Ellie JoLynn

Tuesday's child is full of grace....



Ellie was born Tuesday, June 8, 2004 at 1:28 am.


just 10 days late


which I believe explains her constant "slowness". We named her appropriately...if you were a fly on the wall at our house you would often hear, "Ellie Jo we gotta go!!!"

(but then again you will also hear "Cecilia Kate we are running late!!"....so maybe it has nothing to do with the girls...maybe it's me....no way that CANNOT be!!!)







I don't know what I would do without Ellie Jo!

For the last 6 years she has been my constant companion...we have spent less than 10 nights apart. She makes me laugh, makes me smile, keeps me on my toes, reminds me to live each moment, and yes sometimes she even frustrates me. I definitely have a soft spot for Ellie. Which I guess it is probably bad to start out a softy with the first one. But then again we feel like we have put her through so much and yet she still is such an amazing little girl!

We found out Ellie would be coming into our lives on my 22nd birthday....Tim and I were both still students at Iowa State. Probably not the best planning....but then again I don't make the plan I just live it! We were so excited! I graduated from ISU 9 months pregnant, I went back the next year to finish my teaching certificate and yes Ellie did attend class with me a time or two. Tim was in graduate school at Iowa State. So after I finished student teaching I took at teaching job in Ames. Ellie turned one, I taught, Tim went to school and Life was so good!

But we knew it wouldn't stay that way....we knew we would have to move. We were hoping it wouldn't be that far away...but like I said before I don't make the plan, I just live it.

Tim got a call from Arizona State University...yes the geography is correct, that is NOT close to Iowa. In a whirlwind of about 7 days our lives changed forever. We both went on the interview...he interviewed with ASU and I with schools in Tempe. We both got job offers and we took them. We packed up our whole life and left for Arizona.

Now, back to Ellie. Everyone told me kids are resilient. She won't even notice. She'll bounce back before you do. not. true. well, maybe they do bounce back....but the heartbreak before they do is too much to watch.

The first month in Arizona was horrible. Ellie knew we had moved away from our families, she knew. The first few weeks she wouldn't even play. She would just lay on a step. Then the night terrors started. She would have these awful fits during her sleep. It broke our hearts to see her like this. Slowly things got better. We moved to Arizona in July of 2006 and in March of 2007 we finally made friends and what amazing friends they turned out to be. I strongly believe it was that friendship that turned things around for Ellie (and me).

Now don't think things were totally rotten....we were having fun too. It was just so hard for us to watch her be so sad.....it just explains my {huge} soft spot for her:)



Ellie will be 6 in June. She is growing into such an beautiful, talented, and amazing little person. She can be outgoing and crazy, polite and shy, but most of all she is caring, kind, and wise. grace. Already at her young age, her life experiences have shaped her into who she is today.

and I LOVE HER!

Sorry I got a little off track...but you can't really understand Ellie until you know the whole story.