Today, Jayden
should be walking across the stage at the Merrill Center to receive his high
school diploma. We should be exhausted from yesterday’s party and so excited
for today, our only son graduating high school. For now, graduation has been
rescheduled to June 21 (Jayden’s birthday) and we will celebrate him!
We wanted to make
today special and so I sent Jayden and Taryn on a mission this morning and while he was gone, Kiarra and I decorated the dining room, snuck Lauren (his gf) in and cooked one of his favorite
meals and desserts.
What a senior year
this kid has had. It started with an incredibly successful football season and
ended with school being online, and all events since spring break being
cancelled. During football, he injured his thumb in one of the very first
scrimmages of the season. He continued to play with it injured, knowing we’d
see the Orthopedic at the end of the season. The team did so well, the season
didn’t end until the weekend of Thanksgiving when we unfortunately lost in the
third round of playoffs, while playing at NRG (where the TEXANS play). Although
we didn’t win, it was an incredible experience and overall great season.
We saw the
orthopedic soon after the season ended. The MRI results indicated that he had
two torn ligaments and his volar plate was out of place, an injury that the
orthopedic had never seen before. This specific orthopedic is a hand specialist
with over 15 years of experience and he has never seen an injury to both sides
of the thumb in this way. He said that it is always either one side, or the
other, but never both. Surgery was scheduled for the end of December and it was
successful. They had to take 3 pieces of a tendon from Jaydens wrist to
reconstruct the ligaments in the thumb. Fun fact: some men have an extra tendon
in their wrist that can be used for things like this. Did you know that?
Because of this
injury, he wasn’t able to play basketball his senior year. This wasn’t a huge
disappointment, as it was anticipated since his injury that he likely wouldn’t
be able to play. I didn’t realize that the last basketball game last year would
be the last time I’d see him on the court with his teammates. He also didn’t
get to run track as he was still recovering and in a cast.
Alright... here is
where I get all mushy. I cannot believe
Jayden is graduating from high school. He was just a freshman when Kiarra graduated and it doesn't seem possible that her graduation was already 3 years ago. I
know, it’s so cliché to say “time flies… they grow up so fast” blah blah blah
but they do! I remember walking my polite and handsome little boy into his
first day of Kindergarten. He was so brave and so excited to finally go to the
same school as Kiarra. He had the same
Kinder teacher as her and so I knew he was in really good hands. It seems like
that was just a few weeks ago and here we are, ready to graduate high school.
We moved the summer before Jayden went into 5th grade, his last year
of elementary school. He adapted so well and met new friends quickly, guys who
are still his best friends today. The years flew by, some friends came and
went. He encountered some really difficult times but has come through stronger knowing
who his real friends and mentors are.
When Kiarra
graduated from high school, the calendar that lead up to that moment was insane.
Every night for weeks there was something going on. In a weird way, I was looking
forward to Jayden having the same crazy
schedule. I had been anticipating this for months and was ready to be crazy
busy! The award ceremonies, ring ceremonies, Mr Falcon, the fashion show that
he was asked to be a model in, the senior prank, senior skip day, National
Honor Society ceremony, etc. all cancelled because of COVID-19. Thankfully,
prom and graduation have been rescheduled but we don’t know if they will ever
actually happen.
Although all these
exciting events have cancelled, I’ve cherished the extra time I’ve had with
Jayden and the other kids during this time. It’s a unique time and experience
that we’ve done our best to make the best of. My favorite night thus far is
when Jayden was our Hibachi chef and cooked chicken and fried rice for us
hibachi style ( short video here). He spent hours preparing for this night. He served us drinks, flipped an egg into his hat, tossed us each a piece of chicken and performed a few tricks with the cooking utensils. The entire night was so fun. Full video here.
If you know Jayden,
you know he’s not only smart, athletic, a hard worker and always up for a mission
but he’s also so witty and hilarious. This side of him doesn’t always come out
but when it does, he’s so funny. He has the best one-liners and comebacks. He
is the best son, better than I ever could have imagined and he’s such a great
brother to his sisters. He’s the first to jump up and lend a helping hand and
always, always first in line for food, but then he’s a gentleman and let’s us
girls go first.
Jayden will be
attending University of Houston this fall. He was accepted into the
Architecture program. It’s all he’s ever wanted to do. From the time he was a
little boy, building with legos and blocks, he always talked about designing
big buildings. One day, we’ll be able to
walk into a building that he has carefully designed, developed the concept for
the structure and where he’s turned those concepts into beautiful images and
plans. He’ll have worked closely with clients and construction teams to turn is
design into reality.
I’m so proud of
this young man! He embodies the
character that we prayed for and has been a great son. He hasn’t been perfect,
Lord knows we’ve had our moments, but he’s been pretty incredible. The hard
times have not only brought us all closer together as a family, but they’ve
strengthened our relationship with the Lord. I’m so grateful that I get to be
his Mom!
