Is This Normal?
The chaos that is the KerbersArchive for June, 2009
The mystery fever returns
Yesterday afternoon, Ben’s mystery fever came back. It’s been a long time since he’s had one, but he’s following his same old pattern. He was completely fine…had a short rest at Danielle’s…was suddenly burning up with fever…then was completely lethargic and wiped out. We started his Motrin/Tylenol revolving cocktail treatment, and every time it kicked in he seemed to be fine. As usual, he has no other symptoms at all, but when this fever spikes (it’s typically somewhere between 100.5° and 101.7°) it completely takes over his entire body. He doesn’t want to eat, he doesn’t want to play, he only wants to whine and snuggle. I can’t complain about the snuggling, but the whining leaves a bit to be desired.
I was so sad that it happened now. He missed another day of preschool and it also meant we were all trapped at home for an entire day. That is rough for a two year old who feels fine! Not to mention that sometimes these episodes with Ben last almost a week, and of course we have all kinds of plans this weekend for our anniversary on Friday, the fourth on Saturday, and for his birthday on Sunday & Monday. He just can’t be sick! 
Hopefully tomorrow will bring good health and he’ll be fever free. Keep your fingers crossed!
Stain the playset…check!
Dave and I finished the playset this afternoon. The kids were already scheduled to go to Danielle’s, so he took a half day of personal time and we finished. I think that both of us were surprised how quickly we got done. I know it was weighing on Dave, and he loves being able to check things off his list. One project done…about a million more to go! Do normal people have this many house projects, or is it just us?
Before After
Work and play
This afternoon Dave and I started staining our playset. 
This was a job that had been on Dave’s “to do” list since the weather got warm, and he was dreading it. But, since the weather had finally broken and it was way less hot and humid today, we decided to start tackling it. Dave started as soon as the kids were done with lunch, and then when I put Emma down for her nap a short time later I went out and joined him. We put Ben on the couch for a “rest” with a movie. I know, I know…a movie as a babysitter is pretty pathetic, but we didn’t want him to get anywhere near the oil based stain and we knew he’d just want to “help” if he was out there with us. Working outside without dripping in sweat was so nice. Although, I will admit I should have used a stronger sunscreen, because my shoulders are a little pink tonight. They could be (and have been) much worse, though, so I’ll deal with it.
We knew that we’d never get done in one night unless one or both of us worked pretty much straight through until dark, so I convinced Dave to stop when naptime was over. We decided that it would be much more fun for all of us to head to State Farm pool instead. We hadn’t been yet this summer, and we had a great time there. Ben wanted his swimmies on as soon as we got there, which meant he was way more confident in the pool and that we didn’t have to be only a step away from him at all times. 
He went down the slide a bunch of times, and he even went down the bigger slide in the middle pool! The middle pool is one that’s about 3′6″ deep at it’s deepest. We hadn’t been in there before, and he loved it! It was still a little deep for Emma, who can’t really balance herself with swimmies yet, so we pretty much stayed in the baby pool with her. Poor Emma…she wanted to go down the slide in that pool so badly, but she just couldn’t muster up the nerve. She’s not usually scared of much, but she stood on the platform at the top of that slide for a really long time and never did go down. Maybe next time…
We ate dinner at the snack bar at the park, 
fed the geese in the pond, and then swam a little more before packing up to head home. On our way home we stopped for ice cream to round out a really great day. Poor Ben was so tired that we were literally were yelling, “Ben, Ben…keep those eyes open, Buddy!” in the car on the way home just so he could make it without falling asleep. We really had a great day together, and I look forward to hundreds more like it!
Our “new” picnic table
Today our neighbors gave us their old Little Tykes picnic table. 
Yes, I said they gave it to us…out of the blue! Their kids are 9 and 12, so obviously they’re not using it anymore, and they wanted us to have it so Ben and Emma could more easily eat outside. Up until today, when we wanted to eat outside, the kids would have to sit on our regular chairs, which meant they were either up on their knees or they would have the table at their chins. But not anymore! Now they have a table just the perfect size for them! We’re so fortunate to have such gracious neighbors. They’ve given us so many things for our kids that they’ve outgrown and we couldn’t feel luckier.
Now we just need to rip off this deck and get a patio so we have more room for the picnic table to actually be up by our table…
Our Naperville Playday
First thing this morning Ben, Emma and I piled into the van and headed north to Naperville to meet some friends for a playday. We left so early that I literally got them up, put them in the van, and we were off. They thought it was so fun to eat their cereal in the van during the trip. Isn’t it funny how the littlest things can make kids so excited? Pour some cereal in a baggie, and you’re some kind of super mom. Go figure.
