Special Olympics 2015

  Yes it's that time of year again, and it is great! For those of you who don't know, Special Olympics is like the Olympics for people with special needs, and they have athletes who are doing it for fun, and athletes who are competitive. Robb does swimming, and in June he will get to compete in assisted swim with other athletes from the area.
  This year has been great so far, and I have actually gotten the chance to swim with Robb! After doing this I feel I have met Robb in a whole new way, he is so much happier in the water. It is a place where he can relax and be himself. We are now a team in a way, trying hard to make it through each lap. I also feel the other athletes act more comfortable around me, like before I was just the sister of an athlete and now I am in the water with them, I am one of them. I am a member of the team.
   I am going to end this blog post with our cheer:

As a special Olympian what's your job?

To do our best

As a team mate what's your job?

To support each other

Everyday

in every way

we get better and better

go Dolphins!

Matty B.

   A lot of people who are reading this do and do not know Matty B, so let me tell you. Most people may know him for his covers of songs like Rude and Shake it off on youtube, but he also has a sister with Down-Syndrome who is in his video cover of True Colors! It is a video that his sister stars in where girls are mean to her, but one girl gives her a chance and really likes her showing it really only matters about the person on the inside, and I think the video is amazing! People watching it might think he is just doing it for publicity, but though that may be a factor, I know that he is doing it because he loves his sister, and he wants people to know the amazing person she is. He talks about how crazy it is that people judge this girl just because of her "DNA", and that they shouldn't judge someone based on their chemical makeup (something that they have no control over).  A dream many of us have is that people will, one day, not worry about differences and see people for who they really are. I am hoping this video makes an impact on people, and they start making this realization that MattyB has shown. I also hope people see this video, and think more than "oh she is cute", and instead see the video the way her brother wants you to see it. Most importantly though watch the video for the star, MattyB's sister Sarah, who is an amazing actor with and would be an amazing actor without Downs-Syndrome.

If your happy and you know it say ahh

The latest work of Astri and Robb.

Robb has always been musical, he sings "agh" and copies the beat while listening to some of our favorite types of music. (Bluegrass, The Wiggles, and Rock and Roll) Whenever he is angry it is the music that calms him down, and I believe music is one of the few things that gives us a glimpse into the world Robb lives in. This song we have been working on for a while (he has been worked especially hard on pitch)! Enjoy!

Robb Amazes Me

  I was playing with Robb just a little while ago, and I came up with this simple sentence: Robb Amazes Me.   From when he wakes up in the morning, to when he goes to sleep I am amazed by his way of life. He can spend hours being alone, and he will never be bored. He can swing around a towel and watch it all the movements fascination. You can tell when he is thinking because a million expressions go through him at once, and never have I ever seen him bored. I am also amazed that he has been able to go through life communicating with the little communication skills he has been taught. He rarely gets angry when he can't get his point across and looks for new ways to get the point across. Everyday he is able to make the best of, even though not many people (if any) understand him and who he is. Robb may not be able to communicate in what we consider a "normal" way to communicate, but he goes beyond that. He communicates through his world, and every moment I am with him I feel like I am glimpsing into a better world. The world I see from him is a much better place, and every day I want to see more of it, know more of it, though there is still so much I don't know about it, can't know about it, yet so much to find out. I may never understand it, but I will always love and accept it. I just want Robb to always be happy, (impossible as that might be) because I know that he is one person that would make the most of a happy life, or even just a happy hour, a single happy second. Robb amazes me.