Happy 13th to Calvin!

Happy 13th to this boy - a teenager - I remember when he looked like this!!

Love that boy - looking forward to our visit next month!!

Enjoy your day - and the year ahead!

Baby Jonah

Our sweet baby Jonah ended his brief sojourn here on earth 6 years ago today.

 

His journey on earth was short - but he taught all of us much that we will never forget.

"Eleven days of life, a lifetime of memories."

Happy Birthday Eve - and Helen!

Helen would have been 102 today - and Eve is 15!  Birthday buddies always - Eve is fortunate to share a lovely legacy with her great-grandmother.

And Eve is such a lovely girl - so proud of her!

Happy day to you - and all year through!

(This photo is from 2005 - when Helen turned 90 and Eve turned 3)

Happy 7th to Keesa!

When Taylor married Noah, we gained not only a daughter, but a special little granddaughter!

Keesa is a sweet girl - always fun to be with.  And she seems to appreciate everything you do with and for her - a nice bonus!!

So glad to have her in our family - and wishing her a wonderful year ahead!

Happy Birthday Rhoda!

Today is the Lovely Miss Rhoda's 3rd birthday!!  I truly wish I could be with her - tried to figure out a way I could, but just couldn't come up with it.  So I will have to be content with celebrating from afar - although happily it's not too far, so a visit should happen in the not-so-distant-future!

 

I was so happy that I was able to be with her and her mom and dad right after she was born!  What a great time we all had! She and I had some "midnight hours" together - and I treasure the memory!  It was good to know I could still "stay up with a newborn!"

 

Rhoda and her mom are lots of fun - Rhoda is really the spitting image of her dad, but she truly reminds me of her mom in many ways - good ways!!

Looking forward to the year ahead Rhoda Primrose - hope you are too!

An anniversary to remember today

5 years ago today, our sweet baby Jonah finished his earthly sojourn after a brief 11 days.  It was an experience that defined our family in many good ways.

We are grateful for the chance to know him.  For the chance to share his brief life with others.  For the chance to learn first hand about the plan of happiness.

And we are grateful to be reminded each year that he is indeed a forever part of our family.

Happy Day to Deacon!!

The day is not over yet - happy 3rd to this cute munchkin!!  It was fun to take him shopping at Target - where he chose a truck, of course - the kind that transport cars - so there were 5 cars on this transporter - and the box was as tall as he was!

Then we got out to the parking lot and lo, and behold, there was a real truck transporting cars - and his delight was immeasurable!!

Love that boy!!

A dozen years old!!

Happy day to this lovely young woman - who is officially a Young Woman now!!

I vividly remember her birth - the other Bolander beauties were staying with me - and we were waiting for Bruce to call with the news - we did not know the gender ahead of time!  

He finally called, asked for Ara, and informed her that they had a new little sister!

And Ara said, "Now we are our own Little Women!!"

They are the best "Little Women" in the world - and Annika rounded out the group nicely.

Have a great year ahead!!

Happy 6th Birthday to Sully the Monkey!!

As I scrolled through my file of photos, I kept thinking I'd found a photo of Sully, only to discover it was a photo of Calvin!!

Love this little guy - he is truly "Sully the Monkey" but the cutest little monkey ever!

And charming, and entertaining, and endearing, and lovable!

And we are so glad he's in our family!

May the sixth year be a good year!

happy day to agnes mae!

Happy 9th birthday today to the lovely Agnes!!  I vividly remember her birth - I was at the house with Henry and Calvin - waiting to hear from David!!  Everyone was contacting me and wanting to know the news - but I hadn't heard yet from David!

She was worth the wait though - and just keeps getting more endearing each year!!

Have a great 9th year sweet Agnes!

Happy 5th to Lars!

Happy day today to this great little guy!!  It's always fun to have Lars around - and I always enjoy the time I spend with him!

 

This iconic photo of Lars with Polly kind of sums it up - he does have a mind of his own.

Here's hoping his mind is made up to have a great day - and a great year ahead!

Happy Day to Henry!!

Happy day to this wonderful boy!!  The best oldest grandson ever!!  His birth had a bit of drama - but he was so worth it all!!  I recall racing up to Concord to be with Phoebe after the emergency c-section - what a wonderful week of caring for people I love so much!!

 

Henry has always been a fave with the many Terrill granddaughters - and the grandsons for that matter.

Love you Henry - have a great day and wonderful year ahead!!

Happy First Birthday!!

It has been a year since this sweet little girl joined our family!!

And we are loving getting to know her!!

"Antanna" seems to have gotten approval!!

