The Veers

Way Back...

2012-01-23T08:11:00.000-08:00

...in November my girls were looking super cute!
...in December they had fun with a Santa hat
...had fun helping daddy decorate the tree

...on Christmas morning, we opened a few presents here at home
Ella's favorite present was a KU shirt just like daddy's, and the promise of a KU game in Lawrence soon!
playing so nicely together with some new toys
...and just a few days ago, they looked so beautiful going to a wedding!!

All dressed up

2011-12-21T10:50:00.000-08:00

All dressed up, with somewhere to go! Doesn't happen very often around here. I LOVE dresses and heels. We got to spend a whole weekend away in K.C. at a gorgeous family wedding. Kid less, dancing the night away at the reception. So fun!! Somebody else needs to get married!

Happy Birthday Daddy

2011-11-07T10:13:00.001-08:00

We had a great time celebrating Kelsey's birthday last week. The celebration lasted 4 days as we spent the weekend in K.C. with his family at a wedding and eating our body weight in great BBQ! Ella loves birthdays and was a great help in blowing out the birthday candles! Happy Birthday to the most amazing man, husband, daddy, friend that we are all so thankful for and love dearly!

Pigtails

2011-11-07T09:43:00.000-08:00

We have some seriously cute pigtails going on at our house!

Halloween

2011-11-07T08:07:00.000-08:00

This Halloween we had a super cute kitty and a super hero girl at our house!! They had a ton of fun this year. We went to both grandparents houses, saw some of their great grandparents, did the Candy Walk downtown (crazy!), and stopped by the Trunk-or-Treat for a little bit. My girls have inherited their mothers love of sweet things.

Eating a healthy snack of apples before heading out to trick-or-treat.

Pumpkin Patch Tradition

2011-10-16T13:07:00.001-07:00

We got to go to the pumpkin patch again this year with some of best friends!! Here's a picture recap through the years!

Ella and Simon 2008

Ella and Simon 2010

Ella and Simon 2011

Katelyn and Zoey 2010

Katelyn and Zoey 2011

Have you ever tried to take a picture of 4 kids ages 3 and under?? It is impossible! I love this picture! This portrays our stage of life right now so well... each one doing their own thing!

The barrel train was a big hit!

So was the jumping pillow. I couldn't get them to stop long enough for a picture. By the end of our time there, Ella was doing flips!! So bummed I didn't have my video camera!

Kate and Zoey decided it was a good place to rest=)
I didn't get any pics of the slide, but Ella loved it! Kate even convinced me to take her down a few times. That's love!

Thanks for the great time Walter's!! See you next year!

Sister Love and Cubbies

2011-09-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

So, even though they fight like sisters usually do... sometimes I capture sweet moments of love between them too! I was having breakfast in the kitchen while they watched a movie on the couch. It was quiet for a little too long, so I took a peek around the corner and found them sitting next to each other with Ella's arm around Katelyn. Funny girls!

Ella had her first night of Cubbies earlier in the month! She was so excited! She has been memorizing her verses awesome, and she loves the songs and games. So proud of her... first night she was not so sure, second night was no tears at all.

August

2011-08-20T10:05:00.000-07:00

These girlies love spaghetti!!

Helping momma make chocolate covered pretzels with SPRINKLES!!!!!

Zoo day

Goodbyes... the Airport

2011-07-25T12:30:00.001-07:00

This was a sad day. Sending our friends and our daughters friends off for 4 years to Ethiopia, not so easy!! Most of their lives packed in these tubs!

Ella and Ryan

Cousins and Friends

HUGS!!!

Girlfriends

Rachel and I are definitely overcompensating our smiles in this pic =)

Goodbye dear friends! Excited about your new journey, and can't wait to see you again!

Goodbyes... The Party

2011-07-17T20:01:00.000-07:00

Our very, very close friends, The Giles, left for Ethiopia, Africa about a month ago to serve as missionaries. While we are very excited for them and excited to see what God does through them, we miss them SO much, and were very reluctant to let them go! But, we decided to party first before the sad goodbyes! The kids had a great time playing together and I tried to capture almost everyone that was there in the following pictures.

+

randoms

2011-07-17T19:39:00.000-07:00

Our new nephew Micah that was born in April!

All dressed up ready to go to a wedding. She loved it!!

One of the rare times Ella fell asleep during her quiet time... must have been cold because she has on gloves and a stocking cap. (she usually has on her rain boots too)

Girls and Goggles

2011-07-15T19:21:00.001-07:00

Happy 4th

2011-07-04T12:20:00.000-07:00

pictures courtesy of christy

sweet summertime

2011-06-29T05:37:00.001-07:00

Father's Day

2011-06-24T07:54:00.001-07:00

Our two girls are blessed with the most amazing father!! He makes sure they know they are beautiful, loved, cherished, and protected!! He takes SO much time out of his day to spend with them. I have always been so thankful for him as my husband, but am so much more thankful that he is their dad, so that they have the perfect example of what they deserve in a future husband!

