The Last Ten

It is strange that it is a new year. You'd think after having hit the "new-year" mark more than thirty times, I'd get over the newness of it. But I still don't. It is the time of year I can start fresh, reflect on the past, and figure out how to put the two together to make myself a better person.

We celebrated New Year's Eve by, uh . . . not celebrating. It was any other night except that we were super-brave and gave the kids sparking grape juice to make them bounce off the walls till they drove us to tucking them in. I watched Facebook updates as friends posted that 10 years ago they were waiting to see if computers crashed the world as the Y2K bug was sure to be devastating -- it wasn't. As I tried ignoring the thunder and the firecrackers I thought back over what I've done the last ten years, and it was interesting to look back at the twists and turns life presented me. Scratch the "I" -- it was "WE" all the way, since we've been married ten years and going in the same direction. What have the last ten been like?

• We lived in our first home in Canyon, TX; we bought our second home in Independence, KS; we lived in another apartment in Texas; and now we are in our third home. That's four different mailing addresses in as many cities.I've worked as a chemical engineer in sales and consulting; worked with Allen on a MLM internet-based business; taught high-school science; worked at a quilt store; and opened a scrapbook store with my friend. I am now a stay-at-home mom, and plan to be for awhile.
• Allen has been a grad-student, worked as an intern at Sandia National Labs, completed his Master's degree in Chemical Engineering, and worked at two different refineries under five different companies.
• We have vacationed, visited, or lived in twenty-three states: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Washington, and West Virginia.We have lived in the United States, and visited Costa Rica, Canada, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Turkey, and Greece, with airport stops and passpost stamps in Germany.
• I have been to Grandma Williams' funeral, but had to miss the funeral of Mema Dobbs since I was very pregnant with triplets.I have been pregnant fifteen months, birthed four precious children, changing diapers for more than six years.
• I have made countless friends, but lost contact with many. There are still a precious few that I've kept in contact with the last ten years.
• We have adopted three kittens (Tico, Ramses, and Pickles) a dog (Shadow).
• We have painted seven rooms and hired someone else to paint another six.
• I have quilted off-and-on for seven years, gardened off-and-on for ten years, scrapbooked for nine, and read for pleasure for as long as I can remember.I have had three different pairs of glasses (with another on the way), but worn contacts often.
• I have worn many sizes of jeans from 14 to 4, and that entire range has been worn within the last year and a half.I have witnessed the rising popularity of cell-phones, GPS-use, laptop computers, DVDs, reality television, SUVs, and WalMart.
• I have gotten caught up in the news when Bush defeated Gore; when I was terrorized from afar on September 11th; when the tsunami washed away thousands of people near the Indian Ocean; when friends were affected by Hurricane Katrina; when my friends, business, and family were affected by the Kansas floods; when my retirement funds were drained by the stock market crashing; and when the first black U.S. president was elected.

We have been blessed beyond measure for the last ten years and more. The trials we've faced have made us stronger, the people (and animals) who have come into our lives have made our hearts grow, the places we have been have expanded our horizons and let us know that we can go wherever we dream as long we are careful with our spending. I am excited to embark on the next leg of our journey -- my husband, my kindergartener, my three toddlers, and me.

Expanding our horizons (and our library)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I've chosen my "project" for 2010, and as I consulted my sweet husband, he jumped on board, too. Our goal: to expand our literary horizons and collections. How will we achieve it? By reading books that would not normally make it to our nightstands. In choosing these fifty (yes, 50) books, we consulted six lists:

• Random House's List of 100 Best Novels (1998)
• BBC's Big Read: Top 100 (2004)
• U.K. Telegraph's 110 Best Books: The Perfect Library (2008)
• Newsweek's Top 100 Books: The Meta-List (2009)
• Time Magazine's 100 All-time Best Novels (2009)
• Best Books of the Decade (Miller, 2009) -- A random list of the best books of the last decade that seemed to have similar listings to several others that I googled.

