Dad's surprise party, breaking in the new van, etc.

What a weekend we had last weekend! We drove up to Edmonton Thursday, and up to La Crete on Friday. Unfortunately, the trip was not uneventful:(. I had a fender bender in Slave Lake! Now, tell me, how can I drive in Calgary for 7 years, in rush hour traffic, terrible conditions, and never have an accident, but I can't get through the town of SLAVE LAKE without hitting one the few cars on the road! Irony I tell you. I was crossing from the Tim Horton's parking lot to the Shell across the street, and just wasn't careful enough in checking to my right (there was a blind corner with the most enormous pile of snow not really helping my line of sight). I was almost across when, boom, there she was. Hit the back tire of our BRAND NEW VAN, causing some damage to the wheel, bumper and fender. She had minimal damage and was very nice about it (bless her heart), but the problem was that we weren't sure if we could drive further because the axle appeared to be bent (the wheel was quite slanted inwards). We took it to the Dodge dealership in Slave Lake and the service guy told us there was nothing wrong with it, and to just drive on. We were dubious, but there was no vibration or anything, so we took his word for it and continued on to La Crete. When we got to La Crete, we heard some unpleasant noises from that wheel and took it into the Dodge dealership there (the only dealership they have is a Dodge dealership - God was looking out for us:)). Yes, the axle was bent, and it would be fixed Tuesday morning. All things considered, it worked out really well (you know, after the whole crash part anyway) and we were able to enjoy the weekend!

Our family had been planning a surprise 70th birthday party for my dad for several months now. He had no idea - we all showed up one by one and he was wondering what was going on! It was pretty funny! All of the kids were there, some of the in-laws and grandkids couldn't make it, but it was an impressive showing. We had a party on Saturday night with a dinner just for the immediate family, and then an after party with friends and relatives. I think he really enjoyed it - I know we sure did! Lynsey was loving the space she had at the school to just run around and climb up and down the stairs, and I know the older nieces and nephews really enjoyed access to the gym. I'm glad we were able to pull it off:).

So the van got fixed on Tuesday and we were off by 12:45pm. We got to Edmonton around 7:45 and let Lynsey run around at Brian's parents before putting her back in the van for more driving. She did not do as well travelling this trip as she has in the past. The trip down was obviously a bit stressful with the whole accident, and she definitely picked up on that, so she did a bit better on the way back. Still not great, though. The dvd player helped, but is not a cure-all! It was good to be home. I spent Wednesday trying to get everything sorted out with insurance and police reports etc, and I feel like everything is under control now. My very first insurance claim - very sad! Oh, well - nobody was hurt and it's a good lesson for me to learn. I really think my attitude was that it would never happen to me. Obviously, I was very wrong.

Lynsey has been a bit whiny this week - I think she's still trying to catch up on her sleep. She refuses to nap more than an hour and fifteen minutes, so last night we had to put her to bed at 7:15 and she slept until 8:30 this morning! I feel like she needs a 23 hour day - her bedtime just keeps getting earlier and earlier! She is also cutting the last 3 eyeteeth so that might have something to do with her whininess during the day. Yay all her teeth are out! Except for her 2 year molars of course. She is starting to make this certain sound and pull on our fingers when she wants us to do something for her - unfortunately, it's not always clear what she wants! Slowly but surely she is understanding more and more, but she still doesn't say too much. Maybe one day her vocabulary will just explode and she'll say all the things she's been thinking about saying for the last few months:).

First haircut

So I gave in and gave Lynsey a haircut last Sunday after my last post. She did pretty well - Baby Einstein is our friend. I even got it somewhat straight, and it's so nice that her hair isn't in her eyes anymore. We picked up the van on Tuesday and got it registered etc., and we sold the Altima to my sister Tina so we are all sorted out in vehicle-land! We'll both be a bit sad to see the Altima go because it's been a good car, but it's just a car, and now someone else in my family can enjoy it! I love driving the van, and am not in the least bit embarrassed. Let me say to those family-people out there who would like the convenience of a van but feel they have too much pride to get one - SUCKERS lol! It's a bit harder to park (obviously) but I already love how easy it is to get Lynsey in and out of the carseat, and she is sitting up higher and is able to look out the window better, thus making her more content on the drive. I'm sure the DVD player will come in handy in the years to come as well:).

Lynsey isn't saying a lot more words than she was a few months ago, but she understands WAY more of what we're saying! We actually have to be careful what we say around her (mentioning walks or baths can be a problem if we're not actually intending to do them . . . ) and she continues to amaze me in how she takes care of her dolls:). They get way more kisses than I do! I hope she keeps up her motherly ways and grows up to be the most caring, nurturing person around:).

My little girl loves dolls! How fun!

Let's start with last Saturday. Brian's brother Mike came down for the weekend, and being the incredibly gracious and loving wife that I am, I let Brian go snowboarding with him in the mountains on Saturday. This left me another day alone with Lynsey, so I decided to go to Three Hills and hang out with Liz and Dave for a while. Liz gave me some of Jana's old dolls, and Lynsey just loves them! It is the cutest, funniest thing - that first day we didn't think she would go to bed without one of them:). I started putting pigtails in Lynsey's hair and she looks like such a little GIRL in them! She doesn't look like a baby at all! I really have to break down and give her a trim very soon - I imagine by my next blog post I will have broken down and done this. Her hair is just too out of control.

So Brian and I have become the proud owners of a new Dodge Caravan! We went to a dealership yesterday (with Lynsey - this is the joy of not having immediate family in the area! Lynsey gets to come with us to the most inconvenient of places!) and made a deal. There was a bit of a misunderstanding about the options we were getting which we only realized when we got home, so that added some stress. However, the head sales guy worked his magic and after talking with him we felt like we really should be giving him more money haha! This is only the second vehicle purchase I've ever been involved with, but let me tell you, it won't be happening again anytime soon. I just hate the feeling that as much as they tell you you're the one who's "winning" in the deal, is there such a thing when dealing with a car salesman?? Ugh! We're picking it up on Wednesday so we need to get the Altima ready for sale. Anyone want to buy a 2002 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL with about 200,000 km?? It's a very nice car, and we're kind of sad to be parting with it, but we just can't keep 3 cars - that would just be ridiculous.

So that is what is new in our lives! Lynsey continues to understand more and more of what we say, and seems to be recognizing the animals in her Little People farm and which stall is "their house":). She started moving her stool around the house to get at things she can't reach! This is a big step for her, as she is starting to put two & two together - if I move this stool here, I can get up on it and reach that switch. Not necessarily convenient for us, but good for her development!