One Last Picnic

2011-06-08T19:27:00.001-07:00

Kelsey's Grandma Clark's house burned part way this winter. This is the place that holds the most sentimental value and the most memories for Kelsey as a child, and also us as a couple! We got engaged out at the pond on the property, had our rehearsal dinner in the backyard, have had countless picnics and bonfires with and without our kids, given the girls put-put and tractor rides, and stopped in for coffee and m&m's and homemade icecream with Grandma and Grandpa and all the Aunts, Uncles and cousins. It was scheduled to be torn down, so we all got together for one last backyard picnic. It's kinda funny to see the burned house in the background of these pictures with all of us having a great time. So many precious memories, but many more to come!

Just a few May pics

2011-06-07T21:10:00.000-07:00

So, instead of taking pictures, I've just been enjoying life with my 2 girls!! I realize that makes for a boring blog... but my girls don't know the difference!
Here's a few cute pics from May, plus my next post also happened in May and has lots more pictures.
So, it's nearly impossible to get a good picture, but we grabbed a quick one on Mother's Day

Trying to keep Kate busy so I can cook supper

Coloring together in their jammies

This is Katelyn's "say cheese" face

our girls

2011-05-16T08:28:00.001-07:00

Milk Break!! Both of my girls are huge milk drinkers like their parents! They go through at least 3 gallons of Vit. D milk a week!

umm... i'm going to go clean my fireplace glass now! disgusting!!!

Easter 2011

2011-05-06T06:16:00.001-07:00

Our baby girl turned 1!!

2011-05-02T06:05:00.000-07:00

My Brother-in-law took pics for us! So thankful! You have to click on some of the pics to make them big to get the full effect!
Katelyn Claire turned one! This teeny-tiny sweetheart is getting a bigger personality every day! Her and Ella are becoming fast friends. I love it! She brings so much joy to our lives! Can't believe she is already one! This is why I hold my babies like crazy when they are first born, because before you know it they are running all over the place... even if they only weigh 17 pounds!
This is how she started out... just woke up from a nap, camera in her face=) So unsure! This picture makes me laugh, I see this face a lot during my day!

Getting better

This is what she did her whole party: walked around holding her new clothes!

So sweet!

Such a great big sister! This is the scene at our house these days.

fast

so hating the hat

quick, take a pic

Zoo Day

2011-04-19T08:46:00.000-07:00

We went to the Zoo a couple of weeks ago. It was a perfect weather day!!

Katelyn loved, loved, loved the tigers!! One of them kept walking back and forth in front of the glass right next to her face, and she would laugh hysterically! We have a super cute video of it, but it's on daddy's phone. She kept saying her word for kitty cat.

Birthday

2011-03-15T11:46:00.001-07:00

On Ella's actual birthday, she was confused that it was her birthday again. She had been so sick and tired, that we really didn't do much the day of her birthday.
She had to ride her bike right away inside!

Then, it was off to Druber's.

Someone else likes donuts too!!!

Daddy

Grandma Tilson

Papa Tilson

Grandma Veer

She turned 3...

2011-03-14T09:11:00.000-07:00

...and she didn't bother to ask me!! Can't believe our firstborn is 3! We had so much fun celebrating with her! We are so thankful to get to enjoy her excitement and joy partying with family and friends. She is a party planner already. She told me 4 months ago that she wanted a panda bear cake, and balloons, and party hats... and a blue dinosaur for her gift (random!). She got all but the party hats. She didn't notice.
Ella is such a joy! She has SO MUCH personality that is so fun and at times so challenging. We are praying that we can guide her to grow into an amazing young woman of God. Ok... lots of pictures of her party on Sunday and then I will do another post with pics from her actual birthday.
Once again, we are so lucky to have Christy take pics for us during her party! She's the best!!
Here's our BEAUTIFUL Birthday Girl!

Panda Bear cake and cupcakes!

Oreo Truffles

The Decor:

Opening Presents:

Princess Bike!!

All of Ella's party friends (minus a few sickies!!)

Our Family!

Staying Busy

2011-02-25T05:24:00.000-08:00

ugh... this weather has been crazy! inside one day, outside the next. definitely more inside. this is how we've tried to stay busy:
lots and lots of coloring

Ella likes to help me make granola

we go through way too many stickers!

blocks

playdoh

Kate has been getting into everything

addicted to graham crackers

this picture blesses my heart!! they are so sweet together!

Snow Play

2011-02-14T10:50:00.000-08:00

Now that it's nice outside, here's some pics of us enjoying the snow!
Snow Overalls just like Daddy!!

Matching snowsuits and hats!!

My Snowangel

Trying to get Kate to eat the snow

She was pretty unimpressed with it all!

According to Ella, I'm the big snowman. Not sure how I feel about that!

Fashion According to Ella

2011-02-13T12:12:00.000-08:00

Heels are always in fashion!! So is Minnie Mouse.

Bucket hats will never go out style:

Wear lots of different colors and prints!

Always make sure your baby sister is accessorized appropriately!

Sisters

2011-01-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

I love my girls SO much and I love that they are starting to love each other!!

my little helpers

December Pics

2010-12-31T10:00:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2010

2010-12-30T11:49:00.000-08:00

so, i will post Christmas pics and then catch up on December pics. i'm surprised i have any pictures at all considering one or more of us has been sick almost every day of December. if it weren't for the Christmas memories with the girls, i would love to blot this month out of my head completely!!
Ella was such a big help decorating the tree this year!

