Where Have I Been???

What has happened to this blog? It has been virtually non-existent for the last two months, plus! I can't believe how busy I have become with trying to move to England. We are currently in phase three, according to Brandon. Phase 1: moving out of the PAC house, Phase 2: moving into my parents' house, Phase 3: Moving into Brandon's parents house, Phase 4: moving into a hotel for two days, Phase 5: moving to England! So close...we honestly can't believe it.

I already miss so much! Feeling being away from the PAC house and realizing we won't be coming back to it. Very sad for sure. So many times living there I would have been eager to move out (don't we all do that when times are tough temporarily?) - and now it was so hard, so hard to say good-bye. The relationships and the memories we had there will continue to bless us for years to come. So much I have learned from community I bet I don't even realize even yet...many things I know but haven't yet put into words precisely. All good-byes are hard especially when you don't know what all you are saying good-bye to. Who will we see again and who won't we see? Who will we stay in contact with and who might drift away. It just happens in the natural course of things but you never know until time passes. For what it's worth I have been blessed, challenged, and encouraged in so many ways, regardless of how each relationship may turn out non of that nullifies the significance each person and/or event had in my life.

I'm excited to add to this blog...to have a running record that's online of our travels and experiences in another country. I really hope to have more time to sit and reflect...two things that seem to have been void in my life for quite a while. A slower pace of life - I just need the discipline to use my time rightly...for me this means to not get caught up in my running list of "to-dos" and to take time out. Time out to read, sit, pray, listen, laugh, and play. I feel the urgency to "keep up" with things...especially when it comes to medicine, but I just need to strike a balance. Well, at least attempt to get there.

I don't have too many pictures to paste up here because really I haven't taken too many. Alyas is changing so fast before our eyes....he's in one of those developmental growth spurts and currently his language is exploding! He's trying to say new words all the time and imitate so much of what we do. He remains largely independent and most of the time happy and content. He has a little separation anxiety (up until this point we haven't seen much of), but quickly seems to be consoled by toys and other children. Although he is definitely testing his boundaries, he remains fairly easy to redirect and discipline (as long as we are consistent and I, in particular, remain firm). Right now he is obsessed with turning lights on and off, pushing all kinds of buttons, and messing with anything that he can manipulate to make a noise, change the shape, or simply just distort in some way.

Here is a video from tonight of me trying to get him to say or sign some of his latest words. I counted the other day about 40+ words that he can either say, sign or do both. His favorite now is most definitely "STOP" and "GO"! Not sure when I will post again....be on the look out for some really cook pictures though. Trumpinton, Cambridge here we come!