easter weekend.

on friday afternoon, we hopped a train west to spend easter as a family. on my way to penn station, i was stopped dead in my tracks as every tree in sight burst into bloom -- all at once, as if by the wave of a wand.

there's nothing i like quite so much as a reason to gather as a family, and it means so much having his parents and siblings so close. i'd love to have mine equally nearby, of course, but in this day and age, when all sorts of factors take people all over the place, having at least one of our families right here with us is a dream. i am counting my blessings.

the weekend brimmed with my favorite things -- family, food, tradition. we cooked together, we went for long walks and winding drives, we popped a bit of bubbly for easter morning mimosas. mama brown produced hours on hours of home videos and i whiled away afternoons watching my christopher as a little boy, playing with his brothers and growing up. oh, my heart. i'm so grateful that his parents thought to record the every day -- the pillow fights and living room dance parties and bathtub conversations -- in addition to the holidays and birthday parties. it's so special to have these sweet glimpses into his boyhood.

these days were good for my soul. i love a houseful. i love the dynamic of the four brown brothers. i love how his mom and dad hug me like i'm one of their own. i love talking with his mom in the car. i love spirited conversations around a full table. i love the deep breath a change of pace -- a different skyline -- gifts us every once in a while.