"It's just wonderful hearing her speak anything to me," he says.

Still, he admits, it's a frustrating process. While little has yet to come of talk of immigration reform in Washington, Thorsted sees his case as evidence of the need for a fix.

"The system is broken, in my eyes," he said. "It just doesn't make any sense. You've got a family that wants to be together, it's just inevitable we're going to be together."

While the Thorsted family continues to wait, the battle in Congress is likely to resume this year between those calling for a crackdown on illegal immigration, and those calling for legalization of at least some of the undocumented now in the United States.

The Thorsteds have sought help from the office of Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah. Bennett's spokeswoman Emily Christensen said in a statement the senator's office "is aware of the hardship" and will continue to work with the family and with federal agencies.

"Unfortunately, there is a substantial backlog of these cases, despite the fact that the Thorsteds have followed the required procedures to apply for legal residency," Christensen said. "This situation is further proof why Sen. Bennett believes we need comprehensive immigration reform to help the federal government more efficiently address immigration matters."

However, Christensen said she's not aware of any pending legislation that would help cases like the Thorsteds'.

Meanwhile, Johana Thorsted continues to hope she'll soon be able to return to Utah, legally, along with her two daughters who are both U.S. citizens.

"It's so hard," she said. "It's really hard to be here without my husband. I miss him so much. ... I just want to go back to my house and have a normal life like other people have."

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E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com