Or, sometimes Matt calls him LT

Other names you can call Lars, besides Lars:

Larsy,

  Larsy-bones,

 Larsy-Parsy Pudding and Pie,

 Bubba,

 Bubsie,

 Buddy,

 Sweet Cuppin' Cakes,

or Hewwo-Baby. (his own catch-phrase)

Pretty sure Lars would win Most Popular in our house if we had an official contest.

My little elf

Ida has no baby book. Sad, I know. I think it would seem less sad if Theo didn't have such a long and detailed one. I could open Theo's baby book right now and tell you how old he was when his left incisor broke through or when he learned how to hold a cup. But anyway. Since much of that kind of info about Ida is lost forever, here's Ida now at 14 months. Indulge me, will you?

After her nap, as soon as she hears the doorknob turning she perks up and says brightly, "Hi!" (leave off the H; it's more like "Eye!" Cockney influence.) Either that or she cries crankily for about 10 minutes while I hold her.

She has had a runny nose more often than not throughout her life.

She recently out of the blue started calling Matt "Matt."

She says banana, apple, pear, cracker, car, coat, milk, nurse, hot, cold, Hannah, mama, dada, Ida, night night, bye, hi, all done, no, more, thank you, baby doll, binky, help, and yogurt. Cracker, hot, and no are current special favorite words. She also signs cracker, hot, cold, all done, no, more, milk, please, and thank you. Side note: Ida, all done, and hot all sound pretty much the same. As do Hannah, banana, and night night. Same with binky and cracker. Or car and coat. Truth be told, a very discerning ear is required for pretty much anything that comes out of her mouth.

She sings...nameless, somewhat tuneless melodies and I'm pretty sure she's just copying Theo but it always makes me smile.

She didn't get teeth until just before her first birthday, and then six came in at once.

She didn't crawl until about 9 months, then started walking two months after that.

I'll be honest, not the best sleeper I've ever lived with. I could whisper her name right now and she'd wake up out of a solid slumber. (slight exaggeration) But she has always been a decent napper, and more often than not she sleeps through the night now, so let's say her first year of nights is water under the bridge.

She absolutely refused bottles but I had to fight my hardest to keep her nursing past 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months. Explain that one to me. Somehow I get the feeling she's going to head off to Africa or somewhere straight out of high school, maybe tossing me a casual "Later, Mom" on her way out the door. Maybe she'll send me an e-mail every few months.

She hasn't nursed in months but still likes to come up to me occasionally, pull on my shirt and say, "Nurse?" then laugh and scamper away.

She has the craziest, wispiest elf hair that I've ever seen that I have had to get cut about once a month but at least it's not hard to comb. Maybe someday her bangs will grow in.

She is a champion walker and explorer, LOVES to be held upside down (which her dad also loved when he was little), and is learning to climb. She can crawl up a flight of stairs but is then stranded at the top, although if left to her own devices she'll just attempt to walk back down. She recently figured out how to climb onto a child-sized chair and, as though purposely to thwart my plan to scare her into submission, is completely unfazed when, time after time, she rocks it too much and falls with it to the floor.

She loves to dance and as soon as she hears music she starts bobbing to the beat with either a gigantic smile or an intense look of concentration.

She is way more curious than Theo ever was or is. She gets into every cupboard and drawer that is possibly within her reach--even some that don't seem possibly within her reach.

She knows how to hit. Always lovely.

She LOVES baby dolls and pushing baby dolls in her doll stroller. She also loves to hold a baby doll and pat its back, or better yet, give it to me to hold and pat its back, or better yet, climb into my lap herself, give me the doll to hold, then have me pat her back while she pats the doll's back.

She loves taking medicine. I guess this is good because she has had to take more medicine than Theo ever did between ear infections, teething, and the flu.

(I keep comparing Ida to how Theo was as a baby, but I think it's fun to note how they are different and similar.)

Obsessed with crackers. Heaven for Ida would be to walk around everywhere with at least 4 crackers in each fist.

Obsessed with binkies. As soon as she could clutch, she always had to go to sleep with a binky in her mouth and another clutched in her hand. JIC, you know.

Not the biggest fan of babysitters. But I'm told she's fine after we leave.

Pretty much unafraid of anything besides babysitters. Loud or sudden noises, big animals, a fiery furnace, a precipice which if slipped off would lead to her certain death, none of these things make her blink. She LOVES helping me vacuum.

She loves Theo. Theo of course loves her and she is sometimes patient with his hugs. Possibly my favorite way that she shows love is coming up to him and rubbing his hair, like she's shampooing it. He lets her do it until she gets bored with it--about 30 seconds at most. It's pretty hilarious.

She rocketed into weandom all on her own and never looked back except to laugh at me, but boy is she a snuggler. Nothing better than snuggling my babies.

