Is This Normal?
The chaos that is the KerbersArchive for extended family
We’re off!
As I type this entry, we’re getting everything together and packed into the van to take off on our Florida vacation. We’re all so excited to go…even more so this time because the kids actually know what being in Florida means! This is going to be a very memorable trip. My immediate family hasn’t been together at Christmas for 12 years, so we’re all looking forward to it. As a bonus, everyone in my extended family will also be at their parents’ (my mom’s two sisters) houses, so it’s truly going to be like old times having everyone together. I’m not sure how long it’s been since the entire extended family has been together, but it’s definitely been too long. I hope to come back with wonderful memories, pictures, and stories to share with everyone. I won’t be blogging while I’m down there, but I will be writing, so I will be able to post-date all of the entries into the blog when I get back.
Wish us luck in our travels, and happy holidays to you all!!
Happy birthday, Curtis!
Fifteen. It seems impossible to me that Curtis is fifteen today. Oh my goodness, he’ll have his license in a year. It freaks me out to think about that. Fifteen years ago on Christmas Eve, I met Curtis for the first time at Grandma Jane’s house. I can remember sitting in her rocker by the phone holding him for the first time ever. It was an awesome Christmas present. But now my little Beasty boy is getting his driving permit. Man.
Happy birthday, Curty! We can’t wait to spend time with you in Florida at Christmas. Hope you had a great day today!!
Shopping day
Today was the second annual Mother/Daughter Christmas shopping day in Bloomington/Normal. Unfortunately, because we were having 40 mph winds and it was snowing up in Sycamore, Mom and Nancy decided they better not brave the elements and come down. We were all so disappointed, but it really wasn’t a good idea for them to be on the road when the weather was so ugly. So much for our “annual” event…it lasted one year! But I had taken a personal day off of work, so I was determined to get through my shopping list today.
I was uber-organized, which of course everyone thinks is hilarious. I’m sure that not many people make detailed spreadsheets for their Christmas shopping lists. But it’s the way that I work best…planning everything out before I ever leave the house. Because the weather was so crappy I wanted to be as efficient as possible, too. Being out in it as little as possible was a definite plus.
I started with a few stops at department stores like Wal-Mart and Target, and then headed to the mall. It was hard to make some decisions by myself, but I really did well overall. By 1:00 pm I was close to being done with all the big presents. I just had a few gift cards and some stocking stuffers to get, so I was feeling great. Then I hit the book store and everything came to a screeching halt.
Each year Santa brings each of my kids a nice, hardcover book. So far, Dave and I have gone together to pick these out, and we really try to pick books that we think the kids will like. This year, it was really hard for me. I swear I looked at every picture book they had on display and again as many that were on the shelves. I did find two great choices, but it seemed to take me forever! Finally I was out of there and just had a few more stops to make before heading home.
I spent a lot of money and had to call Dave about a dozen times, but I did get done with my list and really enjoyed my day. I do love buying gifts for my family and friends. Now to get them all wrapped…
Fun with Ry Ry
Ryan stayed over last night, and the kids were so excited to see him this morning. Ben wrestled and wrestled with him, and to Ryan’s credit, he just let it happen. It actually brought back so many memories of me playing with Ryan when he was that age. Ben reminds me of him so much. I can still hear Ry Ry shouting, “Wrestle!” as we rolled around on the floor, and then this morning it’s like I was reliving the past as I heard Ben shouting the same thing. It was awesome.
The kids are lucky to have a cousin like Ryan. Although it’s tough having him so much older than Ben & Emma, he really seems excited to be a part of their lives, and they will certainly learn a lot from him. If our kids turn out to be like Ryan, we would be very fortunate parents.
Our first Christmas party
Although seeing Santa would make for a very full day for us, we weren’t done. The Atherton family was having a holiday get-together at Bob & Marla’s in Earlville, so we headed North from State Farm to attend. Ry Ry hadn’t planned on attending, but at the last minute he got a ride over to Normal and hopped in with us. Grandma Judy and Nancy were surprised to see him when we got there. They were both so excited that he came with us, that I think we scored big-time brownie points bringing him! 
The most unfortunate part of the evening was when Emma barfed all over herself while we were eating. I think that she just gagged because she’s been coughing some today, but regardless of why it was pretty gross. Thank goodness we had thrown jammies into the diaper bag…her cute Christmas outfit was covered in vomit and she had to be changed. As usual, she recovered fine, and had a really good time with all the kids. Ben struggled to deal with Digger, Bob & Marla’s dog, most of the night. But a couple of the older kids were big helpers with Ben. Reiss, my cousin Lisa’s 8th grade daughter, finally got Ben to pet Digger a couple of times, and he wasn’t freaking out quite so much when Digger would run by. The poor kid is just scared of dogs, and as much as he doesn’t want to, he just is.
