Kitchen Update

Here's a couple photos of the new countertops. Someone (Holly) has been bugging me to post some pictures. They turned out pretty well. We had the granite come up on the wall four inches. The workers forgot to bring the backsplash piece near the cooktop. They're coming back next week to fix that. You can see our new appliances, too. There's still a few things left to do: paint the cupboards where the old countertop hung over, tile the rest of the backsplash, and change out the rangehood to stainless like the appliances. Eventually it will all get done.

What Season Is It?

Saturday was a busy day. We took out our old countertops and repaired drywall where the old backsplash had been. We took out the sink this morning. The new countertops should be here in a couple of hours. Yippee! While we were working, the boys were busy outside. First, we raked all of the leaves into a huge pile and Adam and Matt had fun jumping into them. They would take a big running start and then dive into the leaves like they were homeplate.

They got hot after that so they started playing with the sprinklers and hose. Is it summer or fall? Thank goodness for Kansas weather. It can be freezing in the morning and hot in the afternoon.

A Little Bit of Inspiration

This past Sunday we had a lesson at church about our trials and struggles and the lessons we can learn from them. This caused me to think about Adam and his OCD. It's been a year now since we really started dealing with this. A year ago he was starting to wash his hands 50+ times a day, thought everything that was outside the house or left the house was contaminated, and couldn't touch particular things. When we got the diagnosis of OCD and learned it would be something he would have his entire life, it was quite overwhelming. It has taken months of treatment and medication to get a grip on it. At the moment he is doing well. However, it can change daily and so we have to be vigilant about doing his coping exercises. At the beginning of the year, when things were really bad, I decided to keep a journal or record of the blessings that have come from OCD. Initially this was quite hard because it seemed like it only brought grief and heartache. And really, what good could come from OCD? A few weeks ago, during Stake Conference, I had a bit of inspiration. I have regularly thought about why Adam has OCD--not why does he have this as a complaint, but why does he have this as a wonder, what is the purpose behind him being given this trial. During the meeting, the thought came to mind that Adam is learning at a very young age how to truly decide between two things--good vs. bad. The OCD is like a voice in is head trying to convince him to choose the OCD side. The voice tries to convince him that the OCD side has to be chosen or else something terrible will happen. If he obeys the OCD then he'll feel better--for awhile, until he does the ritual again. He is learning how to examine his thoughts and look for the truth in them--what's his real thoughts and what are the OCD thoughts. By the time he's a teenage he'll have had lots of practice. I'm hoping this will help him then to be able to look at what other kids say and the peer pressue and be able to determine what is really the right thing to do and not just the path that others tell him to follow. I'm not sure if this makes much sense. I find it hard to accurate describe what OCD is like to those that have not either lived with it themselves or had someone close to them with it. Sometimes I think it is similar to an addiction--not that the person is addicted to the behavior but the feeling that something has to be done in order to live or survive.

Stroke of Genius

So, I had a stroke of genius recently. Literally, one of those moments when you're like, "holey-moley, that is the best idea ever". My boys are picky eaters. Part of it is my fault, I understand that, and part of it is theirs. Another day, another dinner, and another "Ewww, gross!" And then the lightbulb went on--during the blessing on the food (prayers are answered). I said, "You know how you love to go to McDonalds or Burger King. Well, we'll go every Saturday night, your choice, as long you eat your dinner every night. Those who eat it get to go and those who don't will have PBJ." Why didn't I think of this earlier? The benefits are endless--1. Save $--it will be a long time before we go to McD's (I'm guessing a month); 2. Eventually they'll try new foods; 3. I get a break from cooking every Sat. night (it's nice to look forward to that). So far this week, both Adam and Matt are 0-2. We'll see how they feel come Saturday night while Robert and I are eating 'restaurant' food and they're eating PBJ. Perhaps they'll do better next week.

We're each full of personality

I found this professional and academic personality test. Not like one of those you find on Facebook or something. It's really neat. Check it out here: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp.
My personality type is introverted intuitive feeling judging. It explains in detail about each personality type and it also tells which careers best suit you. I'm best suited for being a nurse, counselor or teacher.

