Janae – Page 19 – Terry Family Shenanigans

My Secret Note

I was making dinner and cooking something on the stove. I looked up and saw a little message for me on the microwave. Allison left it for me. Sweet girl. It made my day.

Last December when we went on a cruise with the kids for Christmas, Ryan booked a cruise for just the two of us for this December. When COVID hit in March we were not even concerned about it affecting our cruise. When school started we thought surely we would still be going on our cruise in December. The beginning of November we were told the cruise had been canceled. We rescheduled it for April 2021 and are hoping that will happen.

Even though our cruise was canceled, Ryan decided he still wanted to go on a trip for a few days with just the two of us. Ryan is awesome to vacation with. He takes care of everything. I really just have to show up. He arranges the travel, hotels, car if we need it and does the research to see what to do and where to eat. I love it. The best part of vacation for me is just being able to show up and not have to plan anything.

He came up with a train ride to St Louis. We were thinking of a few other locations but a lot of places are still pretty shut down with COVID so we went with St Louis. We have wanted to try a train ride and see if it is something the kids would enjoy. So Thursday morning we drove downtown to Union Station and got on our train. About six hours later we arrived in the St Louis Union Station. It was nice to be able to talk and walk around and not have to be driving ourselves. It is a lot like a plane but more space and less restrictive on moving around. We stayed at the Hilton Union Station Hotel. It was a pretty awesome giant old stone building. Lots of cool architecture. They had it decorated gorgeous for Christmas and in the evenings they had laser light shows about every 30 minutes to watch. We met some long time friends for dinner one night, otherwise we just hung our around the hotel area. There were lots of restaurants, and a Ferris Wheel. We went through the aquarium and went to a movie. The Aquarium was small but nice. They had several petting/feeding areas that were not crowded at all so we got to take our time. The picture with our hand in the water is some kind of fish that eat all the dead skin off your hand when you put it in the water. It felt very creepy and weird but I made myself do it. There was one other person in the movie theater with us. I haven’t gone to a movie since January. I miss going to the theater. There wasn’t a lot of people around but there was still small crowds. Lots of little kids running around in their PJ’s on their way to see Santa.

It was a great long weekend. We had no schedule. It was very relaxing. We rode the train back Saturday afternoon. The kids spent one night at the Terry Grandparents, and one at their cousins. They were waiting for us when we got home that night.

Question.

How many Terry’s does it take to hang a TV on the wall?

Answer. Five. Two workers, one supervisor/vacuumer, and two wives with uncanny eye leveling skills.

Matthew’s 2020 Basketball Season.

Since baseball ended for Fall, Matthew has been gearing up for basketball season. Ryan signed him up for a private club. He could go play pick up games whenever, there was skill clinics daily and then he was put on an eighth grade team and could play in tournaments most weekends. Matthew was hoping to get up to speed with his skills and then start improving before school basketball started. His plan was going well until this past week, I picked him up after practice and he was limping and said he hurt his ankle when he did a layup and came down and landed on someone.

We took him home, iced it, elevated it gave him a large dose of Tylenol, wrapped it and he went to bed. The next morning he was not able to move it at all without a lot of pain. Ryan took him to the doctor and they did an x-ray. He had broken two ankle bones and fractured his tibia. They put a boot on his foot for him to wear until Monday then we will go and get a permanent cast. The fracture in his tibia is close to his growth plate that is wide open so he has been given strict instructions to stay completely off of it for two weeks so he doesn’t make the fracture worse. Then he has another 8-12 weeks in a cast after that and then physical therapy. Luckily he does not need surgery. Basketball season is gone and baseball conditioning will be well underway before he is back at it though.

After getting all that information from the doctor, the main take away Matthew focused on was the doctor saying his growth plates are wide open and he is getting ready to have a big growth spurt. He is very excited about that.

Emilee’s Baptism

Emilee and one of her besties Reese both turned 8 this year and they have wanted to get baptized together. They have known each other since birth and they are two peas in a pod. Their due dates were just a few days apart but Emilee decided to come a few weeks early. Technically we were not supposed to combine baptisms still because of stupid COVID but I am currently the Primary President for our church so I bent the rules a bit. We did keep it to grandparents and immediate family only for attendance so it was still pretty small.

They were baptized the day after Thanksgiving while everyone was here. My parents and Roger came in person, everyone else watched from home over zoom. Emilee was a little nervous in the morning about it but as soon as she saw Reese she was giddy and excited about it.

Reese was baptized first, then Emilee, then they switched for their confirmations. Emilee’s Grandpa Jones and Reese’s Grandma May gave the talks and they each picked a song and someone to say a prayer. It was a really sweet baptism. It was a little bitter sweet having our youngest kiddo get baptized. We don’t really have little kids anymore.

