We Need More Haiku

We need more haiku. Come on, y'all! Now, here is some more haiku in honor of some of our family. Please send more (and better) haiku!

For Devin
Red rock fragments
Fissures not in view
Indoors at night

For Daryl
Scent of Melaleuca
Easy breathing now
Do I smell urine?

For Ben
Busy deep mole
Artificial sun lights
Space for haiku

For Toby
Cat chases baby quail
Finished fence has a hole
My fence is perfect

For Susan
Peach-heavy broken branch
Young fruitful branches hang low
Partake to heal

For Andrew
Apple blossoms fall
Child running and hiding
Some sap is missing

For Hannah, Isaac & Gideon
Babies swayed to sleep
Guitars and pianos mix
My children rock

(Sorry. I couldn't help myself. The last two are undoubtedly senryu.)

Haiku

bitter breeze
leaves me cold to the bone
mmmm tasty chicken

On A Ceramic Plate

So what if it is weak? I tried to write one sort of like this years ago in Manti. Does it count? I called it "On A Cermic Plate."

Glistening olives
Left still to dry stroked by a
Button-bright cockroach

A better Haiku

I just thought of one i thinkis better


Sunset on the water
Oars paddle clumsily
fish-hook in my thumb

HAIKU anyone?

I think we should have a family Haiku contest on the blog. Please submit your haiku, but before you do, please READ THIS so as to be certain your poem is Haiku.

HERE IS MINE

Goldfish in a tank
The winter air is freezing
It will never know

I guess the Japanese are always ahead of us when it comes to new inovative ideas, and turning your child into a mop is just one of them! I dunno if you can read what it says there, but is says "Make your children work for their keep"... I couldn't agree more. If I had hardwood floors, KC could seriously keep my floor buffed to a polished shine all day!!

I got a job.

Well, not a whole to say other than I got a job. I am now the Night Clerk at the Econo Lodge in Cedar City. Hello money, goodbye sleep. I'm happy though.

Happy Birthday Toby!

It's Toby's B-day today right? Wish him a happy birthday for us.
I hope he has a successful year.
I have attatched here a little list of what success is at four years old, and throughout your life.


SUCCESS:

At age 4 success is . . not peeing in your pants.
At age 12 success is . . having friends.
At age 16 success is . . having a drivers license.
At age 20 success is . . having a girlfriend / boyfriend that thinks you a really good looking
At age 35 success is . . having money.
At age 50 success is . . having money.
At age 60 success is .. . having a girlfriend / boyfriend that thinks you are really good looking
At age 70 success is . . having a drivers license.
At age 75 success is . . having friends.
At age 80 success is . . not peeing in your pants.

AND CHECK THIS ONE OUT!!!!

Yeah, that's who you think it is!!!

Here is a picture of Lily and I with Mike Tyson (right before he bit her ear off!) He came to visit the clinic at Phoenix Children's Hospital today and Toby was there getting chemo/blood transfusions. So where is Toby in the picture??? Well he had a somewhat serious reaction (to benadryl of all medicines) and then ended up asleep, out cold. I don't think he's upset to have missed him though. Marc however would have liked to ask Tyson to flex for him, or ask him why the crap he threw the fight with Lennox Lewis, but luckily, I took Toby today instead of Marc. Mom - not knowing who he really is - thought Mike Tyson was very nice.

If you didn't finish, don't do anything drastic!

Kerrie Wright sent this to me--you may have already seen it.

The Year in Review

Did you miss anything this year? Then check out the Year in Review. (I can't help it. I think Dave Barry is funny.)

I just want to thank all my siblings in Utah who are sacrificing time away from Grandma and Grandpa. Grandpa is really helping Marc with the addition and it's such a wonderful help! Marc has been working hard, all alone, and now with grandpa here, quite a lot is getting done. Some of you may not know what it's like to have 5 people squeezed into a 2 bedroom, and I'm ready to forget what it's like!!!!!!! Nah, it's not that bad, but I'm so ready to have a bit more room! Here's a picture of Marc and Dad figuring some stuff out. :) Hope you're all well.

Complaint Letters

Now, I know all of you at some point or another have been really frustrated at someone, but didn't know how to let them know. You thought about writing them a complaint letter, but then you probably realized that you are just too lazy. You then asked yourself, "Isn't there something somewhere that will automatically generate a complaint letter for me??" Well look no further!

If you go HERE you can automatically generate a complaint letter about anyone or any company.

Here are some examples. Here is my complaint letter about DAVID. Here is another letter about DARCEE.

Sprinter

Our Sprinter

I don't get on this blog site too often because our interent connection is so slow, however I must say that you are all thoroughly entertaining writers! i like Cherrie's hair and I am quite flattered by Marc's comment about our new wheels! Speaking of our Sprinter, we are quite enjoying it. Ben especially loves to drive it. It's deisel and makes noises that appeal to men I guess. It gets incredible gas mileage for such a large transport (21- 26 miles per gallon), and has plenty of room for our four car seats. I personally love the heated seats and the room. I can stand up in the back and walk around to help the kids. It's also nice because even when the kids are loud, it doesn't bother so much with that much room.
So, if any of you are interested in buying our Sienna (something i am very sad to part with!) it is in great condition and we'd give you the best deal we could. Of course, you'd have to fly to North Dakota and visit us.
One more thing, I love Toby bald!
Love you all!

