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 :)