Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, "declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

One of the camps Steven goes to in the summer put on a "Dancing with the Stars" dance for the kids on Friday night (no parents allowed). Steven loves to dance as most people with special needs do. I don't know why but they all love it. We decided the even though it was in Denver we just had to take him. He dressed in his Sunday best and off we went. We as we pulled up to the hotel I could feel my nerves starting to get the best of me. I don't know why, but I was so nervous about this. What if he didn't know anyone, what if no one talked to him? What if he was too embarrassed to dance? You know all the things mom's worry about.
As we walked in I could hear the music and see the balloons. It was much like a prom. Steven walked right up the registration table and told them his name, they gave him a name tag, took his picture with Hanna Montana (not the real thing, a cardboard cut out), and went straight in, right to the middle of the floor and started dancing. I stood their a little dazed and thought I can't just leave him. But as I watched I began to realize some of the benefits of having a disability (or in this case ability) like Down Syndrome. Steven wasn't worried about not knowing anyone, or if anyone would talk to him, or what people would think of his dancing. He knew he loved dancing and obviously everyone else there did too. So he got right too it. As I stood in the door watching this unfold I got a little misty in the eyes and had to act like nothing was wrong. As I said before I couldn't just leave him so I went in and got his attention and just as I was about to tell him Dad and I would be back in a little bit they began playing Summer Lovin from Grease (one of Stevens favorite movies and apparently one of everyone else’s), well he could have cared less if I ever came back at that moment. He started jumping up and down saying it's my song, it's my song. I told him we would be back later anyway and he said o.k. and kept right on dancing. Scott and I got to go out to dinner alone which was a treat, but I have to admit we were ready to get back to watch all the fun. When we got back Steven excitedly waved and brought Ashley (his new girlfriend) over to meet us. She was a volunteer there to help make sure everyone got involved and enjoyed themselves, and of coarse she was blond. Men definitely have their preferences. What a sweet girl. Any teen that will spend a Friday night making a difference in someone’s life is high on my list. After we met she went back to the dance floor followed closely by her admirer. Well just then the DJ played Your the One That I want, also from Grease. I saw Stevens shoulders start to shimmy and the next thing I knew his sport coat came flying over the crowd right into Scott’s arms. Why didn't I take the video camera! It was priceless. We saw many of his moves including a little break dancing. I am so sorry to those of you who want to kill me for not getting pictures. Hopefully we will get another chance.

Well that’s the latest in our lives. I will try not to let so much time go by between posts.

Skiing

I know I'm not being a very good blogger. This is a bad excuse, but I have been too busy. We'll I just couldn't let you guys miss out on what I have to share.We decided to sign Steven up for Special Olympics skiing this year. For those of you who don't know Steven that well, he doesn't really like skiing and winter is his least favorite season. He usually stands looking out the window saying "I love grass and sun". So skiing is something we do just to keep him physical during the winter. He has only skied about 5 times a year for the last few years and even that has been with the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center. They have used a harness system with him until the last time he went last winter. He is definitely the least experienced person on the team. We have been twice so far and I can't believe how much he has improved. He is so funny. He says he doesn't like it, but he is so excited every time we get to the bottom of the hill. The last time we went it was snowing so hard that the snow was up to his knees in areas. He didn't like that much. He was doing well but then he fell. After that it was "I can't, I can't, I can't, so we took turns putting him (all 155lbs) between our skis behind us and had him hold on to our waist and just got him down. But by the time we got to the bottom it had cleared up a lot and he wanted to go again. We finished up successfully but then on the way home as he talked to his imaginary friends he was saying how he didn't like skiing and wasn't going again. But by Thursday he said he wanted to ski on Saturday. So the next time we go I will try and get a video so you can enjoy this more fully

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Straight to the Heart

It's been a while since my last post. Just too busy. I know that is a bad excuse, but I decided I had to stop and post what Steven said tonight. It was one of those hilarious moments, but it makes you stop and think.
So were sitting at the table (Steven, Bekah, and I) just talking about how I don't want Bekah to go back to school (college) on Sunday. I said I needed her to stay and help me with Steven, to remind him to take his medicine, pick him up when I can't and so on. And while I was going on and on Steven was listening and understanding exactly what I meant. He looked at Bekah and pointed at me and said "Yeah, it's really hard for her"..... It was so spontaneous I broke out laughing so hard that it lead to tears. Partly because it was so funny, but partly because it showed me how much he understands and that he knew I was saying he was a lot of work:( Wow! Dont kids have a way of going straight to the heart.