Sweet baby girl

Christmas morning we had Swedish pancakes before opening presents!

i love that they are able to interact now!!

Ella looks so grown up in this picture! sad

These last 2 pics were taken by Christy, which is why they are such good quality!

probably my favorite pic of Katelyn so far!

Dressing Up

2010-11-14T12:39:00.000-08:00

I love dressing my girls up everyday, but especially Sundays!!

The past few weeks...

2010-11-10T07:47:00.000-08:00

we celebrated Kelsey's birthday!!

squeezed in one more day @ the pumpkin patch

read books with papa

enjoyed watching Katelyn learn lots of new ways to play

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T09:43:00.000-07:00

My cute cheerleader for Team Daddy!!

And my sweet cuddly pink bear!

Mommy the ladybug with her girls. When I got Ella up this morning she goes, "Hey mommy, you're not a ladybug anymore!!"

Daddy the soccer player with his girls

The girls with their cousins

Great Grandpa Duerksen

Great Grandma Duerksen

Pumpkin Carving

2010-10-30T12:02:00.000-07:00

My very amazing sister-in-law documented our pumpkin carving evening!!
www.christyveer.wordpress.com

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-15T13:13:00.000-07:00

We went to Walter's Pumpkin Patch again this year! It is so fun there, with so much for the kids to do. We were there for 3 hours, and only did half of the stuff!

Here is a picture from 2 years ago of Simon and Ella

Simon and Ella this year

Katelyn and Zoey

Ella loved the barrel train!

Simon, Isaiah, Annie & Ella

A Few Cute Pics

2010-10-09T20:49:00.001-07:00

First...

2010-10-01T13:23:00.001-07:00

Putt-Putt Ride for Katelyn

Trip to the Lake

Trip to Branson

Grandpa and Grandma Tilson came with us!

Ella LOVED all the rides!

Kate hung out in the stroller and watched all the action.

First Taste of Cereal

Yummy Squash

Ella's First Year in Puggles @ AWANA!! She loves it!

The Girl's Rooms

2010-07-28T10:47:00.000-07:00

Ella's Room

Kate's Room

For Angie (and others)

2010-07-23T12:32:00.001-07:00

Lots of pictures with lots of different categories!!
SISTERS

JUST ELLA BEING CUTE

TOPLESS COLORING

ELLA'S SUPER RIDICULOUS "CHEEZE" FACE

KATELYN BEING BEAUTIFUL

OUR 6 YEAR ANNIVERSARY DAY

Still Here

2010-06-18T09:54:00.000-07:00

We are still here!! Enjoying this little girl!!!

And trying to keep up with this little girl!

Katelyn Claire

2010-04-26T18:02:00.000-07:00

Katelyn Claire joined our family Friday, April 23 @ 4:04 pm. SO glad she is here and we get to hold and snuggle her!! Baby Kate is so precious, and such a perfect addition to our family. Ella loves to love on her (a little too much sometimes). Lot's of adjustments ahead, but for now we are loving just holding her all the time! Stats: 7lb. 2 oz. 19 1/4 in. Beautiful!

Ella's Second Birthday

2010-03-19T14:12:00.000-07:00

Can't believe we are already celebrating our baby girl's SECOND birthday! I love planning her parties, and this year was so fun, because she was so excited for it and knew it was coming! She was most excited for her cake and for everyone to come over to her house.
*you can click on any of the pics to make them bigger!
The food:

I made Meg Duerksen's rainbow cake in pastels!! So fun, Ella didn't notice, but I did=)

blowing out the candles

These next two pics are of Ella's reaction when I told her it was time for birthday cake!

Opening Presents. She is one spoiled little girl!

My mom made her a super cute #2 birthday outfit!

Even though mommy and daddy are KU fans, Aunt Angie is graduating from KState this spring and we are super proud of her!! She got Ella this cute outfit to wear to her graduation!

Beautiful flowers for my birthday a few days before, I used to add to the decor.

Ella is such an amazing little girl! We have so much fun with her every day! She is incredibly smart and full of words, and questions. She is 100% full of whatever emotion she happens to be feeling at the moment! She can be so happy and friendly, and she can be so sassy and dramatic=) We wouldn't have her any other way! She has been singing songs non-stop and loves it when we read to her. We leave words out, just so we can hear her fill them in! She has no clue what's about to hit her in the next month when we bring baby-sister home, but she gives her kisses and hugs already, and begs to hold her, so we think she will be a great big-sister!

Neglect vs Nurture

2010-03-19T14:07:00.001-07:00

I have 100% totally neglected my blog! I don't regret it one bit!! I have been enjoying my time with Ella and Kelsey and nurturing my little baby girl that will make an appearance in the next couple of weeks!!! I do have a lot to catch up on, but I probably won't! I will start with the last couple of weeks and hopefully go from there! Lots of changes around here... Ella has a new room, she had a super fun 2nd birthday party and we have been preparing our house for 2 kids over the last couple of months. Hopefully there will be lots more pictures after baby girl gets here and we get a new camera! Ours is sub-par at best.

Birthday

2009-11-03T07:34:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday to my man who is the hardest working, most successful, loving, bestest daddy and husband I know!

cute pics of Ella the past 2 months

2009-11-02T07:59:00.000-08:00

you should all totally head over to my sisters blog www.christyveer.wordpress.com to check out a bunch of super cute pics of Ella the past couple of months! i have a really good reason for neglecting my blog, but i will post that in a minute! we have still been having tons of fun, i just haven't shared any of it!

