Outstanding! Exceptional! Wonderful! Caring! Compassionate! Remarkable! I can continue to list superlatives that describe Liv-Anne Kristensen, but it would not truly express the deep love and devotion that our family feels for Liv-Anne.

Immediately upon her arrival, Liv-Anne became a member of our family. Caring for our three children came naturally for her. Almost instinctively, and without any thought or hesitation, she picked the baby up knowing when he needed attention. Even while holding the baby, she is able to attend to our older girls as well. By the end of the first week, my oldest daughter told Liv-Anne, "I love you" to which Liv-Anne replied, "I love you too, Katie." And that began our week with the best au pair we could have imagined.

It was Liv-Anne's smile that first attracted my attention to read her application prior to matching with her. I chuckled when in her application she answered "spiders" to the question were there were any pets with which she did not want to live. Upon reading her essay, her sincerity and true love of children was apparent. As one of 12 siblings, Liv-Anne is not easily upset by the antics and occasional screaming and chaos that is attendant with a family of three young children such as ours.

Liv-Anne is invaluable and provides our family with exceptional childcare, always more than meeting our expectations. She has taught my daughters Norwegian lullabies, held the baby for countless hours while he napped during the day and wanted to be held. In addition to reading, playing and taking them to the park, Liv-Anne is a talented artist who helps the children with arts and crafts, coloring and painting. Liv-Anne is wonderfully warm and loving with the children, showering them with affection and attention; she is also assertive when the occasion calls for it. I am at ease when she is with our children. Another joy of Liv-Anne is that she participates in our family life. In fact, when she left for her week-end college, my daughters cried hysterically that she would not be 'home' for the week-end.

I am saddened by the thought of Liv-Anne returning home next year. She endeavors to learn everything about our language and culture. Most importantly, she truly loves the children and they her. She is an exemplary au pair and a wonderful ambassador for any au pair program of what a positive au pair experience should be.

Close Testimonial

We have a very busy, challenging household with five very active boys ranging in age from 14 to 5 and a daughter nearing the busy age of 2. I never dreamed anyone could come into our house as an authority figure, discipline the kids, set limits and be so loved and admired by each and every one of the kids. Lea has won the hearts of even one of them.

Lea is the type of person we all strive to be. She smiles through some of the toughest, most chaotic days. The boys are often fighting and arguing and Lea seems to take it all in stride. She keeps a positive attitude and looks at the bright side of every situation. I once called home and learned that the boys were having a tomato fight in the kitchen. When I arrived home the room was spotless. "Oh, not every day can be perfect. It will be better tomorrow", Lea told me with her usual smile I had come to know and love.

Lea accepts each of my kids for who they are. She has baked us food from her home, taught the kids German and even throws a football when requested. Two of the boys have taken up wrestling and poor Lea has become the sparing partner for demonstrations of their latest moves. She just giggles as she is plummeted to the ground. Lea helps juggle over 35 extracurricular activities each week, and is wonderful with our little girl. When asked about the hectic, loud, busy household, I have heard her reply: "I love it!" This truly takes someone special with a very positive attitude.

Having a large family these days often gets quite negative comments. People have a hard time being around the activity level in the house. Lea has taught me to be proud of this large family. I have seen a very loving side of my children come out. They are happier with this delightful young lady in our house. They are willing to let her do for them the things that before only mom could do. My nine year old recently said, "Lea, while you are here can you teach me to always be happy like you? How do you do it?" She has made me feel good about the family, made them feel good about themselves and each day gives her all. She is a wonderful role model for us all. What more could anyone ask of a young girl from another country that took a huge risk to live in a household with six children. We are very blessed. Thank you Lea.

Close Testimonial

We knew almost instantly that Tina would be the perfect au pair for our family. A quick-witted, adventuresome nineteen-year old from Lubben, Germany, Tina's CV was impeccable. From her years babysitting a disabled child, to her summer internship in a pediatric hospital ward, we were confident she had the skills needed to care for our baby. It was also clear from her essay and our conversations that her personality was also a great match. Like everything else, chemistry with your au pair is a key, and we had it in spades.