Keep growing and smiling - and have a great year ahead!!

Happy 6th Birthday to Keesa Rogue!

When Taylor became a big part of Noah's life, a little extra bonus came in the form of sweet Keesa Rogue, Taylor's daughter. 

 

Last year Harry and I attended her 5th birthday party, and this year Annika and I were able to attend her 6th birthday party.

 

I have enjoyed getting to know Keesa better.  She is a bright little girl who wants to please.  And she is interested in all sorts of things.  She's also a great big sister.

And I love having her call me Grandma!

"I sigh that kiss you, for I must own, that I shall miss you, when you have grown!" *

I remember vividly the day Ara was born.  She was, like lots of other Terrills, late getting here!  When I saw Harry striding across the playground at Wildrose School where I worked, I knew that the baby had come at long last - and he did not disappoint.  It was a girl - undoubtedly a beautiful baby girl!  (and she was indeed beautiful!)

 

That afternoon, we could not seem to get going fast enough to drive out to Ojai Community Hospital to meet the as yet unnamed little babe. It was so exciting, all of us gathered in the little hospital room, so in awe of this wonderful little creature.

And the years came and went, other grandchildren joined our troupe, but we would always have a special place in our heart for the lovely little girl who made us grandparents! 

 

Visits, Grandma's Birthday Weekends, Christmas and New Year's celebrations, Easter egg hunts, camping trips, train rides, birthday parties, Cousin Camp, shopping excursions, sewing lessons - so much fun and so many good times.

The birthdays came and went, so we knew time was marching on!  And then last year, off to college she went.  And that seemed kind of amazing. It's been fun to correspond and text with this diligent college freshman.  It has been delightful to follow her adventures on Instagram and Facebook.

 

And now she has a mission call - to Russia Vladivostok - the largest mission - geographically - in the church.  She leaves June 1st.  She will learn to speak and read Russian.  She will "go forth to serve" just like the sign says!!

What a blessing to be this young woman's grandmother!

*William Butler Yeats

Happy Birthday Ara Grace!

This young lady is 19 today!  It really doesn't seem possible - since I vividly remember going out to their house and waiting for Bonny and Bruce to bring her home from the hospital!  

 

As I have been scrolling through my photos, I keep finding shots of Ara - she has been such a big part of our lives - it has been very different having her away at school - and will be even more different when she goes on her mission!

 

But it's such an exciting time of life - so glad she has so much to look forward to.

 

Happy Birthday to you, our lovely Ara Grace - the young woman who set the gold standard for grandchildren in the Terrill family!

Some reflections . . .

This is an old photo - don't know the exact year, but Annika, Calvin, and Porter are babies - and they will be 12 this year!  So maybe early 2000's?

It's when we went to the Arboretum when everyone was here for Christmas - we went after we went to Clocker's Corner.  

And it's in the barn over by the Queen Anne Cottage by the lake.

They are all so cute and young!  They are still cute - and compared to their 70 year old grandmother they are still young!

I will always be lots older than my grandkids.  But they won't always be really young and little.

I wonder how my grandmother felt about that.  Or if she even thought of it.

I don't think she did.  I think that if I did the math, I would discover that those years when I thought my grandma was old - she was maybe 58!!

It's all relative.  It's all about perspective.

Keep that in mind!

The lovely Miss Rhoda is 2 today!!

Melanie Wilkes in Gone With the Wind exclaimed "The best days are the days when babies are born!"  And how right she is - I remember Rhoda's entrance into the world and the wonderful days I spent with Hannah and Robbie and the sweet little Miss Rhoda!!

 

All the time we spend with her is great - we are just sorry we don't get to spend more!!  But her daily life and many adventures are well-chronicled by her mom and dad - and we are glad!!

Happy day to you, our sweet Rhoda Primrose!!

Happy day to Calvin!!

 Today is Calvin's 11th birthday!  It seems like he was just a baby!!

He is a thoughtful young man - always has been!

 

But he is a lot of fun to be around!

 

He and Porter share a birth month - and sometimes get to spend time together!!

 

It's always a treat to spend time with him and his family!!

Have a great day Calvin - and a wonderful year ahead!!

The Many Happy Faces of Miss Ida Rachel!!

Oh happy day today to the ever-charming Miss Ida Rachel - who has more spunk and personality than you could imagine!!  This little girl brings us joy!

 

She's pretty determined and independent!!  And always has been!!

 

She has a way with words - maybe you've been lucky enough to get a letter from her!

 

She's pretty expressive too!

 

We love you Ida - and wish for you the best year ever!!