Sorry to have left you all hanging for almost a week! It has been busy around the Bridges' household, and I've not really had much time to blog. But here I am.

First, let me say that I still have not decided what to do about my blog. Never fear, I am not leaving altogether. I am simply trying to figure out where to go - to stay put, where I have almost 42,000 hits to my blog (and they say numbers don't count...) or do I want to start fresh. Many of you gave very good reasons why I should stay AND why I should set up shop in another location. I am leaning on the side of leaving my "The Road Home" blog as-is...because if I change the face of things, I'm afraid of our journey becoming lost. And people have said it has been a help to them (by which I am humbled...and I greatly appreciate)...so I'd like it to remain a helpful blog to others. BUT, it is our family story & I don't know that I want to separate one from another.

See? I'm still confused. But I'm sure I'll figure it out sometime this century. Till then, stay tuned & I'll let you know when/if I decide to pack up shop & move.

But you really don't want to hear about that, do you? You came to get your kiddo-fix. So I shall not disappoint.

We had a very busy weekend. It started out with cousin Nat's birthday party at a local gymnastics center. Iliya was not sure what to think of all the equipment - but it ended up being a place to run and jump around like a nut...so he warmed up very quickly. Soon, he was running all over the place (like said nut) - I believe his Nana got one good workout, chasing him around!! He danced, explored, jumped (and fell a lot) on the trampoline...and before long, learned the wonders of the foam pit. I'm just going to show some pictures - but suffice it to say that the kid had a wonderful time.



After the birthday party, we hit the road, headed to my parents house for the evening. It was a quick trip, but probably the only time we'll be able to get up to see them before Thanksgiving. We spent the night, and went to church with them the next morning. After lunch, we headed home. It was a whirlwind trip - but we had a good time, even if I was a little hormonal & cranky.

Here, you see Iliya, riding on the tractor with his granddad

And here is the cuteness, all ready for church:

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Then, last night, I was up on the stepstool, looking in the closet for some pictures. All the sudden, I felt a tug on my leg, and before I knew it, I had company on the stepstool. This particular company thought it was great fun to climb up & down the stepstool while I was searching for the pictures. His father happened upon us and thought it would be great fun to take some pictures. If I had been in the position to do so, I would've done the same thing. So I will share said pictures with you - just ignore me and concentrate on the munchkin in the picture.

Iliya has started helping when we bless the food before mealtime. His help consists of saying "MAAAA-MEN!"(amen) through the entire prayer. I guess he is ready to eat, and thinks if he says "amen" continuously, then it will be time to eat much sooner!

Last night, the three of us were done eating, and about to get up from the table, when Iliya looked at me & grinned. He put his finger up to his mouth and said, "shhhhhh" (he has learned to whisper - though he thinks it's funny - so we have a hard time in church, when we tell him to whisper). I mimicked him, and I guess he thought it was one of the funniest things ever. Because he laughed SO. HARD. So we spent about 10 minutes telling each other to "shhhh" and laughing like crazy. It was one of those moments when I reaaaally enjoy being a mom to such a cute kid! Of course, if "shhh" is so funny, then I guess it won't work so well in church, either. Hmmm...probably a mistake to make it into such a game - but it was one of those moments. You know, the really special kind.

And what about school? Yesterday morning & this morning were VERY good mornings, for preschool dropoff. Iliya will now hug me and kiss me before going into his room to play. No more tears - and I am now able to stand and have a short conversation with his teacher without having to worry that he will decide he wants me and become really upset. It's nice. But the nicer thing? Not only is he being a bit more independent in this way, he is also seeming more dependent - not in a clingy way. But maybe in a loving way. Before now, he would hug and kiss, if we asked for it...he just hasn't really initiated kissing or hugging - but he's a regular little lovebug these days.

Sorry to jump around so much (this is why I try not to go too long between blog posts - I have too much to talk about, and end up jumping all over the place)...but I have one last story. Friday night, my sister was in town. So Nathan & I decided to go grab a bite, to test out the "babysitting" waters. Aunt Kristy had kept Iliya several weeks ago, but he napped most of the time (and then I was home - but outside, mowing - when he was awake) so we were curious how he would do when we were truly unavailable. We were gone for less than 2 hours & Aunt Sarah said he did really well - they played, watched his favorite video, ate supper, and then he started asking her "where?" (using sign language) He led her around the house, from room to room. Eventually, the "where?" question became more frequent, and Sarah would ask, "where, what?" And then, Iliya signed,

"Where? Mama?"

Yes, my friends... it melted my heart to know that my precious child wanted to know where I was. He noticed that I was gone, and actually asked where I was. How special, and how good it makes me feel. To know that I am wanted and loved by such a sweet little boy.