Love. Blessings. Gratitude.: Family Love

When I decided that I may want to start a family it immediately became important to me to ensure that my child would have access to all the love that extended family has to offer. I saw the strong bond my nephews developed with their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins and wanted to ensure that my child got to experience that as well. I didn't necessarily need to live "down the street" from family but I definitely wanted family to be close enough for a road-trip or weekend visit.
Everything lined up beautifully so that Ryan and I both ended up with jobs very close to both sides of the family. We are now living within a 5 mile radius of both sets of grandparents as well as living close to both of my sisters and their families. I am amazed by how much everyone in the family loves Alessandra and how much they do for our family. I appreciate the various gifts they've given her, the times they've helped Ryan and me so that we're better able to care for her, and I'm especially thankful for all the times they have visited her so that she knows what a big family is present and ready to love and care for her. Right now she is little and not fully aware of the details of what goes on around her. But as she gets older she will create memories with her family and she will have thousands of pictures to look back on and know that her family has always been there for her. The family met Alessandra before she even left the hospital!

Alessandra's Aunts overjoyed just moments after her birth. They were present when she came into the world.