Thanksgiving 2020

We were originally supposed to be going on a cruise the beginning of December so we were focused on that and we didn’t have any clear cut plans for Thanksgiving this year. Then not much to our surprise our cruise was canceled because of COVID. We decided to focus on our Thanksgiving plans instead, we talked about just staying here, going to Utah, Florida, or joining someone else. In the end Kenny and Sherri suggested they come see us. They were supposed to go on the cruise with us and wanted to get out of Florida and have a little winter weather. So they decided to come. When my parents heard they decided to join us as well, so I figured I should invite everyone from my family so no one felt left out. In the end everyone ended up coming except Kenny and Sherri and Aubry. Sherri is pregnant and still gets pretty sick so traveling is awful for her, and Kenny came down with most likely COVID and felt crappy too. So it was a bummer that the people that started the party ended up not coming but the rest of us had a fun time for them.

We had 19 chairs, 11 kids, 8 adults, 5 bedrooms, 4 1/2 baths, 2 tables, 1 dog and a guinea pig ‘in a pear tree’. It was a house full, I don’t think it felt like it though. The weather was nice so the kids could jump on the trampoline and play outside. They had the basement to play in as well and had some pretty good games of foosball going most of the time. I don’t remember any fights or tears, I think siblings and cousins got a long great and if there was a minor skirmish there was a dozen other kids to go play with instead. John and Ryan usually had some three hour game going. The rest of us hung out, played our own games, watched a movie, visited, and there was always some food to cook or dishes to do.

We went with the traditional Thanksgiving plans for dinner. We invited Ryan’s parents to join us but they decided to stay home because Rhonda wasn’t feeling well, but Roger cooked our turkey for us with his trash can convection oven sounds gross but is delicious method. I made rolls, and lemon, chocolate, and banana pie ahead of time. Then on Thursday we made the sides, veggies, and potatoes and gravy and had a very delicious meal for Thanksgiving. I made or bought a few meals that were frozen and just ready to cook for the rest of the weekend so we didn’t spend all our time in the kitchen.

I had a stroke of genius and put my dad in charge of taking the pictures for the weekend. He loves to take pictures and I love to have pictures but always forget so I gave my camera to him and now have 200+ pictures of our weekend. They are a little heavy on the dog side but everyone else got some good shots. We got a good group shot of everyone too.

Some of the favorite pass times were Among Us, On the Dot, foosball, Catch Phrase, Celebrity, and a few episodes of the Masked Singer. Friday night we told the kids if they stayed in the basement and played they could stay up late and the adults had our traditional white elephant party. Ryan picked his own present and ended up with a new Gerber knife. I ended up with a motion sensor toilet light for middle of the night pee-ers. Someone left a tacky bowl with candy so old my kids wouldn’t even eat it as a bonus gift but over all, most people were satisfied with their gifts to the degree that if they couldn’t find a use for them, someone they new could have it. Roger and Rhonda now have a motion activated glowing toilet that they think is the handiest thing ever.

The Cazier’s and Jones families left Saturday morning. We relaxed with Grandma and Grandpa the rest of the day. Allison and Grandpa enjoyed a few Pink Panther movies together, then my mom and Allison and I went to Hobby Lobby and got new decorations for my Christmas tree and put them up.

My parents flew out early Sunday morning. I did take a nap Sunday afternoon, but I wasn’t exhausted or worn out from the weekend. It was fun to see my family and be social and enjoy everyone’s company. I even enjoyed having a dog to sneak food to and pet for a few days. If the French family had made it, that would have been icing on the cake. Next time hopefully.

My dad took a face shot of everyone. Here is the line up of 2020 Thanksgiving Attendees.

Life in November

First up is a flash back from 2012. Ryan had this picture pop up on his Facebook feed and he sent it to me. This is our little family the day after Emilee was born. This is the first time Allison and Matthew saw her. Pictures are so awesome. Literally a frozen piece of time that you can look back at and remember forever. They remind you of all kinds of other moments at the same time also. This was a fun day. Those days were physically exhausting but sweet and gone to fast. The picture next to the hospital one is fast forward eight years to Emilee mucking up horse stalls. Ryan was waiting in his car for her to come out because he was cold and it was almost thirty minutes past time for her lesson to be over. He went into get her and she was just helping get the barn shut down for the evening. The girl will go to any lengths at home-including going to bed at 5:30 in the evening to avoid chores but will happily freeze her bum off to shovel poop and dirt because it belongs to a horse.

The girls and I were comparing our genetics the other day. Being able to roll or wave your tongue (I have since learned it is called a clover leaf tongue) is a genetic trait. All of us can roll our tongues, the girls can make the clover (Matthew can do both as well), I can’t. A lot of people in my family can also roll their tongue but no one else can do the clover. The girls don’t share any DNA with Ryan’s side of the family because he is adopted but I don’t think any of them can do it either. Ryan can not do either one. So most likely it comes through my side of the family, I just got the rolling but not the clover gene, or my tongue has not reached its full genetic potential. Fascinating stuff here!!

In addition to a report on our tongue rolling skills, I have some more exciting news!! Allison found my bells in the closet and got them out the other day. She has been playing them a lot. She really likes Christmas music so there have been a few very good performances with the bells the past few weeks. Emilee and Matthew will join in sometimes but Leah and Allison have been the main players. When they get together they practice a few songs and then perform them for everyone. My hopes of a Terry Family Bell Choir have been renewed! I was a little ambitious in getting it started years. Now everyone is old enough to play and most of the time I would say half of us are willing to participate without coaxing. The other half can be bribed to play for 5-10minutes. Woohoo!

