Today is Kaita's 5th birthday. (Last year we celebrated it on the 3rd, but since he officially has a birth certificate now, the best estimate had to be chosen and it will be celebrated on October 10th from now on.) Kaita is the boy the I personally sponsor at FHS. And looking back at last year, I think it's true to say that he is the child I bonded with first. In other words, he is one special little dude in my eyes!

A couple weeks ago (when I thought his birthday was the 3rd), I asked him what he wanted for his birthday. His reply... a cake with his name on it and apples. :) Easy enough! Though when I found out his birthday was on the 10th, I realized I had spoken too soon. Every day from then on he would come up to me and say, "Teacher Hannah! I want my happy birthday!"

I figured that along with the cake and apples I'd organize a party as well. I love spending time in Katutura, so it was a good excuse to spend a day out there celebrating my sweet little friend. Candace, Heather, and Linda came along. I made him a cake, which was not the original plan, but the grocery store stopped taking orders right before I wanted to place mine. That cake was a bit of a stress as the icing was not cooperating, but it turned out fine and the action figures I added distracted from any imperfections. :)

We bought some french fries and KFC chicken and headed for Kaita's house. What a great time we had! There were a lot of smiles and a lot of laughter. It can probably be assumed that this is the most that's ever been done for Kaita on his birthday. Most children here do not have birthday celebrations. Even this year, Foibe (our office manager) said that it was the first year she'd ever had a birthday party. That's just something I can't even imagine! If I could, I would throw a birthday party for every single child in Katutura on his birthday! And that's not even Make-A-Wish Foundation kind of stuff... it's just a simple birthday party! Oh, the things we take for granted in our lives. And I should note, Kaita's party and gifts were made possible by a donation given by a church back in Tennessee. Thanks so much for giving!!

Enjoy the pics and the few video clips I put together. The "Happy Birthday" singing had me cracking up. The video shows the second time they sung the whole thing. I was afraid it was going to go on forever. And as you can see, the ViewMaster I brought back from the States for Kaita was a huge hit! Even with the adults. We also have a few hula hoops at FHS and Kaita is all the time playing with it. I figured giving him his own hula hoop to keep at his house would be the ultimate gift. He loved it!