Is This Normal?
The chaos that is the KerbersArchive for family fun
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!
Ahhhh…
Today was seriously one of the laziest, most relaxing days we’ve had in a very long time, and I enjoyed it very much. Since we set the clocks back an hour last night, the kids were of course up super early, but we all laid around in bed watching cartoons for about 45 minutes before technically starting our day by getting up and ready for church.
After church, we came home and did very little the rest of the day. Both of the kids had a lot of fun working in their new Halloween coloring books from Aunt Theresa, and Ben worked especially hard on some sticker puzzles she gave him. Emma had a three-hour nap, which was desperately needed, and Daddy got a short nap in for himself, too. I enjoyed watching the Bears game without interruption for once. It was great, and they even looked good and won! We had a couple of battles over wanting more candy, but Ben didn’t beg for it too much, so I was happy with that.
It was one of those days where Dave and I look at each other, smile and say, “This is the good stuff, Honey.” The kids were in good moods and had fun playing with each other. The crying was at an all-time low, I think. Ok, sure, Emma did fall off the back of the couch downstairs, got a big lump on her head and cried really hard for a few minutes, but hey, no day is completely perfect, right? Overall, there wasn’t a ton of chaos in the house, and we all spent some really enjoyable time just chillin’ out together.
Halloween fun
The weather made us nervous all week, but luckily it pretty much cooperated in order for us to have a very fun Halloween night. It was a tad bit chilly, but thankfully the rain finally stopped.
We started the night with pizza, and Grandma & Grandpa Kerber joined us first. Then Aunt Theresa came, and finally Auntie M, Salina, and Bella rounded out our group. It didn’t take anyone long to finish eating…the anticipation of trick-or-treating was on the forefront of everyone’s mind. 
So after we ate we changed into our costumes (which luckily were big enough to leave room for a couple of extra layers underneath) and headed out. Ben the panther, Emma the lion and Bella as Magenta the dog made up our costumed group. 
Since Auntie M and Salina both came with us, the adults outnumbered the kids for once, which is never a bad thing!
We started down the street and the kids were into it right away. Emma had not napped this afternoon, so after only a couple of houses, she was getting droopy and was pretty far behind.
But Ben was very patient with both of the little girls. He would wait out on the sidewalk and I can’t remember him complaining once. After about 40 minutes of trick-or-treating both of the girls were ready to head in. Neither of them really knew what any of the candy was in the first place, and they were pooped from walking. Plus, Bella had other stops to make, so Auntie M and Salina were off.
Ben, however, was still ready to go. So Dave took him around one more block. Needless to say, his pumpkin was very heavy by the time they got home a half hour later. He was so excited about some of the things in there. It was too funny. By this time Grandma & Grandpa had gone home, but Aunt Theresa still had a bag of goodies for the kids. They both loved opening these, and we had to have just one more treat before bed.
Both kids had so much fun trick-or-treating. 
We ran into almost all of our neighborhood friends and saw some pretty cool Halloween houses. While Halloween is certainly not my favorite holiday, I have to admit that a smile came to my face on more than one occasion tonight. There’s not much more you can ask than that.
Oh wait, icing on the cake…the Illini football team beat Michigan tonight, too! Woo HOO!!
Off to the pumpkin farm
Between the weather being crappy and a couple previous commitments, we were not sure that we’d get to a pumpkin farm at all this fall. Luckily, though, the rain subsided for awhile this afternoon, and we were able to hit Rader’s Family Farm for a short time. Our main goal was to have some fun and to get a good carving pumpkin. We had two smallish pumpkins sitting on our porch from the kids’ visit to Grandma Judy and Grandpa Scott’s, but they were smashed in the street last night, so situation had instantly become more urgent. We needed a pumpkin to carve, darn it! So after church and lunch, we were off.
Since we’ve had so much rain lately, the place was a total mud pit. The owners had done as much as they could to help with the mud situation…there was straw laid down all over the place out there, but it was still a muddy mess. Nonetheless, we played on the straw pile, in the big trough of corn, ran around the play area a bit, and even stopped at the photo spot.
You’ll probably notice how talented my kids are at posing for a staged picture. (Yes, that is written with a great amount of sarcasm…look at that picture!)
As the clouds started to roll in, we decided that the play time could wait and we had better pick out a pumpkin quick! 
Daddy found the carving one, and Ben and Emma each picked their own that they could carry. As Dave paid for our treasures, the kids and I quickly went through the barn and looked at the animals, and then we headed for the car. The first sprinkles were coming down as we loaded up.
It was a short, but profitable trip. The kids were thrilled with their pumpkins, and we were home in time for Emma to still get a nice nap in. A win/win situation, if I do say so myself.
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!
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.
Go Iron!
Tonight was the first home game for the Normal Community HS Ironmen, so the whole family piled in the van and headed to Mommy’s school. Ben was relatively excited, although he was nervous that people he didn’t know would want to talk to him…heaven forbid. Emma, as usual, had no idea what was going on, but was generally happy to go bye-bye. She kept saying, “We go to the badketball game?” (And that’s not a typo…that’s really how she says basketball) I’d say, “No, Sweetie, it’s a football game.” We parked and started walking out to the field. Ems pointed to the stadium and said, “Dere’s the badketball!” So close.
