Labor Day Fun and Birthday Celebration

Doug's birthday is September 2nd. Because it fell around Labor Day this year, he decided to take off work Friday (and Monday for the holiday). We had a great 4 day weekend to spend together and celebrate Doug's birthday!

We started the weekend off by going to the BMW Performance Center to watch the Handcycling Relay as part of the Paracycling Road World Championships being held in Greenville, August 27-September 1. This event brought over 40 nations together to compete for the World Champion in each of the classifications. There are several classifications of racers based on the handicap of the athlete. Each time we attended the races, we saw handcyclists (athletes who have lower limb impairments). There were also visually impaired riders who rode tandem, cyclists on trikes for added stability, and cyclists who can ride a 'normal' bike but unable to compete with able bodied individuals because of a physical impairment. It was amazing to watch the level at which these athletes compete, let alone do it with a handicap. Being a PT, it made me appreciate even more how good these athletes are, knowing what kind of physical, mental, and emotional obstacles they have had to overcome to get to where they are. Truly amazing! We saw more race action on Monday when we attended the road race at the Millenium Campus.

Trying to stay hydrated...

and cool!

On Friday, we headed up to Sky Top Orchard (a fall favorite activity for us!). We have been trying to find other places to go since Sky Top can get sooooo crowded on the weekends in the fall. However, we figured it wouldn't be too bad since it was a weekday and most kids would be in school. We were right, and only one of about 30 or so people up there. We enjoyed picking apples...Callen even picked one off the tree! He liked eating the apples more than picking. He probably ate part of about 5 apples in 30 minutes! We were able to walk over and see the goats and sheep, and then walk down and see the geese. Cal didn't care too much for the geese and all the noise they made. We had a nice picnic lunch while Cal ran around before heading home. We stayed home the rest of the afternoon, and cooked up homemade fish and chips (one of Doug's favorites!) that evening.

Pulling the wagon...he didn't want to pull his own wagon; just the big one!

Picking his own apple

Eating...

Eating another...

and another...

and another...

and another. Love the family pic with the apple!

Checking out the goats and sheep

Staying a little father back from the geese

Telling Doug all about the animals

Saturday was the start of college football, so we stayed inside and watched football most all day! We had a few people over on Saturday afternoon to watch the Clemson game. It wasn't the outcome we were hoping for, but it was fun hanging out with friends and cheering on the Tigers. We have taught Cal to raise his arms overhead like a touchdown when we say 'Go Clemson Tigers' and 'Touchdown Clemson!' My personal favorite is how he feels about the Gamecocks at such a young age (I guess we are teaching the boy right at an early age!!).

Tiger Spirit

Taking turns pushing each other! Cal loves Stella!

We love hiking in the fall, but between football season and shrimpin' season, it is hard to get it all in. So, we decided to go hiking on Sunday. That is one of the things Doug had high on his list for things he wanted to do for his birthday. Well, there is a reason hiking is best in the fall...it was sooooo hot on Sunday. We tried a new trail and didn't follow directions well to start, so we ended up hiking a mile (in the wrong direction and uphill) before realizing our mistake and turning around. The hike, Lee Falls, is not maintained by a park or forest service, so it is pretty grown over in some areas. Doug had Cal on his back in the pack, and it was tricky to get through certain areas. We finally had to turn around before getting to the falls. We were both hot, tired, and not able to get Cal through some of the areas in order to make it to the falls. We will have to go back to the hike in a few years when Cal is able to walk on his own! He did enjoy our pit stop at a shaded area by the stream. He was quite content splashing in the water.

We went to the Paracycling Championships Monday morning, and then went downtown to celebrate my brother's birthday. He and Liz are renting a studio apartment at the Field House in downtown Greenville. They have a patio/balcony overlooking the Greenville Drive stadium. Callen was able to 'go to' his first baseball game. He watched the baseball game for about 2 minutes before he got down and started running around. He had more fun playing with Ella and the ball and bat he found.

Happy Birthday, Da-Dad!! We had a great weekend celebrating with Doug. It was so nice for Doug to be off for 4 days, and be able to play instead of having to worry about chores and projects. Family time has always been important to Doug and me. We try and spend as much time as we can with our families, whether in person, on the phone, or by FaceTime these days. Now that we have Callen, I see more and more how important family time is in developing and growing bonds with your kids. Cal loves his evening time with us, and we look forward to that time with him. It's really nice to be able to have four full days with the 3 of us together!