Speed Read

We had a full week, but the blog is going to be a speed read!  Lisa was on vacation part of this week, so we're just putting in a few highlights!  We'll be back next week with our "typical" update! 😉

We welcomed Patrick's mom, Sue, to fill in for Lisa on Tuesday and took a trip to the U.S. Army Transportation Museum at Ft. Eustis.  

Covered wagons were used for early Army transports.

This locomotive was the "Artifact of the Month" so of course we took a group photo when we found it!

 Our guys thought this looked more like a Harry Potter train than an army one!

Later in the day we enjoyed a game of NFL Hangman led by Sue.  Using the United States map as a guide, our guys were able to name every single NFL team!  Thanks for filling in, Sue.  Fun times, as always, with you!

Wednesday was Bow Tie Day and we learned to tie our own.  Patrick and Drew are handsome!

Devin waits patiently for Kacie to help him after she gets Liz tied up!

You never know when tying a bow tie will come in handy!

We also played tic-tac-toe using bow tie pasta for markers!

Looks like a win, Kevin!

We made bow tie pasta and side salads for lunch!

Harry Potter Yoga with video Jaime helped us work off a little of our lunch!

We also had time to enjoy the gym.  School starts next week so hopefully the weather will cool off enough for us to get back outside!  We have a 5K to practice for!

Thursday was a work day at Eaton!  We got a lot done before lunch, and a little more after lunch.  The day was warm, but the AC kept us comfortable.  That is, until the vending machine dude had to open the big doors to bring in his goodies, which let all of the cool air out.  We left shortly after!

It's time to begin inventory at Eaton, so Drew, Devin, Laura, and Patrick began counting.

Kacie joined them in this room later and began unpacking parts.  Laura was all smiles because she was counting the lids very quickly!  

Here's our ace Power Slide Door Team at work!  Meemaw, Bo, Xavier, Kevin, Sam, Carol, and Nan can be seen.  But we must also give credit to Liz and Chloe who were hidden in this shot.  They are label whizzes!

Here's James about to unload more doors for us.  He's a hard worker who keeps us busy!

On Friday we put out a "squirrel proof" bird feeder that Kevin's mom got us.  Thanks, Debbie!  This fella tried, but he couldn't get anything!!  We hope the yellow finches and cardinals will return next week. 

We're going to the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown on Tuesday, so we spent some time on Friday reviewing the history of the Revolutionary War, including watching a video clip that came from the museum.  We finally connected Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown as the "Historic Triangle."  We're looking forward to seeing the beautiful museum! 

Later, we finished a lesson we began last week that included learning about blue whales.  They are the largest animal on Earth, but they eat one of the smallest creatures on Earth (krill).  We made these cute little blue whales, too.  We won't go into how challenging this craft was!  It was fun, though!

We had lots of colleges represented for College Colors Day!  One of the highlights of the day was playing all of their fight songs.  Some of our friends couldn't resist marching and moving to the music.  Here, it was JMU's energetic tune, which thrilled Drew since his sister recently graduated from there!  

By the time we played Notre Dame's, Devin was still at it.  His grandpa went to ND.  Devin really loves to dance!

Finally, a surprise trip on Friday afternoon to McDonald's made everyone happy!  Even though the summer season lasts for a few more weeks, we celebrated the "end of summer" with a chilly treat, courtesy of Cameron's family!  Thanks to them for this cool way to end the week!  It was an enjoyable time hanging out with each other, and this McDonald's is more like a lounge!  (We took the picture while waiting for our goodies.)  

Next week will be super busy, and we need to wear Arc shirts on three days.  The schedule was still being finalized as of late Friday afternoon, so some of this may be a surprise to our friends!  Here's what everyone needs to know for the first week of September:

Tuesday:  We're going to visit the amazing American Revolution Museum in Yorktown.  We chose today because the busy tourist season is over and the busy school field trip season hasn't begun!  Please wear Arc shirts and bring $10 for lunch (or you can bring a bag lunch).  Lunch choices are hot dog, bbq sandwich, or chicken salad sandwich, and all include chips and drink.

Wednesday:  Yay!  Patti is back for yoga, so dress to stretch.  We will also get creative with cardboard and chalk for an art project like we've never done before!  And, since it's also Cheese Pizza Day, we will make our own cheese pizzas for lunch, along with a crispy wedge salad side dish!

Thursday:  We're celebrating a favorite day, Teddy Bear Day, so bring your favorite stuffed bears (or any animal).  Even though we observe this day each year, there are still a lot of lessons and activities we can have fun with!  It's also Read a Book Day (not to be confused with the recent Book Lovers Day! 😜), so we will read a lot, too!  And that's just in the morning!  After lunch, we will head to the Art Museums of CW where we are resuming our regular schedule (first Thursday of the month) with Christina.  Please wear Arc shirts!  Lunch on your own...and you can order from the JRES Cafeteria today! (Carol was in touch with all who have accounts so you should know your balance.)

Friday:  We found out late in the day last Friday, that Eaton would like us to come today, so it will be a work day for us.  Eaton is taking inventory and they have a lot of things for us to help count! Please try to wear Arc shirts again...and bring a bag lunch! 

WOW.  It will be a whirlwind week for sure!

Have a great weekend,

Lisa, Carol, and Nan

P.S.

Please remember the 5K is coming up on October 6th!  EIGHT of our families (including spouses, siblings, grandpas, grandmas, aunts, uncles, and cousins) are able to participate, along with Meemaw, Becky, Lisa, and Carol!  Nan will be there to volunteer!  We're so proud of the AoA's participation.  It's going to be fun!  Thanks, EVERYONE!  We'll miss those of you who can't make it, but there's always next year! 

Register for the 5K Here!