12 April 2018

Our camera broke (sad face) so no pictures for awhile.  Two weeks ago Gia came to visit and we went birdwatching at the Orlando wetlands, and to the beach, and watched a lot of General Conference together.  Rosebud has really begun to get over her fear of strangers and had no problem making friends with Gia, and going on walks with her, and reading books with her.  We walked down to the Blanchard trail and park several times too.  It was a good visit and I'm glad that she came.


Friday night, we had Cub Scouts over for a cookout - about 35 people, who all actually fit pretty nicely into the yard.  We have plenty of space for running around!  On General Conference Saturday, we invited a lot of people over for an egg hunt in the backyard, which was really fun.  It was super easy to set up since most people brought their own eggs and we just set up snacks and some chairs and hung out. On Sunday morning, Mr. Brown asked me cautiously how many people were coming over that day!  (The answer was no one.)  We continue in our quest to be a unifying force in our ward.


Last weekend, I took the kids and ran up to see my sister in Tallahassee.  Highlights include a fabulous parade on Saturday morning celebrating Tallahassee history - it poured buckets but we stuck it out, and it was so worth it!  The kids came home with approximately 652 bead necklaces.  Also my sister and I sat up late late late both nights talking and talking.  On Sunday morning the kids and I went to church and found that the ward there is amazing.  I was greeted and looked after in a way that was warm and welcoming.  The Relief Society meeting was incredible.  I told Spencer we should move to Tallahassee and move into that ward.  Also of note, Bridie went to nursery in a strange ward all by herself without fussing, although she was nervous!


It was an exhausting weekend and Mr. Brown and I spent the first couple days of the week recovering.  My sister's family will be at our house this weekend.  Her oldest is in a residential facility near Tampa and they have a family therapy session on Sunday so we'll be watching her other kids.  Yay!  I'm glad we live so much closer now (although four hours is still far) and can see her so much more often.