Update

To say I have fallen off the blogging bandwagon would be an understatement, since I haven't made any new posts in months! I just feel like my blog has pretty much run its course, and that I've said everything there is to say. That being said, I know there are a few people out there that still follow my blog, so I just wanted to make a post to assure everyone that I'm alive and well. Still here. Still paralyzed. :) 

I enjoyed several visits from my out-of-town sisters this summer and it's always a treat to spend time with my sisters, nieces and nephews, all of whom I adore so much. I also enjoy having my sister Chandra and her adorable kids, Christian and Ruby, over several times a week. I treasure this time with them, because I know when Christian and Ruby are both in school full-time, I won't be able to see them near as much. 

Here are a couple pictures of Christian's first day of preschool. If you look closely, the sign says that when he grows up, he wants to be a dogcatcher. Christian LOVES the movie The Secret Life of Pets, and he likes to play "dogcatcher." He is also enthralled with the trash truck, and he loves to watch YouTube videos with me of trash men collecting trash. I think you can pretty much find videos of anything on YouTube! Christian also turned four in September.

Christian wanted to be a dinosaur for Halloween, and Ruby was a sweet little wolf (a she-wolf).

Yesterday was the 16th anniversary of my car accident. We celebrated by getting some pizza from Papa John's on Saturday, and my mom made a chocolate cake with the most delicious chocolate whipped buttercream frosting that my sister Kristin told me about. That's a dessert worth being paralyzed for! 16 years later, and I'm still grateful for my accident. It has resulted in a physically challenging life, but it was also a catalyst for spiritual progression, and it was exactly what I needed at that time in my life to add some fuel to my empty gas tank. God is good, and He knew what I needed, I know I'm a better person because of what I've been through. 

Ruby is ONE!

Ruby turned one on March 7. The past year has flown by! We celebrated her birthday by having a little pizza party for lunch, since Ruby really likes pizza (smart girl!). My mom and I also gave Ruby her birthday present.

I don't know what was going on in the picture below, but when I saw it, I thought it was hilarious. Chandra and I thought a perfect caption for it would be "When it's your sister's birthday, and you find out there are no presents for you." Actually, Christian really wasn't upset; he was excited to help Ruby open her gift.

Ruby isn't walking yet, but right before she opened her present, she kept standing up and she'd put her arms out, almost like she was riding a wave on a surf board. She did it multiple times, and it was so funny to see her standing there like that. I kept waiting for her to take a step, but she didn't.

She had two different birthday crowns from the dollar store, and looked adorable in both of them.

Chandra isn't looking in the picture below, but Ruby looked adorable, so I had to include it. The other two pictures turned out too bright, but they're going in the blog post, too!

We tried to get a picture of Christian and Ruby, but kids are hard to photograph! Christian sure loves Ruby, and I hope these two will always be friends. I love it when Christian sweetly says, "Hey little Ruby girl" in a soothing tone, or when he says, "She's just a baby."

Since Chandra's husband couldn't come over for lunch on Ruby's birthday, we had Ruby's birthday dinner this past Sunday. Chandra made bacon-wrapped pulled pork and homemade coleslaw for dinner, which is one of my favorite meals. It's SO delicious! We had "Ruby Red Velvet" cupcakes for dessert. 

Christian was in a funk and he refused to put his shirt back on for the pictures. Oh well.

Ruby mostly just mashed her cake around in her hands, but I think she licked her hands a couple of times, and seemed to like it.

Here are some more pictures from the last few months of Ruby's life:

Here's a cute story about the picture on the left: We got snow in January, and Christian loved playing in it. The next morning the first thing he did after waking up was rush to the window to see if the snow was still on the ground. It was. :)

Ruby loves to play outside and crawl around in the grass:

All dressed up and ready for church! 

We sure love our little Ruby girl!

Elizabeth Turns 18

Sharon's oldest, Elizabeth, turned 18 on December 27. It's so hard to believe little Elizabeth is now a legal adult! This is her last Christmas at home before she goes off to college next year. Crazy!

We had a nice birthday dinner for her:

Time for presents!

Sarah made an adorable college survival kit for Elizabeth, and she wrote a poem to introduce/explain each of the items in the kit. Rachel (in pink) helped by holding each item up as Sarah mentioned it in her poem. It was such a sweet gift! 

This is one of those infinity scarves with a zipper pocket in it for your cell phone/keys/wallet/ID/Chapstick, etc. It's just a nice way to have a few things with you, but you don't have to carry a purse. Perfect for college life!

Elizabeth also got a nice Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. She also got Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (the large illustrated version). The illustrated Harry Potter books have really cool pictures in them.

The whole Leigh gang, and then a picture of Elizabeth and Chan:

I sure love Elizabeth, and I'm glad I get to see her a couple times each year!