A few words - several thousand or so actually.

New Year's Eve seems to be morphing into the "Terrill Family Day."

 

We go to Clocker's Corner and watch the morning workouts.

 

We have a family photo shoot.

 

We come up with an activity that makes us laugh and smile and generally have a good time.

 

We eat a lot of food.  And some years have a toast with Martinellis.

 

We read last year's predictions and laugh at the "spot on" nature of some of them.

 

We write new predictions for the upcoming year.

 

Most of the children are determined to stay up until midnight - and some of them make it.

 

We draw names and open gifts.

 

  

We usually have "poppers" and this year Hannah introduced us to the practice of holding hands in a circle as we  pop them.

 Everyone sleeps over in Monrovia.  Thank goodness there are two Terrill homes in Monrovia.

What a great tradition this has grown into.  What a great bunch of people this is continuing to grow into.

Are you impressed that I wrote it all without one exclamation point?

(But I will exclaim that we love all of you very much - and thank you for another wonderful holiday!!!)

Winding down and getting things back where they were!

Harry had asked me if we had more comforter covers - and I said no.  (He wasn't real keen on the one we had, and it was time to take the holiday one off.)  So I ordered a new one I had coveted last year - and this year I got it for 40% off!!  Then I discovered a storage container with not one, not two, but 6 comforter cover sets!!  One was for a single bed - somebody's college cover I think - I'd be happy to send it to whomever claims it - and two were for king size beds - not sure why I have those - since we've never had a king size bed.  I'm sure at some point I will discard them.  Or maybe next Christmas there will be a crying need for comforter covers!!

In the meantime I am loving my new set - it's so bright and cheery.  And the moonlight that streams in at night through the skylight - it is positively heavenly!!

Sunday Sue Cornwall came by for a lovely visit - everyone loves Sue, so it was a perfect "last day" activity for Hannah - and I sat in on it too!!  Sue and I are certainly not the same age, but we have had kids who were the same age, and she's taught 4 of the Terrill kids in Seminary, so we do have a connection.  And it is certainly lovely to have that connection validated with a special visit!!  When you don't have those "same age" kids around all the time, other aspects of our lives take over sometimes.  Thank heavens for the holidays!!

 

Robbie, chef extraordinaire, did a stuffed pork tenderloin for Sunday dinner.  It wasn't a big crowd, and some of us had to hustle off to Great to Be Eight, but it was a nice note to end on .

 

Eve wanted to make something for Rhoda, so we did some shopping on Saturday and put together this "cat blanket" for Rhoda.  It was fun, and Eve was pleased with the result - Hannah was too.

 

As Phoebe would say, Rhoda is shown here wearing  a "Sue Cornwall Special," and it will get lots of use in the chill of the East coast.

 

The newest Terrill grandkids sharing Eve's little blanket - they could almost be twins!!

Monday morning came early - Hannah and Robbie actually missed their flight but got on a better one with a separate seat for Rhoda's carseat.

And Monday afternoon I came home and washed blankets and bedding and laundry and put things back where they went and put some things in new places - and may never find them again I fear!!  I also threw a significant amount of expired cosmetics and OTC meds away.  Also purged a closet or two - I was somewhat ruthless, if I do say so myself!  A good start to the new year!

And my Christmas cards came in the mail, so if you are on my list, you can look forward to getting one soon - or semi-soon!

But I do miss Rhoda's smiling face in the a.m.  And Theo and Ida and Lars at the breakfast table.  And Sully's antics.  And Henry's calm demeanor.  And automobile shuffling.  And Calvin's spiffy Suspender Shirt.  And endless wrapped gifts.  And Agnes' absolute enthusiasm.  And meals around crowded tables.  And David's admonitions.  And the smell of bacon under Robbie's capable hands.  And Bruce's wise words.  And the Bolander girls one and all.  And endless warm towels from the dryer.  And the Terrill crew from Lemon Avenue.  And stacks of folded quilts and pillows.  And Dawn's laughter.  And Phoebe's bright smile.  And Bonny's solutions.  And Harry's good ideas.  And movies in the family room.  And Eliza's distinct enthusiasm.  And bags from Pavilions.  And Hannah's happiness with the season.  And Noah's heartfelt presence.  And Matt's absolute reasonableness.

We still have the warm December days and the bright sunshine - and they bring happy memories!!  And we have Jonah forever, because we are a forever family.

