Sports Saturday

If you live in the South most Saturdays in the fall are full of sports.  Owen could not be more pleased.  The morning was filled with Logan's soccer game.

In the afternoon we met some good friends at Samford for the football game. (Now that Preston is teaching there we plan on attending many sports events.)

Owen is very serious about his football watching and did not want me in the way trying to get a picture.

Logan, along with 15+ other children spent the majority of the game sliding down the hill on cardboard (I even gave it a try once).

(Logan has on the red shirt and blue hat)

Let's just say all that fun made him a little dirty.

We came home for Logan to shower before we did anything else.

Nathan has a cold and did not feel well enough to sit in the sun for 3 1/2 hours during the game.  My parents offered to babysit him for the afternoon and he really enjoyed his time with them.

Owen's new computer

On Tuesday Owen received his eye gaze computer.  In August of 2012 we started a 13 month journey of trials, clinics, and speech therapy sessions with the eye gaze system.  Owen did exceptionally well and everyone is so proud of him.  On Wednesday our Tobii rep was in town and brought all of Owen's favorite videos to put on the machine.  It has an incredible capacity for vocabulary, lots of games, books, camera, e-mail capabilities, etc and is capable to take him all the way through college. This device is incredible and when Owen is playing on it his vocabulary just explodes.  I am excited to see where he will be in the next 3 months.

1st Field Trip & 1st Soccer Game

Logan and I really enjoyed his first field trip of the year to Ruffner Mountain.  We had a wonderful time hiking and learning all about animals.  Did you know snakes are not poisonous; they are venomous.  It is always so fun for all the classes to get together because then we get to see friends from Logan's kindergarten class.

Logan played his first soccer game this morning.  It was tons of fun.  The weather was great and the kids did an excellent job.  Logan is on a team with two of his friends from school and the coach is one of their Dad's.  We are all really enjoying it.  Next year all three boys will play soccer.  This organization has soccer teams for kids with special needs for ages 4 and up.

 Check out how high that leg can kick!

 Watching his brother play.

Owen enjoying the view from Oma's lap.

The past 19 years

Some highlights from the past 19 years.  Why 19 years....read and you will see.

2013: trips to Lebanon, Michigan and Disney; purchasing a new house

2012: Logan started kindergarten at Westminster and Nathan and Owen started the preschool program at Hall Kent; trip to Liberia and Cambodia

2011: hosted two foreign exchange students

2010: Nathan and Owen come home from the hospital; trip to Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon

2009: move to Tianjin; Nathan, Mia and Owen are born

2008: start our own architecture firm; trip to China w/ an extra 4 weeks in Hong Kong

2007: trip to China

2006: Logan is born; mission trip to Germany

2005: move into our first house; mission trip to Dominican Republic and Honduras

2004: mission trip to Ecuador

2003: first mission trip - Ecuador

2002: move to Birmingham 

2001: graduated from college BA- Janelle and MArch- Preston; get married; honeymoon in Italy

2000: school, wedding planning, engagement parties

1999: engaged in Paris France

1998: Janelle transfers to Brenau; Preston begins a year of study in Paris

1997: Janelle graduated from high school and starts at Auburn

1996: Preston is in the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics

1995: Preston graduates from high school and starts Georgia Tech

1994: September 11th Preston and Janelle started dating

Red Mountain Park Family Hike

We decided to have a fun hike at Red Mountain Park this morning.  We all had a wonderful time and the weather was perfect.  

A little light saber fighting accompanies all good hikes.

Logan got himself ready and had a logical reason for all his apparel.

We made it to the Skyhy tree house.

Birmingham in the distance.

Awesome Labor Day Weekend

We had an awesome Labor Day Weekend on Lake Martin with my sister's family and her in-laws.  The boys absolutely loved the water, the boats, water skiing and everything else we did there....including football watching for Owen.  Here are a few pictures from the weekend.

Ranae and Nathan swimming.

 Philip and Owen swimming.

 Our family swimming

 Owen loves the boat ride.

 Nathan does too.

 Owen and Preston

 Ranae and Philip

 Our family on the boat ride

 My nephew Cooper

Philip and Cooper water skiing.

Logan and Philip water skiing.

 Logan when he was finished water skiing.  He wanted to do it again and again.

 Philip and Nathan water skiing.

 Nathan loved it.

 Philip and Owen water skiing.  Owen loved it too.

Big thanks to Philip for introducing the boys to water skiing.  They all loved it.