Kirk And Cherrie's Blog Spot

Hello folks. This is Cherrie. Just want you guys to know that kirk and i created a blog too. Just type http://kirkandcherrie.blogspot.com/ . Happy new year guys and love ya'll...Oh by the way guys, i found my camera so you can look forward to recieving hundred of pictures each week. Oh! Oh! One more thing, since it's a new year, it's time for a new look....whatcha all think???

Bittersweet Wednesday

So, yesterday was a bittersweet day. Praying for Susan and knowing they are feeling a loss. And on the same day, I had my Dr. appointment. My first ultrasound (besides on my heart and legs for swollen legs last year). I was able to see the baby's heart beating. All seems to be well. My placenta is low, so they say I'm "marginal placenta previa." This means I'll have another ultrasound in about 6 weeks to make sure the placenta moves up as the uterus expands. It also means I'll get to find out the sex of the baby. I'm not as in-tune as the rest of you, and I don't have any idea what I am having. I kept calling it "she" for the first 2 months, then "he" for a month. Now I'm going back and forth between "he" and "it." My insurance only covers one ultrasound unless a second is "medically necessary." Now it is. And, I won't really worry about the "previa" until the next ultrasound when they actually know something. I'll just be a little more careful. And to Dave & Susan: I just keep thinking how blessed and brave you are that you agreed to provide a body for a precious spirit that was so faithful he didn't even need to spend any time on this earth. What a sweet addition to your eternal family.

cute bald guys

I thought this was going to be traumatic, but it wasn't/isn't so bad. After Kyle and Toby's game of "let the hair fly" we needed to even out his scalp. I thought you all might enjoy seeing how cute Toby is bald. :)

Want to Laugh?

Here's a story for you (and I hope you can handle all the gory details). The preface to this story is that when I cough too much, I gag....a bit of info. you will need to know.

So, to celebrate New Year's, Daryl & I spent a lovely evening at Marc & Tara's...playing games and sampling sweets. Then, for the 2 minutes before countdown, we watched Dick Clark and the Ball drop. We toasted with sparkling grape juice, kissed our spouses, said Happy New Year...and Daryl & I headed home. On the way home I commented that the grape juice wasn't sitting to well in my tummy, but nothing major. We got home, and despite our extreme fatigue, felt we should open our own sparkling pear juice we purchased for the occasion. First, Daryl started boiling a little water on the stove so that afterward he could breath some melaleuca oil steam before bed (for his allergy-induced stuffy nose). So to make it official...we put on our "romantic wear" (if you know what i mean), got out our wedding gift goblets, and toasted with our pear juice. We took a sip. Then another sip....and mine went down the wrong pipe causing me to---yep---cough too much. I started gagging, then leaned over the kitchen sink and starting upchucking. Daryl, seeing the "toast" was over, just leaned over the stove and started breathing steam. Then, to add to the humor, I threw-up a little too hard....and peed down my own leg! So there we were....in our naughty undies...him leaning over the stove clearing his sinuses....me throwing up in the sink with urine down my leg. I can't imagine a sexier, more romantic New Year. Do they just keep getting better every year after your married? I doubt I'll forget it!

Artaxerxes

Say a prayer for Susan today, if you get a chance. She had her routine appointment today and we found out that Artaxerxes--I am not sure how to put this--"did not make it."

She will undergo a D&C procedure at Altaview Hospital tomorrow to remove him and prevent further possible complications. I realize that this is not a huge tragedy and modern medicine makes most of this a small trial, but we are obviously very sad, as we were looking forward to being able to love and serve another of our Father in Heaven's children. It is also discouraging for Susan to go through those first weeks of pregnancy trials and anticipation. It reminds me how very blessed we are to have six precious children.

So, Darcee, the name Artaxerxes is all yours. (Susan still does not like the name "Artaxerxes" and always referred to him as "Joshua.")

RootX of the Problem

Since I am here, mind if I relate a minor adventure I had last week? After our basement partially flooded with sewer water, we knew we needed to remove the roots in the sewer line. Professionals apparently often use RootX, a very toxic, foaming substance. I ordered some from a plumber on-line and planned to use it just before we went to Mom and Dad's for fun on Friday--you have to let it sit for at least 4 hours and 8 was recommended. So, I read the directions and applied it after putting the kids in the car.

The directions say to mix the contents and put them in the toilet (or some other plumbing opening good for that sort of thing) and flush immediately to prevent the foam from spilling over the toilet bowl. And, of course, wear rubber gloves, try not to let any of it touch you, etc. So, I mixed it, put it in the toilet and immediately flushed. And as the water slowly and happily swirled around and around, the toxic pipe cleaner foamed like a million computer-generated Orcs from Return of the King, tumbled out of the toilet bowl, covered the bathroom floor and leaked through the floor into the basement. We left for Fairview later than expected.

Now I know how not to use RootX.

Beaker

When Andrew wakes up before 6:00 am and starts protesting that he simply cannot go back to bed, he sounds a lot like the Muppet Beaker. It is funny but pretty annoying that early in the morning.

FYI: Andrew is a Sunbeam now and I had to pry him off my legs to get him to stay in Primary. Andrew was also our first child to cry going to nursery, which was sort of flattering as my other children would cry when I picked them up.

PSFYI: Andrew's Sunbeam cousin on Susan's side of the family insists that she is not a Sunbeam because they are "really hot."

We love you all. Take care and God speed.