Back out for another nature walk today. This time with Veraghens. The girls wanted them to see the new trails we discovered. The sun was shining & it felt good to just be outside together exploring.

After we did the walk we decided to pop in & visit some friends who recently got pigs. Margaux & Hayden were so excited. They wore their mud boots & got right in the pen with them. So many smiles.

Messy, muddy & so fun for the girls. We were shocked that Maeve got so close!

What we thought was going to be a quick stop turned into hours of laughing & running around for the kids. They also have chickens. Our kids were in heaven. Such a fun day... exactly what we needed. xoxo

Happy Easter!

 The only "normal" part of this Easter was that the bunny arrived & hid the girls baskets. All three were happy to find surprises in their hidden baskets. Shirt, led lights & pogo ball for Marg, clothes, led lights & a faux plant for Marin & smelly pens, a Harry Potter shirt & a basketball for Maeve. 

We didn't even color eggs this year. Instead we made Easter egg cut out cookies & delivered to our friends/family. The girls did a great job decorating & delivering.

Easter mass was attended in pajamas at our kitchen counter via an online live feed while we all ate breakfast. SO ODD!!! Nothing about this stay at home order feels normal. When I really sit down & think about it, it's hard to imagine it is all even happening. Needless to say, we attended virtual mass & spent the rest of the day just being together at home. Not our typical Easter, but thankful we are all healthy. xoxo

The girls were begging for an Easter egg hunt but I didn't have any candy. Finally after 3 weeks of being home & not leaving I ventured out to the store. We did pretty great eating for three weeks & not going to the store. Needless to say, my list was pretty long...Eerie feeling in the store. So empty & those that were shopping had masks & gloves on. $350+ and one house plant later, I was on my way home to wipe down the groceries & change/shower. I also snagged a big bag of Easter candy so we could have an egg hunt. The forecast for the weekend/Easter looks rainy & cold. Even a chance of snow! So we opted to do the egg hunt a little early & enjoy it while the weather was still nice today. Invited the cousins over to join in on the fun...

 Maeve really loved it. Her smiles were so big & you could see the excitement in her eyes. So glad we got it in. All three had so much fun helping Sloane & Fitz too. We are missing our snuggles with them. Being outside in the yard just isn't the same. But we are thankful for the outdoor time we're getting together too. 

 Another quarantine violation for a quick photo!  

I know that we are all healthy because we have not left the house, but we are still trying to follow the rules. We're all looking forward to no school tomorrow {Good Friday} and Easter weekend. Even if we are just hanging at home alone, still sometime to look forward to. Maeve is counting down the days until the bunny arrives. She can barely contain her excitement. 3 more sleeps!! xoxo

Covid cut day! 

With the Stay At Home order no one is allowed to go to any appointments unless they are essential. All of our dentist & well check appointments were cancelled as well as hair cuts! Totally fine for the Brown girls, but Gary's hair was getting a little long for his liking. 

Solution... Covid cuts at Katie & Mike's in the back yard.

{We have yet to be in each others houses... still following the rules over here although the 6+ feet rule got broken for the sake of haircuts today}

 We laughed so darn hard watching this all go down, but in the end Mike did a great job. Gary got his shortest cut to date & my dad too. Katie said my dad's forehead got a little bigger! Made us all laugh. Buzz cut boys over here but no one is complaining, smiles for all! We even facetimed my grandpa Bob the barber to get his approval. We also keep joking with my mom that she'll have hair long enough for a pony tail after this quarantine. Makes us all laugh... my grey hair will be out of control too. I may need a visit to the backyard Salon Katie in a few weeks. 

Speaking of grandpa... we stopped over at their house the other day & knocked on the patio door to surprise them. They were so happy to see us in the flesh! They surprised us & wanted to sit outside for a cocktail too. The Brown 5 on one side of the deck... Goessl's on the other. We had a great visit!

During this quarantine we are so thankful for the hot tub too! We've been spending so much time out there. It is especially awesome when the sun is shinning. I tell the girls we pretend it is our beach vacation. They disagree, definitely not the same but the closest we'll get right now.

 Quarantine week three... done. On to week 4! Still praying for an end. 

xoxo

We are still here & still quarantined, but doing great! School days are getting easier {routine wise} and the weather has been better! Hoping it stays this way because it feel so great to see the sunshine & be somewhat warm while outside. Lots of walking & rollerblading. Today we walked to Katie's to say hi to the kids. Still staying away, but Fitz has such a hard time with it. He just wants us to hug him like we usually do which turns into this...

He just cannot help himself. Loves his cousins so much. I am missing holding & hugging them all. Acre is just the worst. He is getting bigger by the minute & I just want to kiss his cute little cheeks. We need this to be over soon or I may just have to cave & break the social distance rule. I need baby snuggles. Bad. For now I am thankful I can see him from 6 feet away. Better than not seeing him at all I guess. Thinking positively!

We're still puzzling too. Here is a shot of the ones we've done so far. Just had to order more. The majority of them are 300-500 pieces but we just finished the cottage that was 1,000 pieces. Took us a few days. 

 We typically sit & puzzle in the evenings after dinner while watching tv or movies. The living room is a mixture of puzzles & board games. All so fun.

 Gary & Margaux were deep into the Packer puzzle the other night & Maeve was already tucked in. She was yelling from her room requesting that we turn the lights off because it was too bright in her room. She was a tired mess! So Gary & Marg compromised by putting our new head lamps on. Worked perfectly!

Sad part is I ordered them to use for crab hunting on the beach. Still so sad that our vacation was cancelled but glad the headlamps got used! Next puzzle is Mickey Mouse. We've just been doing a big puzzle exchange & it has been great. Keeping us all busy. xoxo

Margaux pulled this out of her work pile this morning & it made us laugh. The virus is not at all funny, but the fact that she labeled her folder like this was pretty funny. It is our reality right now.

Also, today is Hayden's birthday & Margaux made this sign for her big 11th bday. She worked on it all day yesterday. We delivered & Wendy hung it on her door this am.

 Tonight we went down to their house & sang Happy Birthday to her from their back porch which made her smile. We all enjoyed watching her blow out her candles too. So odd that we can't go in!

 No one has been in our house in weeks. It's sad because our house has never been cleaner. I am caught up on laundry, we organized & rearranged bedrooms, everything... so clean!! No end in sight as of now. We just keep crossing our fingers it is sooner vs later. Now all of our summer concerts were just postponed. Wendy & I just purchased Justin Beiber concert tickets for the girls & it is now postponed until September. Really hoping we are in a better place before the summer, but who knows. Just keep praying. xoxo