Is This Normal?
The chaos that is the KerbersArchive for grandparents
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!
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 anniversary, Grandma and Grandpa
Everyone makes such a big deal over big, fat, round anniversary years. At 10 years, everyone I know goes somewhere together to celebrate. At 25 years, there’s usually some kind of get-together or party to celebrate. Then comes 40 years, for some reason a real biggie, it seems. I can remember my grandparents’ fortieth anniversary party very well from my childhood…it was a par-tee!
Well, this year is Mom & Dad’s 49th wedding anniversary, and while many people don’t think that’s a big deal, I have to disagree. They’ve gone through 49 years together as husband and wife…almost five decades, people! I can’t even imagine! And while I know that next year will bring all the fanfare with the 50th, I hope they know how much I respect and appreciate their marriage now, even though no one may be making a big deal out of it. When I talked to Mom today, she said that this was, “just like any other day.” But I have to disagree…a 49th anniversary is definitely not like any other day.
Thanks for everything you do for us, Mom & Dad, but more importantly, thanks for the great example you’ve set for all of us. We love you…happy anniversary!
To Sycamore they go
Tomorrow Danielle is not babysitting, so the kids are off to Grandma Judy & Grandpa Scott’s for a long weekend. It’s been awhile since they’ve been up north, so I think that everyone involved is very excited. It’s been fun preparing for the trip this time, because Ben understands the days of the week more. So each day he’s asked, “What day are we going to Grandma Judy’s?” “Thursday,” I would say. Then we’d have to go through the days of the week song to figure out how many days away Thursday was. It was fun building the anticipation with him.
As always when the kids or we are away, I do feel a bit guilty for being so excited. But I do know that the kids will have so fun, and that Grandma & Grandpa absolutely love having them there, so why not enjoy my own little break, right?
Right? :s
Back to Grandma & Grandpa’s house
Tonight Dave took the kids and met my mom and dad halfway between our houses. We usually meet at a McDonald’s, have dinner there, switch vehicles, and then head home…us without the kids and Grandma and Grandpa with two houseguests. It’s always with mixed emotions that we do this. In this case, it’s so much nicer for the kids and easier for Dave to have them go up there since I’m working until almost 8:00 p.m. all week. I know that the kids and the grandparents have such a great time when they’re there, but we miss them a lot!
I’m so thankful that my parents love having them. I know the kids are making memories that they’ll always cherish.
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.
Our mini-vacation
This week Ben and Emma are at Grandpa Scott & Grandma Judy’s house. I am attending a class all week, and since I can’t stay with them during the day and expected to have some homework at night, we thought it would be easier (and a lot more fun) for them to head to Sycamore for the week.
It’s really quite pathetic how excited Dave and I are about this free week. Sure, neither of us is actually going anywhere, and I’ll probably have more work than I normally do, but it’s still like having a ton of free time. I really is like a mini-vacation…just in our own home.
