Excitement Growing Over Thanksgiving Trip

My son is really excited about our trip to see my sister and her family over Thanksgiving. His teachers at school report that he has been talking about the trip for several days now.

Of course, he is giddy about all the highway numbers and exit numbers he will see along the way. Last week, he asked me to print out the MapQuest of our route. He probably already knew the way better than I do, but he loves to look at maps and see all the roads we will take. I think, for him, this trip is like old times and a chance to see his good friends I-70 and I-66 that he hasn’t seen in some time.

But, I think that he is also looking forward to seeing his extended family.

Aunt Michi seems like an ABA therapist, as she is organized and meticulous. She keeps everything going when we are there. Uncle Frankie, on the other hand, is the ultimate Floortime therapist. His spontaneous, go-with-the-flow play always gets Kai laughing. Whereas my wife and I often have to remind ourselves to show more affect when we play with Kai, it all comes naturally to my brother-in-law.

My sister’s two boys are pretty much all grown up now with both being in college, but they nonetheless are good sports about playing with him. Ian, the older one, is a history major and wants to be a history teacher when he graduates. I definitely see the teacher in him, and with his love of sports, he is the most likely candidate to engage in some Kai Ball this time. Kiyoshi, the younger one, bears the closest resemblance to Kai as both have very exuberant, creative personalities. Some of Kai’s favorite times on our visits have been watching Kiyoshi do artwork or dancing.

Kai has also been developing a relationship with Emi, the family’s Border Collie. When Emi was a puppy, Kai was much smaller as well, and he was afraid as Emi kept trying to round him up every time he moved, as Border Collies are wont to do. On more recent visits, however, Kai seems to be developing an affinity for the pooch.

It will be interesting to see what this visit brings. One thing I know for sure, it will not be boring.