Thankful

As I sit here waiting for my hubs to get home from work I am finding myself extremely grateful for that man I call husband. Today was his first day back to work in 10 days. Man I like spending my days with him. I feel complete when he is around. I've missed him like crazy today and glad he will be home tomorrow with the New Years holiday.

Success!!

Yesterday was such an AWESOME day!!!  It has been quite a while since we've had a stress free Sunday.  With the stresses church brings for Brayden, the last month or so he and I have been going to the first 2 hours of church then coming home during sharing time.  I've felt an immense sense of guilt for doing this, but Josh has reminded me that Heavenly Father is aware of our situation and aware that we are making the effort in attending our church meetings.  That alleviated some of the guilt I was feeling.  I've been praying that Sundays would get a bit easier for Brayden and yesterday was a testament to me of the power of prayer and obedience.  Our day was amazing from start to finish.  We got ready for church with no complaining or attitude.  We made it to sacrament our usual 15 minutes early and got our usual spot.  Brayden was angelic during sacrament.  After we took the bread and water he looked at me and said he wanted to stay for all 3 hours.  I could not believe my ears.  I told Josh and I think we both were in shock.  We went to class and had a great time with Brayden and the 3 other boys that we had.  No attitude or frustration through out the whole hour.  As we left class I thought for sure he'd want to go home but nope, he walked right into the sharing time room.  Sat next to one of his friends and participated in all of singing time as well as the lesson prepared by the presidency.  As we got home, I said a prayer of thanks to my Father in Heaven for these tender mercies.  It's days like this that remind me how much we are not alone in this life.  We had no real plans after church.  No family obligations so it made for a very relaxing evening.  We made home made pizza for dinner and watched the Jazz game.  

My handsome boy all ready for church...love those blue eyes!

This is how great he is...he helped me clean out and load the dishwasher without being asked :)

Saturday

Today has been a great family day!  Josh's vacation is officially down to one day left.  Boo!!  I think it would be awesome if he didn't have to work yet still made money.  I'm trying to figure that one out. :)

This morning we headed over to the rec center and played racquet ball and basketball.  We were there for a few hours and would've gone swimming afterwards, but they were having some sort of swimming tournament there.

Josh and I are trying to be better about being physically active and working out.  These last several months we've been so lazy and I think we can both tell a big difference.  We are trying to motivate one another as well as show Brayden the importance of having a healthy body.  Brayden loved playing racquet ball.  Our goal is to work out there 3 times a week as well as working out at home the other days.  I'm feeling pretty motivated as the holidays are winding down so hopefully we can stick with it. 

After spending some time there we came home to get showered and ready for the Smith holiday party.  This is a get together with my mom's family.  There are 200 people in my family so because of the size we have our party at a church in Draper every year. As I've gotten older and since my grandparents have passed away, I really don't see my family much more than this one time a year.  There are 9 kids in my mom's family and with my mom being the youngest there is a 20 year age difference between her and the oldest.  She does have a very close relationship with one of her sisters so I see her quite often.  Apart from that like I said it's usually once a year.

As we have these parties, I often reflect on the legacy that my grandparents have left.  I also think about how much I miss them.  My grandpa passed away when I was 16 so he has been gone for 18 years.  My grandma passed away in 2004, but I was so close with her.  I still feel this ache in my heart at times with how much I miss her.  I know because of what I believe, families are forever and I will have the opportunity to see them both again.  For that I am eternally grateful.

My handsome boys!  All ready for the party :)

All smiles after our first attempt at racquet ball 

Shoot it B

I think the Jazz should sign this kid...maybe he could help them out :)

Tomorrow is our last Sunday being Brayden's primary teachers.  I'm not sure how I'm feeling with that right now.  I love his class.  I love each and every one of those kids.  It really has been a blessing being able to go through this transition with Brayden this year.  I do feel like a change will be good for him.  He is to comfortable in class with us as his teacher so sometimes he does things that I know he wouldn't do with another teacher.  Next week should be a fun-filled day with a lot of changes for Brayden.  New church time at 9am as well as new teachers.  Should be fun!!

