Happy Day to Miss Eve and Grandma Helen!

A fave baby photo of mine of the lovely Miss Eve - I remember how her dad and mom would take walks to our house from their house and this is how Eve looked!  I made the little hat - so that makes it even more special!

 

  Eve's 8th grade photo from the start of the last school year - she's in high school now! Oh my, how the years fly!

Hope today is the happiest birthday ever - and that the year ahead is the best ever too!

Eve shares her birthday with her Great Grandma Helen - shown here as a young girl in a dance recital.  You can really see the Taylor in this photo.

 

And here's Helen 6 years ago when we celebrated her 95th birthday.  She's hitting 101 this year!

Happy day to her - may the year ahead bring joy!!

Helen turns one hundred - let the party begin!!

I can't say that I've attended very many 100th birthday parties - I've attended exactly one now!!  And that was the one we held for Helen on September 5th at the Lemon Avenue Building.   

A few caveats and disclaimers before you peruse this post:  Doug Teeples was the camera man - and he forgot his camera.  So he used mine.  And he took a lot of photos.  But he didn't take some photos I might have taken - he was busy doing the many "group" shots that were requested.  So if you're wondering why there are not shots of the set up or decor or food or Polly, it's because Doug is Doug - and not me!!

But we thank him for the many great shots he did take!

 

For example this great shot of Harry, Barb, and the Terrills with Helen.  It was a real treat to have all our kids in one spot at one time!!

 

Noah is always happy to be with Grandma - and he often helps with her transport and care - and we appreciate that!

 

Hannah was enjoying her time too.

 

As was Bonny!  Harry, Eliza, and Phoebe enjoyed it too - but I didn't tell Doug to take a photo!

 

  

It was my idea to take an in-laws - famously called "The Outlaws" - photo - after all, none of this posterity would exist without us!

Chuck Taylor made an appearance after battling some extreme traffic.  Jack and family came too - but once again I didn't tell Doug to take a photo!!

 

From the minute she heard about the party, Emily was on board.  "I can get a 5 generation photo!!"  Those don't happen often!

 

Phoebe, Amy, and Hannah - it was pretty fun to see all the cousin love going around!!

 

My favorite part was not being in charge - so I could sit and eat and enjoy!!

 

John and Gloria Wilson came - so great to see them - John is Harry's cousin - they hadn't been together since 1991!  John is from the Terrill side - whereas the Taylor's are on Helen's side - in case you don't know that!

 

Helen made off with Chris' hat I think - and it does become her nicely!

 

Francis was his charming self!!

 

There are grandkid photos on Instagram and FB - these are a portion of Helen's 57 great-grandchildren!

A wonderful time was had by all!!  If a 100th birthday party is in your future, I'll be glad to lend you my banner!!

Happy Birthday Helen and Eve!

Eve shares her birthday with her Great-Grandma Helen - Helen was 87 the year Eve was born.  

In the above photo, Helen is 13.

 

This photo is from Eve's 13th year, and I'm feeling like this is pretty special!!

Happy day to  the new centenarian - and the new teen!

A soon-to-be Centerenarian!

We are busy getting ready for Helen's 100th b-day party on Saturday.  Tuesday night we had a little shindig for her at the Gardens - and about 30 friends and ward members came.  It was a nice evening - a little confusing for Helen, but she put on her game face and did her best!!

The party Saturday is essentially a family reunion and promises to be a great afternoon.

 

These photos were found as we have been going through Helen's things as we moved her out of her house.

 

These are of a younger, single career woman and UCLA grad!!  As we took Ara up to BYU, I was imagining that Helen's college years were certainly different than even what I experienced - but I'm sure it was all exciting for her.

A long life, well-lived - and we are grateful that she is with us so we can celebrate this milestone with her.

I just hope her birthday card from the White House, which I ordered 6 weeks ago, comes in time!!

(In case you are interested, just google "birthday greetings from the White House" - they do wedding and birth congratulations too!!)

Wrapping it up - at least until the next event!

September is a busy month - and it's not even over yet!!  Started with celebrating Grandma Helen's 99th birthday!

 

And of course, that means Eve had a birthday too - her 12th!! She had celebrated with her friends a week earlier.

 

Next came the 4th annual Terrill's Ice Cream Social - always a big hit!

