17 Months Old

Well, Ellie has hit an ornery streak.  Imagine that.  I was able to take a few pictures to prove it...

Now for a few sweet pictures!  We went to The Mid-Summer's Night Festival in Abilene last week and Ellie had a great time.  She dressed up like a fairy and traveled around to business who gave away fun gifts and prizes.  We had a wonderful night.

Love you all,
Thad, Kristen and Ellie

Ellie's New Adventures....

Ellie is on the move!!!  She can crawl faster than I can walk, stand up and cruise on furniture and get into everything she isn't supposed to!  Her ability to learn amazes me daily - she is literally like a sponge.  She is getting more personality daily - getting sassy and silly all at once! 

We've joined 2 play groups and started one in Solomon.  Though, she usually sits in the corner and watches everyone else play, I enjoy getting know the moms.  It's been a crazy month in the Turner House as I have started working Sunday's at Cypress Bridge in Abilene.  I love working at Cypress and am blessed to have a family connection with the owners. If you are ever in the area make a point to stop in, they hand pour candles and have beautiful home decor! 

Now, back to Ellie!  She is chattering and laughing all the time, and has a sneaky smile that she uses when she's crawling away!  Ellie still loves baths, nap time and playing with Dad.  She knows when the garage door opens Dad is home and instantly smiles.  She continues to bless us daily and brighten every moment of the day.

Baby blues in the bath.

I would LOVE to know what she was thinking!!

First Harley picture!

Relaxing with Uncle Jared.

A quick visit with Kara and kiddos!  Haden is 15 days older than Ellie.  

We wish California was closer to Kansas.

A quick visit with Aunt Kelly!  We also wish Iowa was closer....

...and she's off!!   Hope to be crawling in your area soon!

I'm looking forward to the next few weeks as we'll be in Manhattan celebrating a marriage, K-State Homecoming and a baby shower for Kelly, Jeff and baby arriving in January!


Love you all,
Thad, Kristen and Ellie

Welcome to Holland

Well, this isn't a post about Ellie - though that will come in the next few days.  We've had a rough 10 days at the Turner house while Ellie has been teething.  Two teeth have popped up and are causing her discomfort. 

I visited a MOPS (Moms of Pre-Schoolers) group last week and this poem was handed out.  For some reason I have held on to it, and really wanted to share it with everyone. 

WELCOME TO HOLLAND

by Emily Perl Kingsley

©©1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley.

All rights reserved

When you're going to have a baby,
it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy.
You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans.
The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice.
You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives.
You pack your bags and off you go.
Several hours later, the plane lands.
The stewardess comes in and says,
"Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland??
I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy.
All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan.
They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you
to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place,
full of pestilence, famine and disease.
It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books.
And you must learn a whole new language.
And you will meet a whole new group of people
you would never have met.

It's just a different place.
It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy.
But after you've been there for a while
and you catch your breath, you look around....
and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....
and Holland has tulips.
Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy...
and they're all bragging about
what a wonderful time they had there.
And for the rest of your life, you will say
"Yes, that's where I was supposed to go.
That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away...
because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life
mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy,
you may never be free to
enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ...
about Holland.
This poem was originally written to describe what it's like raising a child with a disability but I think we can all relate some part of our lives to this.  We have all lost a dream at some point, or feel left out of something - it's important to remember that God has a plan and sent you to Holland for a reason.  We all need to look around and enjoy our Holland's - and maybe help a friend enjoy the windmills, tulips and Rembrandts.

Love you all,
Kristen 

7 months old...

It hit me the other day, in the next few months when we are asked "How old is she?"  we will have to respond "She'll be 1 in January." That breaks me heart into tiny pieces. 

We've had an eventful month that included trips to Wichita (McCall Wedding), Manhattan (Grandma's 70th birthday) and Iowa (Weekend with Jeff and Kelly).  While we loved traveling and seeing loved ones, it's nice to be home to recover.  Ellie is moving places on her own now and we can hardly keep up!  Sitting up, crawling, hiding under the swimming pool, belly laughing and flexing her attitude are her favorite activities. 

 Swimming at Aunt Kari's for Grandma's 70th birthday.  

Giggling with Daddy in the whale tub.

Exploring the hallway... ending at Mom and Dad's room.

 Our visit with Aunt Kelly and Uncle Jeff!  Excited about cousin Lee arriving in January!

I dare you to not smile while looking at this picture!

Seriously, how cute is she??

 Love you all, 

Thad, Kristen and Ellie

6 Month Check-up

Well, Ellie jumped from 4 months to 6 months because I sure don't remember month number 5.  We had her 6 month check up Tuesday and she is a chunk!  Weighing in at 18lbs 1oz (90 percentile) and 26.5 in. (75 percentile) she is one healthy baby!!  Seems like she changes every day and is growing her own personality.  She loves attention and lets you know when she feels neglected.  Her preferred mode of transportation is rolling and loves snuggling with Dad in the evenings watching the Royals.

We have had many visits with friends and family this month, most recently a trip to Manhattan for Austin and Amy Foutch's wedding.  We are looking forward to our trips to Wichita, Manhattan and Iowa in the coming weeks.   

Thank you Jenn for taking Ellie's 6 month photos!

Smiley Girl.

 David & Leah getting some quality time with Little Freezette.

Ellie's new talent.. sitting up!

Four Generations. (Ellie, Mom, Great Grandma Tootie and Grandpa Mike)

Four Generations (Ellie, Dad, Great Grandma Turner, Grandpa Turner)

Hopefully my next post will come during cooler weather. 

Love you all,
Thad, Kristen and Ellie

4 Months Old

WOW!  Miss Ellie is 4 months old!!!  (Well, a few days older than 4 months)  We had her 4 months appointment last week - along with shots.  She weighed in at 14lb 12oz and 24.5in.  Both average.  She's learning she has a voice, more importantly a scream!

She's smacking her tongue to her lips... 

Still LOVES bath time...

...and is putting everything in her mouth.

She seems more comfortable with her left hand... 

wonder if she'll be a "south paw"??

We are headed to Newton this weekend to help Uncle John celebrate his 30th birthday!

Love you all, 

Thad, Kristen and Ellie

Rain, Rain, Go Away..

Ellie wants to be in the sun today!!! 

Thank you Jenn for the pink sunglasses..

and dressing her for the next 2 years!  We love you.