Quick walk

The other day Cass and I decided to take in the beautiful day because they are so rare in Cortland. But before we headed out on our adventure Cassandras mother asked if I wanted to meet up with them to get some ice cream. I thought why not its lovely out and who doesn't love ice cream. So I met them in Homer, and grabbed some ice cream. It was really fun to just sit around and talk with the mom and brother. Cassandra was enjoying her ice cream so much that she shoved the last big bite of the cone in her mouth which made everyone including her laugh. After getting cleaned up we headed out to Lime Hollow. It started off nice but we saw the storm rolling in. I let Cass pick the trails and ask her to try and remember which way we came from just in case she ever got lost maybe she could re trace her steps. As we were walking along we started to hear thunder, so we headed right to the visitors center, where we looked at birds from the window and read about robins, Cass read the title on the book perfectly so i asked if she wanted to read the book to me, we got through two or three pages before it was time to head home. Hopefully the next time we meet it will be nice out again, but if not i have a wonderful art project ready for us to do.

Spring time art

Yesterday Cassandra and I did an art project to help the weather realize that it is spring. We created a flower out of cut out hands. It went really well we glued each hand on to the cut out circle, once we hand glued all the hands down we found glitter paint which Cassandra really loved, we used mostly green and purple but still the over all project turned out really nice. After the paint we found foam stickers, i asked her what she would like the spell out. After a few choices we decided to write happy Easter. I had her spell it out for me while i looked for the pieces. I would find the sticker and she would peal the backing off and place it where she wanted. After that we took the foam flowers and placed them around the picture, i asked her if she wanted to add anything else and she wanted to add more glitter paint. So she painted all the stickers with orange glitter paint. After taking a good look at our masterpiece we thought that it looked amazing. So we cleaned and headed back to her house. She was really excited to show her parents what she had made. I can't wait to meet with her again, hopefully it will be nicer out so we can go hiking again.

Stretch it out

On Tuesday I went to pick up Cassandra but instead was treated to a wrestling match between her and her brother. Since nine that morning her and her brother had been working on a pretend wrestling match that they wanted to show their mother. The set up the basement to look like a wrestling arena with pillow scattered across the floor. They both had music picked out for their entrance Cassandra's was the single ladies. You can tell that they worked really hard on each aspect of the match. Cassandras father was there to help Cassandra remember which move came next. She really enjoyed "beating" up her brother, she had a huge smile on her face the entire time. Once they showed their mother the routine Cassandra and I headed to the school to play some basketball. But to our surprise the equipment room was closed so instead we decided to stretch because she had been wrestling all day. We did some walking around the ice area and some light jogging. It was nice to just have a relaxing day with her.

Butterflies and flowers

Today Cassandra and I did a fun little art project. We painted little wooden butterflies that are magnets. At first Cassandra was preoccupied reading a magazine article. So I decided to start my butterfly soon enough she was interested and started painting, she had one big butterfly and two smaller ones. As we went along painting them they started to look like tye dyeing it was pretty cool. After we were done with that project we put it to the side to dry. Next we created a poster that had her name on it. I found letter foam stickers which she really liked. We spelled her name out and added in lots of hearts and flowers. We also found cut outs of boys and girls and placed them on our poster. After that project was competed i surprised Cassandra with a glitter pen, she was able to add glitter to anything she wanted we put glitter on the butterflies and on the poster and a little bit on our selves. We were very satisfied with our work so it was time to clean up the mess we made. We washed all the paint brushes and put away all the stickers we didn't use. Once we got back to Cassandras house she was very excited to show her family what she had made. It was a lot of fun I plan on doing more arts and crafts with her. Hopefully when the weather gets nicer we can do some tye dying outside :) !!!!!

Put your hands up in the air

On Wednesday Cassandra attended dance at the YMCA. As usual it was a lot of fun. We did a few line dances and dances in a circle. One of Cassandra's favorite songs the chicken dance came on and she was ecstatic, she danced for the entire song non stop. My favorite song put your hands up in the air came on next so i tried to make up a dance with Cassandra that went with the song. We did simple steps to the right and left, circled our hands in the air above our head. Over all we just had a great time. There were less people there but still the usual group. We were able to interact with other students we danced with Kim and Lilly. Everyone had there own dancing style but still all were doing the moves. I asked the women who runs the dances class if i could get a list of all the songs she uses but instead she gave me the cd to copy so i am going to make a copy for Cassandra and I because we both really like the music. Hopefully next week it will be nice out and we can go hiking!!!

