Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

One of the special things about living in Montgomery is that we get to see key places and learn about influential people from the Civil Rights Movement.  In celebration of MLK Day, we visited the Civil Rights Memorial Center.  We all signed the Wall of Tolerance in a commitment to work for justice, equality, and human rights.  The Center detailed many crimes committed against innocent people during the Civil Rights Movement in a touching and haunting way.  After visiting the Center, we walked a block away to the church on Dexter Avenue where MLK was a minister.  It was lovely to see that the church is still in use.

 Holden is walking around a water-covered monument that identifies some of the people who lost their lives during the Civil Rights Movement.  A blank space appears on the monument to acknowledge the many unknown names and faces of others who suffered.

 

Ft. Toulouse

Our kids just can't resist climbing on a cannon when presented with one.  We spent a lovely January morning visiting a living history event at Ft. Toulouse.

Atlanta

Before celebrating the new year, we spent a weekend in Atlanta.

Lena comes up with her own combinations of Coke flavors.

 

Joseph searches for the Coke recipe.

Meeting the Coca-Cola polar bear excited the kids more than we expected.

Lena carries the torch from the Atlanta Olympic games.

Enjoying their souvenir Cokes. 

Rebecca was able to meet us in Atlanta.

At the aquarium.

Birmingham, AL

We broke up Christmas break with a few little trips.  Robert wanted to go to Birmingham to try out a barbeque restaurant that is supposed to be one of the best in the area.  It turned out to be pretty good.  After eating, we toured Birmingham's steel mill, which is now a historical stop.  The machinery was so big that Joseph, Holden, Robert, and Lena could fit in a scoop.

Merry Christmas!

We celebrated a lovely, warm Christmas in Alabama.  There may not have been snow on the ground, but there was plenty of holiday spirit in our house.

Holden's robot collection expanded significantly.  His giant Optimus Prime is now a centerpiece on his toy shelf with other Transformers surrounding him.

Joseph gets to work on one of the Lego sets he got.

Robert tries out the "personal massager" Rhea gave him.

Santa brought Lena a scooter to replace one she outgrew.

 Our gingerbread village.