Getting to know you: Noah

At long last, welcome back to Getting to Know You! Today I present to you an interview with my brother Noah. Noah, a born performer, hopes to finish a record with his band this year; only reads books that make him think; and is a first-class hugger. He didn't say that last part...I did...I know it's an embarrassing big-sisterly thing to say but I love Noah's hugs. Also I think The First-Class Huggers would be a good band name, but no one asks me these things. Also, he appreciates honesty.

With nephew Harry

Name:
Noah Porter Terrill

Stats:
.375/30/55/756 (?)

You have performed on stage a lot. What was your most memorable performance?
Anytime the audience is good it's memorable. A couple months ago we played a last-minute show at Mr. T's Bowl in Highland Park, which was one such occasion.

Above photo of Noah's band, the Legion of Dumb, featuring Jason Lee Piccolo on bass and Lee James Gonzales on the drums with Adam Matthew Battice on guitar, along with below photos from the same night, were taken by Michael Morrill at the Sierra Cup.

What's the nicest thing anyone ever said to you?
Anytime that anyone speaks the truth.

What's your theme song?
It would have to be the Boston Legal theme song. I dunno who does it, but sometimes I play it in my head as I'm going about my day to day.



What's your happiest memory?
I have many, mostly musical. Raffi Records. 'In the Hall of the Mountain King'. 'First we take Manhattan...then we take Berlin!' Dad and Hannah in 'Take This Waltz'. There are many others.

What was your favorite childhood toy?
I was an action figure kid. I had worlds of toys.

With nephew Harry

What's your biggest fear?
Not accomplishing my goals before I die.

What's the #1 thing you want to do in 2009?
Finish my record. Fortunately, this is seeming more and more feasible as the days go by.

What's a book that made you think?
I only read books that make me think. But the most recent that come to mind are Beneath the Underdog by Charles Mingus and Love All the People by Bill Hicks.


What's something no one would guess about you?
I have never seen a Wes Anderson film.

What's the hardest thing you've ever had to do or say?
Probably figuring out my answer to this question.

If you could listen to only 5 albums for the rest of your life, what would they be?
Only five? I'd probably take up watching TV.

Who's a person you don't know (living or dead) whom you'd like to have lunch with?
There are way too many dead people. So I'll be realistic. Tom Waits. Or Prince.

Something on your mind lately is...
The record record record...that and money.


What's your biggest flaw?
My punctuality, or lack thereof.

Write us a six-word memoir.
I'm in deep, but out quick.

Noah does not currently have a complete Web site to link to, but when he does, I will update this post!

Getting to know you: Phoebe

Welcome to the latest edition of Getting to Know You with my sister Phoebe. Beautiful Phoebe is busy with the demands of a second-grader, preschooler, and toddler...and husband...but still ekes out time to read, relax, and enjoy life. Phoebe finds friends wherever she goes--for that matter, she also seems to find family wherever she goes--and can also find humor in anything. (Including A New Dawn, which, truth be told, is hysterical.) Read on for more about this lovely lady.


Name:
Phoebe Elizabeth

Stats:
Married 11 years, 3 children, living it up in the Pacific Northwest. Almost college graduate with continual plans to go back and finish those last 2 classes!

You and your family and your home always look very put together. What are your shopping secrets? (The ones you are willing to divulge, that is)
You want me to give up my secrets! Here is the trick-Always keep your eyes open and never underestimate the power of buying secondhand.

What's your happiest memory?
Too many to list! One that stands out (beside the obvious wedding, births, etc.) is laying on the warm cement after getting our of the pool at Grandma Terrill's house. A bunch of our cousins were there and Pop came out and gave us all popsicles. I was probably 4 or 5, but whenever I sit on warm cement after swimming I think of that time.



Tell us the stories behind your kids' names.
Is this because it takes us forever to name our children? It really is a Terrill tradition.

Henry David was almost Harry, but since our brother Harry didn't have any children yet, I felt he should have a chance at it first:) So Henry was the runner up. And his middle name was obviously after my husband.

Calvin Hyer-I have always liked the name Calvin and David completely vetoed it when I was pregnant with Henry. Luckily he came around when we had our second boy. The moral of the story is to never give up on a name you like! Hyer is a family name on David's side. I love it. It was a bit of a compromise since David wanted Calvin's first name to be Hyrum. Definitely my favorite middle name we have used so far.

Agnes Mae was named after our Mom and great grandmother. She actually had a different name and the night before we left the hospital I woke up in the middle of the night and felt like her name should be Agnes instead. It took David a day to think it over, but he came around. It is the name that gets the most response for sure. Some of it negative, but she's a feisty enough little girl to handle it! Mae just sounded right as a middle name.



What's on your iPod right now?
Hmmm, do I want to admit this? Dolly Parton's classic hit, Here You Come Again.



