Amazing...

I teach the 9 year olds at church (in my parents' ward while we've been looking for a house). I haven't worked much with kids this old, so it has been a learning experience. There is one boy in my class that was a pain. He liked to talk about stuff getting blown up, or people getting killed. When he would get a turn during sharing time, which was rarely, he would always be silly and answer the questions wrong on purpose.

Teacher's worst nightmare.

The more I got to know this kid, the more I felt bad for him. His mom is not stable, and she has custody of him and his sibilings (what does that say about Dad!?!). How the heck is this kid supposed to act the way you want him to when his mom doesn't?

One day at church, he was bummed he didn't get a turn. I leaned over and said "Do you want to know why you don't get turns at church." He did. So I told him because he is silly, doesn't sit in his chair, and he gives silly answers instead of serious ones and people don't like that.

"OH!"

No one had ever told him that before! How in the world does a 9 year old not get taught this? I have no idea. So the next Sunday, I made him a list. (I noticed he likes to collect paper). The list said:
If I want a turn in primary, I need to be reverent. Being reverent means...
- sitting in my chair
- keeping my hands to myself
- giving serious, church related answers when it is my turn
- stay quiet when it is not my turn to talk
- sing when I'm supposed to sing

I used some of the other skills I learned at Spectrum, and this kid is a completly different kid... IN ONE MONTH! He worked his butt off! It is a joy to listen to how smart he his and he has these unique insights that other people do not have. He is now one of the best kids in my class! I am so proud of him. Even the Primary Presidency has noticed a change!

The thing is, kids don't change unless they have a reason to. I'm so glad we were able to figure out getting a turn in primary was enough motivation for him to turn it around. We taught him how to play the game, and now he is a pro!

I think kids that can do this are amazing. Against all odds. Yay!!

Houses...

I am so tired of house hunting. Since April, we have put in 8, yes 8 offers.

Here's the update on our two latest...

We put an offer on a home in June. It is a short sale. A short sale is the phase right before foreclosure. In September, the sellers accepted our offer, took their house off the market, and we have been waiting for the bank to make a decision. It's now OCTOBER... and we are still waiting for the bank. We should hear something next week.

We found this house. It has a HUGE garage (4+ cars) with a bigger backyard than the other house, and with an unfinished basement. The kitchen needed a whole lot of help, but it has some great potential. It was a foreclosure, so it would not take as long as the short sale. We didn't make the highest offer. Today we found out the offer that won has a forged pre-qualification letter, so obviously they never closed on the loan. So, instead of giving us the offer, they put the house back on the market and now they have 3 offers for higher than we can afford.

Needless to say, frustrated. No house yet.

Keep your fingers crossed (and some prayers wouldn't hurt) that this short-sale works out. :)

Baby Blanket

While I was looking for the perfect fabric for the blanket I'm making my best friend, I found the perfect fabric for me! I found flannel giraffes! Yay! It was on the sale rack at Walmart, so I had to buy it.

Now that I bought it, I'm trying to figure out what I want to do with it. I bought some plain brown flannel to go with it (on sale too!). My husband's cousin had the cutest blanket. The bottom fabric was wrapped around to the top, making about 2 inches of trim around the top fabric. I have searched all over the internet, and I cannot find how to make a baby blanket with wide trim. All the youtube videos and instructions I have found say to do the trim as thin as possible.

Any ideas?

Sign Language at the Hospital

I know American Sign Language (ASL). I took classes all through high school and into college. I was in the Interpreting Program as SLCC and decided I didn't enjoy interpreting like I thought I would. So, I quit the program to finish my generals and I have found myself in Special Ed (which I absolutely LOVE).

I volunteer at Primary Children's Medical Center every Wednesday night. It is great! I had open-heart surgery there 18 years ago, and I remember volunteers coming to do art projects and stuff with me while I was there. I decided I wanted to give back and help kids that are there.

Last night, a little boy came into the playroom with his mom. He was on an IV pole and just kind of looking around. I asked him if he wanted to make some snow with us (that was the art project we were doing in the playroom last night - it was really fun to play with). He didn't say anything, so I asked him again louder. His mom was on her cell phone, but she finally realized what was goin on. She told me he is deaf. "Does he know sign language?" I asked. He did! So, I got to sign with this kid! I haven't used my sign language for a long time, and I was so excited! The kid didn't seem at all surprised someone he didn't know was signing to him, but he mom seemed very grateful.

I love how stuff just works itself out!