Feeding the ducks

2009-09-14T10:51:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we went on a walk with Kelsey's family to feed the ducks @ Sand Creek.

Ella found a tree just her size!

Cooler Weather

2009-08-29T14:11:00.000-07:00

We have been enjoying the cooler weather so much around here!!! One of the first things we always do when it cools down is go hang out @ Grandpa Clark's pond. Kelsey and I got engaged out here, so it is always a special place for us! We are so excited to share it with our children!!

Dallas Trip

2009-08-25T10:33:00.000-07:00

A week ago we headed down with Kelsey's family to go see his Uncle Mike and Aunt Rachel down in Dallas. It was really fun to get away for a while! You can tell from the pics that we were with Christy! Her pictures are 100 times better than mine would be!
Of course, one of the main reasons Kelsey and I went was because we were hoping to find some furniture for our new house @ IKEA. This is the before picture, and I don't have one of the after, but I would be frowning... everything we wanted was out of stock!!!

oh well, it was still a fun experience, and we came back with some fun stuff for Ella's playroom
We also went to DFW airport and watched the plane landing and taking off. Ella LOVES airplanes, and always points them out in the sky, so this was fun, hot but fun!

cousin Cody and his hat were a big hit!

we went to a park the last day, and Ella went down the slides like a million times! It was really good for wearing her out for the long trip home!

The boys played baseball.

Ella is always spoiled when Papa is around... this morning it was coffee and donuts!

Bloggy Break

2009-08-24T10:54:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! We are still here! I haven't blogged in like a month, because I just got burned out on it!! We have still been doing lots of fun stuff, but I'm terrible @ taking pictures, and haven't had the time to sit down and write it out! Hopefully the month of September will be better!! Here are a few of my fav. pics from the last month:
yummy corn on the cob

my brown eyed beauty

shopping with mommy

just cute

Way Late Pics of the 4th

2009-07-27T11:08:00.001-07:00

We spent the 4th of July weekend up in Kansas City with some of Kelsey's family! It was super fun, and Ella did so good sleeping in a hotel and staying up late to watch the fireworks. She was running all over the place, and then the fireworks started, and she sat perfectly still until they were over! I need fireworks in our house=)
Not happy about the bows in my hair!

waiting for the fireworks to start

just have to show off my cute outfit! thanks Grandma Tilson!!

We watched the fireworks @ the Great Mall in Olathe! It was awesome, they gave Ella a little flag to wave and a beachball!

Coke! How much more American can you get?

LOVED the fireworks!

The next day we went to the Legends Mall. Ella loved playing in the fountains with Papa!

Best Husband Ever!!!

2009-07-24T12:36:00.000-07:00

So, I just have to brag on my hubby a little bit! Kelsey had yesterday off of work, and chose to spend the WHOLE day with Ella and I!!! It was so great. We slept in, and then while I was getting ready for a lunch with my girlfriends, Kelsey took Ella with him on errands, so that I could shower in peace! He then showed up with "just because" flowers in hand!! Amazing! I rushed off to enjoy time with my friends, and Kelsey fed Ella lunch and put her down for nap! I came back and we spent the whole afternoon together. I was rushing around trying to get supper ready, and ended up burning Ella's grilled cheese. Kelsey made her some new grilled cheese, and also made his own supper! I headed out to Bible Study, and once again, Daddy and Ella time. They went for a walk and talked to the neighbors. Back from Bible Study, put Ella to bed, then early bed time for us, because Kelsey had to leave @ 4:00 in the morning for a flight today! I just have to say that I have the best husband ever, and Ella has the best daddy! She loves spending time with him, and so do I! Thanks for a great day honey!!(p.s. I am never gone from the house this much, I will go days with nothing to "do" and then it always falls on one day!!)

As Promised... Pics of the House

2009-07-16T11:50:00.000-07:00

Pics of our new home!

We repainted all the walls in the house, and replaced all the flooring.
Kitchen

The living room, which is a yummy brown mocha color! I LOVE it!

Guest Bathroom

Ella's room (painted the same as her old one!)

Ella didn't have a closet in her old room, so I have been SO excited to hang up her clothes!!

Our room that doesn't have the blinds up or decorated at all yet!

A great big back yard that needs a lot of TLC!!

We have really enjoyed living her already! We love the neighborhood, and feel that this house want meant just for us!! I didn't take any pics of the basement... it is finished with 2 more bedrooms and a bathroom. It has a nice living room and storage room also. We painted it gray, and there is not a lot down there except for Ella's toys, I guess we will grow into it! We are so thankful for so much more room and storage! Ella loves running all over!

Sweet Treats

2009-07-07T11:41:00.000-07:00

Ella has my sweet tooth! She has been loving all the summer time sweet treats she has been getting, sometimes twice a day! (bad mommy)
Melted choc. chip cookie smeared all over the face

Ice cream toffee bars! Yummm!

One of the best things about our move is that our friend the Giles live right around the corner! Ella's favorite playmates, Danny and Ryan! Enjoying popsicles!

We're Back!

