A Long Weekend and a Farewell to Pop

Well, it was another long weekend - but not by choice, unfortunately. On Thursday my Pop died. He was 92. So in addition to all of the goings-on of our weekend, I've decided to leave a little tribute here to a really great man. A hard working man from a family of 13 kids who quit school after the 7th grade to work in the cotton fields. A honorable man who was given a good job and a home to live in by someone who thought much of him. A fun man who was always picking at me and enjoying his family. My Pop was full of love. Loved his girls, loved his grandchildren, loved his puppy, loved to fish, and just knew how to love others. I remember him bouncing me on his knee and giving me a dollar every time I visited. He came to my dance recitals and let me pick carrots out of his garden (and didn't even get upset when I picked the ones that were obviously not ready!). He named all of his dogs Brownie or Blackie or Ring. He loved Pepsi-Cola and could eat a bag of chocolates in one sitting (we won't talk about how much he shared with the dog). The last 8 years or so had been hard on Pop - diagnosed with Alzheimers and losing his memory. Until the end he was full of joy and always happy. So here are some pictures and fond memories. I remember a sermon my favorite pastor preached once about leaving a legacy. Pop certainly left a legacy. :) I know that he is no longer in pain and enjoying the everlasting life that was promised to him. LOVE YOU POP!

Pop and his puppy. Its rare that you didn't see Pop holding her. This is the freshest memory in my head. Many times when I visited he was sitting right here. He would always tell me how pretty I was when I walked through the door.

Pop pushing me through the snow on a shovel! :)

One of MANY dance recitals he endured. This was the American Bandstand year.

Pickin tomatoes in the garden - boy did he grow some GOOD vegis!!


Pop got to meet Kate at Christmas. He also got to see her several times when Mom worked over there during the week. He always said "That's a fine baby, a pretty baby."

After the funeral on Saturday (which was just beautiful by the way), we managed our usual relaxing weekend: Bark to the Park, Starbucks, pancakes, and home tours. Kate gets cuter every day, and I may be imagining it, but I swear her hair is starting to grow! Hold on to your socks kids.. this post seems to be getting even longer than our long weekend! :)


Don't you just love the hat?! Don thinks she looks Australian. We have an Australian Shepherd. I think it fits...

Wow...

Foz loving Bark to the Park. He was impressed by the Frisbee show the most.


Don and Kate - who has spotted the pink poodle.


The kids! Kate's stylin' in a pair of khakis with embroidered flowers and a cool blue shirt. She loves Baby Gap.


Mom and I took a break on Sunday to visit the "Dream Home" in Columbia. Kate tagged along in her first outing in the Baby Bjorn. She was WONDERFUL! She loves to look at things. Her favorite part was the GIANT TV. It made her jump. :)

Happy Easter!!

What a wonderful, long Easter weekend! We did some visiting and had a great Easter Dinner with Mom and Dad. Don and I ate as much Easter candy as possible and Kate tolerated the bunny ears pretty well.

Kate with Super-G! She had a pretty good time. Her cousins Tate and Alice were there too - all the great-grandkids visited at once!

I love my Doll!

Kate and Daddy.

The Easter Bunny stopped by and brought Kate a basket of goodies.

Kate and Sophie La Giraffe. Unfortunately Sophie squeaks like a dog toy, so we will have to keep a close eye on her.

Kate, Mama and the Basket.

Getting a close look at the frog Pop brought her.

Kate and Nanna had Easter Dinner together! She was VERY glad Nanna came to see her pretty Easter dress.

"Really? Is this necessary?"

"Just wait Katie, they've been doing this to me for years!"

Next weekend is Foster's weekend (Bark to the Park), so check back for more pictures!

Well Good Morning Houdini!

Sometime this morning (after 6:30 when I put her in the swing), Kate figured out how to get her feet out of her (footie) PJs. She thought it was the funniest thing. And it was. Very cute.

Run Baby Run!

Ok, so Kate didn't do any running this weekend, but we were in Charleston for the Cooper River Bridge Run and she did spend her first night away from home! What a way to spend your 4 month birthday! While my time was less than spectacular (1hour 1min), it did give me hope that I haven't fallen completely out of shape. My ultimate goal is a 1/2 marathon in Columbia in November (13 miles)! I have a long way to go before I'm ready for that. Anway, we've posted the highlights below!