Sledding

Yesterday we went sledding with my family.  For it only being 25 degrees while we were out we had so much fun.  There was actually quite a few people sledding and snow boarding at the park we were at.  My mom even got in on the action!!  It was a great time and Brayden can't wait until we go again. 

This is right as we are getting ready to head home.  One tired boy after hours of fun!!

Josh, Mckaylee and my mom

I love this kid!!  He had so much fun and kept trying to go down the big hills by himself :)

Love that face

And that face

Going down together on B sled

I seriously love these 2 so much!

Josh and Brock

Josh and B

I can't believe that it is already Friday.  This week of Josh being home has gone by so fast!!  He goes back to work on Monday and I think Brayden and I are going to have withdrawals once he is gone.  Brayden has especially loved having his best bud home.  Hopefully I can entertain him the next 3 weeks of being off track :)

Merry Christmas!!

Jensen Family Party Sunday night.  We are playing Christmas Bingo

Minute to Win It games Christmas style :)

Aunt Liz rocking it on stack attack (with a little help from Brock)

Getting ready for there part as Mary and Joseph

He was pretty excited :)

Christmas Eve 2012

We spend Christmas Eve with the Waymans.  Traditionally Brayden reads the story Twas the Night Before Christmas to all of us.  He did such a great job!!

He is all smiles after opening his Lego Star Wars set 

Doesn't he make a cute snowman?  We played a fun game and he volunteer to be the snowman

Merry Christmas 2012!!

Brayden with his great grandpa Jensen.  My grandpa's health has declined so much this year.  Our visit with him today made me grateful to have had such a wonderful man involved in not only my life, but also my son's.  I love my grandpa so much!!

Josh and Brayden got me this cute Utes sweatshirt for Christmas.  We love our Utes!!

Josh only wanted one thing for Christmas...big shocker it was a video game.  He has been good this year, so that is what Brayden got him :)

This is what Brayden got between us and Santa.  The only thing he wanted was for the Xbox to be fixed and to get a game called Skylanders.  We came through on both, leaving Brayden very happy!!

Don't they look cute in there new 49ers jersey?  My parents bought us all NFL jerseys for our family picture we are doing next month.  I'm excited to see how the pictures turn out.

Had a Moment

Today I had the opportunity to go help out with his Christmas party at school.  I've loved being able to help out more this year since I'm not working.  However, it seems like there are times after I've worked in his class that I come to a realization.  And that is that my child has autism.  High functioning mind you, but it is present.  I can see it as I watch and observe his classmates.  I've also concluded, that his classmates can tell something is different with him but not really sure what.  For the most part I really am okay with all of this.  Brayden is the most loving, kind hearted and polite 10 year old I know.  That was another observation being around his class.  Most kids now a days have no manners and are not very respectful.  That has ALWAYS been a huge thing in our home thus, my kid is respectful to those around him.  I've even noticed lately that he is getting really good at holding the doors for others and getting my door at times when I get out of the car.  Like I said he really is the best kid!!  I think this realization is getting easier, and really quite honestly Brayden is not even aware of the negative that goes on around him at times.  For that I am grateful, but when I can see it going on it makes it that much more painful and hard for me to handle.  He's off track of school for the next month so I'm very much looking forward to having him home.  

He's Got Skills...

It's Beginning to Feel A lot like Christmas...

I can't believe in less than 5 days it will be Christmas.  I think I am about ready for the festivities to begin.  Today after I took Brayden to school, I went and did my grocery shopping at Walmart.  Met Josh for our lunch date at Olive Garden.  Afterwards, ran to Target to grab a gift for Brock and Mckaylee.  By 2:45 I was finally home and needed to unpack my car.  I got the groceries put away and cleaned up a bit before I had to leave to go pick up Brayden.  Once I picked him up we ran home for about 10 minutes before we had to pick Josh up at the Trax station.  Josh is now at Walmart for his shift and Brayden and I are home for the evening.  We've got a Jensen family party Sunday night so I've got to get somethings ready for that.  Monday morning we have a Wayman party that I need to get ready for then Monday night we are going to make sugar cookies for Santa.  So this weekend will consist of a lot of cleaning and baking and wrapping on my part.  Thankfully I don't think I need to go back to any stores.  I could not believe how busy they were this morning.

