Is This Normal?
The chaos that is the KerbersArchive for September, 2009
Emma’s poor face
Poor Emma has had more facial injuries in the last year than many kids have in three times that long. Yesterday everyone at Danielle’s was walking down to the bus stop with Danielle’s daughter Anna. Of course, Emma was running at full speed when she tripped and fell face first onto the sidewalk. The result? Another knot & bruise on the forehead and a scraped up nose & upper lip.
She’s so tough, though…the official word from Ben was that she “cried hard, but not for very long!” That’s my girl.
The preschool cookout and show
This evening Ben’s preschool had it’s fall festival. It involved a cookout, complete with a big bonfire and a potluck dinner and a show by three of the classes. I have no idea how the school could possibly organize such an event, but again you could tell that they’d been doing it for years…things ran like clockwork around that place.
Of course, in a classic case of good timing, Ali and her family pulled up right after us, so she and Ben were glued at the hip all night.
It was a beautiful evening and as soon as they were done eating all of the kids were running around the church yard like maniacs. Thank goodness it was outside! Emma was in seventh heaven to run around after the big kids, and it never even dawned on her that she was two steps behind at all times. I so love that about her.
Ben had been talking about practice for their show and how they were all going to stand on the stage and “do their song.” I really had no idea what to expect, but this is what we got:
It was so much fun…for the kids and the parents. Oh, and by the way, I’m not sure how Ben got stuck at the tall end of the line, but he’s not that much shorter than all of the other kids in his class!
Pigeon!
I took half of a personal day this afternoon so that I could go on a field trip with Ben. Pigeon Party! was at the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts and Tomorrow’s Promise Learning Centre got to go. In my car was Ben and two other boys. Let me tell you, there is not much better than 4 yr. old conversation. At one point Ben told his little friends that we had the biggest house in the whole wide world. I got a big chuckle out of that one! I wish I would have taped them, because I can’t begin to replay it here.
We got to the Performing Arts Center and climbed the “millions” (Ben’s description) of steps to get into the theater. 
The timing was great, because as soon as we sat down the show started. We all loved the show. It was funny, the songs were super cute, and really, there’s nothing better than a show in which you can shout at the performers! I think the show really represented the books on which it was based really well.
Once the show was over, we walked back out to the van, stopping to pose for a picture 
on the steps of the Arts Center. After sitting in the darkness of the theater, the boys were blinded by the bright sunny day. We rode back to school, and my chaperoning duty was officially over. I even got an hour of free time before school was done, so I enjoyed some time to myself. Overall it was great use of half of a personal day. I’m so glad I was able to go…both because I loved the show and because I could tell Ben loved having me there. It was awesome.
The flu shot, part 1
We decided to get flu shots for both of the kids this year. Emma already had a checkup scheduled last week, so it was easy to simply add the shot into that visit. I knew she would handle it fine. There were a few tears, but she stopped crying pretty quickly, and was singing by the time we left the office.
Ben, on the other hand, was a bit more of a concern. I told Dave that he had to take Ben to get his shot. I figured he would flip out, and I knew that I was not strong enough to help him through it. Let’s face it, I’m a shot wimp myself, so being brave in the doctor’s office is not really a message I deliver well. So Dave scheduled the shot for this afternoon. He had brought it up to Ben last week, and Ben stressed out immediately…asking a million questions about getting the shot. He was having a very hard time understanding why he had to get a shot when he wasn’t sick. Try explaining the concept of preventative shot-giving to a four year-old.
So Dave picked up Ben from Danielle’s early, and Ben was so excited to see him. When they got into the car, Dave explained where they were going. Ben had a few questions, but overall was pretty ok with the idea. They went into the doctor’s office, and he was still fine. Then in the little playroom, he burst into tears. But that didn’t last long. They called his name pretty quick and he and Dave walked back to the room. Dave told me that the needle was huge, which made me even more glad I wasn’t there with him. But Ben handled it great. He did cry when he felt the poke, but as soon as he got the Scooby Doo band-aid, he was done crying. When I got home from work, he was at the table coloring, and was all excited to pull up his shirt sleeve to show me the band-aid.
I was so proud of the little guy. I know that he was scared to death, but he was brave and handled the situation great. Now we just have to do this one more time…because kids’ flu shots are given in two doses the first time they get one. Seriously, doctors? Don’t you get how tough this is??? Stay tuned for part 2 in a month…
A trip to Tanner’s
Last fall I told Dave that one thing I was sorry we had not done was take a trip to an apple orchard to pick apples. So today, a beautiful fall Sunday, we decided to do just that. We set off for Tanner’s Apple Orchard in Speer, IL. I had heard all kind of great things about the place from friends at work. Everyone assured me that although it took about an hour to get there, it was worth the drive.
As we drove through the Central Illinois countryside, it began to feel like we’d never get there. Finally, just when we thought we had to have missed it, we came over a hill and saw apple trees. Then we saw the parking lot…jammed full of cars. It was such a gorgeous day that I guess lots of people had the same idea; the place was packed. But we stayed optimistic and headed in. The kids were excited by all of the pumpkins that were out front when we first walked in. We tried to rush them through those, though, because we knew we’d go to a pumpkin patch later in the fall. Today was about apples. So on we went. 
The nanny goats were our first stop, and Emma loved them. She was squealing with delight as she’d get closer to petting one. I think she would have gotten in the pen with them had she been allowed! Ben, on the other hand, was much more cautious. Although he liked watching them, I don’t think he ever did get close enough to touch one.
After petting the goats and watching the llamas, we headed into the play area. This was like toddler heaven. There were all kinds of things to climb on and lots of space in which to run around. They climbed on a tractor, went in and out of the school bus a million times, ran and ran and ran around the hay maze, and played on the playground equipment. It was all good.
