The Sabbath is a day of rest, or so I've heard... For the second Sunday in a row, Brandt started out the day wired and aggressive. Part of the problem is that he woke up before I did and I didn't hear him, so he didn't get his meds until he'd already been up for a bit. He was mean to his sister and me-hitting, kicking, swearing- and tearing the house apart. I didn't think it could get much messier than it already is since this has been an ongoing problem, but I was wrong. He pulled things out of drawers, tore everything down out of my closet, spilled juice all over the kitchen and that's just the beginning. I'm finding that there is always something triggering these kinds of behaviors but often it is hard to get him to slow down enough to figure out what it is. Still, it's frustrating and really hard to be patient with. I ended up calling in the troops to help. My dad came so I could hurry and get Kylie ready for church and then he took her with him. Soon after that my mom showed up. About that time, buddy finally said that he had a tooth bugging him (thus the bandanas around his head lol). I gave him some Motrin and then grandma took over for a bit. She got him to play the piano for her- she made it a game where she would try to guess what he was playing. Between the Motrin and the music, he calmed right down. We made it to church just as sacrament meeting let out, and he headed to primary without a complaint. As he ran down the hall chasing JD Keetch, Jaci Keetch heard me let out a sigh and asked me if I could use a hug. As she hugged me I asked her if it was bad that I didn't even care that he was running in the church as long as he wasn't hurting anyone or destroying anything. She of course giggled with me and thought that was just fine. I am so blessed to be surrounded by such good family and friends! Brandt has been so good the rest of the day! He even read and then played with Legos and let me take a little nap, which I desperately needed and very rarely get. He got ready for the Easter cantata over an hour early and tried to be extra patient while he waited for Kylie and me to be ready to go. We got there about 45 minutes early, but he was calm and reverent while we waited for it to start as well as throughout the entire performance. It was an inter faith choir directed by Neil Harris and it was fabulous! Shaun has been telling Brandt about it at his appointments for a couple months now and Anya had a solo part, so buddy was really looking forward to it. I'm so thankful that we were able to go and partake of the beautiful spirit that was there. What a great way to start this Easter season through music that is solely dedicated to our Savior. After we got home, Brandt put himself to sleep. It's hard to believe that he's the same little boy who was so out of control this morning. I'm trying to focus more on the positives of the day, because that's what gets me through and there are always many things to be thankful for if I just recognize them. But... I'm already worried about what next Sunday may bring. I'm really hoping that we can figure out if something other than the tooth is causing his Sunday anxiety, so that we can work on it ahead of time. For now, I'm going to bed with feelings of gratitude that our day ended up being so much better than it started and with a prayer in my heart that tomorrow morning won't be a repeat of this morning.

Beauty and the Beast

Bryce and I decided to give Kylie an early birthday present and take her to the Beauty and the Beast ballet at the Ellen Eccles theater in Logan. Brandt picked out a Belle dress for her and we gave it to her a few days early in case it needed alterations. She was the biggest brat when he first gave it to her and it broke his little heart. Thankfully she came around and decided she liked it and really did want to wear it. Bryce ended up not going with us, but it worked out because Mariah was able to go. Kylie told her she was happy she came cause"daddy would have been a big cranky pants." Lol I can't say for sure he would have been cranky, but I don't think he would have loved the performance as much as we did. I was a little worried about how the kids would do since it was a ballet and not the Disney version like they are used to, but they did great! We had front row seats which helps a ton with Brandt's anxiety as well as his distractability. The kids' eyes were glued to the stage during the entire performance. I'm always amazed at how much dance and music calms buddy. During the intermission he was bouncing all over the place, but as soon as the curtain came up and the music started he was the calmest little boy you've ever seen. I am really trying to help him recognize that as well. After it was over we were able to meet some of the performers and get pictures with them. The only one the kids were interested in was Beauty. She was such a sweet girl. Seeing Kylie beam standing next to her made the whole day worth it! Then we were off to Texas Roadhouse where the kids ordered their favorite- Andy's steak, and where Kylie got to sit on the birthday saddle. As a reward for being so good there and at Wal-Mart, we took them to pet smart where buddy wanted to get a new pet. He only had $10 which thankfully wouldn't buy a pet and habitat both, so he worked it out with grandpa that he would buy himself a new pet fish and keep it in grandpa's tank. Pretty creative solution I thought.;) After we got home Kylie wanted more steak and was upset that they didn't give her a refill of steak like they did root beer! She is the funniest girl!