Some favorite poems from 2004 and 2005

On His Moustache, A Sonnet
by John Alba Cutler

I grew a moustache on my rosy nose,

Composed of wispy, curly wires of black;

It blossomed on my lip like a dark rose,

I hope it doesn't migrate to my back.

My moustache makes me feel like a new man-

With it, I rejoice, The night warms my breast.

I can meet any challenge, with this span

of haughty hair across my mouth, And lest

you think this moustache unbecoming - look!

A hint of red, a whisper of velvet,

My face is suddenly a very book

of poems, and this the crowning sonnet.

The magnum opus of an unshaved face,

A psalm to roses, to upper lips, a grace.

Mach 4 by Joel Henriod

Lip Whiskers do please

My lover always, nat'ral

Aphrodisiac

Ode to the Mustache by Trent Lofgren

For many years you reigned supreme

On upper lips oh how you seemed to gleam.

Why I know four parents, were all quite sure

That there would be no end to this upper lip fur.

Lo, what happened? The nineties I'm afraid.

For over a decade, we've all been depraved.

Oh what a shame to lose such a treasure,

The mighty mustache that elicits such pleasure.

Although not extinct; for you can always see

Simply dormant it lies camouflaged by the goatee.

Tonight there's no fear, no shame, no doubt

As evident here they've given to sprout.

So drink some egg nog, no matter the cost

And let your mustache show off its new frost.

It's sad that this night will be gone in a flash

Bu I will always stay true to my mighty mustache.

Let's Party!

How about December 23rd in SLC at the Henriod Home? Anyone can come. See you there!

Sorry to those you who can't come. We are in Utah from the 17th-26th, and then California until the 6th. Hope we get a chance to visit with all of you!

ALL HAIRY-LIPS INVITED...

The holiday season is coming, it's here.

Poetry, egg-nogg, big sweaters, give cheer.

To all of our friends, from the present and past:

Come see us in Utah, and don't forget the "stache."

Anyone interested???
Date to be announced...

THE BIG NIGHT!!!
Dressing up is not an unusual past-time in our house, so, we really didn't know what the children would be until minutes before trick-or-treating. Kimball was a NINJA for the trunk or treat, a KNIGHT for his school party, and finally, SPIDERMAN for trick or treating. Clara was ARIEL for the trunk or treat, and RO the Island Princess for her party and trick or treating.
We quickly confiscated the nut candy. Then the kids picked out their favorites to feast on for a couple of days. Once they are good and sick of candy, we'll throw it out, or use it for piano student bribery. Yes, I bribe my students to practice. Hey, it works. Any other ideas?

"Trick or TREAT!
Dallin and Analise.

Trunk or Treat...Julia is a sheep, Kimball is a ninja, and Clara is Ariel.
Check out our friends Mike and Vanessa. YO! Have you ever seen a better Optimus Prime???

Halloween Fun

Pumpkin Carving


Halloween Parties

Disney Princess on Ice in Charleston!!!
Can I admit that I got emotional when Mickey and Minnie came out on to the ice to start the show? (no, I'm still not pregnant) It really made me miss home...Joel thinks I'm nuts!
But, Clara had the time of her life. She dressed up as Ariel and, I must say, was the cutest princess there. Joel and Kimball pretended to have a blast and tolerated the girls.
What a show! It was awesome to see each of the princess stories and hear all the songs while watching pretty good skating, too. Thanks, Daddy and Kimball. What a fun date!
"Clariel"

Daddy Daughter Date

Mommy Kimball Date

It's Fall, Ya'll!

The kids had a Fall Festival at school with booths, hay-ride, and pinata. Here are pictures of both their classes. Clara is in red and Kimball is in orange.

Chicks dig boys in cars...

We took the Hummer to the park up the road. The boys had a blast. This is Dallin. He drove the Hummer up to the girls (Clara and Emily) playing with their ponies and said, "Hey girls, you like my car." I had a quick flashforward to age 16. Very scary.

Dallin, Kimball, and Jacob...picking up on the girls.

South Carolina State Fair

I'm not quite sure how I feel about the fair. It sure isn't Disneyland. They had fried EVERYTHING! Has anyone ever tried fried Pepsi? Yo!

But, the kids had fun...

Jim's grandaughter, Claire, and Clara had a great time! (Jim is Grandma's boyfriend)

These roller-coasters are crazy! I can't believe I let my kids ride them. What a blast. We did probably 25 rides in a couple of hours. Beat that, Disneyland.

Edisto Beach
You've never seen a beach like this before. There are shells every where. And they are HUGE! We had a blast finding the largest shells I've ever seen and loading up our back-packs.

We're working on our "Princess" smiles. Not quite getting it...

He's growing up...doesn't Kimball look like a big, little boy here?

