meet the browns

{chris, marie & emile}

     

{josephine & lucy} 

it’s weird to think that I’ve already lived in france for three weeks. from the beginning, the brown’s have welcomed me into their home more than I could’ve imagined. I was a little nervous to be living with them but I have plenty of my own space and privacy and it makes it feel like more of a family to eat dinner together every night and hear them during the day even when I’m off. and even after only three weeks, I’ve come to love them like they are my own family. though I knew it was going to be great when I woke up to defying gravity on my first morning here. 

chris, the dad, is british and so makes for an interesting family dynamic. they girls speak english in little british accents and have phrases that are so funny to me. i.e. josephine the other day told me she was going to wipe my chops (mouth) for me. he’s very witty and makes every dinner absolutely hilarious. he and josephine also have a very special father-daughter bond that makes me miss my dad so much.

marie is so sweet and loving to her children. even though she’s busy at work she is such a good mom and even jumped on the trampoline with us the other day. she has been so insistent that I feel at home with the things I like to eat and drink and is cute how she remembers my love of pumpkin and mashed potatoes. she is planning a thanksgiving dinner for me and friends which I am really excited about! 

emile makes me seem shy and quiet because he is so loud. all the time. he’s either screaming or giggling and I can’t wait for when he actually uses words so we know what he wants. we spent a lot of time together at the beginning going for long walks and singing and talking to each other until he would pass out. watching him eat food and take baths is hilarious because he loves them so much. the girls are both really great big sisters to him and are so patient and kind which is really sweet to watch. 

josephine is the sassiest and silliest little french girl. she can be so dramatic at times and almost everything that comes out of her mouth makes me die laughing. she calls me silly billy or olivia because on my second day here we decided I’d talk in a british accent and be called olivia for the year. she’s super dainty and delicate and likes to be a prissy girl and told me she wants to live a life of leisure, having people over for tea and biscuits. I’ve convinced her to brush my hair for about 30 minutes everyday. she is the most affectionate with me and loves for me to hold her so she can get in my nook and comes running to me when she gets hurt or in trouble with her parents. she also loves turkish delight so I call her edmund and love going to the english bookshop with her to get it. 

lucy and I spend every morning together while I take her to school. she loves to dress up in my clothes and have little fashion shows in my room. she also loves the trampoline and anything gymnastics and wants to start coming on runs with me. she is sweet and gets really upset when I leave for the weekend because she wants me to spend as much time as possible with her so I think one weekend soon we are going to plan a special day in the city together. she told me the other day that she hopes I can stay with them for the next 100 years.