Awkward

A few days ago we were at the table eating dinner. And Steven has a little gas. Well not really a little, more like big. And loud, it reverberated off the chair! We were all so shocked we just looked at Steven, stunned. He nervously looked around the room, his eyes shifting left to right and slowely said, "Aawwkkward". We all busted up histarically laughing. If I could only get one of these moments on video!

Steven the actor

Steven really should be an actor. He loves acting out scenes from movies. His current favorite one is Tangled. If you have seen it you will love this.

Mmmmm hotdogs

Those that know me will know I don't eat hotdogs. How can I knowingly ingest something with 25 grams of fat in it. I wish I didn't know that, then I could be happily oblivious, but I do. So on Fridays Steven's class makes food to practice cooking skills. So he choose to make hotdogs. I had no idea he planned on sharing, but when he called me that afternoon after getting of the bus (he always calls me at work to let me know he got home safely) he excited announced that he had brought home hotdogs for me and Scott. I wasn't sure exactly what he meant, but I could tell he was very excited and proud of himself. It wasn't until I got home that I fully understood. As I walked in the door he ran to the refridgerator and grabbed to sandwich bags one with my name and one with Scotts on it. He had lovingly bagged 1/2 of a hotdog for me and a whole one for Scott. Bun, mustard, relish and all. What could I do? No matter how opposed I am to hotdogs I just couldn't crush him in that way. So we waited for Scott to get home and grinned and bared it. And here is the proof.
Steven also has a magic trick for all of you. I'll let is speak for itself.

I'm watching you

While Bekah was home for spring break she and Steven when out for lunch and ice cream one day. Steven was soooo excited. he talked about going for days before they went. Sometimes when his Princess is home his behavior isn't the best. I think he has unrealistic expectations of what it will be like when she is home and although she does spend quite a lot of time with him, he gets frusterated when she goes out with friends. So on the day they were to go out to lunch I said "You better be nice today". I wasn't really thinking he would be bad, it was more like insurance. But he took me very seriously, so when they got in the car to do a few erands before lunch he was talking to himself (again), and reminding himself to be good. Then he looked into the side mirror of the car and said "I'm watching you" and used his first two fingers to point from his eyes to his eyes in the mirror. You'll have to use your imagination, but it was absolutely hilarious.

Special Olympics

Last weekend was the Colorado State Special Olympics winter games. Unfortunately it was not Stevens best day. We got the wrong boots and he was in pain the whole day. It was such a bummer. He had been doing so well. He started the day off badly and we couldn't figure out why. He kept saying his legs hurt, not his feet. After a long, difficult, trying day we figured out it was his boots. They were tilted too far forward, making his legs stay bent all day. He sat down every 50 yards or so. His legs were so tired he was crying on our first run after lunch, before we even got to the race coarse. He finally made it and did well on the coarse. He even got a gold medal! He was very happy about that. But we still had to get down the mountain. We did what we call the horse. He gets behind me with his skiis between mine and holds on to my waist and we ski together. That way I can guide his skiis and he doesn't have to work so hard. It's tough because he weighs more than I do, so he is pushing me. It takes all I have to control our speed. So his coach and I took turns doing this and got him down the mountain and got those aweful boots off. He was so exhausted he just sat and stared into space for about an hour. Then when the music started for the dance I thought, this will get him going. But when the music started...nothing. Then about 15 minutes later I see his head start to bob. Then a little at a time his body started moving and before you knew it he was up moving to the music. But he stayed on the edge of the dance floor, not ready to commit. Finally they played Thriller. That was it, he was ready to go all out. So we did end the day on a good note. It has been a season filled with ups and downs, but all in all is has been great. He has really progressed well. Much of his success I have to contribute to his coach (Kent). On the days that I was ready to give up he was there pushing us to keep going. I am so glad he did. Just like all good things, the reward is so much better if you had some struggles along the way.

Why are you talking to yourself?

So funny I have to share. Most of you know that Steven talks to himself... a lot. It can drive me crazy, but I learned that this is actually a normal an important behavior for him. Well on our drive home from Arkansas last week (we went to visit Bekah for parents weekend) I was talking on my phone with my headphones while everyone in the car slept. Or so I thought. Steven was apparently awake and listening. After some time he leaned forward and asked "Why are you talking to yourself"? I had to laugh. After all, I am constantly telling him he needs to limit his self talk to our home. So he was just making sure I wasn't breaking the rules.

More skiing

Steven has really blossomed at skiing. I can't believe the difference since early January. He began barely being able to make it down. It literally took about an hour for his first run each week. During that hour he would complain and argue and be generally disagreeable and difficult. By the time that run was almost over I was always ready to throw in the towel. He would get so exhausted that his legs would start to shake and he would have to sit down in the middle of a run just to rest and 3 runs was all he could muster. Well last week he was to have a race on Friday at Sunlight resort so I decided to take him up to Copper Mtn. on Thursday to do a few runs in hopes that he would start off Friday having just practiced and maybe avoid the dreaded 1 hour first run. I don't know if muscle memory finally kicked in or what, but Thursday was fantastic. The first run was a little shaky, but for the most part he did really well, but after that he was amazing. He had a great attitude and was skiing so fast at times I had a hard time catching him. That was terrifying. I would ski as fast as I could praying "please Lord, don't let him fall". He didn't. I have been trying to get him to follow me so he could learn to cross the hill and use his turns to keep from going to fast, but he always fights me. Well not that day. After I caught him and got in front he did great. He followed me very well and didn't even get tired. He never said his legs hurt and didn't sit down one time! I was amazed.
Well that day of practice was the turning point. At his race Friday he was all smiles and loved it. He did 10 runs and never complained once. He got two 4th place ribbons and has decided he loves skiing and snow. Who new.
He has one more race coming up this Sunday so I'll let you know how it goes.