Yahoo!!!!!!

Mommy's little helpers!

The kids have recently taken a great interest in doing dishes. They love playing in the water but usually end up getting more on the floor, themselves and around the sink, than what remains IN the sink!

In the first picture, Sonja wanted me to take a picture of her cleaning out the jar with the bottle brush. So I did and here it is. She'll be so happy to see it on the blog.

Out of our two children, Max is the best helper as far as picking up, although Sonja is getting MUCH better. During Max's speech therapy, they use play therapy. The speech pathologist uses puzzles, games and other toys. Max just can't wait to put whatever toy they are using away. I think both of the kids have a little OC thingy (obsessive compulsive) when it come to certain things.

Oh..... and the biggest news is......

We received word yesterday that our camper came in Monday night, YEAH!

Dan also brought his new truck home almost two weeks ago, BUT with a couple of dings on the way home.

Here's the sad, sad story....

Dan got a call from his dealership that his truck was in, so he made plans to do the paperwork and bring it home. He called me that afternoon and said he'd see me when he got home with truck! He was so happy and excited!

Well, his usual arrival time came and I knew he'd be walking through the door at any minute. It was about a half hour after his usual time and he walked through the door... with a big scowl and very quiet... I knew something was DEFINITELY wrong.

I waited for him to tell me what was going on and after taking his coat off, he said "I had an accident on the way home with the new truck". My heart sank for him as I knew he was more mad at himself than anything. I asked him if he was O.K. and he said he was, but the truck was damaged.

I asked him what happened.

He told me that while he was driving home, he was rounding a curve in the road as another car, going in the opposite direction, passed him. A large piece of ice came off the roof of the other vehicle and hit the front of the truck. It happened so fast, Dan didn't have time to react. Dan said he knew the minute he heard it hit, it wasn't going to be good, as it made the worst sound.

I'm just glad he's O.K.

What's the damage? Cracked front grill and both radiators need to be replaced, along with a couple of minor things. The cost $1400 buckaroos! The guy at the dealership that did the estimate said Dan was lucky it didn't damage the paint because that would have been a lot more trying to match the paint etc. We are currently waiting for the insurance company to approve the estimate etc. Here's a picture of some of the damage.

Speaking of insurance companies, some of the brokers are pretty much useless....eg.

(Insurance Guy)- "Ah... Gee Danny, I don't know whether to put this claim under comp or accident?"

(Dan)- "Well, You're our broker. I'm looking to you for guidance."

(Insurance Guy)- Yah....Yah...Don't worry. I'll take car of it."

(Dan)- So... can you tell me what you're going to do?"

(Insurance Guy)- Ah... I THINK (oh brother) I'll put it under comp."k

(Dan)- Is that what this accident is covered under?"

(Insurance Guy)- Yah... I THINK so (ya know that's just trouble)

(Dan)- "You're not sure?"

(Insurance Guy)- Danny (paaaleeease), maybe you should call XYZ insurance.

(Dan)- "I thought that's what I pay you guys for?"

(Insurance Guy)- Aaaaa.....

(Dan)- "Never mind.... I'll call XYZ myself."

(Insurance Guy)- O.K.

Needless to say, we'll soon be changing insurance brokers!

As for the camper......We are all so excited....well....maybe not Max (if he is, he hides it well). Every time we ride by a local dealership on the outskirts of town, Sonja says "Mommy (or Daddy), There's some campers just like ours!"

I've been purchasing needed items for the camper such as tableware, linen, rugs, first aid items, R.V. accessories etc. Man.... it adds up fast!

We'll be going down to get the paperwork done, get the hitch installed, do a walk through and specify the upgrades we want. We won't be bringing it home right away due not wanting the winter road grime and salt getting on it. We'd like to reduce that as much as possible. Also they can install the upgrades while we wait for the weather to improve.

Can't wait.....

Until next time...