favorites of 2013

Sweet Kris.  Love when she curls up on my lap just wanting to be
loved on.  She has a smile that is hard to say no to!

Last year I posted a "best of 2012" blog and thought I'd do it again this year!  Between my facebook and blog I post a lot of pictures.  It's pretty clear why some of the pictures are my favorite while others have some more hidden reasons.  I hope you enjoy getting an inside look at some of my favorite memories from 2013!

My sister Mila came to stay with me for two weeks!
LOVE that she has a heart for Haiti and that she loves my kiddos too!

Daniella and Kris know they have my heart!  Not sure how they
got so grown-up looking!  They are quite the mischievous pair! 

Our field-trip to the playground was SO much fun.  The
kids talked about it for weeks!  I can still hear their laughter and
chatter as they discussed the day.

Rosamene has been on my heart since I met her last year.  This year she
was brought back into my life- love how her little body has literally
been transformed through our malnutrition program!  

Just love everything about my little man.  He knows he is
mine and is so quick to run and claim his spot on my hip each and
every afternoon.  So thankful that God has blessed me with getting
to do life with Davidson and his family!

I have three reasons for LOVING this photo-
1-Mirlandia is looking super cute and grown up!  I am still in shock at just
how big she looks- it seems like yesterday that she was the tiny infant who
slept the days away in the laundry basin!
2- Kris and Natamara- such sweet little sisters!  These girls love each other but it isn't often
that I'm actually able to capture their love in a picture.
3-If you look closely at the boards, the kids have used charcoal to
practice writing letters and numbers.  The lack of writing paper doesn't stop these kiddos!

I am so blessed.  Love that this little face is never more than
a few inches away from me=)

Daniella and Kris are such good big sisters- they walk me to the road
each and every afternoon.  This day the siblings (Davidson and
Natamara) decided to join.  The girls were troopers and gave them
 piggy-back rides for part of the walk=)

Sweet Daniella has my heart.  She is so full of personality.  Love the rare
moments she actually sits still long enough to cuddle or to take a picture.  

Love that this is my life.  Chaotic, yes.  Me being
outnumbered, always.  But I wouldn't change it for anything!

Mango season was so fun (that is until we found a worm in
a mango..)!  Loved all the sticky hugs and kisses!  

When the moms weren't looking the kids took full
advantage of the empty bathing/laundry bins!  Singing
is SO much more fun in the laundry bins!

Rose and Kris during the first week of school!  These girls love
everything about school.  One of my favorite parts of the
day is getting to hear a detailed report (who ate what for lunch, who
 kicked someone, who has a new dress on etc etc.) of the school day from them!

Love Melissa's little smile!  Also love how ALL the children
(especially Davidson!) absolutely adore her and will literally chant
her name when she toddles over to sit with us=)

Summer was HOT so the kids and I decided that popsicles would help us survive
the heat!  The vendor loved it when he saw us coming!

These little ladies walk me to the road each and every night
when I leave the village.  Love the little talks we have while walking.

triplet update!

Triplets: Bedjine, Bedtchina, and Benardia- 23 months old.

In January Aubree and I met a family in our clinic that was instantly just extra special.  The parents came walking into our clinic with three little girls- all right at one year old.  At first we were confused and figured that the little girls were cousins to each other or perhaps they just lived in the same area.  And the parents looked too old to have children that young.  The parents just laughed as they told us their story. The little girls were theirs.  They were the parents of triplets.  The mother found out she was pregnant when she was 39 and already the mom to three other daughters.  During an ultrasound she discovered she was having twins.  It wasn't until she went into labor and delivered her "twins" up in the mountain inside their home that she realized she was actually pregnant for triplets!  These girls were literally little miracles!  The proud parents now had six daughters!

This photo was taken the first time we met the triplets in January 2013.
The girls were almost a year old.

The triplets were small for their age so they were admitted into our malnutrition program.  The girls came to our clinic every two weeks to be weighed, measured, and receive education about proper nutrition.   During each appointment the family was provided with rice/beans, milk, and Plumpy 'Nut (peanut butter paste for children diagnosed with malnutrition).  Over four months the girls quickly gained weight, learned to walk, started talking, and eventually met the requirements to graduate from the program.  Malnutrition appointments were much quieter once the girls graduated from the program=) 

Recently we were up in the mountain running a mobile medical clinic when we saw the father of the triplets.  He invited us to their home to see his wife and the girls.  When we arrived to their home we were greeted with lots of hugs.  This family had always treated Aubree and I as if we were extra special to them.  It wasn't uncommon for them to come to malnutrition appointments with a small gift of mangoes or avocados for us.  It was so fun seeing this family in their home instead of in our clinic.  The girls were thriving and looked really good.  The father was so proud as he gave us a tour of their garden and home.  He even showed us how he built his home by hand using various materials.  We loved getting to see how well the girls were doing and of course loved getting to see this sweet family again!