‘Sister Wives’ Star Janelle Admits She Considered ‘Staying Behind’ Amid Arizona Move

It seems like the whole Sister Wives family has been dealing with their big move to Flagstaff, Arizona a bit differently. For Kody Brown‘s second wife, Janelle Brown, the idea of packing up and leaving her Las Vegas home took some getting used to.

“I was really conflicted” about the Brown’s move, the 49-year-old told Us Weekly. She had concerns about her teenagers and how they would deal with switching high schools. “It really wasn’t about not moving, it was about the timing,” she explained to the outlet. “In my darkest moments, I did consider staying behind.”

Ultimately, Janelle connected with the natural landscape of Arizona and felt it was “richer than what they were getting” in Las Vegas. “We finally came to a place where we were all at peace with it,” she said, “and the kids have really blossomed here.”

We’re glad Janelle has been able to get through her issues with the transition, because it seemed to really be bothering her when the trailer for this season first dropped. She was specifically vocal in the footage about her and Kody’s son, Gabriel Brown, who was in his junior year at the time of filming. But she did also explain, “You gotta suck it up and do what’s good for the family.” So we hope she felt strong in her eventual decision to stick with her clan.

Now that they’ve gotten through the insecurities and the big humps of the move, the only downside of it all is that the wives aren’t just a short walk away from each other anymore. “We’re just too far apart, and I miss everybody. It takes more effort to get together,” Kody’s third wife, Christine Brown, told Us.

Though we’re still only in the beginning of the season, we’re looking forward to see how each member of the Brown family acclimates to Arizona and makes the experience their own.

For more on this story, pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now.