We have a beautiful family and a wonderful place to live - we are lucky. The trade-off? All extended family is far away. It's hard to get used to such a small family. I grew up surrounded by grandparents and cousins and aunties and uncles. Every birthday, holiday, even weekends were filled with noise and laughter and controlled chaos. I don't remember ever being bored or lonely, because I was always surrounded.
Lucky for us, my fam isn't too far away, so we get many visits in. It's not quite the same as growing up, but it's special. Maybe one of will win the lottery one day and we'll get to visit even more :)
Pictures from a quick lunch with my brother and his family:
