Annie-Bananie

This cute little face now comes with two little bottom teeth... and it sleeps through the night. Joy.

Puzzled

I was pretty amazed when I got out of the shower the other day and Will had completed a 50 piece puzzle all by himself. In fact, I was bragging about it. Well, yesterday he did a 71 piece puzzle, and this puzzle doesn't even have a picture to look at! Brilliant! I can't even believe how fast these little people's minds develop. I'm tempted to go and buy a 100 piece puzzle just to see if he could do it.

Push Yourself

I don't know why I keep signing up for things that push me out of my comfort zone. I think it's because I am not going to school right now and I don't feel like I am growing and stretching quite like I used to. The first event was Grassroots; it was such a success that I decided to sign myself up for further torture: The Wasatch Back.

It is a 188 mile Ragnar Relay that is run with a team of 12 from Logan to Park City, UT. Previously I just mocked the runners that were crazy enough to willingly sign up for such agony

Now I'm one of them.

I am the proud runner of leg #4- possibly the easiest leg in the relay (Thank you Darcy Haas!!!), but it is still a challenge for a person that hasn't physically exerted herself since 9th grade track and field.

I began training one week ago today. I ran for 15 minutes at about 5PM, and I came home and collapsed for 45 minutes following my run. I was pretty sure I was going to die and that my brain was going to explode. Theater has made me soft. Turns out I was wrong because obviously I'm still alive to type this post. I have now completed a total of three 15 minute runs and I am surprised at how much easier it is to run those 15 minutes already. I know I can do it, and I am stoked to run with such a great group of women in this relay.

I bought these shoes today that I am hoping will carry me through my journey. It was funny when I was shopping for them. Normally I choose tennis shoes based on style rather than function. Today I gingerly tried on several pairs as if I were trying on friends. I was careful. I spent time with each pair; running up and down the aisle, chasing Will, even jumping up and down a bit. These made me feel stable. Secure. Plus, they were wide width :).

So here's to running... and hopefully not passing out or peeing my pants along the way.

The Writing Portfolio

As a genetic pack rat (I'm calling myself this because I believe I can blame the "pack rat" gene on my mother, who got it from her mother, who probably got it from her mother, but I digress...) I tend to keep things that might be important one day.

Like a writing portfolio.

To my joy I stumbled across this little treasure earlier this week where it was stuffed in the top of our basement closet. Flipping through it I found all sorts of little jewels; a short story from high school, descriptive observations, a story I wrote for the little Park's girls I used to babysit, poems from the seventh grade, and the crowning jewel- the beginning of a book I wrote: A Haunted Summer.

I know the title has you begging for more.

A little background info: My BFF/sworn enemy (and I say this because it is pure truth, we were best friends, or she was throwing a brick at my head, there was no in-between) Wendy and I were obsessed with Ann M. Martin's series The Babysitter's Club when we were kids. Who wasn't, right? They were the best :). Well, I began this book based on that series. The hook that is written on the front of the book is, drum roll please, "Eight stories about eight girls and their seven weeks of haunted summer."

I kind of want to post it on here, but I'm afraid Ann M. Martin might feel I'm breaking some copyright laws or something. Instead I am posting two poems: a bio poem from the seventh grade and one entitled The Gift that I wrote as a senior. Classics, both.

Amy Wilson (1996)

AMY
Funny, pretty, responsible, athletic
Sister of Cami, Sam, James, and Clay
Lover of boys, soccer, and Christmas
Who feels lonely when there's no one around, happy during the Christmas season, sad when someone dies
Who needs more rabbits, perfect teeth, and a boyfriend
Who would like lots of presents at Christmas, everyone to keep the golden rule, and to find a cure to cancer
Resident of Lolly Land, Bubble Ville, and Kaysville
WILSON

