Is This Normal?
The chaos that is the KerbersArchive for weather
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.
Homecoming ‘09
It’s Homecoming week at NCHS this week, which means a lot of fun for the students and a lot of headaches for the teachers. This year’s theme is “It’s A Jungle in Here” and this morning when we gt to school the atrium was decorated really cute. The student council had worked hard on their day off of school to get the building looking festive for the week.
They even taped green film over the lights to give the entire atrium an eery greenish glow. For a minute, when I walked in and saw all this, it made me smile and think, “This will be fun.” But it took me about five more minutes inside the building to retract that thought. Even though it’s only a four day week this year, the kids will just be totally nuts, and all of us adults in the building feel like we’re just babysitting. Every night has an activity happening, and the kids will get crazier each day closer to the weekend. To top it all off, the weather is supposed to be crappy all week, so there is very little chance of us going to either the parade or the game on Friday, which stinks. I swear, Homecoming seems to get less and less fun every year! Does this mean I’m getting old???
Illini Saturday the sequel
For our birthdays in August, 
Theresa got us tickets to the Illinois vs. Michigan St. game, which was today. It was Homecoming in Champaign, which is always a fun day, and Dave and I were really looking forward to going to the game. But since we had been to the game last week, and saw how badly the Illini looked then, we had trepedations about our chances today. We had hope for an Illini victory, though, and looked forward to the game.
We were way too optimistic, I’m afraid. The Illini are awful. And really…using the word awful is being too kind to them. They didn’t do anything well today. Truly, the highlight of the game was when two fighter jets flew over the stadium during the pre-game show.
However, it was certainly not a wasted day. We got to see Ryan again, and he even went to dinner with us after the game at Papa Del’s, our very favorite place in Champaign. There is nothing better than enjoying a Pop’s pizza on a Saturday afternoon. There is just something about that pizza that is indescribable yumminess. I liken it to Mystic Pizza…one may never know what’s in it that makes it so good. But we do love it, and both Dave and I look forward to getting there at least once a fall. We were happy that we could take Ry with us to keep the torch for Pop’s burning on.
We’re still holding on to some hope for the Illini, but it’s very little. I can hardy remember a time when we were this bad at football. Honestly, I’m not sure that we’ll win another game this year. It’s a sad day in Chambana-ville. 
Windows replaced
Yippee…we have new windows in every room on our second floor! Well, that’s not entirely true…the little windows in the laundry room and our master bathroom have not been replaced yet, but the big ones are done. There is now a new, sealed, and easy-to-open window in the office, in each kid’s room and there are two in our room. What a difference they’ve made already! I know that we’ll notice a big change in the warmth of the rooms this winter, and hopefully we’ll see a differnce in our utility bill, too!
I’m so proud of Dave for getting all of this done. This is one home improvement that should truly make our second story more comfortable for all of us. Hopefully he can get the little ones measured and in before the weather turns into winter completely.
Illini fun
Family, food, and football…what more could you want, right? Yesterday was a great day spent with all three. The Swartzies bought tickets to the Illini vs. Penn St. game in Champaign, and were looking forward to spending the day with Ryan there. Then, at the last minute, our neighbors offered their season tickets to us for that game, too, so we decided to join in the fun. We quickly threw together some tailgating plans the night before, and it was on.
They picked us up around 9:30 and we all piled in the van to head to Champaign. Their tickets came with one parking pass, so this was the best way to ensure we could all tailgate together. We pulled into the lot, and were very impressed with the location. We were right across from the football stadium in the Assembly Hall parking lot. It was awesome!
Ry gave his brothers, Nance and me a tour of the campus, 
and it was so fun walking around with him now that he knows his way around and has experiences on campus. He showed us where he has classes, and where the house he pledged (and de-pledged) was, and had so many little funny things to tell us. I loved it. After the tour was done, we headed back to the stadium and Dave started grilling. 
We grilled brats and pork chops and had all kinds of yummy snacks on the side. Since the weather wasn’t cooperating too much, we brought hot chocolate with us, as well, and that really hit the spot, too. Some of Ry’s friends came to our tailgate, and it was fun meeting them.
It was all such a good time…until the actual game started! The Illini are so pitiful this year that it’s almost painful to watch them. We suffered through the game, with the intermittent rain and all. It’s so sad to watch. The ironic thing was that the Swartzie’s tickets were just a couple of rows away from ours…a total coincidence, but pretty fun.
We had such fun hanging with them and with Ryan. Even though he’s been a U of I student for almost two months, it didn’t seem as real to me as it does now, after seeing his dorm room and watching him interact with his friends. now it’s sunk in…the next generation has arrived and I’ve officially passed the torch!
