Spring Break

Spring Break took us down to St George for a few days.

We stayed at my parent's casita and enjoyed the warm weather.

We did a bit of Razor riding, hiking and a lot of swimming!

7 Months Later

Remember how Chasey broke his arm?
Remember that it was clear back in August?
That seems like a long time ago right?
It was.

After the initial scare about his arm getting operated on in a foreign country, my next fear was the cost.  I had no idea if our insurance would pay for care in Canada.  And not only an emergency room visit, but an operation and an overnight stay.  I can say I panicked a little bit.  It was not a small amount.

Once we got home and we received and paid for all of the bills,  we then submitted them to our insurance for reimbursement at the beginning of September.

60 days later we got a rejection notice telling us that our reimbursement forms did not have the correct medical codes on them and they were denied.  Of course they wouldn't, this was done in Canada with an entirely different medical system. Duh.

So we submitted them all again with a nice note stating that Canada is not part of the United States and they would not have the same codes.  I also told them that instead of flat out rejecting them again, that I would appreciate a phone call if they had any questions.

And then we waited.  And waited.  And waited.  Scott called every few weeks to ask about the reimbursements.  We also received a very nice letter in the mail stating that our claims were being processed.

Finally at the end of December we got one payout.  That's good, but they still needed to reimburse us a significant amount.  So, Scott called again to ask about the rest and wouldn't you know it, they lost the papers!  Of course they would.  Isn't that how it works?

So, we submitted them again and then waited, calling every few weeks for an update.  Finally in March, we got another payment.  We clapped out hands, counted on our fingers and realized they still owed us a chunk of change.

So we waited some more.  And just today,  we finally got our last reimbursement!

So grateful our insurance company covered a big chunk of the expense.  But man, they know how to drag out payments for as long as possible.

The Return of MC Hammer

The other day, I was driving in the car with Taylor.  He was flipping through stations and out came "Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer.

We all remember that song right? And we all remember the Hammer pants.

Taylor thought the song was fantastic!  So, he came home and downloaded it onto his phone.  Guess what he's been listening to lately?  Guess who else has decided this song is great?

I took these photos of some of the boys dancing away while cleaning the basement.  

Incidentally, I think Hammer pants are coming back.  The other day as I was picking up Chase from his hip hop class, I saw a bunch of girls waiting for their class.  They were all wearing pants that looked like MC Hammer designed them.  I'm not kidding.

I Love my Little Helper!

Happy Birthday Bennett!

Bennett was lucky.  His birthday fell on a Tuesday this year, so his celebrating lasted an entire week.

He started out with a pizza and movie party with his friends the weekend before.  Funny, he got the same Lego set from 3 of his friends.  He ended up returning them and getting one big set!

 

The following weekend he went skiing with Scott!  Happy Birthday Ben Ben!  We love you!

Sledding

 Last summer we bought some property up in the mountains with the hope that sooner rather than later we would build a cabin.  On President's day we took the kiddos up there to do some sledding.  The HOA plows the roads to your lot, but only if you have a cabin.

So we drove as close as we could to our property and then snowshoed in the rest of the way.  The unplowed road was perfect for sledding!  Not too steep but long.  Just what you want.  There are only a few cabins in the area, so we had the place to ourselves. 

And yes, even I who will avoid snow at all costs went down a few times!  And you know what?  It was fun and I didn't even get cold.    I know.  A real shocker.  Hope you haven't fallen off your seat.

What's on my floors lately

Here are two of the latest things I pick up.

1) Flossers - And no, it's not because my kids are great flossers.  And yes, it could possibly be that they still struggle with throwing trash in the trash.  But here's the real reason.  After finding these on the ground on a regular basis all over the downstairs I finally figured out why.  They use them to open locked bedroom doors.  That sharp point fits perfectly into the slot on the doorknob.  So when kids starts locking each other out of bedrooms......out come the flossers and then they eventually end up on the ground.

2) Mini rubberbands.  You know about the Rainbow Loom craze?  We don't even have one and yet I find these rubber bands and bracelets made from these bands all over the house.  I blame Owen entirely.  He manages to come home with a new one several times each week.  He tells me that kids will make them for him.  I'm a bit skeptical on that one.  Someone has even shown him how to make them with his fingers.  We don't even need the loom!  So he makes them and takes them apart regularly.