Anyway, our trip was uneventful and we landed at the Madzinski’s about 9:30. We were getting together with my friends Amy, Carrie, Jessica and Kim. I hadn’t seen Jess and Kim in ages, so I was very excited for the day. And, since we have nine kids ages of 14 months to 5 years old between the five of us, I knew the kids would have a great time, too. Of course, I was right! 
We played in the basement for awhile at first. It was interesting how all the kids kind of wandered around on their own exploring all the toys almost like they were casing the joint or something. Of course Jack and Charlie were excited to have everyone at their house, but with that always comes such a challenge. It’s so hard for kids to have a bunch of other kids invade their space and start playing with all of their toys. The boys did pretty well with so many guests, though.
Jessica’s Chase and Ben bonded pretty well. He is about 8 months younger than Ben, which at their age certainly isn’t much. They are both kind of quiet in larger groups, and they both love their super heroes (of which Jack and Charlie thankfully have a bunch), so they found a semi-quiet spot to play with their “guys”. 
Emma went straight for the firefighter’s coat. That thing was as hot as could be, but she kept it on for a long time. I guess she really is all girl in some ways…even if the dress up stuff is boy-oriented!
After playing for awhile, we decided it was time to head out to the pool. 
There were eight kids and tons of toys (yet very little water) in that thing, but they all absolutely loved it! The best thing about wading pools is that even the little ones can play without the moms needing to be in with them. Now if we can just figure out how to get them to leave us alone so we can catch up and gossip without so many interruptions! Seriously, every time I get together with my good friends who have young kids I whine that I didn’t get enough time with my friends! We vowed, as always, to make the next get-together Mommies only. Now, if we would just stick to it…
Amy and I did get a chance to have some time together, since everyone had to leave (including her kids with Mike) for other engagements or naps. We snuck in an hour of chat time while my kids went through just about every toy Amy’s boys have. It’s amazing to me how someone else’s toys can be so much more interesting than your own. When we finally hit the road home at 2:20 or so, my kids were sound asleep within fifteen minutes and slept almost the whole way home. It was awesome.
Overall, it was a very fun day, and well worth the 2 hour drive there and back. It’s kind of like those master card commercials…tank of gas, $45.00…a day with great friends who you see way too rarely…priceless.
Dirty girl
When the kids were at my parents’ house last week, they had a lot of fun. Traditionally, while visiting or staying in Sycamore, a majority of the time there is spent playing outside. This time was no different, and it seems that a lot of the time was spent playing with Rylkand and Charlie, the girls next door, on their new playset. One night I called up there while Emma was in the tub. My mom said that Emma was so filthy that she had to wash her feet off before she ever put her in the tub! I couldn’t really imagine that, but then Mom shared the pictures she took that night.
Our little tomboy loves to play hard and if the result of that means a little filth, so be it. I really hope that she never loses this quality…there’s defintely something appealing about a girl who’s not afraid to get dirty. She is something else.
Ben’s Father’s Day gift
Ben made a Father’s Day gift for Dave in preschool the week before last.
He told me that he made a hat for Daddy when I picked him up that Thursday, but because Father’s Day was still over a week away, I didn’t really give it a second thought. Since he was in Sycamore all last week, he missed both days of preschool, and he didn’t get to “wrap” the gift and he didn’t have it to give to Dave on Sunday. He went back to preschool today, so he got the gift and gave it to Dave tonight. It was so cute to see how exicited Ben was to give Dave the hat. It says, “World’s Greatest Dad” on it and Ben colored it with fabric markers. 
Dave of course made the appropriate fuss over it, and put it on right away. Ben was thrilled. I’m sure that although the hat may not be worn very often, that hat will be cherished by Dave forever. It was the first real gift that Ben made and gave all by himself, and it was really special. I hope the act of giving is always such a thrill for both of my kids.
Happy birthday, Auntie M!
Since I have two sister-in-laws named Mary Kerber, Ben and Emma subsequently have two Aunt Marys. To ease the confusion, one of them decided that she could just be called Auntie M. Well, today is Auntie M’s birthday, and we all hope that it’s a wonderful one for her. I know that often birthdays with a one at the end of them (I won’t mention the first number, Mary) get ignored like they’re no big deal. But I think every birthday should be a big deal. And this year, Mary’s finally getting her kitchen redone…a project that has apparently been on the horizon for many, many years. It’s going to be beautiful, and no one deserves it more. If her baking is going to get better since her kitchen is all new, we are all in for a real treat, because she is one of the best bakers I know!
