottle for the bed ("We'll be so cozy tonight!") and a lovely view of the tea fields across the river ("Isn't this so beautiful?") and that we could have supper delivered to the room (insert a smile the size of the savannah). Never mind that there were spiders and cockroaches in the room (this is still Kenya, after all), or that there was no toilet seat or toilet lid and Kai accidentally dropped his socks in the open toilet, or that it took 1 hour and 45 minutes for our supper to be cooked and delivered. This kid's positivity could not be contained and he totally filled my cup!
We took a walk down the trail before the sun set. Well, I walked and Kai practically flew. It's not a long trail but it's beautiful and peaceful and offers an outlet for energetic kids. Several sections of rapids provide a loud backdrop, but flowing water is still serene at a high volume. We really appreciate this place.
Once the sun set, we retreated to the room and waited for supper by playing Azul. Kai's main love language is playing games, and he had never played this game before. He loved it and we played twice before getting a movie set up on my laptop. It was such a fun evening!
In the morning we wandered down to the restaurant for breakfast and were the only people there. We talked and relaxed and just connected. The Mother/Son Sleepover was such a fabulous time with this middle son of mine!
Kai's actual birthday was low-key, but we started the day by calling Grandma and Grandpa Horn early in the morning while they were still awake in Minnesota. They had found a way to get a very special present over here for Kai and we video chatted with them while he opened it.
Let me just say that this Lord of the Rings Risk game has been a huge hit ever since!
I found this shirt on Amazon and could not resist. "Easily distracted by dragons and books" describes Kai perfectly!
We finished the day with a call to Grandma and Grandpa Clark, pizza for supper, and a movie night. He chose Robin Hood (the classic Disney animated version). Our kids adore that movie and my favorite part is listening to them laugh hysterically during the comical fight scene after the archery tournament!
A couple days later we finally finished the birthday celebrations by baking a cake and inviting the expats over for a campfire. Kai wanted a "Jurassic World" cake and specifically wanted Legos on the cake too. He wanted way more Legos than this. I had to cut him off so there'd still be room for some frosting on the cake! But I think it turned out fine.
This reminds me of the scene in Jurassic Park when the T-Rex is chasing them in the jeep and Ian Malcolm is in the back with an up-close and personal view of the dinosaur. And yes, I know that's from Jurassic Park, not Jurassic World, but I don't care. And yes, Eli and I totally watched Jurassic Park after this because I was having serious nostalgia after decorating this cake!
Our campfires are always fun affairs. On rare occasions we'll have a fire by ourselves, but usually we invite people over. I'm so thankful for our fire pit and the social gatherings it has created. It has become an important tradition for the Horn family, so it felt appropriate that Kai would request a campfire for his birthday. He wanted to wait until one of his closest friends was back in Chogoria. She was out of the country for a bit, and his other bff is still in America right now - I tell ya, the life of a TCK is full of comings and goings - but when that family returned we got a campfire going. A good time was had by all.
Kai is an incredible kid. He's a little brainiac who skipped two grades and started 5th grade as an 8-year old this year (which is possible as a homeschooler). His favorite subject is math, but he flies through any and all schoolwork I put in front of him. He asks big questions and thinks deep thoughts. He mostly plays with kids older than himself and keeps up really well. Kai loves to play board games, especially strategy games, and he is daily distracted by books. I am currently trying to strategize how to keep his nose out of a book when it's not time to be reading, which is tricky since I am always encouraging my kids to read! Kai also loves building with Legos and K'Nex and will spend hours concocting creations and imaginary worlds. He is insanely curious about everything, which sometimes gets him in trouble, but his curiosity has led to amazing discoveries and impactful conversations.
Kai is my least affectionate child, but still has moments (like last night at bedtime) when he literally grasps for affection: "Mama, will you snuggle with me? Sometimes I just feel like I need extra snuggles." He pulls at our heartstrings and we are thankful for the immeasurable blessing of this precious son. Kai loves the Lord and we pray continually that he will live in the strength of the Lord, as his full name suggests, and never cease to follow Him.
Happy Birthday, Hezekiah!
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