What's the nicest thing anyone ever said to you?
Last summer at Hannah's wedding, a former YW leader who has known me most of my life said, "Motherhood has been good to Phoebe." It's nice to know that I didn't peak in High school!


What's a book that made you laugh?
A New Dawn by Jack Weyland

Not to bring up a sensitive subject. But...share a memory of the car you just sold. (The Malibu, to be specific)
Ahhh, the Malibu. Did you know that car can fit 16 people in it and still have room to drive?

When I was 7 month pregnant with Henry, David and I flew to Utah to drive the 'Bu back to California. As we were leaving Uncle Billy hexed us by asking if we had an extra starter for the car. Apparently the 1967 Chevelle was notorious for burning through starters. After we filled up in Wendover, the car, of course, wouldn't start! Thanks Uncle Bill.

So there we were, Saturday night in Wendover, NV. I am fairly pregnant and David is supposed to be at work on Monday. This is pre-cell phone era and the one auto parts store is closed for the weekend. David had his Mary and Joseph moment since all of the hotels were full! We finally found a place to stay and had to basically hitchhike to get there. The next morning David went out to see what he could find. He ended up at the LDS church service. Someone there knew of someone else who was driving down to Salt Lake that day. He made a few phone calls and the mystery man said that he would bring us back a starter from Autozone.

This story is already too long, but after killing two days in Wendover, the starter finally got there, David paid some random guys he met at a gas station to get it in. The random guys then ruptured a brake line and we then we had to fix that. We finally got on the road on Monday afternoon. When we got home there were 16 frantic messages on the machine. David's sister had gotten worried when we didn't get home on the day we planned. She had called everyone we know and then started calling the Highway Patrol in Nevada!

The funniest part (to me) was that when they called Mom and Dad they were completely unconcerned. Dad said that if something truly terrible happened everyone would have been notified!

Favorite place you've ever lived?
I really have loved everywhere we have lived. But I have to say that if given the chance to move back to Davis, Ca I would start packing.

What's the #1 thing you want to do this summer?
Sit at the lake and swim with the kids. Every day.

Something on your mind lately is...
How do I balance my family life with all of the crazy demands that surround our family right now. I am not sure it is possible.


What's something no one would guess about you?
I think I am pretty much an open book.

What's the hardest thing you've ever had to do or say?
Saying goodbye and giving birth.

What's your favorite indulgence?
Hands down- a Manicure and a Pedicure. It's almost an addiction, but, luckily, I have some self-control.

What's your biggest flaw?
You really want me to point it out for all to see? I think that my biggest flaw is my big mouth. Just about every time I come home from a social event I say to David, "Why did I say that!? They are going to think that I am crazy/rude/insensitive..."

Write us a six-word memoir.
Home, church, school, busy. Getting dizzy.

To read more from Phoebe, go to Blue Skies Smilin' at Me.

Getting to know you: HPT

Today's Getting to Know You is Harry: my dear old dad. Well, less the old and more the dear. One of my favorite things I can tell you about my dad was that at my sister's wedding reception last summer, during his toast, he broke into song and invited the crowd to sing with him: "Once you have found her, never let her go."


I can't encapsulate Daddy Dearest without being sentimental, so, gleaned from his own words, here's a start: Harry began marathon running at age 58. Ever sensitive to others, he knows how to put things delicately. That shouldn't be a surprise since he has also worked with bombs without setting them off. (No really...actual bombs.) I promise you that if you ever met my father, you would like him. Dare I say love him?



Name:
Harry Terrill

Stats:
b. Los Angeles, CA; Raised Covina, CA; 12 year stint in Utah: BYU, U of U, Centerville; 30 years Monrovia, CA, construction business. Happily married to Barbara Clayton 41-plus years. I hope they call me on a mission, when I have grown....

You're a runner. What's your favorite race you've completed and why?
Probably first Boston Marathon, 2003. There is something exhilarating about being cheered by half a million spectators.



What's your favorite sport to play?
Probably basketball. At least that's the (team) sport I do most often. Typically weekly (except for injuries) for the past 20 years.

What's your happiest memory?
Happiest memory. That's hard. I think my happiest memories spring from my marriage to Barbara in the LA Temple, 22 Dec. 1967. That was the choice that has made all the difference.


What's your favorite sandwich?
I like a Reuben. But I probably eat a Subway footlong Veggie, with avocado, more often.

What's the #1 thing you want to do in 2009?
Earn my first dollar.



Name a book that kept you up all night.
Not including time in school, I would say they have been pretty much escape literature. Early Grisham (Pelican Brief?) comes to mind, or one of the Harry Potter books. If I have to think too hard I fall asleep.