But even though everything looked good on paper, Steve and I were still anxious prior to Tina's arrival. Would we really like her as much as we thought? Would she truly be capable of taking care of a baby? Would she make friends? Enjoy living in the U.S.? And most importantly, would we feel comfortable sharing our house and lives with her?

Thankfully, my worries were for naught. Spencer has found the best of playmates and most competent of caregivers, not to mention a great masseuse (Tina came equipped with several German books about babies - including one on baby massage!) I love watching the two of them together. She's so patient and sweet, and as evidenced by his enormous grins and loving glances, Spencer absolutely adores her.

Not a surprise, really, because as we've learned, everyone seems to adore Tina. She won my heart the moment I knew she had Spencer's. And if that weren't enough, she volunteered to take on even more of responsibility - buying groceries for our family. She told me that she knew I'd rather spend more time with Spencer than have to go to the grocery store, and that she didn't mind shopping for us. After all, it would give her yet another opportunity to practice English (little did she know that she'd find herself searching high and low for things my husband can't even find or pronounce, like jicama!)

When she's not working, or going to English classes, Tina is usually with her friends. Through school and the local AuPairCare chapter, she's made a great group of friends in the U.S. Together, they've visited many of the landmark destinations in Northern California, including Alcatraz and Santa Cruz. Her tales of adventures definitely keep us well entertained - oh, to be nineteen again!

As Steve and I reflect on the end of our first year as parents, we feel incredibly blessed. Not only do we have the most precious of baby boys, we've also found the most extraordinary of au pairs. Even though her time with us will end this summer, Tina Schuster will always be a member of our family. And for that, we are extremely grateful.

Close Testimonial

When most Au Pairs come to the United States, the biggest challenge is whether they will be compatible with their host families and their new environment. But for our Au Pair, Petra Zlota, becoming acquainted with a new family and a new country was only the beginning. She also had to meet the rigorous standards of the Colorado foster care system, because two of our children, 1-year-old twins Hunter and Kaden, have joined our family through the Colorado fost-adopt program.

As a primary caregiver for the boys, Petra had to fulfill all of the requirements to become a registered foster care provider. This included additional background checks, CPR/First Aid certification by the American Red Cross, a two-day training in emotional/behavioral issues among foster children and a detailed written questionnaire and interview (in English) about her family, upbringing, school experiences and caregiving philosophy.

After meeting Petra, we weren't surprised when she passed this scrutiny with flying colors. "She's a real gem," our caseworker said. "Where did you find her?"

Petra is a perfect match for our family. Petra's background included extensive experience caring for a wide variety of children, ranging in age from newborns to pre-teens, in her home country, the Czech Republic. Most important to us, she had volunteered at an orphanage in her hometown and had seen first-hand the impacts of abandonment, drug exposure and attachment disorder that our babies face.

Petra has been a true gift to our family. Both of the twins have special needs, and our 6-year-old son, Trevor, is gifted, creating a unique family dynamic. Not only have each of the boys bonded with Petra, but they also have benefited from her calm, patient approach to working with them.

Petra has challenged Trevor by teaching him words and phrases in Czech and in Spanish. He surprised his first-grade teacher by giving her the names of a few different animals in multiple languages. She also freely shares information about her home country to help Trevor and the rest of our family learn about the Czech culture and its people.

In addition, the boys have enjoyed Petra's other talents. We'll never forget the way Hunter's face lit up the first time he sat on her lap while she played piano for us, and we look forward to soon having a piano at home so that Petra can teach Trevor how to play. Kaden loves to dance when Petra sings to him, no matter what the language. And the whole family has enjoyed her baking skills - particularly the delicious cake she made for the twins' first birthday.

As parents of this trio, we also are glad to have an extra set of helping hands around for those times when all three boys need attention. Petra has said that her experience in the United States is motivating her to address concerns about the orphanages in the Czech Republic. She would like to see her home country eliminate orphanages in favor of a system that allows more families to care for children in their homes and eventually adopt them, so that all Czech children would have families of their own.

From our perspective, Petra is a model for all au pairs. Her high standard of caregiving, love of children, responsible and resourceful personality, and desire to learn and to teach others provide a wonderful example of how successful this cultural exchange program can be.

Close Testimonial