The Toddlers We Left Behind

On my computer, I have the option to have different pictures on my desktop if I want. So, I changed things up a bit from the same old picture of a Florida sunset and beach to rotating pictures of the toddlers we left behind in the States.

Every time the picture rotates I can’t help but grin and even laugh and most likely say something like, “Oooh Derek, you’ve GOT to come look at this CUTE CUTE picture! Isn’t this SOOOOO CUTE?!?!?!?!” To which he humors me and looks at the picture and might smile and say, “Yeah, that’s pretty cute.”

One thing that Derek and I have realized since coming to Zambia is that we really love toddlers. They’re pretty much the cutest inventions God created – everything from their babyish-kiddish looks to their growing awareness of the world around them to they way they think their parents are the coolest people on earth to how they are totally uninhibited in what they say and do. They are just TOO cute for words sometimes!

And while we LOVE all our nieces and nephews to pieces, there is a special place that the toddlers we left behind have in our hearts. I’m sure when we go back to the States they’ll be all grown up and too cool for us, but for now, here is how we remember them. (Feel free to click on each picture to make it bigger). 🙂

Micah and Hannah

Barna

Josiah

One of the ways that God is so good to us is that He gave us some “nieces and nephews” here in Zambia that we can hold and squeeze and hang out with. When we came to Zambia, Tristan Hilty was less than 4 months old, so we’ve pretty much been able to know him for the majority of his cute, chubby life.

Tristan - our adopt-a-nephew

Well, at the end of the day, we are a super privileged auntie and uncle and want to thank God for making our lives so much happier and brighter through our TWELVE nieces and nephews. WE LOVE YOU, Maggie, Emma, Grace, Paul, Elijah, Barna, Hannah, Josiah, Micah, Mary, Nathan, and Matthew!!!