Hello, Lusaka!

After a quick 72 hour stopover in Dubai, we headed to Zambia for 10 days!

The kiddos kept entertained with movies, books, and snuggling, and did so well on the flight to Lusaka!

Hello, Lusaka! We came to Zambia to spend time with our dear friends, Ty and Frannie, from our Shanghai days. It was our first time meeting their adorable son Henry, and their first time meeting Cole. The boys were born just a few weeks apart and it is safe to say we have been eagerly awaiting this reunion since then!

We spent the first 4 days of our stay at their lovely home in Lusaka. Our time together was just what we needed: quiet mornings, time to exercise and meditate, sunny afternoons in their gorgeous backyard, kids exploring and playing, tasty margaritas made with the limes from the garden, cooking and sharing amazing meals together, heartfelt happy conversations about everything under the sun, and every night, fresh baked chocolate chip cookies before bed.

Bubba meets the hose. His life will never be the same.Backyard swinging bliss!When your friends love your babies like they are their own.
I could not wait for Isla to reunite with her Uncle Ty and Auntie Frannie- I just knew they would pick up right where they left off, totally crazy about each other! What was especially heartwarming is how quickly Ty and Frannie built a relationship with Cole. The minute he saw them each day he would get the biggest grin across his face and say, “Hi Feenie! Hi Ty!”

Cole discovered his love for dill pickles while staying at Ty and Frannie’s house. He would ask for them every day. “Peek-o? Peek-o?”

Meet Little Hopper, the cricket Isla found in the garden one morning. He was missing a hind leg and Isla wanted to give him a safe place to rest. They spent a solid 15 minutes together and though she put on a brave face, Isla’s eyes filled with tears when she released him in back into the garden. Love her tender heart so much!Sweet Henry.Henry’s favorite mode of transportation is running. Cutest little twinkle toes!In preparation for our arrival Uncle Ty constructed a big bubble wand. Isla had a ball chasing the bubbles! Cole was mostly interested in trying to sneak tastes of the bubble solution.Isla loved harvesting veggies from the garden with Uncle Ty!After a very relaxing start to our stay in Zambia, we all packed up and headed to South Luangwa National Park for 3 days of game drives. Can’t wait to share about that adventure soon!