The Gift (2002)
My childhood was...
the royal emerald green grass that caressed my bare feet as I skipped along the lawn.
the crowded room, and the one lone mattress on the messy and cluttered floor that was my solace, my bed.
the sweet smell of the fragrant spring blossoms that permeated the crisp air on an April morning.
sounds of familiar voices echoing in my ears as I hid so silently and carefully in the blackness of the basement closet.
admiring my graceful sister as she waltzed down the hallway to meet her Prince Charming who was waiting so gallantly for her arrival.
allowing my worn out body to lay and rest anywhere it decided to fall, even if it was in a pile of smelly soiled laundry.
dipping my tired and worn child feet into the cool babbling creek while sipping a bubbly and refreshing Coke.
playing kick the can, hide and seek, and cops and robbers for hours on end without tire, or the slightest inkling of boredom.
the comfort of the large, strong arms that encircled my skinny body with the love of my father every morning without fail.
spinning in circles and tumbling to the ground, only to watch the trees spin in circles quickly around me.
pedaling my bike up endless hills as the herd of neighborhood children followed close behind at my heels.
putting on a brilliant show for whoever would pay attention to the music and the dance that was all choreographed and performed by me.
sloppily licking my dripping fire-stick ice cream cone as the cinnamon taste flooded my mouth with flavor.
spending time on a painting, and making every stroke as tenderly as my tiny hands could manage until the colorful flower on the white sheet was completed... only to hold it up and have the paint drip and the colors mix.
skipping, napping, dancing, painting, giggling, running, hopping, and experiencing the world without a single worry or care.
...a precious gift; something that for the rest of my busy life, so filled with worry and concern, I will treasure as something rare, beautiful, and impeccably close to perfect.

I want to put one more on here. It was the final poem I wrote for my creative writing class:

Solace (2002)
Elegant Gaea, cloaked in a glittering black;
I bow like narcissus in submission of night.
The warmth fills my soul and I begin to relax
as sleep comes like Eden, and I no longer fight.

My mind drifts away on a pillow of clouds,
and my thoughts explore endless seas;
I could live in this place, if time allows,
and like a nymph, I could roam as I please.

This sleep is ambrosia to my mind,
immortal thoughts of a fairy tale land;
where all is possible, and easy to find,
and in reach of any mortal man's hand.

My solace is dreams that come in the dark,
and lift me from days that are dull;
these dreams are a light, a new found spark,
and are worth more than Midas' gold.

Lovely, right? I'm so glad I'm a pack rat.

Go eat rocks and DIE!!!

I drove down to Orem late Saturday afternoon feeling pretty prepared for the Grassroots workshop I was involved in- Twelfth Night. My lines were memorized, I had collected some performance black clothes, and I even remembered deodorant. Then I pulled into the parking lot of the church where we were to be performing... and my stomach dropped into my toes. Nerves. Clammy hands. The sweats. The whole works. I was so out of practice that I had even forgotten what it felt like to be nervous for something!

Fifteen minutes later the workshop began and we were hastily blocking and running scenes for two hours. Never mind that I had the fewest lines of anyone in my scenes and somehow I still forgot them! But, that is what this workshop was all about. Raw theater. When we were attempting to complete a run-through of the show before our performance I was wondering if I should call Dallas and tell him not to come. I was slightly embarrassed by what I saw- missed cues, lines dropped, fudged blocking, not to mention how slowly each scene was going. We didn't even get to run the entire show before we had to break to eat. Too bad by the time we were released I knew Dallas was already on his way, along with our good friends Katie and Mitch Nelson.

After a quick run to Burger King for some comfort food (thank you Whopper Jr. and fries!), it was time to start. Don't worry that when we were introducing ourselves and our parts, I forgot what parts I was playing... bad sign, right? The show went on, and I was shocked by what I saw. The show was funny! Hysterical even! We raced through the show in a little over an hour, and I was very impressed with what we were able to pull off as a group. We worked together and put up an entire Shakespearean production in 4 hours including the actual play. I had never seen anything like it. It was awesome not only because we actually pulled it off, but because we were able to say lines like, "Go eat rocks and die!" and the audience had no idea that it wasn't written by the Bard.

So, in summary, it was was completely out of my comfort zone, scary at times, funny at times, and totally rewarding. Thank you Grassroots for allowing me to take part in such an incredible learning experience!

First Officer

Clown

Sir Andrew

Fifty is the new Thirty. Right?