2009-07-07T11:22:00.001-07:00

Wow!! These past few weeks have been crazy. I didn't blog much the weeks before we moved because I was busy packing. Then the week after we got the house was spent totally remodeling it! And this past week has been full of unpacking, so sorry for the absence! We are in LOVE with our new house (pics will be in a separate post)! It is totally repainted inside, new carpet and new tile linoleum in the kitchen and bathrooms, so it smells so nice and new! So much more space for miss Ella and us to enjoy! We would love to have any and all of you over any time!
Our old house sold really quickly, so that has been a blessing!

We packed up our most precious possession!!

Shopping for blinds @ Lowes w/ Daddy on his lunch break! Precious!

Ella loved having ladders around while we were painting! We found her most of the way up by herself! yikes!

Bittersweet Goodbye

2009-06-25T14:17:00.000-07:00

Kelsey and I are moving out of our first house this weekend! We have LOVED this place! It is so cozy and so special to us! We are SO excited about more space, but we will cherish our memories of this house!

The backyard, which Kelsey worked so hard @ getting looking perfect!

Father's Day

2009-06-20T19:47:00.001-07:00

Happy Father's Day to Ella's amazing daddy! And to our super awesome dads as well!
I totally stole this idea off of PamperingBeki's blog, and this was one of Kelsey's father's day gifts!

This is Ella last father's day @ 3 months old

Ella loves her daddy SO much!! She is such a daddy's girl.. and waits for him to come home from work every day and greets him with a huge smile, and kiss!!
He is AMAZING with her! So loving, attentive and entertains her so well. She definitely has his sense of adventure and is pretty fearless! Her smile and beautiful brown eyes melt my heart, just like her daddy's!!
This pic pretty much sums it up. She looks up to her daddy=)

Water Baby

2009-06-17T10:38:00.000-07:00

More pics of my cute baby in her swimsuit!
Yes, I know my husband is incredibly hot!!

Lovin the Lake

Fearless

Swing!!

Summer Time

2009-06-08T11:29:00.001-07:00

Now that it has finally warmed up enough, we have headed out with Ella to do warm weather stuff! Most of it is still a little too big for her, but she loves it anyway! And I love seeing her in her little swimsuit!!
We went to the Hesston water park, it is super fun!
Check out my cute suit from Aunt Christy!!

A little unsure... I'm so glad daddy is here to hold my hand!

On my own

One evening after Kels got home from work, we headed to the Newton Pool

It was pretty cold!

Loved the slide! You have to click this picture bigger to see the huge smile on her face!

Ready to Ride

2009-05-22T12:10:00.000-07:00

So, Rachel and I have arranged Danny and Ella's marriage ever since she was born! These two love playing together, and I never have my camera around, but Danny loves to hold Ella's hand and lead her around the house or the yard! So sweet! Here's hoping they end up together, because we could have the best wedding slideshow ever, showing pictures from when they were little=) Danny's daddy loves motorcycles, so he was showing Ella how to ride!

Danny, Ryan and Ella... each one thinking "quit touching me!!!"

Announcing...

2009-05-20T12:53:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd catch some interest with that title!! We bought a house!!! We are super excited! It is in Quail Creek! It's a foreclosure so we can't close on it till the end of June, but we can't wait to start working on it to make it our home! It's very close to our friends the Giles, so that is an extra bonus! Kelsey has been working like mad to get our house ready to put on the market! Ella decided to help him scrape the porch!

Kelsey finished painting the house, so we are so close to having it ready! Let your friends know if they are looking for a cute and cozy 2 bedroom house in North Newton!
I will miss my peony bushes so much! I can't wait to plant new ones!

First PuttPutt Ride

2009-05-18T12:18:00.001-07:00

Ella took her first putt putt ride last weekend (in her jammies)!! Grandpa and Grandma Clark's house is always a favorite place for us to be. They have this super old Suzuki little motorcycle that my Aunt won when she was a little kid. Everyone's always called it the Putt Putt because that's the sound it makes! So Ella's Great Grandpa, Grandma, Daddy, Mommy, Aunts and Cousins have all ridden it over the years. She loved it and kept signing more when Kels would stop!

It Starts Early

2009-05-14T11:51:00.001-07:00

For those who know me well, they know I have a majorly huge sweet tooth! Always have, always will. I made cookies the other day (something I try not to very much because I would eat all of them). Ella loved the dough! That's my girl=)

Happy Mother's Day!!

2009-05-10T19:36:00.001-07:00

Kelsey and I are blessed with the two best moms! They would do anything for us, and they do, cheerfully! They are all I can strive to be as a mom, and I seek their counsel often!
Me and my momma

Kelsey's side of the family

This is the sweet pea that I am blessed to be mommy of! She makes me smile every day, and has so much personality, it is never a dull moment! I thank God for entrusting her to us, and I can't wait to teach her about Him!

Big Helper, Nap Time Sweetness, and Cute Hair Clip

2009-05-06T10:26:00.000-07:00

Ok, so while I make dinner, I let Ella play in the fridge! SHHH... don't tell her daddy, I'm sure lots of electricity is wasted on this=) But it keeps her happy for 15 minutes!
Let's see, what can I play with today...

Ohh, this is so heavy!

Time to put it away

I just kept telling her what a big helper she was!

