Caleb is 11

Before blogging about our summer vacation we took in June, I wanted to pause to blog about Caleb turning 11! Caleb is growing up before our eyes and turning into quite the young man. Caleb has turned into a lover of all things Japan, especially manga, which are Japanese comic books, and animae, which are the Japanese animated comic book shows.  He has many Japanese friends in Turkey, loves Japanese food, and learning about their culture. Caleb still loves to read and he is a big fan of science fiction and fantasy books and movies.

Caleb loves to be outdoors and is always up for a new adventure. He has incredible amounts of stamina and energy and will go all day until he crashes at night (this has been the case since he was a baby)!

Caleb is also an adventurous eater, and he especially loves spicy foods. Some of his favorites are Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Indian, and if his food is not spicy enough, he will almost always add hot sauce, just like his dad. 

On Caleb’s birthday, he wanted to stay home from camp and play with friends in the neighborhood and spend time with us. Benjamin unfortunately was sick in bed for a couple days with a throat infection, so we modified our plans a little, but he still had a great day. We started the day with his favorite breakfast, cinnamon rolls and bacon.

Caleb enjoys marking up photos…glad he thought this was delicious :).

We ordered chicken fingers and fries for him and his friends to have a picnic outside, and in the afternoon his cupcakes arrived. Caleb’s favorite colors are pink and purple and he requested pink and purple cupcakes. 

A couple friends came to the door and snuck in briefly for cupcakes, then Caleb delivered some to a couple more friends. Hopefully we didn’t infect anyone.

We ordered from his favorite Chinese restaurant for dinner, then he opened gifts from family. He received birthday money, a book, a video game, a magnetic puzzle cube, legos, a rubix race and card game, tennis racquets, and bey blades.

Caleb is a great big brother to both his siblings. Caleb and Benjamin, while very different, are very good friends and we love watching their brotherly bond grow. Caleb is so attentive to Eliza and her needs, and she often goes to him first when she needs help. We love these three and how they had fun celebrating Caleb.

On Saturday, we had a birthday party for him at a nearby arcade with about 12 other friends. They did bowling, laser tags, and soft play, and had pizza and cake. This was the first day Benjamin felt well, thankfully. Benjamin, Eliza, and I went over early to bring the cake. It was an animae-themed party, perfect for Caleb.

First everyone did soft play.

Then they split into two groups, one for bowling and another group for laser tag.

After pizza, we sang happy birthday and had cake. Fortunately we are able to find the firework candles in Turkey too. 

Caleb has made some nice friends around the neighborhood and at school this past year. Pictured here are kids from Israel, Azerbaijan, and South Korea!

Enjoying the pure sugar fondant….it was a good but very sweet cake.

Kadem, her husband Mustafa, and daughters Ebru and Ezgi came to the party too.  They are like family to us and love the children.

Later that afternoon, Nathan took Caleb to a nearby sushi restaurant he has been wanting to try, and to his favorite bookstore. 

It was a great few days celebrating Caleb turning 11 years old! We love you big boy and are so proud of the young man you are becoming.