I really am feeling blessed this year.  I year ago we had just started down the whole autism route and I think it made the holidays that much more overwhelming.  This year things have been awesome!!  Brayden is so excited for Christmas.  Starting Saturday, Josh has the following 10 days off of both his full time and part time job.  We are all elated about that.  I just feel grateful to a hard working husband and a son whom I adore as well as wonderful family and friends.  We have steady employment and quite honestly are more financially stable than we have ever been.  We have a nice home and live in a wonderful area.  Bottom line, I'm grateful to an ever loving Heavenly Father and a Savior.  They find ways to bless me even when I feel like I don't deserve it.

On a side note, our favorite activity this week together has been sledding.  We have taken Brayden the last 3 nights and he has had a blast!!  I think one day next week we are going to try and go out again.

The Audacity of Some People..

I'm sure those that read my blog know that my brother was sexually abused when he was a child. His abuser was finally sentenced and has spent the last year in prison. Today he had his first parole hearing. My brother had the opportunity to speak at it so me and my family went to be of support to him. Interesting experience going to a prison then going into a parole hearing. Josh couldnt wear his belt in, they took our drivers license, we had to take our shoes off and go through a metal detector. This was my first and hopefully last time being inside a prison. The hearing was suppose to start at 9:30 and finally started after 10:00. The hearing began with the man that abused my brother saying his piece. Now, lets rewind a second about 15 months ago. In September 2011, the trial never happened because a deal was struck. With this deal he admitted to some of the abuse not much though. But it was still enough to get the deal and get him behind bars for the next 7-10 years. Okay now back to the hearing today.  This man stood before his family, a parole board and my brother and my family and had the audacity to say he had never met my brother and that he denied ever doing anything to him. It was unreal. You could've sucked the air out of the room as he made this claim. He rambled on a bit about some other stuff but continued to plead his innocence. Preston had the opportunity to speak and then the hearing was over with. Based on the fact that this man is a repeat offender and based on the deal, the board said it would probably be at least 5 years before he would even be considers to begin the process of getting released. As we left the hearing there were many tears.  Tears of anger and really tears of joy. Because of how this all played out, it really played into the favor of my brother and all the other families and victims this man has affected.  So basically it was the weirdest hearing ever. Although nothing about this case has been easy or smooth honestly. And liars and people that hurt kids suck!! The end.  On a lighter note, my brother was amazing as usual when he was addressing his abuser. He truly is one of my heros and is a survivor.

Weekend...

After the library today we went to the rec center to swim.  We spent a good 2 hours there before we had to come home so Josh could get ready for work.  He kind of wanted to play in the snow as well, so hopefully during the holidays we can go sledding.  

Today (Saturday) we went to the library.  We actually spent quite a bit of time there just looking at books.  Brayden even grabbed a book and sat and read it for a bit.  Josh and I both have such a love for books and reading so it's nice to see B occasionally show an interest.  

B and his school class earned a pajama party yesterday at school.  He loves these days!!  He also got to take a board game as well as his DS and play it in class.  Sounds like a great way to start the weekend!!

After school he got a hair cut from my sister.  Doesn't he look so happy!  I have to admit hair cuts have gotten easier the older he has gotten.  When he was younger it just sucked all around.  The clippers, the scissors, the noise of the clippers.  Seeing a pattern here.  Yes...now we know why.  Thankfully, like I said they've gotten better with time and a very patient aunt cutting his hair :)

