Ultimate Au Pair 2017 Finalist: Yexe from Colombia

Yexe is more than just an awesome au pair, she is a seamless extension of our family. She is kind, compassionate, hard working, organized, motivated, fun, funny and just a joy to have in our home. Most importantly, she loves our girls as though they were her own. As a working parent, it is always hard to be away from my children, but I never have to worry about their well-being or that the day-to-day tasks involved in their care are handled and complete. She makes our lives easier and better. Yexe is just SO good at taking care of our kids and organizing their (and our!) lives. She knows their routines inside and out, she often (very politely!) reminds me of things that need to be done, and I rarely ask her to do something that she hasn't already done or thought about.

Yexe is known and loved by all of our family and friends, as well as teachers and administrators at our girls' school. She's always willing to help out when needed. She taught a lesson in my daughter's pre-school class, creating a fun craft for the kids and teaching them about Colombia and a song in Spanish. They were all excitedly waving the Colombian flags that they made when their parents picked them up from school. Yexe is always thinking of fun things to do with our girls. She comes up with great craft ideas, or games and outings. She is exceedingly patient and never gets angry or frazzled (as a parent, I find it truly amazing!). She is always up for an adventure! On our vacations, she was always willing to go swimming (no matter how cold the water!), dig in the sand, make sand castles, or do whatever fun activities our kids asked her to do. She excitedly tells me about new things that the girls learned or things that they did, and her love for them is so clear in everything she does.

And their love for her is so obvious - they are always hugging her, cuddling her, or asking where she is during her time off. Besides just being really amazing at her job, Yexe has become some an important part of our family and a cherished friend. We are so grateful for Yexe and can't even begin to think about June when she will leave us.