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.

Shoot for the stars

Today Cassandra and I played basketball upstairs in park center. We started out just passing the ball back and forth to each other. I tried to get Cassandra to bounce with both hands, she was doing really well with that. After we mastered both hands i asked her to pick one hand to hit the ball with. Once she picked her favorite hand I gave her a high five with that hand just to reinforce which hand we were going to be using. Then we bounced the ball back and forth using the one hand. Our next step was to bounce the ball with the other hand. I realized that Cassandra would use which ever hand was closer to the ball, so if I wanted her to use her right hand i would bounce the ball to her right side, and same with the left. Once we were confident in our bouncing we started to try dribbling. I told her bounce the ball and take a step but that didn't seem to work so i switched the que's to walk and bounce. At first it took a little reminding but towards the end she was walking and dribbling the ball twice. It was really exciting to watch her progress so much in an hour. What I also noticed was that she was talking more, even though she mostly was repeating what I was saying it was still more talking then I have heard since we started. Since I am going on spring break next week I will not be meeting with her, but when i get back we will pick up right where we left off.

Art time

Today instead of going to dance Cassandra and I did art at the rec center. My roommate Emily came along with us because she has lots of art idea's and is very creative. When we got there Cassandra was really excited to see all the art supplies we had we found the biggest piece of paper and some paint and got to work. Once we sat down we got a little side tracked because Cassandra wanted to read the magazines on the table. I told her she could read one page then we would have to get started. After her reading was done Emily explained what we were going to do today. We were going to make self portraits, first we started out by cutting the shape of our face, then we painted on our eyes', ear's nose, and mouth. Then we added in some hair and colored in the background. We also found some stamps and ink pads, Cassandra really enjoyed the stamps. After the first project was done we moved on to another one. The second project was just to color on white paper, we found some markers and Cassandra made a rainbow. When we were all done we cleaned up our work space and put everything back where we found it and headed out. After saying goodbye and thank you to Emily we headed home. I really think Cassandra enjoyed the art we did today hopefully we can do it again another time. Tomorrow we are going to play basketball up at the school, which is one of Cassandra's favorite things to do.

dance with your shoes off :)

On March 2nd Cassandra and I met and we went again to the YMCA disabilities and dance. This time we did a lot of line dancing, these dances involved a lot of foot stomping and clapping. Cassandra really enjoyed the clapping and when we would all walk in one direction. It took a few prompts to get her to follow along but she got it and had a lot of fun. We also did the chicken dance and the maharajah. Cassandra really enjoyed these dances, she knew the chicken dance already and was really getting into it. I haven't seen her that excited and happy yet, it was really good to see her break out of her shell and be able to express herself. On the way home from the YMCA we listened to country and tapped along to the music. Over all it was another fun hour full of dancing and laughing, Next Wednesday the 9th I am taking Cassandra to meet with my roommate who is going to teach us how to make self portraits. I am really excited because i know Cassandra really enjoys art and maybe I can get to know another side of her.