Allen and I both love to read, and we both read a lot. Fifty is a big number, but it is half as many as what most of these lists contain. With 52 weeks in a year, that is about a book a week, so we should still have time for a few other books we want to read, too.

• We started with the pre-21st century novels. First we figured out which we already had in our home library and decided which

• a.) we were interested in re-reading;

  b.) one or both of us had not read; or

  c.) one of us had read and was deeply moved by and, therefore, insisted it be on the list so she finally would read it after over fifteen years of trying to convince her to pick up the book.

• Next we wandered through the many lists figuring out which ones made it to all or most of the lists. If we hadn't read it before, it made the cut -- at least until we filled the card for 2010.
• For the books from 2000-2009, we looked for those listed on other similar lists, and chose the few we both were interested in reading.
• We tried to get a good balance on genres, publishing dates, and readability, without choosing more than one book by the same author.

Overall, we ended up with an exciting, yet possibly daunting, list of fifty novels to try to read this year. I am really excited that Allen wants to do this with me as I always enjoy talking about books I've enjoyed to someone who has read them, too. Here is our list of what we aim to read this year, in publication order:

1. The Prince (Machiavelli, 1513)
2. Frankenstein (Shelley, 1818)
3. The Count of Monte Cristo (Dumas, 1844)
4. Jane Eyre (Bronte, C, 1847)

5. Wuthering Heights (Bronte, E, 1847)
6. David Copperfield (Dickens, 1850)
7. War and Peace (Tolstoy, 1869)
8. Middlemarch (Eliot, 1874)
9. Portrait of a Lady (James, 1881)
10.Treasure Island (Stevenson, 1883)
11.Tess of the D'Urbervilles (Hardy, 1891)
12.Anne of Green Gables (Montgomery, 1908)
13.The Secret Garden (Burnett, 1911)
14.Ulysses (Joyce, 1922)
15.Winnie the Pooh (Milne, 1926)
16.To the Lighthouse (Woolf, 1927)
17.Sound and the Fury (Faulkner, 1929)
18.Swallows and Amazons (Ransome, 1930)
19.Brave New World (Huxley, 1932)
20.Murder on the Orient Express (Christie, 1937)
21.Gone with the Wind (Mitchell, 1937)
22.Of Mice and Men (Steinbeck, 1937)
23.Rebecca (du Maurier, 1938)
24.For Whom the Bell Tolls (Hemingway, 1940)
25.Brideshead Revisited (Waugh, 1945)
26.Nineteen Eighty Four (Orwell, 1949)
27.The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Lewis, 1950)
28.Catcher in the Rye (Salinger, 1951)
29.Go Tell it on the Mountain (Baldwin, 1953)
30.Lord of the Flies (Golding, 1954)
31.The Lord of the Rings (Tolkein, 1954)
32.Lolita (Nabokov, 1955)
33.On the Road (Kerous, 1957)
34.Rabbit, Run (Updike, 1960)
35.Catch-22 (Heller, 1961)
36.Dune (Herbert, 1965)
37.One Hundred Years of Solitude (Marquez, 1967)
38.Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Dick, 1968)
39.Master and Commander (O'Brian, 1969)
40.Slaughterhouse Five (Vonnegut, 1969)
41.The Stand (King, 1978)
42.The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (Adams, 1979)
43.Midnight's Children (Rushdie, 1981)
44.Neuromancer (Gibson, 1984)
45.Beloved (Morrison, 1987)
46.Memoirs of a Geisha (Golden, 1997)
47.The Kite Runner (Hosseini, 2003)
48.The Road (McCarthy, 2006)
49.The Shack (Young, 2007)
50.The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Shaffer & Barrows, 2008)

Annual Resolutions

In 2008, I listed what I wanted to accomplish (or work toward). Rather than making a list of resolutions that would have me worn out and hard on myself within the first month, I spread my to-do list over the year. Overall, I feel good about the things that have been accomplished, and although some are still works in-progress, I feel like we've gotten a lot done. I managed to get our weekdays more structured, and I made time to nurture myself. The house-projects WE got done include painting the little boys' room, painting and decorating Maddie's room, building and maintaining a garden, getting control of the kids toys and clothes, and purging my clothes racks.On July 1, 2002, I made a list of 101 things I wanted to accomplish in my lifetime. Each year I make it a goal to check off at least one from the list. Some years I've struggled to check off one or two, but this year I was lucky enough to get to check several goals:

