It's Official...

I know that posting big news on a blog, isn't the most personal, but sometimes it's hard to keep telling the same details over and over again. I figured this was the best place to record it and send it out to all our loved ones so that everyone can feel in the loop.

We are officially moving to Utah. We have found a house in Saratoga Springs that we are so excited about! It is just over 3,000 square feet, 6 bedrooms, 2 family rooms and a big-fully fenced in back yard.

Now, for all the reasons we are moving. I'm sure that to many our lives over the past year have been nothing short of nomadic. As you all know, we have been working very hard and searching for answers, treatment, therapy, etc. for Sam. To say that in many ways he has turned our lives upside down would be an understatement. Don't get us wrong, we wouldn't trade any of it for anything. Our family has learned more, grown more, and loved more than we ever thought possible! He has been such a blessing in our lives. That is why we want the very best for him. We believe that with the right therapy, he can live a full and normal life and be able to speak and converse with others as he pleases. But this will not come without a price. Research shows with Apraxia that the sooner a child gets the therapy and the better the therapy, the better the chances.

As much as we've enjoyed many aspects of living in Alamo, it just isn't right for us. The school worked very hard, but it really comes down to funding and availability. It's just such a small district with limited funds and as much as their desires were to help us, it just wasn't possible. Plus, I'll be honest, our other children haven't exactly had the best experiences here either, and they are eager to go back to public school. We have loved homeschooling, but it is a difficult challenge on its own. Throw in a special needs child, and the task becomes extremely daunting. We've all done what we've needed to and I believe the children have thrived, but at the same time, I see them lacking in some areas. For example, Abby is such a nurturing and caring big sister. She can talk her younger siblings into anything. They adore her, but at 7 years old, I don't want her spending 80% of her time caring for her siblings. I want to see her play with little girls her own age and she has missed that.

So, with this move to Utah, Sam will be able to get the therapy he needs and be able to attend a wonderful school. In fact, in our neighborhood there are two churches and an elementary school with 2 speech therapists! Even in Vegas, the school he attended only had 1 for 5 schools. And the prices are so much better. The range in Utah County is $25-70 dollars for an hour session. In Vegas, it doesn't even start below $150 for 30 minutes.

John will continue running his practice in Lincoln County. He loves what he does and he loves the clients he works for. Because most of his clientel are government entities, he has a lot of flexibility. Plus, with the incredible staff we have, who do so much for us, he will be able to work mostly from home up in Utah with just several trips a month down here.

We are also excited to live close to John's parents. We left Provo 12 years ago to work in Vegas as Japanese tour guides. We never made it back up there to live! I hope they are as excited as we are to spend this time with them and strengthen those bonds. We are very blessed with a lot of loving and supportive family! How lucky we are to have so many in our lives.

We will miss all of our family and friends in Southern Nevada, but we are grateful for the memories we've had here and the opportunities to love so many of you. I know we won't be far, and be assured that our door is always open! We love visitors!

And we will post often, here on our blog with pictures and updates!