But then, we saw them…the ponies. Both kids ran over to the pony ride and wanted to get on. Ben was hesitant as we stood in line, and I could tell that he was kind of scared about it. When we were next in line, he said that he didn’t want to go. “Are you sure?” I asked. “No, I want to go,” he said. He was really being brave. When it was our turn Dave and I helped the kids on and away they went. 
Both of them absolutely loved it! Emma was so excited that she was making me a nervous wreck. It was like she never even considered that she could fall off this tall, moving animal! She was completely at home in the saddle. 
Ben had a huge smile on his face the entire time, and I could tell that part of it was pride in himself.
After the pony ride we went to the barrel train ride. A man on a tractor pulled a string of barrels on wheels around in circles and through the orchard a little bit. It was pretty cool, and the kids loved steering their wagons. Finally, after that ride, it was time to go pick apples. We rode a wagon out to the orchard and filled up our bag in no time! There were apples everywhere, and it was really nice to have so many low to the ground so the kids could pick, too.
When we got back to the farm, we had a short snack and then went back to the play area for some more fun. The kids wanted to run around the hay maze more and have one more pony ride. This time at the ponies Ben had no fear, and he even got to ride the very tallest pony! He was leaning over and petting it on the mane most of the ride. He had conquered his fear completely.
It was an awesome day. 
Even though it was a long drive, I’m so glad that we went, because we all had a great time together. I was not misled by my friends at all…it is definitely worth the trip to go to Tanner’s.
A banner day
Today when we got home from school the kids were playing and I unpacked Ben’s backpack. I pulled out a paper that was about the number two. It said, “Color two clowns” and he had scribbled over them completely. It said, “Trace the number 2″ and he had traced the dotted twos at the bottom of the page. It was really his first real academic paper, which was cool. But that wasn’t the exciting part. At the top of the page there was a big E in tentative wavy lines with a super skinny and rather tall B to the left of it. 
Ben had written two out of the three letters of his name! There were also scribbles on both sides of them, like he had tried to write the N, too.
“Ben,” I said, “What is this letter at the top of your paper?”
“Its a E,” he said, “I maked it all by myself. And the B is by it for B-E-N.” He had a super big smile on his face.
Words can’t really describe how proud of him I was. Two weeks ago I was panicked about writing letters at all, and now he’s already 2/3 of the way to writing his name. I’ve been proud of his accomplishments in the past, but this was one of the best feelings I’ve had in a long time. Way to go, Ben!
Emma’s quote of the day…
As I was paging through 
the current Entertainment Weekly after school today, Emma pointed at it and said, “Dere’s Daddy!” She was looking at the front of it while sitting on my lap. The cover this week? A tribute to Patrick Swayze with a close-up piture of him in his prime. 
Sunday School
Ben started Sunday School this morning, and he was super excited to go. His classroom is upstairs this year, and for some reason that made it all the more exciting for him. His teacher was there at the door waiting for him, and engaged him in conversation immediately, which was great. I have to say it was a huge improvement over last year, when his teacher barely seemed to notice that we were in the room! I was literally out the door and off to church in a manner of minutes.
After church when I went back up to pick him up he was all smiles…it was a good time, apparently. But then, things got even better for him…he saw the donuts! There are always coffee and donuts in lobby but we’ve never passed them before. Ben asked, “Who are those donuts for?” I panicked a little bit, but thinking quickly I said, “Well I guess those are just for people who have to wait for church to start.” “Wow,” he said,”I hope someday we get to wait for church!”
Overall it was a nice morning, and I’m looking forward to a great year of Sunday School for Ben. Now if I can just figure out a way to avoid those donuts…
Our campfire
Tonight was the annual fall weinie roast out at Grandma & Grandpa Kerber’s farm. Ben was pretty excited, even though he didn’t really know what a weinie roast was. 
It has been three years since we had the last one, so he was way too little to remember it at all. This time, though, he was all about the experience. He went out to the farm early with Dave to help get everything ready. 
When Emma and I got out there later, Ben was all excited that we were having a “real campfire” and that it was already lit. Daddy had even brought his tent out and set it up for the kids to play in.
It was a beautiful night, and it was great that most of the family could be there together. Aside from about a billion little gnats swarming around, everything was great. We feasted on dogs cooked over the fire, which always makes them taste way better. 
And then it was time for marshmallows and s’mores. Mmm…mmm! Emma, Bella and Ben all had a great time running around and playing together. They were in and out of the tent about a million times each.
I think, though, that Grandma may 
have had the most fun of anyone. I know it means a lot for her to have the whole family together, and when it’s done around a campfire, it just makes it all the much better.
Toot, toot! It’s coming…
Can you hear it? The potty train is comin’ down the track! Yesterday when I went to pick up the kids I heard the big news…Emma went pee pee on the potty! She really didn’t seem too excited by it all, but boy, the big kids were! They were running around celebrating like crazy. I would have to say that I had mixed emotions. I was excited and proud of her, but also kind of dreading the whole process starting all over again.
I’m pretty sure that Emma doesn’t really get the idea at all yet. Put her on the potty, she’ll go, and she’ll get a big smile on her face about it. 
She actually really likes going, but I think a big part of that is the thrill she gets when she unrolls and tears off the piece of toilet paper. But it’s obvious she doesn’t have any idea of how it feels before she goes, so I don’t know that the train will be taking off from the station any time soon. We decided we’d start putting her on the potty more often to try and catch her before she goes in her diaper or Pull-up. Maybe the light bulb will click on, and suddenly she’ll get it. We’ll see what happens.