This is how I found Ella during her nap the other day! Pure sweetness, with her arm wrapped around her dolly from Grandma Veer! Adorable!

Ok, if you look really close, you can see a little pink clip in Ella's hair! She doesn't have much hair, so this was really fun for me!!

My sweet girl!

Zoo Trip

2009-04-30T19:40:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday (yes the cold, windy and rainy one) my mom and sisters and kids headed to the Zoo. My sister have Zoo passes, so my mom and I can get in free! Sweet! I had Ella in a super cute shorts outfit, but it was freezing when we got there, so luckily I had some pants and a sweatshirt in her diaper bag!
Ella and her 17 month old cousin Kadin

Lazy Gorilla

Cousin Corbin 4 years old

Aunt Tiffy

Watching the Penguins

Cousin Love

Snack Break

2009-04-30T19:36:00.000-07:00

Favorite Play Things

2009-04-20T14:43:00.000-07:00

Here's a few of Ella's favorite things to play with these days:

Her Scooter

Ella loves walking around the house in my stocking cap, and wants me to pull it over her eyes all the time!

This is my newest attempt to keep Ella busy while I make dinner! Marshmallows!

Easter

2009-04-13T10:52:00.000-07:00

Easter was so fun this year! Last Easter Ella was a month old, but this one she was running all over the place finding eggs and looking for candy! Saturday night we were at my Grandpa and Grandma Duerksen's for our annual "more candy than you could ever eat hunt!" We get so spoiled over there. We each come away with a whole bucket full of candy!
Grandma Tilson

I found some!

Ella's Great Grandma Duerksen

Ella's Great Grandpa Duerksen

I found these bunny ears, and Ella loved them! She would not take them off!!!

Thursdays

2009-04-09T11:04:00.000-07:00

I look forward to Thursdays every week because I get to drop Ella of with her Grandma Veer (which we both love), and go have amazing fellowship and study the Word of God with these amazing women!

We have been studying the book of Daniel and I have learned SO MUCH! Thanks to Debby and Sarah for getting us together and leading each week, and for letting us meet in your wonderful homes! We eat pretty amazing food together too and drink delicious coffee! I LOVE my Thursday mornings!

One Year Pics

2009-04-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

We were once again blessed to have Ella's aunt Christy takes adorable pictures of her. She didn't cooperate too well, but we still got some super cute shots! I have the best one's up in my house, so you'll have to come over and see them! Enjoy! You'll have to copy and paste the following, my link thing isn't working right.
http://www.christyveer.com/gallery/7558802_GDu3G#P-1-24

Happenings

2009-03-31T11:43:00.000-07:00

Wow! I have been super bad at keeping up on my blog! I thought i had to get one more March post in! I can't believe it's almost April! I can't wait for warmer weather, and especially for summer!!! Here's some pics from the last couple of weeks:
One more from Ella's bday, this is before her party

She's been eating lots of new food lately. This one is pineapple:

Her first Druber's Donut:

Our cousin Ben got married last weekend, but I have no pics of the happy couple because this is what Ella was doing all during the ceremony:

The reception was more fun for her! Playing with balloons:

And Uncle Mike's mustache was a big hit!

Hi Mom! Just hangin out with Papa

Ella has been sick with a cold for the past 2 weeks, she was so tired this day, she fell asleep sitting up in her crib! Poor baby!

Ella Noelle turns One!!

2009-03-09T21:16:00.001-07:00

Sunday was Ella's first birthday, and we had a super fun polka dot party! I have been looking forward to this for months! Get ready for picture overload... thanks to Ella's Aunt Christy for taking all the pictures for us! Click on any of them to make them bigger!
I'll show the details first:

The Food

The Polka Dot Butterfly Cake

The Decor

Ella seemed to like the decorations!

Papa Veer was helping Ella peek at her presents!

The pretty Birthday Girl!

Cute Sunglasses

ELMO!!!

Hello Kitty Rainboots

An Airplane just like Daddy flies!

Ella had lots of help opening presents!

even with all her presents, Ella still kept taking Ryan's car!

she loved her cupcake!

Our family!!

Ella brings so much joy to our lives!! She is such a sweet, smart little girl. She learns a new word everyday, and we love to hear her sweet little voice talking! She gives the best kisses! She is walking all over the place, and will soon be running around. We feel so blessed to be her parents, and thank God for giving her to us! We want to raise her to love Him with all her heart!

Shared

2009-03-05T11:51:00.000-08:00

Last year I shared a birthday with this precious girl! More than anything, I wish we were sharing it again! My heart, thoughts and prayers are with Joel, Jess, my dear friend Anne, and Cora's grandparents, and all of her amazing family today as they honor her life and share sweet memories!

Recap

2009-03-05T11:01:00.000-08:00

Here's a little recap of Ella's past couple of weeks in pics!

We went to the park with Grandma Tilson.

She climed all the way up the stairs by herself!

Playing horsey with daddy!

At the Zoo with Aunt Tiffy

watching Elmo, she loves it for some reason=)

Warmer Weather Fun

2009-02-17T12:42:00.000-08:00

We have been able to get out periodically the past few weeks to enjoy the warmer weather! It has felt SO good to get some fresh air, and it makes me long for Spring to hurry up and get here!

