Dear Kallie,

Your dad and I just finished a 3-day safari in South Africa and realized that there’s a little bit of you in each of these animals.

We saw a pride of lions and when one of the mama lions got tired, she heavily plopped her head down just like you do when you can’ t hold your head up any longer.

The warthogs are scrappy little guys that love to dig. They bury their noses deep in the dirt to reach to roots and then throw the dirt out with their noses. I know there are a few similar holes in mom mom’s yard and a lot of pictures of you with a very muddy nose.

When we came upon a leopard who had just finished dinner, she was giving us a look like “are you done yet? I’m over your attention.” This is the same look you give me when you want to be alone to cuddle with dad.

There were a few lion cubs wrestling over a stick, and while the one played along for a little bit, eventually he took the stick all to himself and went to lay somewhere that no one could get to him. You often have a selfish habit of stealing sticks and bogarting them for your own enjoyment.

We came across a resting cheetah, and when he stood up his body looked just like yours with its broad chest and tiny waist.

And all the baby animals we saw reminded us of you - staying as close as possible to their moms.

We love seeing pieces of you and your funny personality traits even when we are so far away. We can’t wait to see you in a couple months. We love you.

Mom & Dad