My heart is full tonight as the events of today have unfolded.  When I initially heard about it this morning  I was in shock.  I immediately ached to have my sweet boy home with me so I could give him a hug and tell him how much I love him.  As the day has progressed and more information has been made know, I have felt so many different emotions.  Sadness for the families affected by this tragedy, anger that some one would would use there agency to make such a grievous decision.  Through all of these emotions, what I'm left mostly feeling is grateful.  Grateful that I have the knowledge that I do and know that our Heavenly Father is in control of everything.  From start to finish.  This young man is going to have to answer for his actions.  My hope at this point is that the families affected can be comforted and find some semblance of peace through out this life.  I know I can't even begin to imagine how I would feel as a parent if Brayden were one of these children.  After he got home from school today, he turned on the television to watch some cartoons and came across a news channel and saw some of the images.  With a concerned look on his face and a worried tone he asked if the kids had gotten hurt and were in the hospital.  I knew I had to be honest, but needed to approach it in the right manner.  I explained to him that a man made some very bad choices and as a result these children had been killed.  He then asked if the man was in jail and I told him he had passed away as well.  He then said I hope something like this never happens at my school.  My first thought was me too baby boy, me too.  I told him if there was ever anything wrong at school they would contact me and stressed the importance of staying with his teacher and listening to her because she is there to protect and keep him and his class safe.  The conversation left me feeling sad and hoping that I was able to answer his questions but not over load him.  I also want him to know and understand that he can ask me and his dad anything.  This evening I took the opportunity to kneel down in prayer and pray to my Father in Heaven.  I feel so much better and I'm grateful for the power of prayer and faith.  I truly would be lost without it.

"Everyone has experienced discouragement and difficulty. Indeed, there are times when the darkness may seem unbearable. It is in these times that the divine principles of the restored gospel we hope in can uphold us and carry us until, once again, we walk in the light."

- President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

12/12/12

I am kind of a die hard Utah Jazz fan.  Seriously.  Between the Jazz and the Utes I am kind of obsessed.  Being that yesterday was 12/12/12 it was John Stockton day via the Utah Jazz.  He wore #12 so it was all John all the time yesterday.  He was and is my favorite athlete.  I grew up being the biggest fan.  Even now that he has retired, I can recall going to games with my dad when I was younger or  going to games with Josh when we were first dating and watching him with amazement.  He was an amazing player and I respected the way he played the game.  Don't get me wrong, I still love the Jazz today it's just the league has changed so much over the last 10 years that I don't think it'll ever quite be what it was like when Michael Jordan, Karl Malone and John Stockton played.  So in honor of 12/12/12 day yesterday, thanks John Stockton for being the player that you were.  Also, the Jazz won an AWESOME game last night  against the Spurs!!!

Randomness

Me and my best buddy!!  We spend a lot of time together him and I.  We really are so much alike (I'm not sure if that's good or bad ;)

This is what we do each and every night.  Homework, homework, homework.  I'm really looking forward to his Christmas break.  One week to go!!!

He wasn't feeling well yesterday so he stayed home from school.  Given that Josh and I were sick all last week, it's really no surprise that he ended up with the same symptoms.  Seems to be better today so that is good!!

On Josh's night off this week, Brayden wanted to play outside.  They played around in what snow we had left.  They had a good time throwing snowballs at one another.

I love my routine oriented, do the same thing every night kid.  Each night before bed he has to have a "night time treat" as he calls it.  Last night it was cinnamon toast and milk while we were cheering on the Jazz!!

52,783

Random I know, but with the Fantasy Football league I play in we also do a pick em each week as well with all the games. In our league of 10, I'm #1 and ranked 52,783 overall on ESPN getting 92% of my picks correct. Apparently I need to head to Vegas. With my awesome picking skills I could make us a fortune down there ;)

Funny

Funny little conversation I had with B earlier.  As I was going through his backpack, I noticed he had 2 different spelling lists.  I inquired about the lists and wondered if he had to study both lists for his test this Friday.  He said that the class hadn't done very good on the test last week so his teacher was making them retake that test as well as there new words for this week.  However, Brayden had gotten the highest in the class at 80% so his teacher gave him the option of retaking it or sticking with his original score.  In Brayden fashion, he told his teacher he wanted to try and get 100% on the test so he wanted to retake it.  Oh, I love that kid and love how determined he is to be the best at everything he does :)

Weekend

Hightlights of our rather pleasant weekend:

Friday night we did our weekly tradition of family movie night.  The movie of choice was the original Star Wars movie.  Josh and Brayden LOVE these movies so it was fun to eat popcorn and watch the movie.  

