My sister and her family have been visiting and we got to ring in the new year together. I love when my sister, Elizabeth, my brother-in-law, Chad, and my nephews, William and Henry, visit — love, love, love it! They just left this morning and I now have a sorry case of the dreary wearies — I always do after they leave. So to boost myself out of this self-induced pity party, I am making a list of all the things I love about them and their visit.
- I love the relationship Gwendolyn has with all of them. She loves them each so much and is so excited to be in the middle of the fun and attention.
- I love that William (who is 7) is incredibly gentle, patient, thoughtful, and sensitive to Gwendolyn and her needs. And I love the little conversations he would have with Gwendolyn and how enthusiastic he is to play with her, read her stories, or simply hold her hand.
- I love that Henry (who is 3) calls Gwendolyn, Gwenowen and always asks, “Mommy, where is Gwenowen?” when she's napping. I love that he gets excited about playing dress up with her and having tea parties together.
- I love that Gwendolyn loved giving kisses to everyone — big ones.
- I love that we played games, danced for hours, laughed a lot, and had a giant snuggled up movie party with popcorn.
- I love that my sister gave Gwendolyn a full pampering beauty salon, painting her nails and toes purple with sparkles. Gwendolyn felt so special!
- I love that Gwendolyn told Aunt Elizabeth she loved her and I love that my sister understood what she said without us having to translate.
- I love that after the children are all tucked into bed the four of us pop open the good wine, chat the night away, and always have fun together.
- I love that Bill and Chad are friends, can talk about anything, and have fun together on their own.
- I love that my sister is such an incredible friend — cheering me on, boosting me up, holding me close when I need it, and is always, always there for me. And I love that she knows me better than I sometimes know myself.
- And I love that my sister, brother-in-law, and nephews are pretty much the most awesome people on the planet (I'm pretty sure that can be proven on Wikipedia) — and I love that they are all mine!
Miss you guys tons and tons already!!!