Craig Smith has walked the Anger triplets — Lily, left, Elle and Reese — more than 100 miles. (Amie Anger photo)
When they found they were pregnant again, Amie and Nick Anger had a son, 5, a daughter, 3, and a younger son, 1. They thought it would be nice to “even things out” with another girl and were surprised when ultrasounds indicated they were going to have twins.
And they were even more surprised to learn later they were actually going to have identical triplet girls, who they named Elle, Lily and Reese, and who were born in January 2013.
The Angers’ good friends, neighbors and fellow churchgoers Craig and Diann Smith, would one day bring a further surprise. As the newborns got a bit older, Craig, who enjoys keeping fit, asked if he might take them out for a walk around their neighborhood on Hoyt Farm Road in their three-seat, side-by-side stroller contraption.
The Smiths “have always been so warm and kind to us and our children. Our kids love any excuse to stop over and visit them,” Amie told the Advertiser. “Craig had been very encouraging from the get go. We were overwhelmed and a little scared, and he was very sweet and very supportive.”
One happy neighborhood walk with Craig and the girls led to another. “He would text me, ‘Can the girls go for a walk today?’” Amie said. “Then it became almost every day. It was such a nice break for me — I could be here with the other kids. Maybe I can do something more noisy; maybe I can get some vacuuming done without waking the other kids up. Maybe I can sit with my daughter when she gets home from preschool.”
Craig kept up with the neighborhood walks, measuring and reaching points like 26 miles total, which he and the Angers noted equals a marathon. And around that time, Craig hit another milestone, realizing how special the walks and his time with the girls had become.
“He texted one day asking if he and the girls could go for their walk, and I told him I was planning to bring my older daughter to gymnastics so I’d just take the triplets along,” Amy recalled. “He said, ‘Why don’t I just take them for an extra long walk?’ And I said, ‘No, no, of course it’s okay, I’m sure you have things to do.’ He texted me back and said, ‘You know, you’re right — there are some things I need to do. First, I need to exercise, and second, I need to see those girls. Why don’t I just take care of both at the same time?’” Amie said. “I about cried when I got that text.”
“He’s so sweet with them. He talks to them, sings to them and wants them always in the same order — Lily on the left, Reese on the right, and Elle in the middle — so he can tell them apart,” Amie said. (Elle has a little more “throwing room,” since she likes to take her booties and socks off.) “Everybody driving by who sees them stops, and Craig loves telling them the story. It’s so heartwarming to see.”
On Christmas Eve, Craig and the girls hit 100 miles with their walks. “Craig has now named the girls members of the ‘Hoyt Farm 100 Club,’” Amie said. And all along, he’s been learning more and more about the girls and their personalities — for example, “Craig figured out that if you put Elle’s booties on the wrong feet it takes her longer to get them off,” Amie added.
“We are grateful that wonderful neighbors are not factored into the cost of a home. We would have been priced out,” Amie told the Advertiser.
“Many people have mentioned to me that they have seen the babies’ grandfather walking them, and when I tell them he is in fact not their grandpa but a very kind friend and neighbor, they are shocked. And it’s not that they’ve noticed him once or twice, but that they have seen him out with the girls most days of the week,” she said.
“How do you ever repay such a kindness?”