Saturday morning we had breakfast at IHOP with my family.  I love these 2 kids so much!!  They were so good as we had to wait FOREVER for our food.  They entertained themselves on our IPAD.  

Following breakfast, my mom wanted to go Christmas shopping with all of us.  Josh ended up getting 2 pairs of shoes.  Brayden was being so good!!  He even helped Josh make sure the shoes fit all right :)

Yesterday was an amazing day considering our struggles on Sunday.  No meltdowns, no fighting, no tears!!  All smiles and the Jazz beat the Lakers!!  Whaat!?!

On the Up and Up

I have been sick all week long. This has been the sickest I've been in years. That's not to say I haven't had an occasional sniffle here and there, but I have been full on sick. It's lame! I've been stuffed up, sinus pressure, headache, achy, tired, just miserable. Well today is the first day in almost 7 days that I finally feel like this cold is maybe starting to clear up. I'm still pretty stuffed up and have this annoying cough, but I'm not near as tired and achy as I've been. So yay for little blessings like having the energy to actually straighten up my house and being able to get out to do some grocery shopping so we have food in our house.  Josh and Brayden have been so helpful. Brayden has been so good this week and done everything I've asked of him. Josh has been so good to help if Brayden needs anything and to take care of me. I am a lucky girl!!

Don't Judge :)

It's really no surprise that Josh and I, well we are sort of kind of obsessed with The Dark Knight trilogy.  Seriously.  We own Batman Begins as well as The Dark Knight and we have our own movie nights often watching them.  When The Dark Knight Rises came out this past July, we were so freaking excited.  We saw it opening weekend as well as 2 other times in the theatre.  So when we heard that the DVD would be released on December 4th, I knew we would be buying it to complete our trilogy.

See, it is pretty cool ;)

Last night, we were still awake around 11:30 and the movie release was at 12:01 am.  Josh decided he was going to drive down to Walmart and buy it.  This purchase truly does make us nerds, but hey I think we are pretty cool.  He actually bought the movie with the broken bat cowl as a collectors item.  It is pretty sweet looking.  By the time he got home, it was way past our bed time so we haven't had an opportunity today to sit down and watch it yet.  I'm sure that will be on our docket once we put Brayden to bed.

Good Kids...

So, based on my post from Sunday, you could tell it was a rough day at church. I was in and out of our class taking care of B. Josh was telling me last night that he and the kids had a good conversation when I was out with Brayden. It gives me hope that there are still good people out in this world that will love and except him for who he is. One of the kids commented on how funny he thinks Brayden is. Another kid asked when he got diagnosed another said so he basically is like a younger kid then us. As painful as it is for me to realize these things, it's true. Brayden is very much a 10 year old in someways and in other situations you can tell it is more like  7-8 year old. The girls in the class are so good with him. They try and take care of him almost in a sisterly or mother like way. The boys accept him quarks and all. Josh thanked each and every one of them for being so nice to him at church and at school. With the year coming to a close, I really am going to miss my class. They are awesome kids and I truly do love each one of them and want the best for them. Whenever I am helping at Brayden's school if I see any if them they always wave and say hi so excitedly.

On a side note, I helped in Brayden's class today. I love being able to go in each week and observe him in class as well as his classmates. He did seem a bit off from the day, but seemed like he was doing alright. I helped a couple of groups of kids with there guided reading. I really is amazing to me to see how each and every kid is at a different level. Brayden has always read exceptionally so I am accustomed to him being able to decode anything. I also really really like his teacher. I can tell she is a great teacher as well as very aware if B and does all she can to make sure he is doing okay in class.

Shopping Day...

Today after I got Josh to the trax station and Brayden off to school, I went shopping with my mom and my sister.  I picked Liz up around 9:00 then we went down to my mom's house to pick her up.  Once we got her we were on our way to do some Christmas shopping.

Our first stop was Toys R Us.  That story just seems so ghetto to me anytime I am there and it is more expensive then Target or Walmart.  We didn't find much there so onto our next stop.

Brock, Brayden, Mckaylee, my dad, and Josh are all in need of shoes so we went to a Sketchers shoe store to see if we could find anything there.  They had some nice shoes and have a sale starting this coming weekend so I think we will probably go back soon and get what we need.