We certainly don’t see that side of my family often enough anymore. It was fun to visit with my cousins and it was definitely great to see Grandma Jane. It had been way too long since we had. She looked great, by the way, and seemed to be pretty coherent tonight. It’s difficult for her when there’s a large crowd, but at least she knew my kids, which was great for me. Even though it made for a very busy day, the party was fun and I was glad we went. It’s nice to keep the family together as much as possible.
Sycamore or bust
We made a quick trip to Sycamore…went up yesterday, and came back this afternoon. It was so good to visit Grandma and Grandpa…The kids had been there earlier in the fall, but I hadn’t been up there in forever!
The kids and I got there about 11:00, just in time for me to hop in with Rod and Ryan to go to DeKalb for one of Curtis’s basketball games. C plays on the Freshman team, and they had a tournament all weekend. I was glad that I got to go to the game. It’s one of those things that I used to do all the time in my old Sycamore life, so it was nice to be able to be at one of the boys’ events again. Curtis got some playing time, and they even won the game!
While the grownups were at the game, Grandma, Brett, Ben & Emma all decorated Grandma and Grandpa’s tree. Since they’re leaving for Florida on the 10th, it is a very small tree, but at least they have one. Grandpa told Grandma earlier this week, “We’ve had a real tree for 49 years…we’re not going to miss a year now!” So he went and got a little tree and set it up so they would not miss out on having some Christmas spirit in their house.
After the game, everyone went to Grandma & Grandpa’s house and we ordered pizza and had birthday cake for Grandpa. Of course my kids were very into that. They’re suckers for a rousing version of “Happy Birthday”. Most of all, though, they had so much fun playing with their cousins. It’s getting more and more fun being with the entire family now that the kids are getting older. Even Emma joined in with some of the games we were playing. Of course, “Little Miss Me Too” couldn’t do a lot of the things Ben could, and that was frustrating to her. But it’s definitely getting easier to keep them both entertained.
It was a fun trip, although short trip. When we left today, Ben said, “I wish we could stay at Grandma Judy’s longer, because there’s a lot of stuff we didn’t do yet!” I had to smile at that one. I’m pretty sure he’d feel that way even if we had been there a week. There’s always fun stuff to do at Grandma Judy’s.
I didn’t really think about it when we left this afternoon, but today may have been the last time we’re at Grandma & Grandpa’s house until next spring. Each year I think it will get easier to have them gone for the entire winter, but so far it hasn’t. I’m pretty sure it never will.
Happy birthday, Grandpa!
Even though we didn’t get to spend Thanksgiving with you this year, we all wish you a very happy birthday today and we really can’t wait to see you tomorrow. Hopefully we’ll have some birthday cake then so we can sing “Happy Birthday” to you. Emma was very sad that we didn’t get to today.
You’re the best…hope your birthday was, too. 71 never looked so good!
Taco night
Tonight our nephew Chris’s family came over for tacos. Chris & Salina’s daughter Bella (yes, I know this means that Dave and I are a Great Uncle and a Great Aunt) is just four months younger than Emma, so it’s always a good time getting them all together. What cracks me up the most, though, is that both Ben and Ems treat Bella like she’s this little baby. Tonight was no exception. Both of them hovered around her and 
followed her every move. And when Salina had to change Bella’s diaper, she had a two-person gallery who thought this event was the most interesting thing in the world.
We had a taco night, and although all of the grown-ups loved it, none of the kids were too thrilled with our menu. Seriously…what kids don’t like tacos? That’s my picky eaters for you. Thankfully, the kids had enough fun playing with an entertaining Bella to get over their disappointment with dinner.
A textbook Sunday
There’s Indian Summer, and then there’s 70° in November. Today, it was sunny and 70° outside. No, I’m not kidding…it really was that warm! Grandma Judy, Grandpa Scott, Brett, and Kelli came down to spend the day with us, and it was a really great day. The kids played with Brett & Kelli so much, and they had a blast. They played downstairs, out in the front yard, downstairs again, out in the back yard, and back downstairs some more. Let me tell you that basement was trashed! I swear they had gotten out every single toy we have down there and none of them seemed to find their way home. But it didn’t matter. Just by looking at it I could tell that it was awesome. I think my favorite thing they had done was to set up our blocks to make a sort of wall in the corner. Ben told me that he was a puppy, and that was his cage. His sleeping bag was in there, and an empty bucket was, too. He said that was his blanket and his food. It cracked me up.
“Were Kelli and Brett your owners?” I asked him.
“Yes, he said, “They took care of me!” He had a huge smile on his face.
I love that he is starting to interact with kids more and he’s joining in with imaginative play. He’s getting so grown up, and I seem to notice more and more changes in him daily. What a mixed feeling that is.
I’m calling this a textbook Sunday because we literally got to do everything I hold near and dear about Sundays. We went to church as a family, we came home and went straight outside to ride bikes, more family arrived and we ate dinner together, we played outside with our neighborhood friends, and we generally had an awesome time just being together. It really reminded me of my childhood Sundays, and I have to say I absolutely loved it. For the first time in a very long time, I dread going to bed tonight!
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!