#9 - See Greece (Aug. 2009)#16 - Go on an annual vacation to see palm trees (Jun. 2009)
#22 - Take cooking classes (2000, 2004, Aug. 2009) #24 - Write a book (published my 2008 Blog as a book, Jan. 2009)
#36 - Learn to tango (We aren't great, but we did learn... Mar. 2009)
#67 - Have a vegetable garden (2009) #76 - Spend 2 weeks on the Mediterranean coast (Aug. 2009)

Going through the list brings back many fond memories since I date each one as I check it off. Some I won't get to for a long time, but others are doable when I am ready to commit. Next year, I thought I'd aim to check some or all of these:

#11 - Garden often
#25 - Play frisbee with a dog
#45 - Make spaghetti sauce from my garden
#68 - Have a cozy porch (I meant to do this in 2009, but ...)
#82 - Tour California's wine country (scheduled for April)

I am already sorting projects out in my head, but I haven't committed them to paper yet since I'm still trying to decide which are really my priorities. Some that I know will make the cut are making time for my scrapbooking, reorganizing the office, and organizing and rearranging our bedroom to make it a sanctuary instead of the room where we dump the messes we are trying to hide from visitors. I also plan to have another year-long project that keeps me creative. In 2009, I did the Project 365, taking photos each day. I learned to use my cameras better and I (almost) have a complete scrapbook of just everyday things and events in our life. (Note: I continued the project even though I did not complete the digital Project 365 Blog. The photos were eating up my blog space...) For 2010, Allen and I are working on a reading project. Right now we are finalizing our list which I will post soon!

Christmas Blessings to You

I am not one to write a Christmas letter. In fact, I don't write letters at all anymore, and that is a bit sad. I remember how much I enjoyed pulling cards out at Thanksgiving and writing personal notes to each of my friends before I mailed them my greetings. Now, I start my address list at Thanksgiving, have the cards printed by the end of December's first week, have stamps within the same few days, but never have the time (quiet time) to get the letters written. So, I hastily stuff the envelopes, address and stamp them and get them on the way. Someday, I hope to get back to writing the letters, but it may be after the kids are in college. I always enjoy reading other peoples' Christmas letters -- the ones that catch you up on everything that is going on, and somehow fits a year of family events on one page, so I thought maybe I'd draft mine here:

Dear Friends and Family,

What an eventful year we've had! It's been one that I felt constantly busy, but I'll have a tough time telling you what actually happened. It seems that chasing around three two-year-olds and a five-year-old takes its toll on the body and mind.

The year started as it always does -- with January 1st. With the new year came a long to-do list that I decided would be my resolutions spread throughout the year. Mostly, I feel we accomplished what we meant to do. In January, Will still enjoyed pre-K, and two of the triplets were enrolled in the mothers-day-out program one day a week. Each Thursday, I would spend one-on-one time with just one toddler. Two Wednesdays a month Ben, Jon, and Maddie were at Mothers-day-out while Will and I spent the day together. I truly treasured the time I spent with each of my children uninterrupted.

With February came a Valentine's wedding for Allen's brother. It was our first trip with Ben, Maddie, and Jon that was not to a grandparents' home, and our first time with them in a hotel, and our first time sleeping in the same room as all the kids. We all had a great time visiting with family, and overall, the trip was successful. (Especially since I had a good reason to get a great pair of shoes.)

In June, we went on our first real vacation with all the kids, and we were lucky that Sarah's parents joined us to help keep eyes on the little ones. We drove to Corpus Christi and the kids loved the beach -- another first for them. A few times this summer, we took the kids to pick blueberries and everyone had so much fun that we plan to make it an annual event.

