Is This Normal?
The chaos that is the KerbersArchive for birthdays
Happy birthday, Jamie!
Jamers is Sweet 16 today. It doesn’t seem possible to think that she’s been a part of our family for 16 years. I can still remember getting the call from Brad like it was yesterday. The sad news is that she can’t get her license yet, though. Apparently you must have your permit for a year before you get the actual license, and she wasn’t really pushing to get that last fall. I don’t think she has to wait very long…like a week or so, I believe…but I’m sure it’s driving her nuts right now. Time will pass quickly, Jamers, and before you know it you’ll be cruising around Jacksonville on your own! That is, if your dad ever lets you out of the house again…
Happy, happy birthday, Jamie. We love you!
Happy birthday, Aunt Nancy!
This year Aunt Nanny is having a little bit of trouble with her birthday. She’s hitting a round number (I won’t mention which one, but if you take 9×5 you’d probably be able to guess it) and it’s bothering her a bit. But I assured her last night that she is definitely the youngest 45 year-old I’ve ever seen! I swear sometimes I feel much older than she seems. I’m hoping that just has to deal with the fact that I’m still chasing toddlers. I hope so, anyway!
There was a time that the mid 40s seemed absolutely ancient! Now, though, they’re super duper young…especially since I’ll be seeing them all too soon! In all seriousness, though, Nance is truly young at heart, and I’m sure that she’s happier with her life every day. What more could anyone want?
Happy birthday, Nance. You’re the best sister I could have…exactly the same as me in many ways, but very, very different in others. I love our relationship, and I love you!
Happy birthday, Uncle Brad!
Man are you old! 
Just kidding, of course…48 isn’t that old. After all, we’re all right behind you in years! You’ve always been a good big brother to me, and the seven years between us seem to get smaller and smaller all the time. There are lots of times I wish that we could hang out more, but alas, four states always seem to get in the way.
Sure wish we could all tell you happy birthday in person, but it won’t be long until we see you again. I hope your day has been great, and that the Bears and Jags both win this weekend for you!!
Happy birthday, Daver!
Today is the anniversary of my best friend and husband, Dave, being born. In honor of his birthday, I’ve come up with 41 things (can you guess how old he is?) I love about Dave.
41. He wears shorts 10 months out of the year.
40. He likes landscaping, and keeps our house looking great.
39. He’ll always read Emma a book when she brings it to him.
38. When he really cracks up, his whole body shakes.
37. He lets Ben help him work with him as much as possible.
36. He can figure out technology problems when I can’t.
35. He will research and study a product until he knows what will be best for us.
34. He makes me yummy breakfasts on the weekends.
33. He will do anything for his siblings or parents…even when they don’t ask.
32. He has patience with the kids when I don’t.
31. He compliments my cooking all the time.
30. He truly wants me to do more things for myself.
29. He wants to go back to school.
28. He still loves to go on dates with me.
27. He rubs my back until I fall asleep many nights.
26. He likes my friends.
25. There is very little he can’t fix.
24. If he doesn’t know how to fix something, he’ll read and study to figure it out.
23. He likes Liz Phair as much as I do.
22. He’s getting more and more sarcastic every day.
21. He would literally do anything for our kids…anything.
20. When Emma sees him come home from work, her face lights up.
19. When anything breaks, Ben is sure that Daddy can fix it.
18. He will always play cars, trucks, or action figures with Ben.
17. He’ll stand between Ben and Emma, each on a swing, pushing one with each hand.
16. He can handle emergencies much better than I can.
15. He is a whiz with tech support on the phone…and he always gets his way in the end.
14. When he’s motivated, he can get more done in a day than most.
13. He tries to stump me with movie quotes all the time…
12. …and he’s still impressed when I get them right.
11. He truly appreciates my love for cheesy movies.
10. He thinks my elbows are soft.
9. He makes me laugh almost every day.
8. He loves Kadzilla, his old Cadillac madly.
7. Upon seeing some old cars, he’ll say, “You’d look great in that car, Hon!”
6. He wants to take our kids all over the country to show them how beautiful it is.
5. He’s more impressed with a little gesture than a grand act.
4. He’s very sentimental with his things.
3. He wants to keep everything the kids bring home if they made it.
2. His priorities are the same as mine.
1. He really has no idea what a wonderful dad he is.
These aren’t really ranked in order of importance to me…they were just typed in as I thought of them. Happy birthday, Sweetheart. I truly think my life is better because you’re in it.
