Natalie & Lily--Ready for the first day of school '07

Aaron's home!!!

Aaron got home from his mission this past Thursday! The girls and I were able to go with the rest of my family to meet him at the airport in Houston. I can't believe that I forgot to take my camera! But, luckily Alisa has posted some great pics of his homecoming on her blog. So, if you want to see some pics, click on her link (vasquez family) at the bottom of my blog. It is so great to have him home. We're very proud of the wonderful job that he did as a missionary for the last two years in England. He shared lots of interesting tid-bits and stories with all of us over the weekend. Now, we'll be starting the countdown for when Steven comes home from his mission in October.

Tomorrow is the first day back to school for the new school year. I promise I'll get some pics of Natalie & Lily and get them posted.

Natalie & Lily were in Houston for most of this past week with Aunt Shirley and Laurie. They're at my mom and dad's now. It's been lonely without them here. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about having peace and quiet and being able to sleep in. ;) But, Coult and I really are missing having our girls home with us. We've been able to talk to Natalie on the phone while they've been gone, but Lily won't talk to us. It's not that she's upset at us or anything, it's just one of the things about her that the autism has caused. It's times like these when I feel like I'm going through the grieving process all over again. I mean, I know that she has made much progress over the last couple of years and I feel that she will continue to progress. However, that doesn't make it any easier when I'm sad about not being able to hear her voice. We know she loves us not from words, but from actions. When she's not here to crawl up in our laps or flash her big smile, it's easy to feel that she has forgotten about us, even though I know she hasn't. Natalie, of course, tells us on the phone how much she loves us and misses us. Having a child on the autism spectrum has certainly made me appreciate so many things that I used to take for granted.

I'm going to drive down to my parents on Thursday, so I'll be able to see Natalie & Lily then. I can't wait! Unfortunately, Coult has to work. Aaron is coming home from his mission on Thursday and it's so exciting to think about being able to see him again after two years. The girls and I will be returning back home next Sunday, just in time for school to start again.

Also, Alisa has set up a blog for mothers and the link for it is on the bottom of my page as "Happy Mommas". It's a place for moms to share experiences, advice and support about motherhood and the joys and struggles that come with it.

I'll post some new pics soon.