Kristel has been an amazing addition to our family. We have had many au pairs join us over the years and she is a person that has really stands out as an incredible woman that we all love.
Kristel is just a joy to be around. She has a ready smile and is always up for whatever crazy ideas the boys hatch. I often shy away from activities that get messy. Things like painting, play-doh, making slime, and water balloon fights are never on the top of my list of things to do with my boys. Whenever the boys ask me to do those things, I usually have a quick and firm “Nope” response for them. However, with Kristel the boys ask her and she usually finds a way to make their creative plans a reality. She makes them happy because they get to do those fun projects. Incredibly, she makes me super happy too, because she somehow gets them to clean up afterward! Nothing warms a mother’s heart more than watching my band of unruly boys settle down to an activity, make a serious mess, and then clean it all up! All of this is possible because it’s under Kristel’s kind and encouraging direction.
Kristel is definitely an au pair who has really become like a family member.
She has immersed herself in all the family activities and has even become such a special part of our extended families. She comes to all the big family dinners and occasions. She keeps up with all the happenings of our nieces, nephews, siblings, and parents. She truly has such a huge heart and her interest and concern for everyone in our families is astounding.
Kristel is also the type of person who helps out wherever she can. She has a special talent for lettering. The work she does is absolutely gorgeous. She has helped me out so many times with making special tags for birthday presents and Christmas gifts. She even made special signs and menus for my niece’s engagement party. Each of her lettering works is a little gift unto itself and she so freely gives of her talents. Before Kristel came, the boys never really enjoyed sitting down to make cards. Kristel started showing them how to letter and how to design cards. Now they are seeing the beauty that can come out of taking time to really make something special and how good a recipient feels when they receive such a card. Now, they love making cards and lettering for their friends and family. I treasure the Mother’s Day and birthday cards that she has helped the boys make for me because I can see the love and time that was put into each one.
Kristel has so completely jumped into all the opportunities offered to her during her au pair year. She has embraced the frigid Minnesota winter with trying downhill skiing and sledding. She has gone tubing and water skiing on a couple of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes during the summer. She took a silks acrobatic class for several months and learned how to swing from long silk ropes twenty feet in the air while spinning and turning somersaults! I went to her show at the end of the classes and was amazed at her talent, grace, and courage.
We have been so fortunate to have Kristel in our family. She’s just awesome and we all love having her as a part of our lives. I am thrilled she’s staying a second year with us so we can continue to enjoying life to its fullest together and sharing our daily experiences as a family.