What's something no one would guess about you?
While on Summer break during the Viet Nam war I worked briefly in a bomb factory in southeast LA. It was very hard work, very dangerous and very thought provoking. I did not even know it was a bomb factory until I was already working there for a night. It was temp. labor, and about thirty or so of us would crowd around the outside gate vying for two or three jobs each night. Grapes of Wrath.

What's the nicest thing anyone ever said to you?
I get paid compliments all the time for my wonderful family. I love that.


What's the hardest thing you've ever had to do or say?
One instance that comes to mind is when I was asked as a 20 year old missionary by my zone leader to counsel a member of my district about his horrible body odor. I think I came closer that day to learning that love is always an effective lubricant in changing behavior.

Name a person you don't know (living or dead) whom you'd like to have lunch with.
If I could perfect the flux capacitor I might try lunch with G.W. Bush prior to 9/11 or at least pre-Iraq war. But then again, as Abraham said to the rich man (Luke 16:31), people don't appreciate the counsel that would come from those kinds of visits.

Do you have a dream destination? Where?
On earth, I assume? Perhaps Truth or Consequences, NM.

Something on your mind lately is...
Ezra Pound's retort, In Tempore Senectutis, to Ernest Dowson's poem In Tempore Senectutis.



What's your biggest flaw?
I have the need to eat every single thing that is put on my plate: an interesting case study for Freudian school shrinks, I am sure. A diabolical extension of that compulsion is that if I am not careful I might eat every cookie in the box or every donut on the plate once I start on them.

Write us a six-word memoir.
Sonny, Honey, Daddy, Granpa. Not Money.

Read more from Harry, including memories of the 1960s and ancestral letters from Nauvoo, at his blog, One Heart, One Mind.

Getting to know you: Hannah

The first victim of the New and Improved: Getting to Know You series (inspired by Nie Nie's Friday Face) is my sister Hannah. This is kind of a super-deluxe edition because I got a little out of control with the number of questions.


So, Hannah Hamill doesn't have as many teeth as you do, she loves her some ABBA and Beatles, and she's going to be a French-speaking, museum-studying grad student by summer's end. Oh, and would you believe that her clothes are "plain"? Yeah, me neither!

Name:

Hannah Rebekah Hamill, although I usually just go by Hannah Hamill. It sounds more newscaster-esque.

Stats:

Former MHS Wildcat; recent BYU grad; current wife, sister, and daughter; future GW grad student

You studied film at BYU. If you could only watch one movie ever again, what would it be? Any of the Beatles movies (Hard Day's Night, Help!, Yellow Submarine). But if I had to choose... probably Help! "Hey, it's a thingie! A fiendish thingie!" But I love them all.

How did you meet your husband?

Robbie and I met at a party when we were in college. I pretended to not know who he was (we had a lot of mutual friends and I'd made awkward eye contact with him in the library) and I think that I startled him when I approached him first.

Was it love at first sight?

Not quite. But I thought that his lisp was cute.

You're going to live in Paris this summer. What's the first thing you'll do?

Well, I was going to find a park and go lay in the grass with a book, but then Robbie told me that it's illegal to walk on the grass in Paris. And there is apparently a lot of dog poop everywhere. So I'll probably just climb the six flights of stairs to our apartment and flop on the sofa-bed until we can go walk on the Trocadero and admire the lights of the Eiffel Tower at night. When I think about it, I am jealous of my future self.

What's the #1 thing you want to do before coming back home?

LEARN FRENCH. I'll be spending 20 hours a week in a French school, so I'd better learn how to parlez-vous francais, if you know what I mean (wink wink, nudge nudge). Okay...

What's your happiest memory?

Summer 2007. Robbie and I were in the beginning stages of our relationship, I was living in a cute house with my best friend Melanie and our kitten Lucille, we still had Waffle Night on Sundays and half-hour dance parties on Wednesdays, and I rode my bike and went swimming almost every day. It was a good summer.

You've gone to a lot of concerts. What was the best one?

Arrival, the ABBA cover band. No contest.

Dream concert you haven't been to?

Radiohead. Probably also The Arcade Fire. Or the resurrected Beatles/reunited ABBA instead of a cover band.

Describe your dream job.

I'm still trying to figure that out. I'm going to start a museum studies graduate program in the fall in the hopes of narrowing down my broad field of interests. Those interests include America, film, music, popular culture, people, and raising a family.

Describe your dream house.

Ack, I save the "sneak peeks" on Design*Sponge all the time. Some of my favorites are here, here, here, here, here, and here. Basically, I would love a spacious house (although anything is spacious compared to our apartment now) with hardwood floors, a wrap-around (OR enclosed) porch, a garden, a yard, a cat, a dog, and kids running around.

What's a book that made you cry?

Most recently, Revolutionary Road. I mostly cried out of gratitude for a happy marriage and a loving, understanding husband.

Are you a veggie or a fruit person? What's your favorite?

