Gorgeous Fall Week!

What a beautiful week of Fall we enjoyed!  We just love the milder weather and this week had lots of it.  Postponing our trip to Surry and the pumpkin patch at College Run Farm to Tuesday was a good idea.  It was a gorgeous day and got our week off to the perfect start. 

Upon arrival at the farm, we headed off to the field of pumpkins.

Alexis found hers right away, but Josie wanted to be more discerning in her selection!

We'll take these!  And see that tall fella on the left?  That's Cameron, our newest associate who joins us this week!  Welcome to him and his parents, Stacey and Brian!

We enjoyed lunch outside since the wind had died down and the sun was warm.  

After lunch it was off to find our way through the Corn Maze.  Not everyone was up for this, but the group that went worked well together!

Umm, which way?

How about this way???

Nope!  Dead end...come back!

Another dead end, and some corn stalk silliness!

We made it through without losing anyone!  Chris was ready with the high-fives!

It was all smiles and a big thumbs up for the ice cream.  Half of the gang tried the pumpkin and said it was scrumptious.  The other half said the same thing about the vanilla!  Many thanks to Devin's family for the donation that helped fund the ice cream and the Corn Maze! 😍😋😎

Another great AoA outing in the books!

We were busy on Wednesday.  As usual, we began the day with Tai Chi.  Michael taught us a simple routine that would help us center ourselves for the day if we practice it upon waking up each morning.  It simply involves stretching and reaching with our arms, first upward and then outward, and making sure we breathe in and out.  After doing each movement three times, we dance in place for about 15 seconds and then get on with our day.  Seems like it would be worth trying?!

Next, we considered that it was Chocolate Cupcake Day and voted to, of course, "celebrate."  Kacie helped Nan mix up the batter and get it in the oven while the rest of us went outside.  Later, a sweet celebration!

 

We were happy to finally get some Eaton work and spent the better part of the morning, and some of the afternoon, making a dent in it.  These guys were sorting.

The girls at this table were cutting and preparing the gaskets.

And the team at this table worked on applying the gaskets.

Meanwhile, Xavier worked on another sorting job and also enjoyed listening to the Disney music that was playing at the time!

For this week's video clip, here's a look at what we call the "Eaton Buzz."  Our group enjoys working so much!

On Wednesday afternoon we delved into the ideas from the science resource books and tried an activity called The Paper Door.  The object was to cut a sheet of paper so that it would work kind of like a rubber band, and, without breaking, extend large enough for us to walk through it.

Several tried cutting the paper, but couldn't quite figure it out.

So we walked them through a series of cuts that would cause the paper to open up, and voila!  We could walk through paper!  So much fun!

We began Thursday in energetic fashion with our dance warm up.  Kacie was getting down to Hound Dog by Elvis!

We worked in pairs to write thank you notes to Devin's family who had helped fund our ice cream and maze fun at the pumpkin patch on Tuesday.  Here, Kacie and Laura decide to write about how good the ice cream was!

Sam and Bo made a nice card, too!

Later we learned about reptiles and did some group work.  Here's what that looked like!  These friends are looking back in a reading passage to find the details that support their answers to comprehension questions.

Here, Chloe is clarifying something that was worded differently in the question than it was in the passage.  She knew the answer!

Cameron and Xavier zipped through their reptile assignment!

Before heading home we made some more Halloween decorations for our room, including these abstractly designed haunted houses!

  And that was it for Thursday!

On Friday we got busy in the kitchen making a garlic-herb butter made with fresh garlic from the garden at Freedom Park.  We learned about mincing garlic and chopping parsley.  

We then spread the butter on bread to make garlic toast for our lunch.

Meanwhile, Sam was back at it as pasta sauce chef.  This time, he added freshly minced garlic and parsley!

Here's the final product.  Yes, it was tasty!

Aware that garlic would leave our breath rather funky after enjoying such a culinary treat, we took the advice of our master gardener friends and munched on fresh parsley afterward.  They said it would freshen our breath and we think it worked!

Celebrating "I Love Lucy Day" was a lot of fun.  We were surprised that a few of our associates were not familiar with this comedy classic.  After a cultural history lesson, in which we discussed everything from television "sets" of the 1950s and black and white film, to gender stereotypes from that era, we watched the episode when Lucy and Ethel trade places with Ricky and Fred...where they go out to earn money while the guys take over caring for the home.  

If you recall that episode, you know it doesn't bode well for Lucy and Ethel when they are hired as candy wrappers...and Ricky and Fred can't even bake a cake or cook a pot of rice!

Gender stereotypes aside, there was a lot of laughter at the shenanigans that took place!

We were surprised with a visit from Devin, who is on The Arc's Board of Directors.  He dropped by during Choice Time and caught up on everything we've been up to and also enjoyed checking out our Learning Lab.  We enjoyed checking out pics of his new baby boy!  

Next week is packed with adventures and celebrations!  Here's what you need to know:

Tuesday:  Wear Arc shirts and prepare to knock down the pins as we hit the bowling center for a fun morning and pizza for lunch!  Weather permitting, we will enjoy a walk afterward.

Wednesday:  We will travel to the garden at Freedom Park for the last of our fall mini-sessions with the master gardeners.  Please wear Arc shirts and bring a bag lunch.  We will picnic after our lesson and then explore a new trail at the park.

Thursday:  First, we will celebrate Alexis's birthday with bbq sandwiches for lunch provided by her Grandad!  Thanks, G-dad!  We can't wait!  Later, we will welcome members of the Williamsburg Rotary Clubs and other community friends as we officially "cut the ribbon" on our Learning Lab and thank the Rotaries for their generous contribution to our program!

Friday:  It's another birthday celebration!  It's Kevin's day today!  We are excited to be treated to Chick fil A for lunch.  Yay for Kevin, and thank you to Kevin's family for this yummy lunch!

Other items of note:

1) Since Cameron has come on board, we will be putting in another t-shirt order soon.  You may recall we need to order at least 12 items for the vendor to fill the request.  Think about ordering an extra shirt or two...maybe long-sleeved or a hoodie!  Email coming as soon as the vendor has the order site ready.

2) Our Tai Chi instructor Michael has been working behind the scenes with Tracy and others at Parks & Rec to set us up on a strength training program!  He feels working on (mainly) upper body strength would be very beneficial for our friends, and we agree.  Beginning on Fridays in November, he will work with us on the equipment in the weight room at AFCC for a couple of weeks (as an orientation) and then we will travel to JCC Rec on Fridays after that to use the more extensive equipment there.  We will also have access to the indoor walking track, which will be great in the upcoming cold-weather months.

The Arc will cover the cost of membership for each of our associates (Parks & Rec is giving us a very good deal), as well as the fee for our trainer (Michael).  This opportunity is possible due to the fact that our Arc of Abilities day support program has done well with "earning" extra funds (mainly through our Eaton work), AND due to generous donations from friends like the Williamsburg Moose Lodge AND our generous FAMILIES!

THANK YOU for your enduring SUPPORT!

We will send any necessary paperwork/waiver forms necessary for the strength training program in the days ahead.  Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

3)  We will begin our Bocce Ball league the week of October 31.  We're grateful to Teri for helping us get this off the ground and to Chloe's family for the use of another Bocce Ball set.  Teri has also donated a couple of extra sets!  AND, Tracy's intern, Mary Ann, has signed up to be an extra coach.  This should be so much fun!

Wow, we are going to be busy!  And that's just how we like it!

Have a great weekend,

Lisa, Carol, and Nan