The holiday winds down -

Things are winding down around here - Hannah and Robbie leave tomorrow, Matt left this afternoon - he was supposed to leave last night - after getting to the airport and boarding the plane, the flight ended up being canceled. Long story - we'll tell it later!!

It was especially fun, though, for Hannah, Eliza, Katie, and Mandy to have a little mini-reunion tonight!! Eliza is here until Thursday, so we will still have some company this week - it's nice to have the whole visitor thing stretch itself out so we can go back to "aloneness" in stages!

At dinner on Sunday we said our goodbyes to Bill and Marjorie - who will leave tomorrow. It's always nice to have a round of Golf or two with them!

Matt was holding Isla - and Ida wasn't too keen on the idea!!

Robbie made dinner for us tonight.

We could get used to all this - but maybe if everyone was here all the time, we wouldn't find the times together so rejuvenating!

(In case you care, the first day back to school was not too bad - of course, I had prepared before we left for the break because I have learned that if you don't, you don't remember what you were doing two weeks earlier!! Sometimes you forget all your passwords too!!)

Anyway, June will be here before you can say "Jack Robinson!!"

Word Pictures

The holiday is happening. Phoebe, David, and children arrived last night. We are all busy - Christmas Eve dinner for 29 to be shopped for and prepared. Where do we seat everyone?? Terrill Family Party fare to be shopped for and prepared - and we won't have a day in-between!

Pick up Hannah and Robbie. David said, when looking at the calendar, "You have a slot for 'Hannah arrives' and 'Eliza arrives' but no slot for us arriving!" My reply - "We aren't picking you up somewhere, so we don't have to remember. We're just glad you're here!"

But it is so good to be with everyone - it is a glad season - let the carols play, let the chaos reign, let the floor be littered with pallets and blankets and pillows. Let the laundry pile up. Let peace and joy and goodwill rule the day!!

I'm committed to trying! But I will probably keep gathering up wet towels and washing them. Look in the "new" laundry room if you can't find your towel. Ask me if you can't find something else. I probably put it somewhere when I was "picking up!"

I should be taking pictures of Sully snuggled up to Henry as he reads Harry Potter. Of Agnes with the Potato Heads. Of Dad and Henry playing tetherball and picking oranges and juicing said oranges. Of David doing a puzzle.

I will take some pictures. I will post them. I will reflect on how much fun it was to have everyone here.

And I will try not to stress over all of it. Maybe I will just stress over part of it!!

There is a reason for the season - and I will try to keep reminding myself of that!!

And maybe make a note for next year - to start earlier!

The best gift of all is a great mom!!

And can I just say that I have one? So do 11 other people I know, but I just wanted to go on record.

She's been there for a long time. Another gift.


It's raining, it's pouring, and the city sidewalks are busy indeed, but it's important to pause and consider what it's all about.

The Goose is Getting Fat

Finally- the Annual Cousin Gift Giving List

I actually drew each of these names, even though Bonny made fun of me for it. I could do a rotation, but it seems that we keep getting more grandkids so it will throw the rotation off. If you have any suggestions for an easier way, let me know! I did go back and check the list from last year and no one is giving to the same person that they had last year.

Ara to Agnes
Ella to Porter
Esme' to Sully
Annika to Isla

Eve to Esme'
Porter to Calvin
Harry to Henry
Isla to Annika

Henry to Harry
Calvin to Theo
Agnes to Eve
Sully to Ida

Theo to Ara
Ida to Ella

It's beginning to look a lot like...well, you know.

Correct me if I'm wrong...

Christmas 2010:
Bonny gives to Noah
Harry gives to Bonny
Phoebe gives to Harry
Eliza gives to Phoebe
Hannah gives to Eliza
Noah gives to Hannah

Rollin' with the Bowlin'

More Bikes

This is Bruce - these are a few of his bikes.

Annika - fierce as always


Mom - she was there - documenting

Dad - I think this is where Annika gets her fierceness.

"The party's over, it's time to call it a day . . "

I came home at lunch today to bid farewell to the last of our visitors. It's awfully quiet around here now - so we went over to Harry and Dawn's to keep them company after they took Bill and Marjorie to the airport!!

Eliza had a multitude of last-minute chores - we always think there will be more time, for more things - but maybe it's good to leave when there's still more to do!

Our little Volvo was bursting at the seams - it's not used to multiple carseats, strollers - and luggage!! But it came through and the busy travelers made it to the plane on time!

It was a record breaking year - 19 at the New Year's Eve sleepover, 29 at the New Year's Eve celebration, no one got sick, and only these items were found when we played pick-up tonight.

Let me know what's yours, and I'll send it on!

I said I'd probably post tonight, but I've been fighting a cold - so I went to bed at 8:30 last night - and slept all night too!! So I will hit the hay now - and post the pics from Sunday tomorrow.

But maybe you're tired of endless photos of the same people.

I never get tired of our wonderful family - thank you all for a glorious holiday - I miss you all already!!

"It's the end of a decade"

In the interest of time, I am just posting these photos - it's late - the house is quiet - and it has not been quiet all day. That's not a bad thing - but we have 19 people sleeping in our house tonight, so there was a plenty of noise and activity until the old year ended and we rang in the new. We went to the morning workouts at Santa Anita, had breakfast at Clocker's Corner, visited the Arboretum, the girls and I had mani-pedi's at Urbane, Bruce brought the bikes and some unicycles so there was a bikeride for some, we had a taco dinner, we played games, opened gifts, read and wrote predictions, and now we are getting ready to bid farewell to Phoebe, David and family, ride more bikes, attempt once more to have a grandkids photo, and get ready for Isla's blessing day on Sunday.

It's been a great year - maybe I will post some of the predictions that were read for 2009. In the meantime, we wish you all the best in this new decade!!