I think fruit (although I love me a good zucchini anytime). I recently love (and I mean LOVE) pineapple. I don't think that I was exposed to it enough in my early years. I was missing out.

What's something no one would guess about you?

I only have 28 adult teeth (including unextracted wisdom teeth), while most people have 32. I'm really not sure how I missed that.

What's your biggest flaw?

I'm a gossip girl. I find other people's lives much more interesting than mine.

What's the hardest thing you've ever had to do?

Moving to DC for four months while Robbie and I were seriously dating felt impossible at the time.

Describe your style.
Preppy/plain. As much as I try to spice up my wardrobe, I am most comfortable in a tee shirt and a pair of jeans or cut-offs. I like to think that my preppy side is mysteriously appealing to my more fashionable and "indie" friends...

Something on your mind lately is...

leaving Provo. I'm happy and sad about it. I'm sad that packing sucks and that I'm leaving my closest girlfriends, but I like thinking about our upcoming exciting year and our new adventures.

What's your theme song?

"Thank You For The Music" by ABBA, because "I've been so lucky, I am the girl with golden hair."

Write us a six-word memoir.

Been there, done that. Moving on!

Read more about Hannah on her blog: Wouldn't it be nice?

Burn out! Burn out!

(Sung to the tune of Ludacris's "Roll Out," if you wondered.) I got a little burned out on my getting-to-know-yous. Probably because I write so much about each person. But, I'm back in the game, for now anyway.

• Jen and I go way back. Her grandparents were in my ward growing up, and I think her parents were too for a little while. I'm assuming that's why I remember playing with her a lot when we were really little. At any rate they moved away when we were still little but always came back to visit at least once a year. Now she is married and it looks like Chicago is beating out the other honeymoon candidates.
• JennRose and I also go way back, not quite as far though. Back to high school. I promise this is not the only funny thing that ever happened with her, but my favorite memory is still when we went to see Spice World at the old Mann 6 that is now, I think, a Bed Bath & Beyond or maybe a furniture store . . . or a pet store? Anyway, it was funny. Whenever I see obnoxious, loud teenage girls, I think of us and what we must have looked like then.
• Jen was my visiting teacher when we very, very first moved in and let me tell you, she was a good one. We had Christmas Eve at their house, and I also recall some delicious food she brought me when Theo was born. I still need to get that chicken parmigiana recipe . . . oh and the pumpkin cheesecake. She and her husband love Star Wars (did I say love? I meant love) and I think they should name their next baby Luke. It's just my opinion.
• Jessica is, I'm not going to lie, one of my favorite people ever. She probably won't even read this because she's off gallivanting with some of her many friends and family in Utah. I don't know if I know anyone with more friends, or more family. Her husband and Matt went to high school together and lived together in college, and the four of us and our stuff shared a truck on our way out to VA almost 2 years ago. She works wonders with my hair and I couldn't be more thrilled that she is pregnant and that our babies are due within a week of each other!
• jessi is a friend of Phoebe's with some sweet craftiness on her blog and etsy shop. I have checked her shop a zillion times and come so close to buying stuff from her. One of these days I am just going to do it. I do need another bag! I do! I love reading crafty people's blogs because it inspires me to be crafty myself. Or at the very least to buy other people's handmade things.
  
• Jacob and I also go way back, because he is my cousin, another one of that nine I keep talking about. Favorite Jacob story--well, second favorite, I won't share the first favorite because it's not blogging material but it had to do with my roommate--is when I had just moved in to my freshman dorm, a week early, and almost no one else was there yet. He came and took me to a movie--let me be more specific, he took me to a double feature of Space Cowboys and What Lies Beneath, and it was in fact a drive-in, and he did in fact enlist me to help move his couch into the bed of his huge truck before we went to the movie. Maybe you had to be there, but it was funny. I was fortunate enough to spend a whole lot of time with Jacob, Peter, and Hester that year. Seriously . . . that was a fun year.
• Joy: The first time I met Joy was in our seventh-grade algebra class. Our teacher was Mr. Pumphrey (anyone else here have him? wow) and I remember she called him Mr. Thumbphrey. Not sure why but we were friends from that moment on. Her house was a gathering place in middle school and high school . . . I miss their mini-pool and hot tub. She was one of my very best friends during that time. I love my funny friends! She was a cheerleader and married her high school sweetheart, a football player. Don't you love that that still happens? Now she is a nurse and they have a little girl.
• traci is yet another cousin. I don't think I'd have half my blog readers if I didn't have so many blogging cousins. She and her husband and four cute kids actually don't live too far from us . . . well, a few states away but what's a few states between cousins? One of these days we will make it back to Indiana (the last time was 5 years ago and we got a speeding ticket there. The cop was mean.) and get to know her kids. Traci is one of the nicest people I know.
• Nicole is one of the original bloggers. My friendship with her is unique because I count her as one of my closest friends, and yet we have only hung out in real life a handful of times. We went to neighboring high schools and lived in the same stake, and had some friends in common, and yet we never really became friends ourselves until after high school. We both lived in Provo for a time, then it was back to California for her, where we hit up a couple of John Mayer concerts together. I think John Mayer was how we truly bonded. Oh, Johnny. Now she is married and I hope someday I will meet her husband!
• Kacy: Even if you don't know Kacy you may have read her blog. She is blog-famous, not only because she knows a lot of movers and shakers but also because she is a writer and therefore her blog is fun to read. I first met Kacy when I was, maybe, fourteen? When she was finishing up her thesis I used to go over to her house and feed her son macaroni and cheese while watching Blue's Clues. Also I watched Carson Daly (He must have been napping when I watched Carson Daly). This was the first I'd ever heard of Blue's Clues, and I just remembered randomly that one day while watching MTV at Kacy's house I saw Britney Spears's first video. I thought, "This is totally dumb and will never take off." None of this really has anything to do with Kacy but I think she would like it that way. Read her blog; you'll wish you could say, as I can, that you knew her when.