Date night
Tonight Dave and I went to dinner to celebrate my birthday. I chose Outback Steakhouse simply because there is a steak sandwich there that I absolutely love, so I wanted that. Sadly, when the meal came my potato was ice cold and the sandwich was pretty sad looking. Typical, right? So I sent it back to get a hot potato and they said that they were making a new one. Of course, when the plate returned, it was a new potato, but it was a heated up sandwich that was now pretty soggy looking.
None of that really mattered, though, because the whole point of going out was to spend time alone with Dave. It’s so nice to go out with him. I feel like we never really get to have much of a chance to really sit and talk when we’re home. We’re always trying to clean something, fix something, organize something, or finish something or another. I love just getting out and enjoying the company of my best friend. It’s really the best birthday gift I could ever get.
Happy birthday to me
41. Ugh, that seems really old to me. But today I’m turning 41. I know, I know…it’s better than the alternative, but still, it’s weird. Now I’m not just 40, I’m in my 40s. How in the world did this happen??
Every year on my birthday I try to make some kind of birthday resolution. I figure that’s a better time to do it than at New Year’s Eve, when everyone is saying all the same standard fair…I’ll lose weight, I’ll work out more, I’ll eat healthy, etc., etc., etc. Usually there is something that immediately comes to my mind…some kind of improvement know I have to work at making. This year is no exception. My birthday resolution this year is to have more patience with the kids. I find myself losing my patience with them more quickly lately, and I don’t like that at all. With Ben especially, raising my voice rarely works, yet it still happens all the time. So this year I’m going to try to yell less and to keep my cool even when I’m upset with them. I really think that the old adage “you can catch more flies with honey” applies to toddlers very much.
My day today was nice…we were in Sycamore this morning and Dave and the kids had some nice gifts for me. I finally got the new U2 album and Ben & Emma gave me some of my favorite candy Mike & Ikes. Grandma Judy had a little cake for me after lunch, and the Swartzies gave me some really cute new cookie cutters shaped like farm animals and numbers. I can hardly wait to make cutout cookies! When we got home this evening, it was gorgeous outside and the kids spent the evening running around and playing with all of our neighborhood friends. It was a good day.
So I guess 41 should not be that big of a deal, right? My life is fuller than I ever thought it would be, and there is still so much ahead of us. I am really thankful for everything I have. I’m a pretty lucky girl.
Ben’s second party
Last night we had Ben’s birthday party here with the Kerber side of the family. It was really nice that almost everyone in the extended Kerber family could attend to help us celebrate. Again, it was a really great night and Ben got a lot of things that he really loved. Among them were several Batman vehicles (including a car that launches a motorcycle from within itself), a Cars sleeping bag, Candy Land, some homemade light sabres, a Bounce Back Racer, some new books, a couple of Matchbox sets, and a two-wheeled bike (with training wheels, of course). What I loved the most was how excited Ben got every time he opened something new. “Oh my goodness!” he’d exclaim while he was opening…even if he had no idea what the item was when he opened it! It made my heart happy. He remembered all of his thank-yous without too much reminding, and he really seemed appreciative for all of his gifts.
After presents it was time for cake, and of course Emma was right in the thick of things singing her heart out to Ben. It was very sweet. I think she finally understands that it’s not just her…other people have birthdays, too! She was excited to sing “Happy Dirfday to Ben” and he was just as thrilled to hear it and to blow out his candles.
It was a really fun party, and even though it made for a very late night for both of them, it was definitely worth it.