Happy birthday, Auntie M. Take time for yourself and have a great day!!
Happy Father’s Day!
My kids have a wonderful father. When I was pregnant with Ben, Dave would tell me that he was worried that he wouldn’t be a good dad. I think that because his own relationship with his dad was a bit tumultuous at times, he was concerned that he just didn’t have the best example. Well, that may be an exaggeration of Dave and his dad, but he definitely didn’t have an example of the type of dad he wanted to be. But I knew even then that he was worried for nothing. Dave is such a sweet loving person that it was obvious to me that as soon as he met that baby his love would guide him and fatherhood would come naturally for him. It definitely did. Not long after Ben was born, Dave would look at me pointedly and say, “I love that little boy!” Then, when I was pregnant with Emma, he worried that he’d never be able to love anyone as much as he loved Ben. He was wrong then, too. His love for Ben simply expanded twofold when Ems came along. Soon after, I would hear, “I love that little girl!” just as much or more.
Now, I can’t even imagine him not being a dad. He is so patient with the kids, and teaches them so much about being kind and being safe. As always, he is the perfect yin to my yang. When my patience is gone and I’m at my wits end with one or both of them, he can always step in calmly and diffuse the situation. They worship him…both in different ways. Ben wants to do everything Daddy does, and his most favorite thing is to work with Daddy using his tools. If anything breaks his first response is, “Don’t worry…Daddy can fix it!” He has complete and total confidence that his dad is pretty much Superman. Emma loves snuggling with him and finds complete comfort sitting in his lap. Dave is in big trouble very soon, because I’m pretty sure that she’s gonna figure out how much she has him completely wrapped around her little finger.
Ok, I’ll admit that I do bust his chops at times about “letting” me be in charge of a lot with the kids. And yes, I’m pretty sure that if I wasn’t around, they may never get a bath again. 
But overall, Dave is a wonderful father, and on this Father’s Day, I hope he knows how much we all love and appreciate him around here. Again, though, as I said back on Mother’s Day, I really hope that he knows it every day instead of just on one random Sunday in June. I hope that I don’t forget to tell him how much I appreciate him and I hope Ben and Emma always realize how lucky they are to have him.
As for my own dad, well, I could write an entire post about him, too. He’s been so much to me over the years. Dad is certainly not a man of many words, but he’s definitely a man of action. As a kid he taught me to ride a bike, to ride a motorcycle, to read a map, everything I ever needed to know about football, and to appreciate my nature to question just about everything. Throughout my adult life, he’s helped me move a million times, he’s built me everything from bookshelves to golf clubs, he’s painted the high spots I couldn’t reach, and just yesterday he helped Dave install our new door. The man, in my eyes is still Superman. Thanks, Dad, for everything you continue to do for me and now for my family. I hope you had an awesome day today!
I wish that every kid had the chance to view his or her dad as Superman. I know that my kids and I am more fortunate having had the chance to do so.
They’re home!
It was so great to get the kids home today. I can’t even describe how anxious I was to have them get here. At one point, about ten minutes before they were scheduled to get here, Dave said, “here they are!” and I went running out front to greet them. Of course he was wrong, and it was some other van pulling into the subdivision. It was like I was a little kid waiting for Christmas. Then suddenly Ben appeared on the deck and shouted “Surprise!” It was awesome.
Grandma Judy and Grandpa Scott brought them all the way home because Grandpa planned to help Dave install our new sliding door. It was a long, hot job for them, but they got it done, and now we have a brand new awesome door! 
Of course, as with any home improvement job, there were a few wrinkles. For example, the screen door that came with the door was an inch too tall for the opening. Seriously? How could they get the measurements right for one door and wrong for the one that’s connected to it! I mean, really…that seems like it would be a simple concept for door retail…order the same size in the glass and the screen doors! But I digress. The fact of the matter is we now have a much nicer, more solid door that seals way better than one that’s half rotted on the bottom! I can’t wait to get the screen door in and installed so we can stain it all and be done with this project! Hopefully that all happens before the end of the summer…
So the house is sealed better and way nicer now that the kids are sleeping in their beds tonight. How can it feel so different having them sound asleep above us?? I’m not sure, but it is definitely more comforting and full of love.