It was so windy this day, but it was warm so we went anyway! Poor Ella!

Daddy got to go with us this day which was a special treat!

I can't believe how big she is already, soon she'll be able to run around!

Hanging out @ Grandpa's Pond

Ella and Daddy

Help build Cora's playgroud!

2009-02-12T18:50:00.000-08:00

Please click on the pink button above. It takes you to a link called Etsy. Here you can buy lots of things that are being made in honor of Cora. All proceeds help to build her playground. There are some really awesome, cute things on there.

Giggles and First Steps

2009-02-12T18:44:00.001-08:00

These giggles are medicing to my heart! Ella is venturing slowly out on her own!

Sweet Angel

2009-02-09T07:15:00.001-08:00

Our dear sweet Cora went to be with Jesus on Sunday. She lost her fight with cancer. Our hearts are breaking for our friends! I know that Jesus is holding her tight and that she is healed and happy. What a beautiful angel!

A celebration of Cora's life will be held at 1:00 PM on Tuesday, February 10, at Grace Community Church, 1600 S. Anderson Rd. Newton, Kansas.

Burial will follow at the Pleasant View Cemetery in rural Elbing.

In lieu of sending flowers, a memorial has been established to construct the Cora Playground, an extension of the children's ministries department at Grace Community Church.

Please Keep Praying

2009-02-04T09:45:00.000-08:00

http://themcclenahans.blogspot.com/

What I've Been up to Lately

2009-01-29T11:19:00.001-08:00

I push my walker all around, but I'm still too scared to venture out on my own.

I love to listen to music, and I have to push all these shiny buttons.

I have to lick EVERYTHING, just to make sure it is ok!

This is what I usually do while mommy makes dinner.

I try to hide from Mommy and Daddy when it's bedtime.

Here is a preview of my birthday skirt! Can't give away the whole outfit=)

Info on Cora

2009-01-26T12:53:00.000-08:00

To get updates, prayer requests, and ways we can all help the McClenahans, please go to
http://corapaige.blogspot.com/

Please Pray With Us

2009-01-24T11:09:00.000-08:00

Please pray with us for this sweet baby girl!

Our dear friend Joel and Jess McClenahan's daughter Cora, who is 3 days older than Ella, was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma Cancer. She has undergone surgery to remove a mass, and will start Chemo on Monday. Our hearts are so heavy, and I simply cannot understand how the words baby and cancer can be in the same sentence! We have been on our knees in prayer, and are trying to get the word out to as many people as possible so that we can cover this whole situation in prayer! Joel and Jess are the most wonderful parents and friends, we love them and Cora so much! Please pray for rest for all of them, that the type of cancer she has would be easily treatable, and we will soon have sweet baby Cora's smiles back again!

Stolen Pictures

2009-01-09T10:38:00.000-08:00

My sister in law Christy is an amazing photographer! We love having her around for MANY reasons, but one of them is that we get adorable pics of Ella all the time! She will be in Africa for the next 2 months!! Luckily she will be back in time for Ella's birthday, so cute pics will abound!

Leftovers

2009-01-01T12:53:00.000-08:00

A few leftover Christmas pics from this year.

visiting Great Grandpa and Grandma Veer

cute cute sweater from Aunt Christy

Ella was everyone's favorite play thing @ the family get togethers

pretty pretty princess

Christmas with Grandpa and Grandma Veer

2009-01-01T12:17:00.000-08:00

The first three pics are from Christmas morning... we opened stockings and Ella opened one gift! I videotaped it all, and in the process forgot to get pics of her stocking! Oops!

Ella's new thing is to open her mouth as wide as she can quite often!

Ella kissing her baby doll! She got one from each set of grandparents this Christmas, and she loves them so much! She hugs and kisses them, and points out their eyes, nose and mouth!

Ella's other favorite toy... opening and closing a cardboard box!

An Ella sized rocking chair from Grandpa and Grandma Veer.

Christmas Dress

2008-12-27T08:14:00.000-08:00

My mom made Ella a Christmas Dress this year!! SO CUTE! Not red and green, but pink and fancy with lots of tulle! Love it!

Daddy's Pretty Princess

Gpa and Gma Tilson Christmas

2008-12-25T12:22:00.001-08:00

I have to break these next couple of posts up, so as not to overload you with pics! I video taped and tooks pics of everything! So fun! Ella has had so much fun, and been so good considering the long days and tons of people! Christmas Eve we spent the day with Gpa and Gma Tilson and Ella's Aunts and cousins. That evening we went to the Christmas Eve service @ church, and then on to the big Great Gpa Veer get together with 30+ people!

Ella, Corbin and Kadin w/ Papa and Grandma Tilson]

we decorate sugar cookies every year!

yummy!

Happy Birthday Jesus

Papa Tilson

Ella loves to play the piano!

She walked all over with Kadin's shopping cart

toothy grin

Random

2008-12-20T11:30:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post with random pictures from the past couple of weeks! Lots more pics to come from all of our Christmas celebrations! Can't wait!

Every year, Kels and I have gone to Botanica Illuminations. It was freezing this year!

Ella's first picture w/ Santa, totally unimpressed, and FYI he was Indian, who knew

Opening her first present of the season

Ella's favorite thing is to show us "how big" she is!