Relaxing at home

On Friday I babysat Cassandra and her brother. It was a lot of fun and a different experience, in the home she was really relaxed and comfortable sitting on the coach with her two stuffed animals. Her little brother was bouncing off the wall with excitement, we started off the night watching the Simpson's which is Cassandra's favorite show. Her brother was setting up his stuffed animals to shoot over with his Nerf gun, so everyone was content. For dinner we ate pizza and wings, and Gaven had a huge root beer, which he was really excited about. As the night went on we all just hung out around the living room and basement. Cassandra talks really low and really fast so sometimes I couldn't hear her but her brother knew exactly what she was talking about. I did notice the more I see her the more I can understand. What I found amazing was that at exactly 8 o clock Cassandra started to get ready for bed, she knew with out even looking at a clock that it was time for her to go to bed. After helping her get ready for bed she headed up stairs. A little bit later their mother came home and it was time for me to head out. It was a lot of fun to just hang out with her and her brother and see her in her comfortable element.

Dance like no one is watching

On Wednesday we went to dance at the YMCA, this time when we went there was a lot more people there. We made our way to our usual dancing area and got right into the the YMCA. We were able to interact with other students and parents this time. Usually there are only a few people that go and they kinda of stay to them selves. But this class everyone was open and having fun. They played this one song that Cassandra really liked it was called put your hands up in the air. She danced non stop for the entire song. Next we the clean song, that song is a lot of fun and Cassandra had a lot of fun doing that one. The song told us to clean the area in front of us above us and below us. During this song we were able to name body parts and also work on our flexibility. It was a great song and we had a lot of fun doing it. At the end of the dance class we said our good byes and told them we would see them next week. Unless it was really nice out then we are going hiking.

Spring fling

Last night I was able to go with Cassie to her Spring Fling. Cassandra looked so pretty in her spring dress, I went to her house and picked her up and she was all ready to go. Once we got inside we checked her coat and headed straight to the dance floor. The gym was decorated with streamers, balloons and lights, it was really nice. Cassie found a good dancing spot and then dance for a good hour straight. After a little convincing to take a break we headed to the snack table and drank some punch. After that we headed back to the dance floor for a few more songs, Cassie was looking tired and wanted to head home. We did get to interact with her teachers who took pictures and commented on her dress and how pretty she looked. It was a great experience, seeing Cassandra interact with her teacher and other students was really exciting and I hope she had a lot of fun because I know I did.

Change in the weather...change in plans

On Wednesday the weather was so nice I couldn't pass up a day outside. So instead of going to dance at the YMCA Cassandra and I went for a walk around Lime Hollow. It was a lot of fun, we stopped by the lake and looked for animals and tried to name them. After that we took the art trail again. That is one of my favorite trails because we can stop and look at other peoples art work. We then walked to the look out, Cassandra liked to run in short bursts but on our way up to the look out I asked her if she would run with me to the top of the hill. And this was a big hill, we started out strong but about half way up we stopped. After a quick breather and a little encouragement we made it to the top. We found a bench at the top and took a little rest, next to the bench there was a map so Cassandra and I tracked where we came from and how we were going to get back. After we were rested up we headed back to the car. On the way back we stopped at a giant sundial and went over the numbers on the clock. Once we got in the car i told her when it gets warmer we will be here a lot more, and hopefully we can take more trails. The next time I see Cassandra I will be going with her to her school dance. I am very excited and I can't wait.

Basketball games

On Saturday Cassandra and I played basketball in park center. This time we worked on catching and bounce passing back and forth to each other. We were able to bounce the ball back and forth at least 20 times with out having it stop or roll away. It was a lot of fun because it turned into a little competition. Cassandra would alternate hands and move toward the ball. I told her that it is sometimes easier to bend her knees to hit the lower bounces. After a few reinforcements of bend the knees she finally did. On our way home we talked about what color dress she was going to get for her spring dance and if she was excited for it. The next time I plan on meeting with Cassandra we are going to go to dance at the YMCA.