While Real Girl’s Kitchen food blogger Haylie Duff is happy to share recipes and parenting tips with her fans, she prefers to just be a supportive sister to Hilary Duff.
“We try to listen to each other and be there for each other,” the 33-year-old mother of two — who’s partnering with Libby’s Fruits & Vegetables for its sixth annual “Cansgiving” sweepstakes — tells PEOPLE. “Everyone has so much advice all the time, so we really just try to support each other whenever we feel like venting or talking something out.”
The proud mamas, who were pregnant at the same time, welcomed daughters — for Haylie, Lulu Gray, in June, and for Hilary, Banks Violet, on Oct. 25 — less than five months apart. (Haylie is also mom to daughter Ryan Ava Erhard, 3½, while Hilary has a 6½-year-old son named Luca Cruz.)
After finding out her baby’s sex, Haylie told PEOPLE of herself and fiancé Matt Rosenberg, “Truthfully, we really wanted another girl. My sister and I have such a special relationship. Ryan could have that bond of sisters.”
In addition to lending a supportive ear, Haylie never wants to “push [her] way” on Hilary and “vice versa.”
“It’s really special; it’s nice for them to be able to grow up together,” Haylie says of her 5-month-old daughter Lulu and newborn niece Banks. “We had a small family growing up, so we’re excited that we’ve got four cousins close in age that can play together.”
With daughters so close in age, the sisters are looking forward to all the memories their girls will make together.
“I think our girls might be in school together at the same time, that’s so fun and exciting for us to watch. It’s great,” Haylie adds. “We’re so grateful that everyone is finally here and healthy and happy, so no complaints on our end!”
The sisters, who both love to cook, are looking forward to spending the Thanksgiving holiday together. As Haylie prepares to take the lead in the kitchen, she expects her sister to bring the “pies and desserts.”
While holidays can be unpredictable, Haylie knows she’ll be making her favorite Maple Roasted Beets and Carrots recipe and that someone will bring up the year the Duff family didn’t have a turkey on the table.
“When we were little girls, our parents put our turkey out on our front porch to thaw out — we lived in Texas — and left it there for most of the day,” she recalls. “The neighbor’s dog got ahold of it and dragged it off, but it was the great mystery of our family that year. Everyone was like, ‘What happened to the turkey?’ “
