I write a lot about my sister’s children because I feel so close to them and they are such an important part of my life. Sometimes I forget that we have five more nieces and nephews on my husband’s side of the family. Three of them are beginning adulthood and making lives for themselves, as are our sons. They are starting their careers and continuing their education. Some have significant others in their lives and some don’t. They are talented young people, and although they don’t call me Aunt Stacy, I am proud to be just that.
We also have two younger nieces. They are the most beautiful little girls inside and out. They are talented, smart, funny, and full of curiosity. We love spending time with them just as much as we love spending time with my sister’s children. I love hearing them call me Aunt Stacy, and I love watching their eyes light up when they tell a joke, and we laugh out loud. I also love braiding their hair and getting their gifts of love such as drawings and notes.
These two are seven and nine. They love spending time with their grandparents in the summer, and they do a week-long stay called “Camp Mo Mo”. During this “camp”, they spend time at the beach, do art projects, go to the pier, and eat too much ice cream (which was one of my favorite things to do with Sweet Gram!). Their parents get a little break and the girls get to spend some valuable time with their grandparents. I am thinking I need to start a “Camp Aunt Stacy.”
Because I never had children of my own, I get attached to these little people. I love their energy and their amazing spirit. I love how all of my younger nieces and nephews laugh with such innocence. They have no cares or worries. They are just happy being happy. They don’t need anything material. Just love.
Over the summer, we spent some time with our nieces at the beach. We walked through a cute little beach town and did some shopping. Their mom teaches them how to stay healthy by eating well. We showed them how to stay active by participating in a little workout on their grandparents’ deck. They were full of energy and loved doing burpees (I mean what child wouldn’t lol). They called me Aunt Stacy the whole time. They rode on my shoulders as well as my husband’s. They couldn’t get enough of us, and we couldn’t get enough of them.
I assume my sister-in-law and my brother-in-law as well as their significant others would really enjoy some time off from parenting and responsibility. I hope I can get these four little people together this year and host a “Camp Aunt Stacy” at our home in Florida. We will do crafts, play card games like “kings on the corner”, swim in the pool, and hopefully get Uncle Jeff to take us out on the boat.
Maybe Camp Aunt Stacy can become a yearly tradition. Maybe Camp Aunt Stacy will be a traveling camp of different experiences for these little people in different places. Maybe Camp Aunt Stacy will be as memorable for them as I know it will be for me. So, keep your fingers crossed, and let’s get Camp Aunt Stacy started!