My Mom, Sister and I hosted/decorated a table @ the Christmas Tea this year

Good Morning Sunshine

2008-12-04T12:07:00.000-08:00

This is the PRECIOUSNESS that I am blessed to wake up to everyday!

Holiday Time

2008-12-02T08:58:00.000-08:00

This past week we enjoyed 3 Thanksgiving feasts!! Ella did so good with so many people holding her! She sure is a friendly little girl! I cannot figure out how to upload the video, but last Monday Ella started CRAWLING all over the place! It is so fun to watch, and to hear her call out my name as she follows me from room to room! She pulls herself up on everything, even if it just falls right back on top of her! Lots of tears this week. We are just starting to decorate for Christmas! I have been looking forward to this since the day Ella was born! The pics are from Thanksgiving and decorating Grandpa and Grandma Veers tree.

Some of the Clark women

Ella, Momma & Aunt Christy

"helping" decorate

so pretty!

reading with Grandpa

TAGGED

2008-12-01T08:18:00.000-08:00

I have been tagged by several people now, so I suppose I better oblige!!

Husbands Name: Kelsey Wayne Veer

How Long Married: 4 yrs and 5 months
How Long Dated: 3 years and 10 months
How Old: just turned 26 this month
Who is Taller: We are exactly the same height 5'9
Better Singer: I would have to say me, even though he has a beautiful voice that I love to hear him sing. I've just had more background in music.
Smarter: Him by a landslide! He has an incredible memory, and is finishing up his masters right now, I am SO proud of him!
Laundry: That would be me... but I love doing laundry! I like the smell of the fabric softener and folding Ella's adorable little clothes!
Who Pays Bills: that's all him
Right Side of Bed: Right now it's me, but I like to sleep on the side away from the door, so it changes.
Mows the Lawn: I used to help with this occasionally until I got pregnant, and I haven't since. He does an awesome job on our yard.
Cooks Dinner: That's something I enjoy doing, but love it when he breaks out the grill for us!
First to admit they're wrong: It's a tie, we have good communication about those things.
Who Kissed First: He did, Christmas Eve 2000! Awesome!
Wears the Pants: Him, I trust him completely in ever decision he makes. We do discuss major decisions.
And here is my wonderful husband:

And now I tag Molly & Alyssa

No Self Control

2008-11-21T15:04:00.001-08:00

I did it again... I spent way too much money today on pictures!! It is SO hard not to buy a bunch, because she is so stinkin cute!! Here are some of my favorites!

New Places to Play

2008-11-20T12:32:00.000-08:00

Ella loves standing up to play now. It is really fun to watch, but I have to be on my toes for when she crashes... I'm trying to avoid too many bruises on her head for family pics this Friday!

This is the look I get from Ella when I tell her "no"

So Many New Things....

2008-11-13T12:27:00.000-08:00

Ella is doing so many new things all at once it seems! She can move clear across a room without crawling. She sits up by herself, which in turn leads to her pulling herself up on everything. This morning she was standing in her crib calling for her mama! Cute you might think, not as cute @

4:00 in the morning! Yesterday she folded her hands to pray all by herself when I said it was time to pray before her lunch! (I almost cried). She raises her arms above her head when you say "so big" and then she claps for herself! She also claps along to any music she hears. She added some words to her vocabulary this week also, and called all of her grandparents by name to their face, they were thrilled! Papa and Nana is what she uses so far. Her favorite thing to do is jump! We got her a Jenny Jump Up, but she likes to jump everywhere but in it, so hopefully she will learn to love it. I wish my baby wasn't growing up so fast!

Future Piano Player

2008-11-05T13:17:00.000-08:00

I think we have a future piano player on our hands! Ella loves to play the piano, and listen to others play. Don't try and make her play your way though, she wants to do it herself! I've caught her looking at the music a few times too, she will be better than her momma in no time!

Bathtime

2008-11-05T13:13:00.000-08:00

Ella is starting to like her baths more and more!

Crazy Kansas Fall Weather

2008-11-03T12:02:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago it was freezing!! Today, Ella and I enjoyed a walk outside, and I wore shorts and a t-shirt! Crazy, but we are loving this warm weather and playing in the leaves!

First Halloween

2008-11-01T19:19:00.000-07:00

Ella was a sweet cuddly pink bear this Halloween! She didn't mind her costume @ all, and I even heard her growl a little bit=) Mommy & Daddy were @ Judgement House working this year, so Grandpa and Grandma Veer took her around their neighborhood to show her off!

Inside her costume she was a giraffe!!

Kisses

2008-10-25T08:14:00.000-07:00

She's not doing it as much anymore, which makes me sad... but Ella gives the sweetest kisses! She grabs your face with both hands, and plants a slobbery kiss on ya. I love it so much!

So Close...

2008-10-21T12:52:00.000-07:00

Ella is so close to crawling now. She does not want to sit still any more. She is constantly rocking herself over onto all fours, but has yet to get very far.

The Goal

The Process

Success!

The other night, Ella shocked us by pulling herself up and standing in her pack & play! Daddy immediately went and lowered her crib mattress!

Happy Birthday (late) Grandma Tilson!

2008-10-21T09:09:00.000-07:00

My mom's birthday was on the 13th. Sorry this is late!