Hello???? Is Anyone Out There???

I am pretty sure I hear echoes of emptiness out there due to everyone having given up on me and my blog but for some reason today, I missed my blog friends and decided it was time to get back in touch. I completely blame facebook for my lack of blogging. Facebook makes it so easy to just post a picture and write a quick one-liner but it lacks some of the personal relationship feelings I got from my blog. I don't have high hopes of writing very regular posts but I am hoping to get back on here a little more frequently.

I will give a quick update and then leave you with a bunch of photos. Everyone is doing great and growing up. Ella just turned 4 and finished her first complete year of preschool. She has grown academically beyond my wildest dreams. She recognizes every letter in the alphabet...if shown a letter she can name it. She can count to 10 and knows her colors. She still has no interest in eating whatsoever though. We may get an occasional bite of pudding in her mouth but nothing sustainable at all. Everyone keeps saying that she will do it eventually but I have my doubts. It is purely stubborness!!! Same with potty training. She can and sometimes will pee pee on the potty but could care less about wearing a diaper or peeing in one so she would be perfectly fine without a potty at all. Again with the stubborness!!! Her leukemia remains in remission and her every two month blood counts continue to look PERFECT!! Of course we will forever worry about it but enjoy the good news every couple of months.

As for the rest of the family, Abbey is going in to 8th grade and Emma is going in to 6th. It will be nice to have both girls in the same middle school this year. Abbey is excelling in her school band as a trumpet player and was given a wonderful gift of a brand new professional level trumpet from a previous student of her band teacher's who wanted to donate a gift to his old school band in lieu of wedding gifts. Abbey was selected as the recipient of this amazing gift. We couldn't believe it!!

Well, it's late and I need to put Ella down (wonderful, late summer schedule). I just wanted to get on the blog before I changed my mind. I will leave you with pictures from our summer vacation to Palm Desert as well as some beach pics and a couple from Abbey's trumpet award. Hopefully I am not writing to an empty crowd :)

Checking In, Finally!!!

Actually, this isn't really much of a checkin as I don't have time to write very much but I thought I would see if anyone even still checks my blog. Most people have already seen this photo on facebook but I figured there are still a few of you whom I am not friends with there that may have missed it. This pretty much shows how "well" little Miss Ella is doing these days (Yes, she wrote on the wall!!!). She is full of beans and we "love" it!! Also, her blood counts continue to be wonderful and she is remaining very healthy!!! Soooo thankful for that!!

Ella Eating

We finally got some video of Ella eating. This was the first time in a while that she has let someone actually feed her with a spoon :) Emma was doing a great job of making her eat while doing animal sounds. There is also some footage of her "sort of" feeding herself......go Ella!!!

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Where is Ella's Ball????

Having a little fun with Ella the other night. I am so very proud of her very clearly spoken sentence at the end of the video :)

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Ella Watching the Roller Coaster

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One Year Ago Today!!!

One Year Ago

One year ago today, we found ourselves in the oncology clinic for what we thought was just a blood transfusion because Ella's hemoglobin was low. But when they took her blood that day, they saw the dreaded leukemia cells that we had been waiting to rear their ugly head. Instead of going home that night, we were sent over to the hospital where Ella stayed for the next 28 days. It is almost sureal to imagine that it has been a year since that day already. Of course I am so thankful that she remains cancer free at this time and I can only hope that before too long, we will be celebrating one year of her being cancer free and then hopefully five years etc.





I know this blog has been sort of neglected lately, but as I come back to it, I can't help but remember how important this blog and all of my dear blog friends were to me during all those months spent in the the hospital. I am forever grateful to everyone who was able to visit in person but also equally so to those of you who were there with me in spirit and with their supportive words. Thank you!! And, please, every once in a while, would you mind saying a prayer for Ella and that she continues to remain cancer free!!

Today!!

(Darling outfit courtesy of Darlena Lehnick)

A VERY Special Meet Up With Carly's Parents, Joany and Paul

Wow!!! What a day yesterday was!! Ella and I along with Zoey and her mom, Heather, separately made our ways north to Bakersfield. Awaiting us there were Joany and Paul George, the amazing parents of the sweet and beautiful Angel Carly. They were in California for a much needed getaway. You see, just one year ago, they lost Carly unexpectantly. Obviously this past year has been an unimaginable one for them full of so much sadness and loss. Joany has been such an open book to us all in sharing her sorrow and I know that I personally have learned a great deal from her. My heart has been so weighted for them all year but finally getting to meet them in person truly gave me a renewed sense of hope. Yes, they are still full of pain and No, the loss of Carly has not gotten any easier BUT they were still glowing with life and it showed in every bit of attention that they gave to Ella and Zoey throughout the day. Life does continue to move forward for them although it will never be the same. Carly was very much alive in our conversations and tears yesterday and I am now even angrier that she was taken so soon because I have seen, in person, what wonderful parents Paul and Joany are and what love they have to give to their beautiful daughter. They should still be giving her that love!! I just hope that they realize what a lasting impression they made on us and that we will always treasure the day we got to spend with them. They are amazing people who have been dealt a horrible blow in life. But I truly believe that Carly is shining through them more than they even realize. Thank you so much Joany and Paul for sharing this day with us. I don't think you have a clue as to how special it was to us!!

Paul warming up to Ella and Zoey at lunch

The Mamas, Heather, Joany and Myself


Ella getting ready for her adventurous afternoon

Ella and Zoey....LOVE these two girls

Paul and the girls

The whole group....what a special day we had!!

Ella saw a gopher pop its head up and waited at least 5 minutes

for it to come back

Ella and Paul waiting for that gopher

Still waiting.......

Now they have moved on to a snake :(

Ella is VERY interested in it.

Ewwwww!!!

The picture that makes me cry every time.....Paul and Zoey

just hung out here for quite some time!!

Ella at the end of her very adventurous day....she needed

a complete clothing change!!