He’s four
Four years ago today we met Ben. Due to his emergency arrival, I was put under general anesthesia, so Dave got to meet him almost an hour and a half before I did. I’ve always felt a little sad about that, but I’ve done my best to make up for lost time! Mostly I hope that day will always remain as clear in my mind as it is today, because it definitely changed my life for the better. Looking back four years later it all seems like a whirlwind. Ben has brought so much to our lives. Because of him I feel joy, pain, worry, excitement, pride, embarrassment, and love like I never have before. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
The last year has been a bit of a challenge for all of us. Whoever named the “terrible twos” 
had obviously not lived through year three yet. I think the threes are just as bad, if not worse, than the twos. Because he was much more verbal, Ben’s sassy mouth showed it’s ugly head more than we would have liked…for sure! But his independence was growing by leaps and bounds, too. 
He started Sunday School and Preschool, and really enjoyed going to both. He made new friends and started to form real relationships with all of our neighbors. I could literally watch him learn new things and tie them into his world. It astounded and impressed me.
He became attached to his Cubbies or Illini hat last fall, and still cannot live without them when it’s sunny out. 
At Halloween, Ben got to choose his own costume for the first time. He wanted to be Batman, and his love for superheroes began. He still loves Batman and Spiderman the best, but any “guy” will do. Christmastime brought him a new understanding of Santa…he asked for some new McQueens, and that’s what Santa brought! It was so awesome.
We had our first trip to the dentist in February, which made me aprehensive, but he took it in stride. At Spring Break he discovered the beach while we were in Florida. He loved it so much, and he had absolutely no fear of the waves or the water. 
He still likes to talk about what we did when we were there and to look at the shells we collected on the beach. I love that he can remember things we’re doing now and we can talk about them together. Our conversations are changing from little question and answer sessions to actual discussions about the world and through them I see this little man emerging who has the sweetest nature I’ve ever seen.
Ben, I love that you constantly want to help both Daddy and me with our projects, whether they be in the kitchen, the garage, or the backyard. You love your little sister more than your annoyed with her, and you’re never afraid to show how you feel towards her and us. I love your imagination, your thoughtfulness, and your quizzical nature. 
You have the silliest sense of humor, but the kindest thoughts towards others. I hope you always keep your love for books and your sensitive nature as you grow into the rough and tumble little boy I see emerging.
Happy birthday, my sweet Ben.
Ben’s first birthday party
This morning we had a birthday party for Ben. You may think that a morning party is a bit strange, but since Brett was in a baseball tournament this weekend, the Swartzies (and Grandma & Grandpa) had a busy day of baseball, so morning worked out the best for everyone. I love our small parties with my family. We can all sit around one table, and we had a really nice breakfast together. Grandma made waffles and we had all kinds of fresh fruit. 
Then Grandma brought out Ben’s donut cake. He thought it was so funny to have a donut for a cake, but he loved it. We all sang, including Emma, and Ben got all his candles out on the first try.
After breakfast it was time for presents. 
Again, having such a small party is great, because Ben got to play with everything as he was opening. He got some much-needed Cubbies wear, some very cool super heroes, a fun disc shooter that even Emma could do, and a Cootie game. 
He was very excited to have another game, and he told me later that, “4 yr. olds are really good at games.” We had a few rounds of Cootie, and let me tell ya…it’s still some serious fun!
By 12:30, everyone was off to their own desitnations for the day, including Dave and Ben heading to see “Ice Age 3″. They had a great time, and even though there were some scary parts, Ben loved the movie, thankfully. Even though it isn’t officially his birthday yet, it was a great beginning to the birthday celebrations.
Happy birthday, America!
Dave has always loved the Fourth of July. I think it’s the wholesome Americana feel the holiday has that really speaks to him. He loves all the small town activities and the community comraderie that always jumps to the forefront on Independence Day. I mean, when else can you obnoxiously display your patriotism these days without being ridiculed? He also loves the parade and flea market in Towanda on the Fourth, and was looking forward to taking the kids to it this year. We specifically had to make our plans to head north take place after the parade so that we could go and see all the stuff that Dave loves.
Alas, it’s pouring outside, and neither one of us really wants to go stand in the rain and hold umbrellas to watch cars, trucks, and tractors parade through small town America. We’re not braving the rain for the parade, but we’re still headed up north with the hopes that the day will clear up for the Johnson’s picnic and the fireworks.
Have an enjoyable holiday, everyone…hope you can stay dry!