A new window
Today Dave put a new replacement window in the office. We have stewed about windows for really over a year now, knowing that our entire second floor needed new ones, but not sure what route to take. We couldn’t decide between wood or vinyl windows for a very long time. There are pros and cons to each…the wood ones look nicer, but are way more expensive. The vinyl ones wear better, but don’t look as nice. We went back and forth so much. Meanwhile, the windows got worse and worse. One day I even saw Emma’s blinds moving when the window was totally closed! Ugh…no wonder the poor girl’s room is so hot! Finally, we decided to go with vinyl upstairs and worry about the downstairs windows next year. They are in better shape, and we think they will make it through the winter no problem. Dave measured and worried a lot, but he went ahead and ordered one window. He just ordered one to make sure that he had measured right and that he could install it himself.
Well, today proved that he had measured right and he could install it himself! He did a great job, and I’m so excited to have a new window in the office. We got the hyper-good light filtering glass (which has a much more official name, but I don’t know it) and it really does make a difference. When the sun beat into that window this evening it was way cooler than the window facing the same direction in Ben’s room. Plus it opens and closes soooooo easily compared to the old ones. I can’t believe I’m so excited about a new window, but it has made me really happy!
Now we just have to order the other 4 for the second floor. It’s going to be awesome. I can’t wait to see how much it affects our heating bills this winter!
Pool day
The temperature finally hit summer today, reaching a high of 94°. We decided that it was the perfect day to head to State Farm pool. We were right…it was absolutely perfect there. The pool opens at 10 a.m. and I think we got there about 10:02. There were already people there, though, so we knew it was going to be a busy one for the pool. We had been there a very short time when we saw our great neighborhood friends Maxon and Elijah come in (with their mom Leslie, of course!) We were all very excited to see each other.
We played and swam all morning. We even rode the lazy river for the first time. Of course, Emma, who was riding with Dave, only wanted to know where I was the entire time. That girl…it seems if I’m out of sight all she wants is me. But regardless, we had a lot of fun. We grabbed a quick lunch at the snack bar, and since the kids were so good at lunch, we decided to stay a bit longer and swim some more.
By the time we left at about 12:45, the place was packed. There were cars driving around the parking lot looking for spots, and the overflow lot was filling up fast. Both of our kids were so tired that we had to work pretty hard to keep them awake on the way home. But it was an awesome day. I hope we can get in some more pool days before it closes on Labor Day!
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!
Work and play
This afternoon Dave and I started staining our playset. 
This was a job that had been on Dave’s “to do” list since the weather got warm, and he was dreading it. But, since the weather had finally broken and it was way less hot and humid today, we decided to start tackling it. Dave started as soon as the kids were done with lunch, and then when I put Emma down for her nap a short time later I went out and joined him. We put Ben on the couch for a “rest” with a movie. I know, I know…a movie as a babysitter is pretty pathetic, but we didn’t want him to get anywhere near the oil based stain and we knew he’d just want to “help” if he was out there with us. Working outside without dripping in sweat was so nice. Although, I will admit I should have used a stronger sunscreen, because my shoulders are a little pink tonight. They could be (and have been) much worse, though, so I’ll deal with it.
We knew that we’d never get done in one night unless one or both of us worked pretty much straight through until dark, so I convinced Dave to stop when naptime was over. We decided that it would be much more fun for all of us to head to State Farm pool instead. We hadn’t been yet this summer, and we had a great time there. Ben wanted his swimmies on as soon as we got there, which meant he was way more confident in the pool and that we didn’t have to be only a step away from him at all times. 
He went down the slide a bunch of times, and he even went down the bigger slide in the middle pool! The middle pool is one that’s about 3′6″ deep at it’s deepest. We hadn’t been in there before, and he loved it! It was still a little deep for Emma, who can’t really balance herself with swimmies yet, so we pretty much stayed in the baby pool with her. Poor Emma…she wanted to go down the slide in that pool so badly, but she just couldn’t muster up the nerve. She’s not usually scared of much, but she stood on the platform at the top of that slide for a really long time and never did go down. Maybe next time…
We ate dinner at the snack bar at the park, 
fed the geese in the pond, and then swam a little more before packing up to head home. On our way home we stopped for ice cream to round out a really great day. Poor Ben was so tired that we were literally were yelling, “Ben, Ben…keep those eyes open, Buddy!” in the car on the way home just so he could make it without falling asleep. We really had a great day together, and I look forward to hundreds more like it!