getting to know you #...I forgot

Sorry I've become a slacker with these. I don't even remember what number I'm on. But I have received glowing feedback, plus I really do want to cover everyone, so, onward.

• Erika is my cousin (another of Alice's 9) who unfortunately I haven't seen in almost 2 years! I remember when I was a kid visiting cousins in Utah Erika always did my hair cool ways and was nice to me even though I was a whiner. Then as I got older she continued to talk to me like I was an equal and not just another kid cousin. I had many a dinner at her house in college...many a dinner.
• hanner is also known as Hannah. She's my sister and the original blogger. Well...actually maybe Nicole is? Anyway she and Nicole started blogs and then I started one the next day. Couldn't resist. Now all of my 18-year-old musings are freely available for you to pore over. Luckily I was already out of high school (barely) when I started. Hannah's archives might be even more embarrassing. Anyway I am super-lucky to have grown up with a sister just 2 years younger, who always let me borrow her clothes, who listened to "Love Songs on the KOST" with me every night, and who I remain great friends with today.
  
• Hannahtess is another of The Nine. My favorite memory of Hannah is how she used to call everyone "ol' buddy ol' buddy ol' pal." I am pretty sure I didn't push her around the way I reportedly did her sister Hester (see "Hester," below). I hope not. I can't have another person with a grudge like Hester's. Also, she likes gnomes.
• Megan (no blog) is in here randomly with the H's; she is one of many Megans around here as you'll see when I get to the M's. Anyway I dated Megan's brother Joel (again, refer to the archives if you're interested in my fascinating history) my entire freshman year at BYU. Joel constantly talked about what a cool sister she was, how she never got mad, and how all his friends had crushes on her. I became worried at times that he had a crush on her. She is super nice, by the way.
• Heather is one of a few Heathers here. Let's call her Cousin Heather, she being my cousin and I think the only cousin I have named Heather. I haven't seen her in a few years either, but again, let's thank blogs for making the distance seem shorter. She may get the vote for Funniest Terrill Cousin. I don't know, cousins, what do you think?
• Hester is another of The Nine and also happens to hold the title of My Best Cousin. BCF! She and I are just the same age, fought all the time when we were kids (I "bullied" her apparently . . . take my advice, don't believe the rumors), and then settled into a marvelous friendship when we went to college together and lived together. Best Cousin, Best Roommate. She lives in Jamaica but is moving to DC soon for seven months!! and then off to Norway. (PS, I just looked at her first post because I was feeling nostalgic: first line: "K eliza has been bugging me forever to start my own "blog", as she likes to call them.")
• Harry F. (no blog) is one of many Harrys in my immediate family. He is my older brother and maybe he and Heather could face off for funniest cousin. He's a copper and has some good stories. Pretty much since the time I could talk I idolized him and his choice of music. I don't know, I just always thought everything he listened to was so cool. Depeche Mode. Thompson Twins. Talking Heads. Rush . . .
• Holly recently (well, I guess not so recently anymore) moved back to the US after a few years in the Middle East. I don't know, it sounds adventurous but would I be up to it, I ask myself? She is expecting her first girl this summer (they have two boys) and a great one to talk books with.
• Ie Li decided to start being a super-friend pretty much as soon as they moved into our ward. I had a tiny baby and she came right over to me at church when I came back, introduced herself as my new visiting teacher, and said she was coming over to watch Theo while I took a nap. That's the way to make a fast friend, I say! She is fabulous and I am hoping she doesn't decide to move too far away . . .
• Janine was one of the first people I met when we moved to VA and she's super laid back and nice. Her baby has pretty much the best baby hair ever; I think she's cut it 10 times already or something (he's like 5 months old).