Kate spent her first night in a hotel! She seems pretty happy about it.


Look who was waiting for me at the finish line - My favorite dog and my favorite baby!


After the race we had shrimp and fries at Red's on Shem Creek. We go to Red's b/c they are dog friendly - that's why its Foster's favorite Charleston hangout. See that big smile on his face?


Kate thought Red's was a little cold.


She also got a little bored and took a nap.


After the run, lunch at Red's, and surfboard shopping, we stopped by Tim and Carol's to say hi. We missed Carol and Caroline, but Kate was happy to meet her cousin Charlie!

Kate's 1st Trip to Hartsville

Kate & Foster teamed up on us and convinced us to load up and drive to Hartsville today. We made pancakes, loaded up the assorted requirement of baby & dog toys and headed on our way to visit the grands!



Foster & Kate talking about how much fun this is going to be!



Kate thinks we take too long to get going and play with that silly camera WAY too much. BORING!

Finally arrived - here's some video of Kate's introduction to the papparazzi.





Foster watched over Kate the whole way to make sure she was safe.



Foster trying to avoid the din that was Kate ordering her next meal. Foster hates to hear Kate cry - he's a very sensitive dog!

Naps are for Babies...

She was supposed to be taking a nap, but this is how I found her!



You can see it in a bigger format on our website:

Naps are for babies...
.

Palmetto Trail & Foothills Trail

Dad and I finished a 30 mile hike over three days this past weekend. It was a little cool and I struggled through some athletically induced asthma but it was still a good trip. Photos are posted on our website at this link:

Hiking the Palmetto Trail & Foothills Trail.

Here are a few shots from the trip:

Mission Accomplished

Its official!!! Kate no longer hates Tummy Time! See photo proof below!

Hey! Who's that cute baby in the mirror??

Look how strong I am!!


Yes, tummy time does eventually get old, so we switched over to watching the mobile from the Boppy.

More Adventures of Kate

Well, I've been back at work for 2 weeks now and have missed my little munchkin a lot. But! She is having a blast with Nanna - playing with her bugs, riding her bike (will try to get a video of this!), reading books, and tolerating tummy time. Here are a few pics for you to enjoy!

Visiting with Grandma!


Bath time's not so bad afterall.. Here's our little Pudge in the tub


A very serious look...


Kate and Daddy


Kate and Mama... she'll grow into that hat eventually.



Doesn't it look like she's enjoying herself? This is right before she screamed for the entire walk!


Happy St. Patricks Day!


Kate's first day at Nanna's.

Happy St. Patrick's Day !!!

Happy St. Pats!

Three Months and Growing Strong!

Not much to say, just wanted to post some pics of Kate since she's growing so fast! She looks a lot different now that she's putting on some weight. Don has (lovingly) nicknamed her Pudge. Enjoy!

Not a great picture, but she is starting to do these great big, fun laughs. Hopefully we'll get some video up soon. She likes to babble and coo and has now discovered that she can alter her volume.


First big shopping trip with Nanna!! A girl's gotta learn to shop. This one lasted about 4 and a half hours. She was a trooper till the end and was smiling at people in the mall. If you can last as long as Nanna, you're good. I think Nanna held back on us!!


Kate and her Nanna!

Thank goodness for bouncy seats and orange monkeys.


Lounging on a LAZY Saturday.


Kate and Mama!


More shopping! This time to PetSmart for Foster's birthday.


The Fam in PetSmart.

Maybe you heard on the news the other night how TV isn't recommended for children under 2. Let me tell you that the girl loves her some TV. In the defense of allowing this: a) its for short periods of time, b) sometimes Mom and Dad need to re-gain their sanity, and c) she is watching the Presidential Innauguration in this photo... so no cartoons, but historical events, Clemson athletics, fashion consulting (What not to Wear), and Oprah are parent approved.

Lessons from a 2 month-old

This post will be short and sweet. We're learning a lot from Kate:

* Eat when you're hungry
* Stop when you're full.
* Sleep when you're tired.
* Laugh when something is funny.
* ALWAYS wear comfortable clothes.
* Shoes are really optional.

We're still at odds on the cry loudly (read: at the top of your lungs and non-stop) if there's a slight chance that something might be wrong...