Is This Normal?
The chaos that is the KerbersArchive for April, 2009
The fast pants
Ben and I have been having some struggles in the morning. He’s becoming very picky with his clothes lately. But, of course, as is everything with Ben, it’s not the typical pickiness. It’s not a certain color, or even a specific style of clothes he wants. No, my darling little boy wants the fast clothes. Yes, I said fast. Today, he literally screamed, “But those pants are NOT FAST!” pretty much at the top of his lungs while I was trying to get him dressed.
I kind of know what he means. Several of his shirts have a car, a train, a motorcycle, or some other vehicle on them. Those things are fast…thus, they are fast shirts. I’ve even been able to convince him that his two dinosaur shirts are fast because, in my words, “Dude, have you ever seen how fast a dinosaur can run? They are SUPER fast.” He was skeptical, but it did work. The problem really rears it’s ugly head when we get to the pants or shorts…because I’m not really sure what fast pants are. He absolutely freaks about jeans…they’re definitely not fast. Sometimes wind pants, or “squishy pants” in his words, are ok…sometimes not. Typically he’s fine with his knit athletic pants, but again…sometimes not. And now that we’re moving into shorts weather, we have a whole new wardrobe to categorize. It’s exhausting.
I try to let him help in the choosing so that he feels a little more ownership and is less upset about my choices. But by the end of the week, when it’s closer to laundry day and all the favorite shirts and pants have been chosen and worn, it gets tough again. I don’t want to cave in and let him not wear perfectly good clothes that we already own, but I really hate the fighting in the morning. I really hope this is just a phase, or that someone can get me a whole bunch of truly fast pants quick!
Emma’s first haircut
Yesterday Emma got her first haircut ever. We had held off as long as we could, but it was just getting too long and stringy and it hung in her face more than not. It was time. I knew she could do well if she wanted to, but whether she would do well was pretty much a crap shoot. My worries, it turned out, were all for nothing. She did great.
She was excited to get in the car chair and didn’t flinch when Kami (the girl cutting her hair) put the cape over her. 
We picked a Dora show to watch, and it held Emma’s attention pretty well. She giggled when Kami sprayed her hair, but let her comb it all out without any problem. 
She moved around a little bit at first, but then she got pretty focused on her show. Kami did a great job and could move and cut just as much as Emma could. I was actually pretty impressed.
The only time I got a little nervous was when Kami started to cut Emma’s bangs. She clipped up the rest of her hair, which was pretty funny, 
but even then Emma held pretty still and didn’t cause a lick of trouble. I was so proud…and sure that her bangs would end up straighter than mine ever were as a child! 
Once the cut was done, Kami blowed her dry. Emma flinched a bit and didn’t really care for the blow dryer, but still she didn’t really make a fuss. Overall, it was a great experience for us all. Emma was awesome, and Dave and I were both really happy with the results.
Below you can see both the before and after. She’s officially a big girl now.
Happy birthday, Grandma Jane!
Today is my grandma’s 92nd birthday. She is an amazing woman and has been a wonderfulgrandma to me my entire life. I have so many fond memories of being at Grandma & Grandpa’s farm, and even after Grandpa Barley passed it was always a treat to go see Grandma Jane. You always knew you’d get a great meal and some good stories out of a visit to the farm. As Grandma got older, it became obvious that she couldn’t stay out on the farm by herself anymore. So now she lives in Mendota in a nursing home.
While this isn’t the perfect scenario, it’s definitely what Grandma needs. I only wish we could get up to see her more often. Even though I know there’s no chance of Grandma reading this, I hope she knows how much we love her, and I hope she finds some enjoyment on her birthday.
Daddy’s helpers
Last night, Dave was trimming the maple tree in our front yard. It was just some trimming of the lowest branches, but he cut quite a few of them. Ben and Emma were fascinated with the process and were very eager to help him haul the branches to the curb.
Of course, there is only so much work a girl can be expected to do. Emma worked hard for awhile, but then was distracted by the empty toy tub. It was nice to have the help while it lasted!
Happy Earth Day
Ok, maybe it’s just me, but I think Earth Day is a crock.
I mean, I’m all for recycling, reusing and renewing, but seriously…Earth Day? I didn’t even really like it when I would use it while I was teaching. April would roll around and I always did some kind of junk art project or recycled materials project or something that highlighted environmentally friendly art with the elementary kids. They were always totally into it because of course young kids always get simple, logical concepts. And that was before anyone had even heard of “going green”!