After there we stopped by Old Navy.  I found a couple of things I liked so I tried them on.  I wasn't to convinced once I had them on so I opted not to get anything.  At this point it was around lunch time and my mom was feeling like Olive Garden so we went and had soup and salad.  Yummy!!!

 Our last stop and most productive stop was Walmart.  That store seriously has anything you could possibly need.  We got somethings for the kids and I am officially done buying for Brayden.  Finally!!  The kid is going to get more stuff then he should, but I love seeing his face light up on Christmas morning.

 After we got done at Walmart, it was getting time for Liz to pick Mckaylee up from school and I needed to get Brayden.  Since I was driving, we picked Mckaylee up first and then I got B.

We picked Josh up from the trax station, got him to Walmart for his shift and got home and had dinner and did homework.  Brayden is currently taking a bath and I'm sitting for a minute.

I'm tired, I'm getting sick and I don't feel well.  Stupid cold!  It's just annoying enough that my nose is runny, my ears are plugged and I have this cough.  Josh had it all last week, so I'm not surprised I have it.  Like I said just annoying though.

We Had a Day..

As most of you know, Sundays in the Wayman home are anything but restful.  Seriously.  We struggle each and every Sunday, but we continue to go to church each week and fulfill our calling to the best of our ability.

I really thought with the year come to a close that having us in Primary this last year would've helped Brayden.  Frankly though it seems as though each week gets harder and harder.  Especially the older he gets.  Granted, there are some weeks that we make it through the morning and all of church without much incident, and on those weeks I am so grateful.  Most weeks though, I'm left to wonder what the heck at times.  I say that matter of fact, because there are seriously times I think Josh and I wonder if this is going to get easier.

 That being said, today was a day that started out good, got a little rocky at times and ended on a good note.  This morning went well and even getting ready for church went smoothly.  However, at 11:20 as we were sitting in sacrament, my 10 year old looked at me with those big blue eyes and said I want to go home.  It was a look that I'm becoming all to familiar with.  A look of desperation.  Desperately needing help in a situation that causes him much discomfort and anxiety.

After we took the sacrament, Josh and Brayden spent the rest of sacrament out in the foyer.  I could tell as class began that he was doing alright, but he still seemed pretty tooled up.  By about 20 minutes into our lesson, Brayden and I began our time out in the hall, then the foyer, then the car.  We sat in the car for 20 minutes.  In that 20 minutes he sat in the back seat quoting different movies to himself just trying to calm himself down.  By 12:50 he said he was ready to go back to class.

As we reached our classroom, something set him off and honestly the last 10 minutes of class were so freaking long.  By the end of class, Josh and I had determined that the 3rd hour just wasnt going to happen for him.  I took him home and Josh stayed for sharing time.  As we got home and walked in the house, he took his shoes off and his eyes began to fill with tears.  I asked him what was wrong, and he said he didn't know, but he was just glad to be home.  My heart broke.  How can I help my child, when I honestly have no idea what he needs from me in times like today.  Once home, he settled in pretty quickly and was able to find some comfort in his familiar surroundings.  By the time Josh got home from church Brayden was back to his old self.  Happy and content with life.

Laughing and having fun together :)

We had dinner tonight with my family.  My mom had prepared a little Christmas devotional.  We had dinner, played games and I had a moment to reflect on all my blessings.  This day was definitely a day, but I have wonderful people in my life that are always there to lift me up when I might be feeling down.

Trafalga...

Working it on the Dance it Up game!!  They have some sweet moves :)

Shooting it up in the arcade :)

Today we spent a few hours down at Trafalga.  It's been a few months since we've been down there so it was fun to spend a few hours with my 2 guys there.  We did the rock climbing, played in the arcade as well as doing laser tag.  I really am not great at laser tag, but it is by far my favorite activity to do there.  With it being there winter season all the outdoor activities were closed so that just left us inside to do the things in there.  We still had a great time together and I'm looking forward to Brayden's winter break so we can spend sometime doing some fun things.  Josh is also taking a week off then as well so it should be fun.