Pushing a little further!

We had about 5 hours left before we needed to start driving the rest of the way, so we tried to make the most of it. I was determined to get Jayen on one of the bigger slides. Brilyn was completely fearless and went down the inner tube slide then immediately asked to do it again and the racing one by herself.

I asked everyone if they wanted to join us on the inner tube slide and just kept telling Jayen to, "come on". I don't think he even knew what was going on, but just went with what everyone else was doing. (We'll teach him that is bad later!) I had him help me grab a tube then start walking up the steps. I was thinking this was about the time he was going to start getting upset. But to my surprise he didn't. He made it all the way to the top of the steps, saw dad and Brilyn in front of us get on the tube and still had little to no hesitation. When it was our turn we stepped up, I sat down and Bonnie helped lift Jayen to sit on my feet. He was still doing ok. That was until we started going down!! He was completely silent. With each turn that silence turned into a whine, then a screech, then a full blown scream. BUT HE DID IT! He tried it. Even if he didn't like it, he did it! That was all I wanted. Well, kind of. I thought that maybe he didn't like the inner tube one because you go through a tunnel of sorts. He couldn't see his surroundings. Maybe this was why he didn't like it. So I was still determined. I wanted him to try the racing slide. It is like a sled that you lay on your belly and slide down. I didn't give him much of an opportunity to say no again. I quickly told dad what was going on and grabbed two floats. Jayen was not as willing to go up the steps this time. I kept telling him we weren't going on the same one. We made it to the top and with more hesitation but compliance laid on the blue mat and went down! I wish we would have started with this one, but after going down once he was done. But again, he did it. That was all I could ask for. 

The rest of our time we spent riding as many of the slides/rides as we could. I even went down the tornado one that closes on you then the floor drops out. Didn't think I'd do it, but at least I tried! Right? ;)

I'm so incredibly thankful for the time we got with the our friends and as a family. This is what life is about. This is what I want more of. I want memories and experiences. This trip was full of both!  

Let the vacation begin!!

Dad's oldest brother was getting married in Nebraska this weekend so we convinced him to take us all back. But since this was also our anniversary weekend I wanted to make it a little more of a vacation. After some convincing, I was able to get him to agree to letting us stay at Great Wolf Lodge in Colorado Springs. Friends of ours from Arizona moved to Colorado Springs about 6 months so we also thought this would be a great opportunity to meet up with them. I called and asked them if they wanted to join us and they agreed. Colorado Springs is also the halfway point to Nebraska so it was the perfect stopping point. We needed to be there around noon to check into the hotel so we had to leave our house around midnight. We all met up at their new house, hiked, drove to the hotel/waterpark, played in the water, ate together, laughed, and just enjoyed each others company. 

Jayen spent most of his time playing in the kiddie area. He wasn't so fond of the dumping buckets or spraying fountains. He felt comfortable and happy just dumping a small bucket over and over again. We didn't push him too much, but kept asking and trying to convince him to do some of the slides. After a quick break for dinner we headed back to the waterpark and spent the rest of our evening there. Shortly before we left, Jayen went down the smallest slide independently. I took this as a sign. Tomorrow, we push for a bigger one!

Basketball vs Best Friend

Jayen tells us about his "Eli, My Friend" all the time. He lives a couple houses down from us so any time Jayen sees any movement at the house he runs to grab his basketball so he can play with Eli. Well today, he got his chance to play with Eli on a big court. The only problem was they were on opposing teams. 

It was a bitter rivalry (just kidding). I think Eli wasn't sure if he was allowed to steal it from Jayen or not. He's a little shark on the court and knew Jayen needed a little extra help! I was so proud seeing the two of them playing together. Maybe another year they can be on the same team!

We've been trying to plan a get together for a while now with the Boscherts, but schedules always get in the way. Now recently they found out they are getting reassigned. So we had to make something work. Today we were able to meet up at the splash pad near our therapy center. We had the place to ourselves for nearly the entire time. My kids loved pushing Tori through the "car wash". But to my surprise, Tori loved it even more than they did. She kept yelling, "AGAIN!!!!" So many giggles and laughs. I'm so sad our time with them is coming to an end. But I know we will Skype/FaceTime and keep in touch. You have touched our hearts in the most profound way Tina, Tori and Regan! We will miss you!

Saturday basketball and Nebraska football

Another fun weekend filled with sports. Dalan and Jayen both had basketball games. I can't believe the progress both of them are making. Dalan is a super star on the court and Jayen is starting to understand and fully participate in the game. I'm so proud of how far he has come. He even managed to dribble the ball up the court, attempted to shoot, and stole the ball a couple times. 

We scored tickets to the Arizona Rattlers vs Nebraska Danger football game through Hope Kids. Best of both worlds when we get to see football and Nebraska.
I couldn't believe this little man! Usually I am stuck bear holding him and covering his ears. But he was willing an able to sit in his own seat and cover his own ears. HUGE IMPROVEMENT! But the mascot still bothers him. Every time that darn snake came out Jayen would start screaming and yell "No, no, no." We tried talking to him and calming him down. He was doing a great job. But I continued to see the eye rolls and huffs every time he made a sound. A couple of rude, inconsiderate older men sitting in front of us seemed to have no patience or compassion. This mom was .2 seconds away from giving my mom speech. Instead of mom going off on them, we decided to move and give them no attention. We continued to watch the rest of the game and by the end Jayen was screaming and high fiving everyone. This is why we will continue to try and push.