Blog away, my friends!

Getting to know you #4

Voila my friends . . . behold #31-40.

• Donna is another of my mom's sisters. If I were forced to pick a favorite aunt (I have 13 aunts) she'd be in the running. Don't tell my other aunts . . . oh wait, some of them read this. I love all of my aunts and they would ALL be in the running. I really wish we lived closer to Donna so Theo could get to know her too.
• Shasta doesn't have a blog, as far as I know. She is a gourmet chef . . . who also knows how to make candy . . . and mom to two funny girls.
• Rebecca also doesn't have a blog, I don't think. I was bummed this week to find out her husband, about to graduate from medical school, got matched and they are moving to Pittsburgh . . . well . . . happy for her, bummed for me!
• D. Scott is another cousin of mine. I am loaded with cousins and I don't mind bragging about it. Scott likes Rush and The Lord of the Rings, among other things I am sure. It has been a long time since I saw him and his family last but it doesn't actually seem like that long. Again, blogging helps these things.
• Emily and I go way back; even though her brother and I were in the same grade, Emily and I were usually in the same class at church and I have many, many fond memories of girl's camps and sleepovers. I have a video of our very own rendition of "Sometimes" by Britney Spears, circa 1999. Trust me, it's a good one. Her little girl is just a few days older than Theo.
• Tara is a mom of girls--what would that be like?--who lives in Texas. Check out her sidebar, it's got sweet pics and great quotes.
• Ellie's blog is the best because I can totally picture her describing all of her antics in person. I remember when she and I used to IM each other from down the hall. Ah, the dorms. Ellie, if you ever feel like moving back to Maryland I will fully support that decision.
  
• Emily is one of the earlier bloggers who I "met" (but have never actually met) a few years ago. She recently began living the Utah County life, thereby fully becoming a member of the movers and shakers of Mormon mom-bloggers.
• Kristen doesn't have a blog. Her son is just a little older than Theo and it's pretty funny to watch them together. We used to hang out a lot in the mother's lounge together . . . I miss the excuse of the mother's lounge! Maybe I should just go hang out in there sometime during Sunday School.
• Liz just had her third boy. These boys could be triplets if it weren't for the age difference--I'm telling you, they look exactly alike. Liz and her husband, Chris, went to high school with Matt. They are Disney and Cougar enthusiasts and very funny. I really wish they'd picked a school in Virginia or Maryland so we could hang out with them more! Why don't more people plan their future around us?

And now it's time for my afternoon nap. Feel free to be jealous. Happy weekend!

Getting to know you #3

I can't figure out how to manipulate the numbers in a list, and I like the indent of the automatic list, so I'm just going to go back to the 1-10 format. Here is 21-30.

1. Grannybabs, in case you have been living under a rock, is my mom. Her blog profile says, "I'm a special education teacher who wishes she had more time to spend on the things she really likes to do!!" Those of us who know her can attest that Babs would be much happier with about 72 hours a day to do all of the things she wants to do.
2. Betsey is a new mom--not so new anymore--who lives in L.A. Jealous! (not her, me) If you're wondering who that cute chubby baby is, it's her #1, Nora.
3. Bet[c] is my cousin and another one of Alice's fabled 9. Unfortunately I don't know Betsy's kids that well because they've always lived in a different state from me, but that's one of the perks of blogging. Check out her awesome pictures.
4. BriAnna is another cousin (in-law). Her family used to live somewhat near us (a few hours away) and we were lucky enough to see them a few times. Now they're all the way on the other side of the country in a different Washington.
5. Keli, another cousin-in-law, also recently moved, but now she's closer to us geographically. What with all of this family living in the Midwest-ish now, I am wishing we had the energy, time and money we used to have for road trips. Her youngest is the same age as Theo.
6. Camille is another one of those people who has a blog and doesn't so much post on it. BUT if she did I would read it every day. Why, you ask? Because she is another funny friend from the dorms. Random memory, she had this beanie baby (a mouse maybe, or a bear?) that she was obsessed with that she said "felt just like heaven."
7. Celeste doesn't have a blog, I don't think. But she has older kids who are going to go to the B-Y and I think takes some solace in the fact that we BYU grads of the 21st century don't all turn out to be total crazies.
8. Pam is Katie's mom. I would definitely read her blog if she had one--Greg's too. I can't tell you how many times I have cracked up over something she said. I guess you have to have a sense of humor to be Katie and Vickie's mom. Kidding! Kidding!
9. Dave and Mel are really just Mel, I mean in terms of who reads this; I am pretty sure anyway. (Hi Dave if I'm wrong) Dave and Matt went to high school together and lived together in college, at least until Dave and Mel got married at a tender young age. I wish we saw them more often . . . I am sensing a New York trip coming up soon!
10. Diane is Robbie's mom! Who is Robbie, you ask? Don't be silly, he's my newest brother-in-law! (well, practically.) I am pretty sure she has a blog but I don't have the link.

