Four Years a Mama

Four years ago this boy made me a Mama.

So it was particularly special to celebrate Mother's Day on the same day as Caleb's birthday this year.  We made the celebration last all weekend because birthdays are better when they last longer and because it was our first birthday bash in Kenya and we wanted to particularly enjoy it!

We began on Saturday with a superhero party for Caleb.  First things first: a cake!  Batman was ready for action, as usual.

I must say that the Dark Knight is very good at mixing up some cake batter.  He wouldn't try it when it was done, which surprised me since he's never been shy about eating cookie dough when we bake cookies together, but I wasn't complaining - it left more cake batter for me!

We included Batman, Superman, and Green Lantern on the cake.  Caleb requested that we put the Joker on there too but I convinced him bad guys didn't need to go on birthday cake!

Super Caleb indeed :)

We had a small birthday party with the other MKs here at Tenwek.  Eli arranged some yard games like foot races and shoe toss and poison ball, and everyone participated except Caleb who clung to my side the whole time.  He was very excited about his superhero party until it actually started, because big groups of people make our boy nervous, plus he doesn't like being the center of attention.  So it was pretty much the worst way we could've chosen to celebrate.  But it was a chance to get everyone together and be a part of this amazing missionary community, and it really was a lot of fun.  Despite his nervousness, when all was said and done Caleb whispered in my ear, "Did you see the people at my party?" which means he was ultimately glad for it all.  He even got some presents out of the ordeal, which made him quite happy :)

All three of our boys were dressed for the occasion.  It was Asa's first time wearing a cape, which I'm a bit embarrassed to admit since no boy should have to wait 7 whole months before donning his first cape!  He only chewed on it a little bit :)

And here's Mama with her superheroes!

My boys!  I'm such a proud Mama.  And I love showing off that big belly to the rest of the world :)

To cap off the birthday celebration, Caleb opened one more gift.  This was packed in our luggage as his birthday present from Grandma and Grandpa Horn.  He was ecstatic!  Our superhero costume collection grows yet again :)

And what better way to end a day than with a balloon lightsaber duel?  There is no better way.

The next day was Caleb's actual birthday, as well as Mother's Day, which I celebrated by taking a long nap and watching a girly movie after the boys were in bed.  It was wonderful to rest and hang out as a family, and celebrate the life of this boy who made me a Mama in the first place.  Caleb is a fun, creative, passionate little kid.  He loves animals more than anything in the world, loves peanut butter sandwiches, loves to snuggle, and loves to hide toys in hard-to-find places.  He's learning how to write his name, trying new foods here in Kenya, and asking why we put money in the offering plate at church.  His world is expanding at an exponential rate right now and we're incredibly impressed with how well he's handling the significant life changes he's experiencing at such a young age.  He's definitely struggled with some things since being here, but he's definitely thrived too.  We're so thankful for this boy and how he's teaching us to see the world through the eyes of a child.  It's a big world out there, which we're learning firsthand right now, and Caleb is helping us understand the world in new ways.  For that, and for so many innumerable things, we are beyond grateful for this boy!