The highlights of the evening included meeting up with Danielle and Gracie & Anna there, walking down near the cheerleaders to give the Iron Man (our mascot) a high five, and getting to play Nick’s drum while the band was still in the bleachers. Ben absolutely loves the Iron Man. His face lit up every time that silly costumed cheerleader would come into his view. Both kids got a little impatient as the game moved pretty slowly, and at times Emma was a real handful. Bleachers are just way too much temptation for her. The way she loves to climb + us being almost at the top=a lot of wrangling and distracting to keep her on one level. NCHS was up 28-0 by halftime, so we knew we’d leave as soon as the band was finished. I’m so glad we stayed, though, because both of the kids were completely enthralled with the band. Emma was clapping along and swaying, and Ben was marching and directing like crazy. They loved it, and I loved watching them.
After halftime it was definitely time for us to go, which made Ben very sad. We finally convinced him that the game was over and it was time for everyone to go. I’m pretty sure at some point I said, “Some people just leave slower than we do!” Pathetic, I know, but the poor kid was heartbroken that we were leaving.
We all had so much fun at the game…I can’t wait to go to another one!!
Ah…a Monday off
Well, today is finally Labor Day and it was really nice having our first Monday off for 2009-10 school year. Of course, there is always a bittersweet taste to Labor Day, since it traditionally signifies the end of summer. But we decided that we wouldn’t let that get us down too much, and we’d try to do something to enjoy the holiday. It started off really nice…both kids slept in and we never even heard a peep from either of them until almost 8:00! That is definitely a treat. Of course, I instantly started worrying that this treat would mean neither of them would be ready for bed at our normal bedtime, which was a problem. But I came up with a plan to help with that one…
I had really hoped that the weather would warm up enough to get one last trip to State Farm pool since it closed today, but it wasn’t really hot enough. It was pretty warm and very sunny, though, so we decided to call Aunt Theresa and ask her to crank the heat in her pool up so we could swim at her house. Dave ad Ben headed over while Emma was still napping, and then she and I met them there later. We had a great time swimming and playing in the water. It was really warm in the pool, and just chilly for a short time when you got out. And my plan worked perfectly. By the time we grilled some burgers and ate dinner there, both kids were pooped! In fact, I had to holler at Ben most of the way home to keep him awake. Bath and bedtime was a breeze, and both doors were shut by 7:26.
I’m sad that summer is officially over, but I always look forward to fall, as well. The transitional times always seem to go too quickly, so I’m really going to try to appreciate and enjoy fall while it’s here.
Movie night
We’ve been having family movie nights on Friday nights for awhile now. The kids both look so forward to it, and by Friday night Dave and I are beat from the work week, so it’s a great way for us to veg out and relax a little while still having some good quality time with the kids. We hop in the bathtub right after dinner, pop some popcorn, and head downstairs. Tonight’s feature was “Lightning McQueen” (Cars for all of you movie purists), a classic.
What I love about movie nights is that there are already routines and traditions that we must follow. We always sit in the same place on the couch…Dave on the left, then Emma, Ben, and me on the right. Emma holds the bowl of popcorn on her lap so we all have easy access. We must dim the lights the perfect amount, and then we start the show. The funniest thing is that as soon as the popcorn is gone, both kids are off the couch and playing with toys. Then Dave and I sit and watch a cartoon we’ve seen a million times before.
There was a time when Friday nights were the start of a fun, partying-filled weekend. Now, they are the end of a busy week and they’re filled with Pixar and popcorn. My, my how things have changed…for the better, of course!
The fair!
Tonight the McLean County Fair began. Now, it’s difficult for me, having been raised near the Sandwich Fair (i.e. the greatest fair ever), to go to another county fair and not be critical. But this fair cannot even be put into the same category as the Sandwich Fair. I would say that it’s more comparable to the Mendota Fair, but not even quite as good as that one. But it’s here, it’s a buck to get in, and it’s still a fair, so we packed up and headed out there tonight.
We took Ben last year and he loved all the rides and the animals. He remembered going, so he was very excited. Emma, as usual, was just willing to go bye-bye, even though she pretty much had no idea where we were going or what we’d be doing. We really thought that she’d love it, too. We started at the rides, and sadly Emma was a little too short for most of them. Neither Dave or I had even considered that! Luckily, though, several of the carnies let her get on their rides, anyway. Gotta love the carnies! 
They drove trucks,
and then drove cars.
Next was the ferris wheel and merry-go-round.
After we had some classic fair food for dinner, we headed to see some animals and climb on some tractors. Both of those things were popular with the kids, but neither one could touch the thrill of one of the exhibit buildings. In it were a giant combine you could climb into and baby pigs you could pet. Daddy climbed up into the combine with the kids and it seemed like they all enjoyed it. 
But the baby pigs were absolutely the hit of the night. You could see the pure joy on both of the kids’ faces while they were petting those things. Periodically Emma would let out a little squeal not unlike those of the pigs themselves. Ben had no fear of the little guys at all, and he was as into it as Ems was. It was awesome. Before we left each activity the kids got a giant sticker to wear announcing their participation. Of course I tried to get a good picture of both of them wearing the stickers, and this was the best I got:
We then went to see the 
baby chicks, and Emma loved them, too. Ben wasn’t as thrilled with this building. Sadly, I think he may share a little bit of his mother’s fear of birds. Of course, it could have had something to do with the fact that the building they were in was right next to the rides, too. We hit a coupe more of those before we headed for the car. We piled in two tired, dirty, and happy kids and headed for home.
As much as I like to make fun of the little fair, it really is the perfect size for toddlers. I don’t know if they could handle Sandwich…and we don’t know if we’ll even try it with them. Yet.
