Summer is always a magical time around our house. With Peter and Cooper having the summer off there are endless adventures and travels that we try to cram into the joyous 2 months. This summer we experienced an added twist when our niece Lindsay decided to move into our chaotic household. Lindsay is 21 years old and studying at the University of Waterloo. In the planning phase before she had moved in I had questioned why she would choose to live in our loud, sticky, messy and sometimes stressful household and she assured me that she knew exactly what she was in for.
I would be lying if I didn't admit that I was looking forward to having an extra set of adult hands around the house but I couldn't have imagined how much we would enjoy each and every day with our beautiful niece. She truly dove in, rolled up her sleeves and became part of the rhythm of our family. We tried not to abuse her presence by asking her to help us too much but there were definitely days and weeks where having her around made things go so much more smoothly.
Even more importantly than the help was the love that she brought to our house - there's nothing more special than sharing space with someone who loves your kids as much as you do - Lindsay is like that. She formed special bonds with both Coop and Leah this summer and really got to know their individual personalities. Even better my kids have a role model for life who is smart, confident, kind and always above all else true to herself. What a blessing.
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| Our big and happy family! |
If I was worried about having a young adult live under our roof my fears are no more. The lessons we learned and the opportunities that my kids have had to spend time with their special cousin are invaluable. I feel grateful and blessed that Lindsay gave of her time to live under our roof - she is so special to us and will always be a part of some great memories. Now we just need to figure out how to get her sister Kelsey to move in with us as well!
