Updates

Well, alot has happened since our last post.

1. We spent many hours working with the insurance company and the disaster team on their many bills and estimates. It appears that as soon as someone hears the words..." this is covered under insurance" everyone starts padding their bills to stake a claim at our miniscule insurance payout. Seriously the disaster team claimed in their estimate that there were 12 fans in our basement at $155 a day. And let's be honest, even Ruthie and Lulu can count to 12 but there was really only 8! COME ON PEOPLE!!!! That wasn't the only thing that they totally tried to hose us on.

2. The insurance company has finally closed the claim on our basement and we can hopefully get a check in the near future. Good thing since we already have workmen trying to put the pieces back together again.

3. The basement is under construction. We have a great little workman that is fixing all the drywall and baseboards and such.....Let's hope that number 2 is really for sure because I am sure he would not be really nice when we tell him we can't pay him.

4. All the toys and stuff that was in the basement is now all over the house. Causing everyone to be extremely uncentered in their beings.

5. Still don't have a working computer so I have to use Simon's at night. I all but tackle him when he gets in the door for his computer. I feel like it is not bad enough that I am stuck watching the Sprout channel all day (Seriously, I can't even watch the news these days without causing the girls to get nightmares) so a computer is our connection to the outside world.

6. We still haven't been able to get any of our thousands of pictures off the computer or have been able to obviously download any new ones that have been taken. I know everyone is really bummed about not seeing updated pictures but you'll just have to wait.



ON A MUCH BRIGHTER NOTE - - POSITIVE STUFF

1. Ruthie has been in big girl pants for 6 days. And while alot of you may not understand this as being huge it is not only huge it is TOTALLY HUGE! She has been on strike with pooping on the potty and we had a huge breakthrough last week. With the breakthrough came a wonderful big girl panty party! Way more politically correct than "The Poopy Party". She picked out a beautiful princess dress and princess slippers and there were balloons, pizza, and cake as well as a whole clothesline of panties strewn through the dining room.

2. My roommate from college Meredith came to visit for the night with her boys and was in attendance for the "Panty Party" We kept telling her 5 year old son that when he is 18 he would be dying to go to a panty party. We had a great time and it always wonderful to spend time with her.

3. Our dear family friends Bridget and Jennifer came for the weekend to visit. The girls had so much fun playing with them. We played playdoh and blocks and dance parties and all the wonderful musical instruments that we got for Christmas. Bridget is also a fabulous decorator and she picked out paint color for our basement along with new carpet. We all went to dinner on Saturday night (while the girls were with a babysitter) and then Simon went home and we went to see 27 dresses. I haven't been to a movie in a movie theater in over 2 years! Gosh, I forgot what that was like. I figure that if I have to pay a babysitter I would rather have someone cook me a meal and wait on me rather than go to a movie when I can sit in my pajamas and do that at home.

4. We went to Chuck E. Cheese tonight as Ruthie continues to amaze us on the potty and she really wanted to go to Chuck E. Cheese because isn't that what all big girls do so, Simon came home early from work and we all headed out to Chuck E. Cheese. We had a great time. We took tons of pictures which we will have to post whenever we can get up and running.


So there you have it.