Family Chat For Extended Family - Keeping in Touch

Blogger has introduced new features and they aren't working all that well for me currently. I am struggling with some things as simple as moving my photos around within the post. 

Most people are visiting my blog on their mobile device and blogger is so old that it doesn't work well on mobile, so it isn't being promoted on google searches. Please be patient with me while I figure out the new system, or figure something else out for my blog.

This past week my father went in for some minor surgery and my sister was worried about him with Covid and surgery, so she organized another group family meeting online and invited everyone to join.

I have one brother who is a bit estranged from the family of his own choice who did not attend, but 7 of the 8 siblings were all online and willing to share updates on their families. 

It was so nice to hear from each how their family is doing, and hear about their children and grandchildren. Some of my nieces and nephews gave their own updates. Some of them didn't want to talk and let the parents give the updates as most of mine did, but some also wanted to give updates as well. 

It was also fun that one of my nephews who had to come home early from the Philippines while serving as a missionary due to Covid-19, was able to get his new mission call while we were all on the call, so we got to hear from his church leader that he was going to serve the rest of his mission in "Cincinnati, Ohio!"   

I don't know that he will be able to use his Tagalog while there, but at least he is able to go back out and serve. He is the third of my nephews able to be reassigned as a missionary in the U.S. as they were all serving outside the US before Corona. 

My youngest sister was driving one of her daughters to move to the southern states to live, and they pulled the convoy over to give us an update on their move and family. That was a fun thing as well. 

It was nice to be able to hear that my oldest brother will have 18 grandchildren under age 8 in the next few months. He and his wife had 9 children in a short span, and now their children are all starting their families and all want large families, so it is growing quickly. 

I haven't been able to see most of the family since our Christmas / Thanksgiving parties, so it is nice to get updates every few months via group chats. 

Good news that my dad's surgery went well and he answered the phone when I called to see how it went today. He is home and on the mend. 

Princess Five got a pedicure while we were on the chat as well as I don't like just sitting and not doing something, so she appreciated the foot attention as well. 

We have been watching the show "Relative Race" online the past few weeks, and it has really made us appreciate my large family. It can get crazy at times having such a large family, but seeing all these people who have no siblings, or that don't even know their parents, we are VERY grateful for the family we have been blessed to have.

As we finished up the call, Princess Five and I went on our nightly walk and when I left the house, there was a rainbow right in the sky in front of my house. I rushed to get a camera, and by the time I got it, the rainbow was almost gone. You can see it a bit in the picture I did get. I felt like my mother was letting me know that she was there with us all on the call as we got updates on everyone. She is always letting me know she is still around when we have family events it seems! Here is a link to a post about rainbows and my mother.

I hope you are all staying safe and staying connected during this crazy time! Have a Blessed Day!