 

Grandpa got in the act too!

 

Then it was time for Harry's birthday - always fun to celebrate with cake!!

 

Sadly, all of these events coincided with the death of our dear friend Ry Nebeker.  Harry and I went to Oregon for the service.  This cemetery is in a state park in Warrenton - and this is where Ry's parents are buried also.

 

Jim and Helen Heder came for the services also - it was so good to see Sarah - and to feel all the love that everyone was sharing.  We set off paper lanterns that were carrying paraffin candles - over the ocean.  As they drifted away it looked like beautiful constellations.

 

All three of Ry's children spoke movingly about their dad - and Israel shared a song he had written.  The service was beautiful - it personified Ry perfectly.  So glad that Bonny and Phoebe could come.

Ry's two brothers came - spoke together - it was superb - Ry probably wished he could join them!  You can see the family resemblance I am sure!!

 

Managed to squeeze in a nice long birthday weekend with Eve - we shopped, ate, had our nails done, played games with Grandpa, baked apple dumplings - and got in a little car accident!! Yikes!!  Eve also got her homework and her practicing done!

 

So fun to see Erika, Felipe, and family.

 

As Erika reported, we dined al fresco and had lots of fun and good conversation.

 

I think they inspired Harry and Dawn - who took their kids after school the next day to Disneyland!  (also, it was Marjorie's birthday - Dawn felt she needed to be at the happiest place on earth to get through the day - and I'm pretty sure Marjorie approved!)

 

Then we had Dawn's first official pack meeting since she was called as Den Leader - she's a natural for the job - she's got those boys whipped into shape already!!

 

Other events have occurred, but I've reported them on my blog - tonight some of my current and former colleagues from Clifton had a little dinner party in my honor.  I don't miss the stress of teaching - but I do miss my good friends!

September is not over - but there aren't any big events coming up - of course, then we have October - another chock-filled month!!

Stay tuned!

Birthday Week!

 Because there are multiple birthdays this week, and because Harry F. had to work Sunday, we decided to have Helen's celebration this Sunday - and we'll celebrate Harry F. and Eve next Sunday.  Dawn wrote the numbers 9 and 7 in candles - and Helen blew them all out on the first try!!

Marjorie is here - she has moved to Monrovia - it was great to have her here with us!!

 

Dawn's brother Sean and his wife Jean drove the U-haul and Dawn and Marjorie drove Marjorie's car from El Paso.  With Marjorie living here, I'm sure we'll see lots of Dawn's other family members when they come to visit - which is just fine with us - the more the merrier!!

A bit of a bug has been going through the house on Lemon - and Eve celebrated her b-day by coming home from gymnastics feeling ill!  Porter was ill Sunday, Dawn was ill today - we're hoping the bug stops at Lemon!!

Meanwhile, happy day to the birthday folks!!

A birthday day!!

Sunday was a veritable birthday day - it was b-day number 96 for Great Grandma Helen - and birthday number 9 for Eve. If you know them, it was also a birthday for Andrew Rich, Wanda Mendez, and Dana Bozek!!

Aunt Donna with two of her favorite nieces. (She has a lot of faves too!!)

To add to the fun, Hannah K. was in town.

Always glad to see the cousins!

And Bonny and Bruce.

The reigning dowagers!

The birthday girl greets the cousins!!

Love to see the Cieslas!!

And the siblings!!

Good neighbors - Dawn with Paula and Rebecca.

Mary and Donna - letting her hair down!!

Fun to see Esme' and Annika again.

Clayton Grandkids.

Clayton Kids.

Terrill Kids.

Making the ever-popular Mimi cakes - 3 of them this time!!

The Terrill Grandkids.

Helen's Mimi Cake.

Harry's Mimi Cake.

Some cute girls line up for cake-lighting fun!

A happy girl!!

Eve's Mimi Cake.

Setting off the conflagration.

The Honorees!

Wooing Miss Isla!!

Harry and I made a corsage for Helen - we do a pretty good job, if I do say so myself!!

96 years young!!

It was a muggy evening - the rain came down briefly - but hard enough to drive us inside. At least it waited for most of us to finish eating!!

Thanks to Dawn for another great party!! She is indeed the Party Queen!!