I Love You to Uganda & Beyond!

Lately, Walker has been talking more & more about Uganda - his birth country.

I think this is due to the fact that his English is getting better & better, and that he is able to put  English words to his thoughts, memories, & experiences about his life before we became a family.

He'll ask things like, "Mommy, am I going back to Uganda?"

My answer is always, "No, baby, you don't EVER have to go back there.  You live with us now in America.  You'll live with us forever!"

Of course, these are age appropriate answers to help build in him a firm foundation of family, love, & security.  I do very much hope that we'll take {at least one} heritage trip back to Uganda with him showing him the land in which he was born & lived before we were united as a family.  I also don't really plan for him to "live with us forever!"  I plan to train my little one to love life, embrace it fully, & be able to live ON HIS OWN after college.

Now that Walk's English is really getting so good, we find ourselves talking about Uganda often.  He'll be playing with his cars in the dining room, & he'll tell me that he's in America & that I'm in Uganda {which is usually the kitchen or the living room.}  Sometimes I've even overheard heard him telling his cars that they live in America & don't have to live in Uganda.  ♥

After we first came home from UG, we quickly discovered that Walk's favorite movie was Toy Story {we've since progressed to an obsession with Cars 1 & 2, but he was a die-hard Toy Story fan for awhile there}.

He loved to quote Buzz Lightyear, "To infinity & beyond."

These were the days where his English was still hit or miss, so you'd hear him say either "To I'm sorry & beyond" or "To obscenity & beyond."  It was really pretty cute to hear him butcher Buzz's famous quote.

It was at that time that I began telling him, "I love you to Uganda & beyond."

I didn't say it every day, but we went through a season where I said it pretty often to him.

I said it kinda casually.  I didn't really think he was paying that much attention. 

However, the other day he looked at me with those big, brown eyes & in his little, tiny voice asked me, "To Uganda & beyond???"

It was then that I realized that not only had he been paying attention, but he knew {to some degree} what Mommy was telling him.

I quickly scooped him up & said, "Yes, baby!  I love you to Uganda & beyond!"

A huge, sweet, toothy smile spread across his dark, smooth, little face, & his little, almond-shaped eyes sparkled like Christmas tree lights!

He's said it several times since then, & my heart just overflows with joy to tell him again & again & again!

What a gift from God our little boy is!  I am SO thankful for him, & for how the Lord has & is writing our story!  "To God be the glory!  Great things He has done!"