Seeking The One

Isn't this painting great? The artist is Liz Lemon Swindle. I just love it because it portrays Christ as young and youthful. There is a real human aspect to it. And He seems so approachable. I first saw it three years ago and have wanted ever since. Well, my wish finally came true. While in Denver over the weekend we went to a store that had it. . . . and it happened to be on sale, 1/3 off. I couldn't believe it because the painting costs hundreds of dollars. So, after discussing it, Robert said "sure, let's get it". And then, "Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas, and Happy Anniversary for the next couple of years." :)

Happy Birthday Part 2

Here are some photos from Robert's birthday party last night.

Yep, that's 38 candles.
He did it! He blew them all out with one blow.

Happy Birthday!!!

Today is Robert's 38th birthday. Happy Birthday, Honey!! Robert is a great husband, dad, and son. We've had a lot of fun this past year. Here are some photos! Robert and Matt at a KU basketball game.
Robert and Matt taking a rest.

Robert teaching Adam to ride his bike on Christmas morning.

In Love with KC

Every fall I get the urge to go to Kansas City. I love KC in the autumn. I think it's because I first moved there at the end of summer and met Robert during the fall. I never did like the fall until I lived there. Before, to me, the fall just brought me closer to winter, and I hate the cold. So, it's a big deal for me to like it. The changing leaves, the apple fests, school starting back up at KU-- it just feels like home. I love it. We've lived here in Garden City for about three years now, and I'm getting the itch to move again. Blame it on my Army childhood. And now that a new temple as been announced for Kansas City, I really want to move back. It might be a couple of years before that happens but perhaps that will be our next move--we can hope.

Still Undecided

So, I'm still undecided who I'm going to vote for. I like things and views from both candidates. I've been watching the debates and reading as much as I can. I've found two good website to help with this. I thought I'd pass them along in case there are others that still aren't sure who they want to vote for.

My favorite is www.factcheck.org. I initially heard about this website on 'Larry King Live'. This is managed by an unbiased company that simply analyze all the commercials, ads, debates, etc and tell you what is really true. They've already got stuff about the VP debate and what each candidate said that was false.

The other is found at http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/MatchoMatic/fullpage?id=5542139. There are different viewpoints listed from each candidate, however, you don't know who said what. You select which ones reflect your thinking the best. Then, after you're done, the candidate that you agree with the most is revealed. Very interesting!

Everything I DIDN'T Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

Last month I started helping Adam's kindergarten class every Wednesday afternoon. I help out with the writing center. Not only am I teaching the kids stuff but they are teaching me stuff. It's amazing how much I can pick up just by talking with and watching a student. I can learn about their home life, values, attitudes, etc. I have thought more than once, "please don't say that or act that way around Adam". Here are a few things that I didn't want to learn in Kindergarten during yesterday afternoon.
1. O.....M......G---you know the acronym, right? One little girl started repeating that over and over, and then another boy started saying it. I said, "Let's say 'oh, my gosh', instead." Another girl at the table, who happens to be Mennonite, said "that's a bad word, isn't it?" Then, the girl that had started it all, said, "that's Jesus' name, right?" So, instead of getting into a deep conversation of really who God is, I said, "yes. Let's just say oh my gosh instead." And the kids started doing it. If one of them slipped up the others would correct them. I wasn't sure how much I should say but I felt like if I said something short and to the point, the kids might respond. And they did.
2. Adam and I were talking about what it means to be cool. I said a cool person is someone that is nice to everyone. He looked at me, like 'yeah, right' and said, "No, it's not. A cool person is someone that has cool clothes." Oh, really!? So, I'm sure you can guess the rest of the conversation. "No, you don't have to have cool clothes to be cool." "Yes, you do. I'm cool and I have cool clothes." "Who told you this?" "Everybody knows it." ARRRGH--do they have to pick up on this twisted thinking as early as kindergarten? Can't they just maintain their pure thinking for a little bit longer?
3. The class has been having a 'color of the day'. They've had to flip thru magazines and cut out the color and glue it to a sheet of paper. Some of the kids get real giggly if they see any part of the human body or people hugging. Some of their comments are a bit inappropriate, especially for 5 year olds. I can definitely tell who has older siblings. This is another one of those things that I think, "Please don't let Adam hear these comments. Please don't pick up on these behaviors."
Part of me realizes that I can't shelter Adam from everything but part of me wants to have a say in what he hears and learns. For the most part, all of the students are very sweet and like to give me hugs. Just please don't teach my son bad stuff.