We love Genieci!

Every year we have my niece Genieci come stay with us for a couple of weeks. It is so nice to have an extra pair of hands to help out with the kids, but mostly it is just fun to be around her. We always do a lot more fun things while she is here because 1. with an extra set of hands it is easier to go places and 2. when we do get to those fun places (the river/swimming pool/park) the kids have someone who is big enough to manage games with them but young enough to want to do more than just sit and enjoy the sun. And because she is at a nice age between me and my kids - its fun to join in more often. For example, hide and go seek at the park with my kids isn't yet a very effective game because halfway through looking for me they inevitably start crying that I am hiding too hard and they don't want to play any more. But with Genieci you really can hide good and have fun and the little kids get into it more too.

We also spend a lot more evenings actually playing games instead of mindlessly flipping channels (all four that we actually get). In the 12 days she was here we played AT LEAST 30 games of Clue.

She is such a great helper with the kids and so good at finding fun things to do with them. She taught school, had tea parties, rearranged the toyroom, did dances. And she is just fun to be with even for me. I enjoy talking with her and shopping with her. I hope my girls grow up to be just like her! Well without the burps that sound like a man ;-).