Cake Confessions...
I consider myself a pretty good baker...I bake all the time, but for some reason I have not decorated that many cakes. So, I decided to make Clara's birthday cake. No problem. Cake tasted great. Then she asked for a pink dog. Oh my gosh, I have a new respect for ya'll that are amazing cake decorators. I definitely failed! Go ahead and laugh, Marissa! Um, it kind of looked like a pig/Chihuahua/rat, and it was pink! Yo...but then, Morgan Moore posted this fabulous recipe for Carrot Cake and I totally redeemed myself (with Morgan's help). I thought, hey, I can do this. I can learn how to frost and pipe a cake. Wow, it was a fabulous carrot cake. Thanks, Morgan, for helping me not feel like such a failure.

Go Tree-Frogs!

Last night Joel and Kimball went on a frog hunt in the backyard. He was very excited. Kimball packed a bag full of supplies: flashlight, whistle, toy computer, frisbee, and cape. Kimball loves most critters, although he is afraid of tree-frogs; bright green and very quick, they have long, creepy limbs and are notorious for urinating on him. Ironically enough, Kimball's soccer team is named "West Ashley Tree-Frogs." Unfortunately, Kimball's ferocity on the field is very much like his ferocity toward Tree-Frogs. (We need to work on this!) Any tips on how to teach your child to be MORE AGGRESSIVE in soccer? We are happy to report that Kimball's team did score 3 goals. (We won't say what the other team scored. It's a good thing the final outcome was "0-0") Here are a few pictures.

Keep your arms inside the boat at all times...
If you're brave, check out this story. alligator
A man snorkeling in Lake Moultrie was attacked by an 11 ft. 10 inch alligator, and lost his arm. YO! Picnickers treated the man and got him to the hospital, then spotted the alligator with ARM IN JAWS! (Warning, don't look at this link if you are nervous about seeing an arm in an alligators jaw) Arm By the time the alligator was captured, he had swallowed the arm...but they retrieved it and sent it to the hospital, just in case. I guess the arm was in pretty good shape? Um, I think we'll keep our kids inside the gate...

Happy 5th Birthday, Cowboy Kimball!

We love you.

We had an awesome Cowboy birthday party for Kimball. About 15 kids came over to dig for gold, bounce, relay race, and eat cake. Kimball's favorite part? the presents, of course!

There's GOOD, and then there's AMAZING...
Having a home is expensive. When things break, you have to pay to fix them, or you have to have a really handy husband. So when I left for California a couple of weeks ago, I left a list of "to-do's" for Joel. Not really expecting him to have much time, I categorized the lists into 2 sections "Good-Husband Jobs" and "AMAZING Husband Jobs." I know, wishful thinking, given his crazy schedule. Well, much to my surprise, Joel managed to do EVERYTHING on my list, and more. Ladies, never go out of town without leaving instructions for the hubby. Joel spent the first few days lounging, reading, watching t.v. Then, when he started to miss us, he went to work. I LOVE HIM! Here's the list:
"Amazing Jobs"
Seal granite, condition leather recliner, caulk toilet and shower in kids' bath, fill planters, seal back splash tile, fix leak in closet (roof), paint master bath, new light fixture in Master bath, clean behind washer and dryer, stairwell fixture changed.
"Good Husband Jobs"
Piano Business cards around the neighborhood, water my plants, get mail, return stuff to Best Buy, change sheets at least once, bills and paper work.
After all that, he cleaned. Man, did I score when I married Joel! What an awesome anniversary present to come home to. 7 YEARS!

Fun Fall Stuff

Soccer Practice

Kicking a goal
Watching from the sideline

Stopping the ball

Taking a knee

Naughty Mommy! Has anyone ever done this? I put the sprinkler under the trampoline and let the kids go to town. I figure the net keeps them from slipping off. VERY FUN! We had a blast.

First Days of School

It's happened! I (Mom) finally have 6 hours a week to myself...ah, preschool. Good times!

Clara has been asking to go to school since the day we dropped Kimball off (last year). Needless to say, she is a natural, a perfect leader of her Monday-Wednesday class. Kimball is also a wonderful leader and friend to everyone. He now attends 5 days a week, and seems to love it. I am so proud of them both for the kindness they show to everyone around them. Sweet kids. I just love them!

Charlottesville, VA trip!! Labor day weekend was a blast! We drove from Charleston to Winston-Salem NC and picked up Spencer and Sarah, then we drove to Jeremy and Mary Kathryn's house for the long weekend. We swam at the lake, played at the park, ate good food, and played Settlers and Ticket to Ride into the wee hours. It was the best. A few highlights were the cousins all playing together, Spencer and Joel eating minnows they caught with their bare hands, Kimball beating up Spencer, and the best burger on the East Coast at Five Guys. Oh, and don't you think we need a top for our family pyramid,? (No we're not pregnant)