Allen and I celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary in September, but the party started early when we travelled to Greece and Turkey for two weeks in August. The kids stayed with grandparents while we toured Athens and Delphi, then cruised the Greek Islands, Ephesus, and Istanbul. It was truly a dream-come-true that already seems like a lifetime ago. As soon as we got home, Will started kindergarten.

This fall two of the triplets continued to go to Mothers Day Out weekly while I spent the day with the third. I continued taking all three to MDO two Wednesdays a month and Allen convinced me to spend those two days doing whatever I wanted. A few of the days were used to paint and wallpaper big-kid rooms for Maddie, Ben and Jon, who turned three in October. Will just turned six and has been reading avidly since this summer. He has also enjoyed taking karate classes a few nights a week.

We spent Thanksgiving with Allen's parents, grandmother, brother and sis-in-law. You know the song, "In a cabin, in the woods,..." That's where we went. It was refreshing and enjoyable to spend time outside enjoying fall with family, and since there were eleven of us sharing three bedrooms and a bathroom, we got to call it an "adventure!"

It took a bit more time for me to get in a Christmassy mood. I think it had something to do with the 80-degree temperatures we hit in December. It's hard to think about the North Pole while you're digging all the summer clothes out again. Once Will got out of school, the Christmas fun began with a trip to see Nana and Papa, then another to see Gramma and Granddad. I remember as a kid losing track of the days when we had long breaks, and that's what's happened to me the last two weeks.

Our year has gone by quickly, though many days seemed like they would never end. We have been blessed beyond measure with the time we've spent with our families, the joy we've found with each other, and the health and well-being of the kids. Our family wishes all our friends and family a prosperous new year filled with many, many blessings! Thank you for keeping up with us.

Love, The Kaiser Family

Joy to Our World

We had a wonderful Christmas day. It was definitely full of the joy, hope, and love we wish for loved ones at Christmastime! Will had gotten up several times during the night and Allen found him standing in the middle of the living room with his mouth open in awe at the sight Santa left behind. I know of at least twice he was sent back to bed, then Allen and I were up to make breakfast. I felt a little guilty being up before the kids since it seems like parents being awake already takes a little of the magic out of the childhood Christmas morn. Regardless, we had early work to do so we could relax the rest of the day. In the end, it was just fine, we just hid until the kids each discovered the piles of gifts. And they were still thrilled to tell us all about it! We let the kids open their stockings and Santa gifts while our cinnamon monkey bread was baking. Will found a toy motorcycle in his stocking, but as soon as he unwrapped the Playmobil dragon he exclaimed it was the best Christmas ever and he already had everything he ever wanted (the motorcycle and the dragon.) Maddie was really excited about her Disney Princess tea set, Jon liked his police-car GeoTrax vehicle, and Ben's reaction to opening the remote-controlled Mater truck was priceless: "I got Mater! I got Mater! I got Mater! I got Mater! I got Mater! I got Mater!" After breakfast, we opened more gifts and the kids did really well. Yes, it did get chaotic at times, but the kids knew to hold the gift and smile for a picture then to pick up all the trash before the next gift was to be opened. Ben was extraordinarily sweet saying, "Thank you," after opening each gift and rushing around to pick up everyone's trash with a smile. Nana and Papa arrived just before lunch, so there was another round of opening just before we sat to eat.

Lunch was our main meal, I suppose. We had a big breakfast, so I didn't want to rush into a ton more food, but I still managed to overeat. We had delicious ham and corn chowder with salad and freshly baked whole wheat bread. Dessert was apple pie a la mode, but Maddie and Ben asked to be excused to go nap before we served it. Surprisingly, they both went straight to bed on their own while we continued to dine. While the kids napped, Allen and Randy assembled three big-wheels and a big-kid bike so that after nap time we could all go for a ride (or walk).