Maybe I’m just cynical, or crabby, or an old stick-in-the-mud, but I just don’t buy all the hype. I guess I just feel like I can go green without announcing it to the world.
Happy birthday, Brett!
Ten years ago today, I was in the hospital getting my appendix out. I had gone in at like one o’clock in the morning with horrible pain in my gut, and by one o’clock the next afternoon I was told that any minute I’d finally have the surgery. At the same time, Nancy had begun labor. We were at opposite ends of the same hospital, and my parents just went back and forth between the two of us most of the day. As I was coming out of the anesthesia after surgery, the nurse said to me, “No baby yet!” Everyone was amused by the idea of two sisters being admitted on the same day.
About an hour and a half later, Rod came into my room and said, “Brett Donald is here!” We were all so excited to have a third Swartzendruber boy. I was a bit disappointed because the plan was for me to be in the delivery room when he came, but I had to settle for being in the same hospital. I wasn’t allowed to see him until I had been discharged the next day, but it was still pretty thrilling to meet him when he was only 24 hours old.
And now our little Bubba is 10. He’s hit the double digits already, which doesn’t seem possible. Even though he prefers to be called Brett now, he will always be my Bubs. He’s a great kid and an awesome cousin to Ben and Emma. They absolutely love playing with Brett, and whenever we’re in Sycamore, Ben wants to go to “Bubba’s house.” Nevermind that four other relatives live there…it’s Bubba’s house.
Happy birthday, Brett. Stop growing up so fast!!!
It was a good night
Tonight was awesome. From the minute I picked the kids up it was obvious that Ben was in a great mood, and it definitely rubbed off on all of us. When we got home both he and Emma started playing and were entertaining themselves unbelievably well. Then Ben decided he wanted to color so he got up in his chair and colored for almost a half hour before dinner. In the meantime, Emma was playing and wasn’t even interested in what he was doing up at the table. That never happens. Usually she’s grabbing at anything she can get her hands on up there!
The good feeling continued through dinner, when both of them actually ate most of their dinner with very little negotiation necessary. There was no arguing, no raised voices, and no frustration for Mommy or Daddy. It was so refreshing. We played for awhile more after dinner, and here’s the most shocking thing ever…twice Ben asked me for something to which the answer was, “No”, and he didn’t freak out about hearing that at all. Seriously…that in itself is miraculous.
When bedtime came, there were again no arguments. Of course neither of the kids typically argue about going up for bed, but often there is a lot of rowdiness and a need for some discipline once we get into the bedtime routine. Not tonight, though. Smooth sailing all the way.
I guess I wanted to write this post to remind myself that our kids are actually very good kids, and there is a light at the end of the bi-polar tunnel where three-year-olds live. I want to remember nights like this one, because I feel like the frustration with the kids wins over the appreciation for them more often than I’d like.
One thing is clear…
Emma would love to get a puppy.
Now she just has to convince her mommy and daddy that they should get her one. Good luck with that one, Emma!
Happy birthday, Ryan!
Today is Ry Ry’s Golden birthday…he’s 18 on the 18th. Dave tells me that my family members are the only people who know what a Golden birthday is, but I disagree. Check this link out.
Anyway, I know it’s a cliche, but it truly seems like yesterday when Nance called me to tell me Ry had arrived. It was such a great feeling to be an aunt for the first time. I was instantly infatuated with him even though I didn’t get to meet him for two more months. That trip to Seattle was one of the best trips ever. I walked off the plane and saw Nance holding Ryan up so I could see him before anyone else. It was awesome.
And now, 18 years later, Ry Ry is still awesome. I can only hope Ben turns out to be as kind-hearted, as fun-loving, and as quick-witted as Ryan is now. I’m totally impressed with the young man Ryan has become. Of course it doesn’t hurt that he’s chosen to become an Illini in the fall; that made instant brownie points with the Kerbers. It’s obvious the kid has taste.
Happy Golden Birthday, Ryan. You’ve reached a milestone at 18, but you still have so much in front of you, and I can’t wait for you to experience the next stage in your life. I’m so glad that you’ll be closer to us in the fall. We’ll always be there for you anytime you need it! I feel so lucky to have you as a nephew and for my kids to have you as a cousin…you’re the best!
Update
Just as an FYI…Ben’s Pull-Up has been dry the last two mornings! Woo HOO!!! Maybe I just needed to put it out there for the world to see sooner!!