Matthew is wearing shorts, not just socks😁.

The past several years when I have asked the kids if they want to go see Santa at the Bass Pro shop, Matthew has rolled his eyes, Allison said “meh” , Emilee tears up and asks if she has to talk out loud or touch Santa, and Ryan says, “I don’t think the kids really care.” This year events unfolded a little differently so my girls were happy to go and I got a cute picture of them with Santa. First, their cousins invited them which makes everything more fun. Second, their brothers stayed home so there wasn’t a constant stream of snarky comments from them. Third, “thanks to COVID” instead of talking to Santa and sitting on his lap, there is a giant clear plastic screen between you and Santa and you get to ‘touch fingers’ through the screen then sit in front of the screen and take a picture. The screen makes it pretty hard to hear so most people just leave a letter or mime what they want to Santa, or just skip the talking part all together. It sounds ridiculous but my girls loved it, and honestly I think Santa loves it too. He seemed more authentically jolly then in past years.

I was thinking of waiting to put decorations up for Christmas after Thanksgiving but I didn’t make it. After all the stupid COVID crap this year I think I needed Christmas to come a little earlier than usual. If I remember right I have put my decorations up mid November for three years in a row so maybe it is just my new normal. This year I don’t think I am alone though, Christmas lights and decorations started appearing several weeks earlier around town and our neighborhood then they usually do. I have spent many a night reading a book snuggled up by my fireplace with just the Christmas lights on. My mom helped me redo my tree decorations when she was here for Thanksgiving. I’m feeling the red this year so I went to a red and white and I LOVE IT!

Allison had one of her big 5th grade projects this past month. They have to pick a Native American tribe to research and write a report on and then build an example of their homes. She picked the Anasazi Tribe. Allison is very detailed and willing to focus as much time on a project as she needs when she gets focused. She had a vision in mind and didn’t care how long it took to make it happen. She did this ALL on her own and did a great job. Her report was VERY THOUROUGH and researched too. It took a few conversations and showing her emails from her teacher for verification to convince her she didn’t need three separate sources to verify ANY fact she put in her report. There are some time management skills that need some polishing with that girl-she will not be rushed- but her creativity, attention to detail, and building skills are pretty great!

Allison’s Chalk-Up Meet

Allison started gymnastic when she was about 4 years old for fun. A few years ago she decided that she wanted to get a little more serious with it and start competing. We switched to a different gym and she had to get to a certain level before she could compete in meets. She worked for almost a year and made the team to start competing. The week before she started her team practices she broke her arm and wasn’t able to compete that season. When she was cleared she was a little behind again and had to do some catch up again. She was almost caught up and then COVID put a hold on everything for a few months. Even though she couldn’t go to class for a few months she worked at home to stay limber and work on getting better at her stuff. Once they started back again she made Team 4, she worked really hard again and in August right before school started they asked her if she would be interested in competing and moving up to Team 5. She was pretty excited and she has worked really hard and gotten a lot better. After 2 1/2 years of setting her goal to start competing in meets with a team, she had her first meet this past weekend! She did a great job and it was fun to watch her. Dad and I were the only ones aloud to go in person and watch because COVID is still raining on everyone’s fun, but I was able to record it and we watched it with the family when we got home and sent it to grandparents and other people. Dad and I are both proud of her for working hard and accomplishing her goal. She thought it was pretty fun and wants to keep doing more and getting better.

Hair glued to her head so it won’t move at all.

Emilee’s 8th Birthday

Well, Emilee-whemilee turned 8 this year! She has been counting down to her birthday for the last 7 months and after “taking forever, and no days going by” her special day finally came!

Her actual birthday was on a Tuesday so we opened presents and had a cookie cake and went to dinner as a family. Emilee picked Sake Lounge for her dinner. She stuffed herself on her favorite sushi roll, called The Shaggy Dog. She has been wanting her very own hover board so that is what she got from her family. She got some snuggly jackets, candy, and a stuffed animal or two as well. She had treats at school with her class and overall it was a happy day for her.

Left to Right, Peyton, Cambrie, Reese, Jovee, Emilee, Anna, Anna, Summer

She wanted to have a birthday party at Main Event with a few of her favorite friends. She picked bowling and the ropes course after stuffing themselves with pizza and a sundae special birthday treat and opening presents with her friends. I think she had a great time. We are glad Emilee is in our family. She is a happy little caboose, and we love her!

Matthew vs Dad Race-Age 14

On his actual birthday this year Matthew was to cool to race his dad. He was sulking a little bit about not having grown as much as he wanted to for the past year. A week or two later he changed his mind and challenged his dad to their annual race. They actually did three races this year. Matthew won the last one by a smidge but we told him the only one that counts is the first race, and he lost. Dad gets to keep the bragging rights for another year at least.

Author: Janae