Here we are in our second week of the new year & starting our 18th month (Wow). We have our Christmas decorations all cleaned up and are looking forward to the new year. Everyone came back from the Christmas weekend with smiles & happy stories to tell about their Holiday.
Tawna has a brighter smile now that she got her braces off. We loved her always happy face before but wow those teeth are pretty!
Jacque is a fantastic organizer and loves order. We allow her to put up, take down, smooth over, straighten out, sort through, color coordinate everything around here that can be.
Stuart is our peace maker. He gently calms others when they get stressed, he encourages others to speak nicely, he loves to hold doors open for the group, he is very complimentary and is sure to include those who are new or look alone.
Kate is "Johnny on the spot" when it comes to helping with lunch. She sets the table with everything it needs. She gets excited about it ahead of time and is quite adept to cleaning up & putting away too. She knows where everything goes. She giggles & smiles the whole time as well.
Beau is our Teddy Bear. He has a routine that includes bringing his collection of CD's (in spite of having the latest greatest i pod ever!), stacking them beautifully, shuffling through his "papers" till he finds the perfect one to color. Each morning he goes on his "rounds" where he visits the Commercial Lighting Guys and checks up on the latest warehouse news.
Ashley LOVES library day & lives for it. She checks out her quota she allows herself each week with shear joy. Her excitement is catchy and everyone around her gets excited with her. She has become good friends with her buddies here over the last year & a half.
August cracks us up with his knock knock jokes & cute smile. He loves to color like Beau and does so ever so carefully. Each art piece is signed and hung with care on our bulletin board.
Our buddy Daniel is soaking up the sun down south with Grandma & Grandpa and we will get to see him soon. We miss him when he is gone & want him to know we are thinking about him. "Hello Daniel"!!
Andrew Steven Down has a birthday coming up! He is the proud uncle of a new baby boy named James. Jessica, his sister had him about 2 months ago. Andy loves his extended family & we get to hear about the frequent visits from his aunts, uncles & grandpa.
Sara is coming on baking day & Fridays because they are her favorite days. She is an excellent baker...cook for that matter, & is a burst of sunshine when she walks around the corner into the room. We had a wonderful Christmas lunch at her house a few weeks ago and all the kids fell in love with her 6 Yorkshire Terriers!
Chad just graduated from South Valley and has become a full time guy here at the Center. He LOVES the Jazz & the Chicago Cubs (actually ANYTHING Chicago!).What a friendly guy. Last Friday we went to his Dad's job at the Firehouse & toured the cool place. We saw where the Firefighters slept, cooked & trained. The guys there extended the ladder truck's ladder out over our heads 75-100 feet! Don, Phil, Brett, Ben, Captain Fred (Chad's dad) were all so kind.
April is an animal lover. She has pet bunnies & dogs. All of her shirts have either a Disney character or a puppy on them. She checks out animal books at the library and studies them. Her brother Nick is home from Texas after being there for 2 years!! She loves him & tells about the fun things they do together.
Miss Maddy loves her friends here at Lifelong Learning Center. She also loves her music & can be heard singing her favorite songs at the top of her lungs. She enjoys the DVD's she brings to watch during leisure time.
Nate is a music guy through & through. He got a new ipod for Christmas and can't get enough of it! He savors each song. (Stacy is the ipod helper. If it weren't for her we would be up an ipod creek!) Nate loves PB&J's & also cheeseburgers with fry sauce. We visited his Dad's job site at the court house in Summit County & got to sit in his Judge seat! Thank you Judge Lubeck.
Cameron, Katrice & Jesse visit from South Valley when they have days off. We love the energy they bring with them when they are here. Each one is happy & follows directions. We appreciate them fitting us in when they can!
As you can see we have grown, are busy & so very happy enjoying each other here at the center. The life skills everyone is developing are so apparent to us. At Costco, the Library, & the Food Bank it's exciting to see & hear the interactions & conversations that are being had. Yesterday at Costco, Stacy asked Beau & Stuart to go get something on the next isle (they take turns & love that!) they asked if Chad & Ashley could go w/ them (!). When we came around the corner to meet up w/ them, there they were all 4, arm in arm laughing & enjoying each other. So cute. That is one of many many cool interactions that happen throughout the day with everyone here. No one is left out.
Thank you for trusting us & letting your darling children come here to the Center.