Kristie, Dallas' mom, turned 50 last weekend. We celebrated Kaiserman style with a "little" enchilada party. Fun AND delicious. It was great to celebrate with her; we are lucky to have such a loving mother that would do anything for her kids. Highlight of the night? It was adults only so I got to eat without wrestling babies. It was glorious.
Kristie and her siblings: Jenn, Jackson, Kristie, Carolyn, Jim Sr., John, Jim Jr.

Kristie and her kids: Seth, Sierra, Kristie, Liesel, Beau, Jordan, Amylee, Annie, Dallas, Jake and Misty

"Then lead the way, good father; and heavens so shine, That they may fairly note this ACT of mine!" ~Twelfth Night

***The Perfomrance of Twelfth Night will be held at the church on 1051 East 200 North in OREM.***
Here goes nothing! I signed up for a workshop with the Grassroots Shakespeare Company this upcoming weekend. We will be doing a one hour cut of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. I am both excited and afraid. It has been way, way too long since I have acted. I've already started having nightmares that I show up to the performance completely unprepared and without memorization... but, I digress. So, wish me luck! And should any of you be in the mood for the Bard on Saturday, there is a FREE performance at 9PM. (Did I mention that it's only one hour? Because it's only one hour, and there's pretty much NOWHERE else that you can see a Shakespearean play in only one hour. And plus it's free. FREE!) I'm not sure where it is yet, but I will update this soon and let ya'll know.

A little background on Grassroots:
1-You sign-up via e-mail.
2-Grassroots randomly assigns parts. Players receive a few scenes about 4 or 5 days before the workshop. They memorize their lines.
3-Players show up Saturday January 16th at 5pm ready to work hard and have a good time. They've read a synopsis of the play, they've done a bit of homework, and they've memorized their lines. They rehearse for a few hours, then they play.
4-They perform a fast paced and furiously funny one-hour cutting of Twelfth Night. All their friends and family come to see them perform. Good times all around.

Reason 1,789,252 as to why I love my Son:

Sometimes Will chooses to play with toys for a bit longer rather than have a story before bed. When this happens he usually tucks himself in and then we check on him before it's lights out for us. I guess you can say the kid really loves his toys.
What you see.....
What you get...

Also, at 4 AM Christmas morning I woke up to him making all sorts of noise in his room. I laid there for a minute wondering what on earth he could be doing and then decided to go see for myself. I opened the door to his room and he popped his cute little head up. I went in to give him a kiss and ask what he was doing when he said, "I just wanted to sleep with these, Mom." He had gotten out of bed, picked all of his monster trucks up and put them in their bin, and then neatly tucked them into bed with him for a good night's rest. Will is the greatest :).

All in a Year's Time

Sometimes it takes the beginning of the year for people to do some serious soul searching and re-evaluate their lives. It is no different for me. I have been pondering 2009 over the last few weeks, and I can gladly say that I've been doing it with a smile.

How could I not when the biggest event for me was bringing my perfect little Annie Kate into this world? My tears are starting. It's because she is so precious AND life altering. Babies are no easy thing and I have been so grateful for friends to share the journey with, a sister to call about coughs and sleep habits, and my lovely mother, whom I adore, that I have had to do nothing but blubber to and she is dropping everything she is supposed to do so that she can come rescue her own sweet girl. (I know I'm taking liberties here saying that she thinks I'm sweet so I hope I'm being accurate). Even though Annie is hard, she is so so so good.

And there are the little moments- which happen to be my favorite kind. They are filled with kisses, funny scouts, meeting amazing new best friends, embracing my love for cooking, spontaneity, hugs from my Daddy, laughs with Sam, watching art, creating art, seeing Dallas really smile, taking risks, missing out, potty charts and bedtime stories, hide-and-seek, chocolate chip cookies, late nights and playgroups, and everything else that helps break up the monotony and sometimes the loneliness that comes with being a stay at home Mom.

And just like every year, there are the tough things. Some of these things aren't solved in a year's time, or even several year's time at that. I'm hoping when I look back at them that I will be proud also. There has been major losses in our family, one that will heal and one that just seems to fester. I have learned even more how another person's choices can affect so many others- for the good or the bad. But with all these hard things we have learned that it's best to let go.

Overall 2009 has been a year of growth, and that is what life is all about. So, whether the events of 2010 bring sadness, trial, or joy, I will welcome them as I try to make the best with what I have.