A visit with Rosie and Carlo

"Tante Rosie" is Eric's Dad's sister who lives in Germany. She's like another grandmother to the kids, and we've been lucky enough to see her just about once a year since Sophie was born. She's a natural with the kids and has a seemingly endless amount of energy when it comes to interacting with them.

Carlo is the wonderful man from Argentina (aka Jack's "best friend") who Rosie met on a plane about a year before our wedding, and they've been together ever since. As challenging as it is to live so far apart, they have made their romance work, taking turns traveling to one country or the other for months at a time.

Trying to keep it all together as a Mom is not an easy task, and alongside the joy that comes with being a parent comes a good bit of frustration and self-doubt. Sometimes I can't help but wonder how I'd measure up if there were a way to grade my parenting. So it feels good to be around someone who is full of love for my children and who offers unsolicited praise and encouragement to me. And that's where Rosie comes in. For whatever reason, being around her has always built my confidence about my parenting rather than causing me to question if I'm doing alright.

Quite possibly my favorite of Rosie's many endearing attributes is that she manages to find a nice balance between lending her opinion or advice while fully respecting my way of doing things in the end. She loves to remind me that back in the day when she was raising her girls, there was only one bathroom, no dishwasher, and certainly no microwave, and the girls' school clothes had to be ironed daily. I typically remain silent and in awe as I don't want to reveal that with all of the conveniences in place to make life easier, I can't even manage to take Eric's "wrinkle free" work pants out of the dryer in time for them to not wrinkle and then cannot find the time to use a steamer to touch them up, let alone find time to iron. EVER.

This most recent trip to the ATL was a intended to be a quick stopover on their way from the dreary cold weather in Germany to the sunny warmth of Bluffton, SC, where Eric's Mom has made her retirement home. It turned into a 3 day visit due the mid-Atlantic getting pounded with snow that left a newly retired Barbara stranded in Northern Virginia for a few days before she was able to make her journey down South.

We were delighted to have the extra time with Rosie and Carlo and the perks that came along with it...Carlo is very handy and was able to knock a few things off of the "Honey Do" list that Eric seems to have misplaced. And Rosie was always at the ready to whisk the kids outside to play so I could engage in the unusual activity of showering mid-day and cooking without interruption.

It warms my heart to see my kids respond so nicely to extended family - especially when they live so far away and visits are not plentiful. Growing up, my parents taught me to value this and Eric and I have tried to emphasize to our kids how much we love our family.