Gosh, so much time has passed!

And it feels like ages since I've posted. So sorry to all the fans of the "Aloka Rain" fan club! An insane amount of change has been happening for all of us, and most of you all know now. Josh and I have decided to separate, though we remain quite close. We have a great friendship and truly love eachother. Aloka is doing very well despite it all. It's been such a stressful previous year of trying to get work permits, work, Josh being sick, and getting settled here without all our stuff, that this isn't really too dramatic for her considering what she's had to go through already. In fact, she's getting some really great quality one on one time with Josh that is really feeding her spirit. Whenever she comes back from being with him, she always seems very relaxed and happy. And on a side note, Josh is doing really well too. He has been able to eat almost anything now, including soy! Amazing, isn't it?
The thing that's been the most stressful for her is moving, which we're currently doing right now. Everything is packed in boxes, and she has some fear of boxes now, after everything of hers (and ours) went into storage for almost a year and a half. So when she sees me pack her books, she is worried she won't be seeing them again. We're trying to have some sort of rhythm in her day, she really seems to thrive with that. It's hard but we're both really working on it. Regular meal times, regular bed times, it all seems to contribute to a happier Aloka.
We are also really placing a lot of value on family time, and are trying to incorporate that into our schedules as well.
So, I just had to write this because it was so cute this morning; Aloka woke up bright and early. She started telling me this huge long story about how ice cream cones are made. It took her about 5 minutes to describe and explain it to me. When she finally finished, she said "Wasn't that a lot of talking? I'm really getting much older!"
I have my new computer, but it's not set up yet, but once it is, I'll be able to send pictures again. We're moving out of this house this weekend, and Josh moved out a few weeks ago into his place, which is a beautiful little house in the greatest location. I'll try and send photos of everyone once we're all settled!