After our ham-sandwich dinner, Randy and Shelley headed home and Allen and I tucked the kids in, worn out after such an exciting day. As I kissed each one good-night, I asked the kids what their favorite gifts were. When I asked Ben what his favorite part of the day was, he told me the presents. When I asked which presents, he answered, "The presents that were for ME!" At the end of the day, the little kids' favorites were the bikes and the calculators (so they may be a bit nerdy like their parents, so be it.)

Once Upon a Christmas Eve

I got an awesome gift on Christmas Eve that no one was able to wrap: I got to visit with some dear friends. Chrissy, one of great friends from high school, moved to Waco this summer. Although we kept trying to get together, the schedules never lined up. We promised to make it work before Christmas, and there is nothing quite like procrastination, right? Christmas Eve morning, mom bathed and dressed my kids (I guess I really was on vacation, huh?) while I packed as much as I could. We drove across town to meet Chrissy and her two kiddos. To make things even better? Jamie, another dear friend from that time in our lives (who now lives in Manhattan,) was visiting her family in Austin, but she drove to Waco to see us, too. (L-R: Sarah, Chrissy, Jamie)As much fun as we can have with three old friends, we spent a lot of time and energy counting and making sure we knew what the half dozen kids were doing. We had a wonderful time catching up, but we are all looking forward to getting together in April at the wedding of another friend and without distractions of little kids. I think the only time all six kids were in the same room at the same time was at lunch and for this miraculous photo.

I never thought that singing "I'm dreaming of a White Christmas," would work its magic now that we live in East Texas where snow is quite rare. As soon as we left Chrissy's, Will told me it was snowing. Although we could barely see it at the time, it was, indeed, snowing, and the few flurries quickly picked up the pace and put us in a Central Texas blizzard that followed us all the way home. The snow didn't stick where we live, but the kids go to enjoy the excitement for a bit. We got home in time to eat dinner, get Santa's cookies and Rudolph's carrots ready, and get the kids into warm beds for the night. Allen started the Christmas soup while I wrapped a few more gifts.

A Little Piscator

The kids and I headed to my parents' for a few days. On the way I was entertained by Christmas carols being belted out the radio by Burl Ives, Andy Williams, and other classics. I was also humored by even more of the kids' interpretations of what I always considered normal carols. Maddie can sure sing, and among her holiday favorites is "We wlish you a Merly Chrlistmas! We wlish you a Merly Chrlistmas! We WLISH you a Merly Chrlistmas and a happy newwwwwwwwwwwwww YOUUUUUUUUUUUU!" She has a way of rolling her Rs and Ws and other random letters that just makes everything sound a bit charming. Ben's current song is "Bingle Jells! Bingle Jells! Bingle ahh de'wayyy!" and I still can't hear Good King Wencelas without laughing about Jon's interpretation (see blog entry from a few days ago). Will is just impressing me with the fact that he can remember so many different lyrics since it doesn't seem like it was that long ago that he was just trying to hum to the tunes.

Today the weather was warm enough to play outside, and this afternoon, I peeked out the window and saw my dad teaching Jon to fish. It turns out my youngest child is quite the angler. Here is a video of Jon, age 3, catching a fish with a bit of guidance from Granddad.

Jon was very focused on the process and not afraid to touch the fish. Once he figured it out he just kept them coming. He caught total of eight sunfish and, as you can see, was quite proud of himself.The other kids wanted to try after they saw how easy Jon made it look. Ben was not interested in standing still and waiting for the nibbles, so it didn't bother him that he didn't catch any. Will caught two, and Maddie almost caught two. The second fish that Maddie pulled out of the water splashed and startled her. She responded by throwing the pole at the fish and running away squealing like, well... a girl. Gramma extracted the pole from the lake with the fish still attached, but Maddie was not at all interested in having her picture taken anywhere near the fish. Before that incident, Dad spent plenty of time informing the kids they shouldn't let the pole get in the water. After it was thrown in, Mom and I just couldn't quit laughing. I think Dad forgave his sweet granddaughter, but it may be awhile till she gets another chance to fish with his good pole. On the other hand, she told us fish were "yucky and wet" so she may not care to go near one with a five foot pole anyway.