The BIG Journey Ahead

Our family has had some tough decisions to make, since returning from Florida in April.  It went like this....
Lila, "Mommy, I want to stay here and live with Sylwia!" (Lila's physical therapist in FL)
Sylwia, "Oh, you do Lila?  Ok, you can stay here for 6 months and when your mommy returns, I will not only have you walking independently, I will have you running!"
Me...Silence...mouth dropped to the ground.

So, I spent the next three days asking a million questions about the validity of that statement.  Sylwia continues by telling me she has no doubt that Lila is capable of this, but just needs to want to work hard for it.  If she gives it her all, there will be great success.

We return home from therapy, and Matt and I enter into these very lengthy, difficult discussions about the possibility of going to FL for a length of time, how to make it happen financially, would we all go or split up the family for a short time?  Lots of hard conversations to have, but where we ended up was with one question...Will we

regret not giving Lila this chance when she is 15 and not walking independently still?  Yes, of course we would regret it!  So, the planning began.  The plan fell through a couple of times, due to circumstances of which we could not control.  We didn't know this was actually going to happen until mid-August, at which time I began telling their school and staff that we will be on a new adventure this school year.

To make a long story short, the girls and I are leaving for Florida on September 24th, and returning on February 25th.  Matt will be staying in Reno to continue working and supporting us while we are away.  He will come to visit at Christmas, but as much as he would like to, it is just too costly for him to come every month to see his girls.

After months of researching homeschooling curriculums, I have begun homeschooling both of the girls, as of August 15th.  We have had mostly great days, but a few days that have been quite a struggle.  We will work out the kinks as time goes on :-)  Since working so much with Lila, I have a deep belief that she has dyslexia, and we will now have to figure out the best way to teach a complex brain like hers.  We learned a lot last year from the neuropsychologist, as well as the brain injury specialist from school, thank goodness.  Still lots to learn :-)

As for Nora, she is doing amazing learning at home, but may come back with Matt after Christmas and go back to Verdi.  This is still a bit up in the air, and I leave it out there for a decision to be made once we get a feel for the Florida routine.  Lots to learn, and lots to navigate.  For now, she misses her friends a bit, but loves having Tuesday poetry teatime, Thrilling thursdays, and science Sundays (oh, and doing math out on the swing set!) :-)

Here's to the next adventure, as life is never dull over here!