All here under one roof, often together.  I miss that.

So grateful for a wonderful holiday celebration.  We are truly blessed.

And then there were three!

Matt, Eliza, and kids left while I was at school, so there are no farewell shots.  I came home to a quieter house - and immediately missed the patter of little feet and Star Wars Land Speeders racing down the hall.

 

Ella made a quilt for Miss Rhoda.  With a label all its own.

 

She is quite the little seamstress!!

 

We enjoyed a meal at Harry and Dawn's the night before Eliza left.  Yummy chilli on rice.

 

Seems like "photo bombers" abound these days.

 

Eve had gym, but we stayed long enough to get to see her.

 

Theo insisted on closing his eyes for every shot!!

 

Eliza and Hannah see a lot of each other - and we get to see them both in a couple of weeks when we go fro Rhoda's blessing, but we will still miss having "the little kids" in the house once more!!

At least we have Hannah and Robbie and the lovely Miss Rhoda for another few days!

The holiday is winding down - but the fun goes on!

As a family, we exchange gifts on New Year's Eve - it's like Christmas all over again - just a week later - the kids get pretty excited too.

 

This year's agenda included a Family Film Festival - using iPhone apps!!  It was a major hit!

 

It was a pretty snug fit in our tiny family room - there were 30 of us!!  But we were laughing so much, we didn't notice.  The theme was family history - and there were certainly a lot of different interpretations!!

 

Agnes had told me it was her fondest dream to stay awake until midnight - she missed it by about 45 minutes!!

The kids are all too busy playing all day to be persuaded to take naps, which might make it easier to stay awake.  I was having trouble staying awake!!

 

Sully crashed when I snuggled him in the new Pendleton blanket the kids gave to Harry and me.  It's soft and beautiful.

 

We opted for pizza and paper plates - with lots of snacks thrown in too!

 

We probably should have set up a puzzle to keep everyone occupied as the time dragged on.  We are thinking of doing a New York New Year next year - then we could finish up at 9!  We're not sure we could fool the kids though.

 

New Year's day was full of running and biking and working on bikes and playing at the park.  On the 2nd, the men in the group - along with our friend Jordan - took a 30 mile bike ride up Glendora Canyon.  

I think I'm getting things out of order and missing things - but you get the general drift - which is that we have truly enjoyed spending all this time together - half the things we planned did not get done - but it's a holiday, so we just save up the good ideas for next year!!

We did have a photo shoot on New Year's Eve day - Marissa Carlson took some great family photos - I will post them on my personal blog - http://www.grannybabs.blogspot.com - and I've posted a couple on FB.

The Family Terrill!!

We had a family photo taken on New Year's Eve day.  I will post more later, but we were pleased with the results.  Harry hadn't gotten home - even though we started late - so we are not in the shot.  But then,  I'd rather look at photos of my kids and grandkids anyway!!

Fun family times continue!!

Thursday was the 30 mile bike trip, mani-pedis at Urbane, In 'n Out lunch at the park, and dinner at Harry and Dawn's.  Deacon continues to charm everyone, especially Miss Ella.

 Ice cream for dessert - Phoebe and Calvin seem to approve.

Such scenes are more and more common all the time - Porter, Henry, Robbie, and Harry W. are engrossed in something electronic!!

 

The lovely Miss Agnes - the Fillmores leave tomorrow - we will miss them lots!

 

Eve opened up her own little spa - what a treat for some of us lucky ones!

 

Dawn continues to be the hostess with the mostess!!

 

Robbie - and others of the male category in the family, like Matt shown below, are getting ready for the yearly trip to the Koren barber.  Hopefully I can get some after photos.

 

David - the photo bomber!!

 

Sully - who loves ice cream - and Isla's dog costume!!

 

We have a few more days with Eliza and family - so nice to have them here!!

 

And Hannah and Robbie are staying even longer - a special treat for us all.

 

Theo is enjoying getting to know his cousins better.  That is a joy for us as grandparents - to see relationships grow.

 

Mmm - is that a chocolate face on Miss Ida??

 

Marjorie, David, and Harry - discussing something vital I am sure - conversation is another great part of these holiday times we all share.

Tomorrow's agenda is a little more scattered - not too many "all together" activities - but fun times loom for sure!

Will update soon!