And that's all for today, folks. Now, off to tend my child . . . who got up WAY too early today.

Getting to know you #2

11. Alex and I met in sixth grade science class and have never left each other's side since. Okay, maybe we have. But she is one of the few friends I still keep in touch with from the olden days.
12. Alice is my mom's sister and my cousin Hester's mom (also mom to 8 other notable cousins), and lives in Bolivia. Also she's really good at sewing.
13. Megan I know through Hannah, although I could have known her through my freshman year boyfriend, Joel, or through my husband, Matt, because she knew both of them too. Favorite quote: "I had huge hair before I got a pamphlet in the fourth grade telling me how to look my best."
14. Amy is my cousin (in-law), married to my cousin Jake, whose mom is also Alice. I have known her for about as long as Jake has known her. Weird! I just realized her new blog template is really cute; I read it through RSS so I am slow to pick up on these things.
15. AnnDee is married to Taylor, Matt's friend from elementary school. They started dating the same time Matt and I did and got married about 1 1/2 years earlier than we did. I guess they just had a better handle on things. Her kids are adorable but her blog's private--sorry!
16. Annie is married to Matt's brother. They are expecting #3 any day now. I have to say, I completely sympathize with the pain of those final weeks, but then again, her babies are always early!
17. Amber may have a blog but I haven't found it. She went to school with my sister and I went to school with her sister. Go Wildcats!
18. Alicia is a multi-talented musician with two adorable boys. Also I recently learned that her husband can do the splits in the air...or used to be able to, anyway.
19. Ashley-o's blog is curiously devoid of posts, but I am sure they would be lovely. In a word, that's how you can describe Ashley and her family: lovely.
20. Ashley (a different Ashley) is, as far as I know, blogless. She and I lived together in Vienna long, long ago (okay, not that long ago). She's one of my most thoughtful friends and is a fearless tourist who shares my love for Jerry Seinfeld and didn't mind (too much) when I got phone calls in the middle of the night across the Atlantic from Matt. Also I am suddenly recalling the dead turtle that hung on our wall.

That's all for today, folks...tune in again soon to find out just how many Ashleys read this blog.

Getting to know you

It is time to begin featuring Bloggers Who Read this Blog. You may remember that I said awhile ago I was going to do it and to please e-mail me if you don't want to be featured. I received zero e-mails, so I'm assuming you're all cool with that! E-mail me if you're not.

Unfortunately not everyone who reads WHA (as I have just this very second begun calling it--pronounced "wha") actually blogs. Either that or they don't have a public profile and I'm unaware of their blog. But I will still introduce you to those people anyway; you just won't get to go read about them firsthand.

By the way Matt sent me this article today about mom-blogs and privacy. Food for thought! I'm not trying to scare you. Jordan Ferney doesn't think you should be worried. I'll bet Nie Nie doesn't either. I don't especially think you should be. Plus I really depend on those RSS feeds.

I am going to start at the top of the list and go down. I don't think the list is in any order. I hope that my summation of you, as a reader of this blog, is fair and balanced and that you feel adequately represented by my description.

1. Brighten does not have a blog but you probably wish she did. She is possibly the nicest person I know and her daughter, just Theo's age, is adorable.
2. B. Brae does indeed have a blog. She is my sister. She pretty much leads a super-glam life and gets to go to the beach oftener than most people do, because it is just down the street.
3. HPT also has a blog. He is a dad and role model to many, including me. He hasn't blogged in a long time but it is good stuff.
4. Ixchelle is a friend of my sister Phoebe's who lives in California and got to meet the governator (I have to agree that Austrian accents are the best).
5. Jena is a WordPresser. She's a friend of B. Brae's with twin toddler boys. Twin toddler boys! I can't imagine it either!
6. Jessica is a Super-Dem who, after having lived everywhere else, has found her true home in our nation's capital.
7. Katie is one of my best friends of all time and we've known each other since we were both scrawny sixth graders. We gave up gossiping for Lent once.
8. Kirsten doesn't have a blog, dang her, But she has 3 darling kids and lives in South America. She's also my cousin (in-law).
9. Jackie's blog is private, so too bad for you. Although I am also not invited apparently (hint hint). At our freshman dorm "getting to know you" thing, her unique thing was, "My boyfriend is Jamaican." Now they are expecting a baby boy!
10. Amy and her husband went to high school with Matt and lucky for us, they live nearby so we get to see them fairly often. She has possibly the cutest house in the greater metropolitan area.

Sorry, that's it for tonight. I know! It's fun, isn't it! See you next time.