Happy Halloween

Hello Friends. Halloween has come and gone (2 weeks ago). It was great, and I had a blast with Mom, Dad, and my pals in the neighborhood.

First things first...Costume: Cowboy. Rough and Tough Cowboy. Keeping it real with the snap shirt, chaps, vest, and real cowboy boots. Awesome.
Now, let's rewind -- Dad and I did work Saturday morning carving a couple of blue ribbon, contest winning-quality Jack-o-Lanterns.
Take a look -- Burt, call me for tips.
On Saturday evening, I had two parties to attend. First, Ellie threw a fantastic Halloween bash...we were all there and all decked out in our costumes. For most, it was a sneak preview of Sunday trick or treating get-ups. However, I need to throw out some big ups for Zoey, Miss Doris and Mr. Leslie...They each rocked a new (and incredible) costume Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They showed up in full Star Wars gear Saturday night and could have passed for the cast of Pirates of the Caribbean on location in Buckhead Forest on Sunday.

What do you see in this photo? Good times with pals...What you don't see in this picture are the Dads. Dad and his other Dad pals are inside watching the Georgia-Florida game...ouch, that was a heart breaker. Dad rallied though, and we all mozied on over to the neighborhood party. It was great Halloween pre-game.


The next day was Halloween. In a freshly pressed snap-up cowboy shirt, I was ready for my second ever trick 0r treating adventure. Mom and Cooper pose...

Dad and Cooper pose...Dad is rockin' the Cowboy hat...


And, we are off! Mom stayed at the house to pass out candy while Dad and I went to meet up with Meriwether and take a lap around the hood. Alright, here we are at house #1...it took me a few houses to warm up, but by the time I got to Mr. Bo's house, I was really in the swing of it. We had a blast....

...look, the trick or treaters are unloading by the Dodge Durango-load...the hood was packed with Halloween revelers.

Halloween was a blast. Turkey Day is next on the docket, and I am looking forward to it.

Hope you are all well. Adios...CDM.

Team Murphy Fall Fun Times

Hello and Happy Fall Everyone,



This has been an especially fun and exciting Fall season (It is my last as an only child - just saying) as we are getting ready for my new little sister to arrive. There is shopping, painting and nursery renovating to keep our days and nights busy. That said, Mom and Dad have sure planned some good times.



Burt's Farm is stupendous (this is not a paid advertisement....unless Burt is reading and wants to discuss details like click through traffic -- Call me Burt). This is a North Georgia hot spot for pumpkins. We were there on a Saturday with the rest of Atlanta, and we had a blast.

Burt has huge pumpkins as far as the eye can see...Mom dressed me so she could easily spot me in the crowd.

Well, this picture looks oddly familiar (scroll down to October 28, 2009's post) - this is the 2nd Annual 'Cooper in the wheelbarrow with the huge pumpkin' picture. Well, I am a year older, wiser and better looking by comparison....you too Dad.

Tractors. I love tractors...I just wish someone would invent a tractor with an automatic transmission. The stick shift, while sporty on weekends, must be exhausting in the fields.


Ah, Mother is looking as beautiful as ever...

Here, Mom and I are taking a break after helping Mimi arrange the pumpkins by size, color, and shape for Mr. Burt....'Everything in its place', as Mom always says.

These are Kershaw Squash, oft mistaken for common Gourds...

We got to take a hayride at Mr. Burt's too. It would turn out to be the first of two tractor pulled hayrides on that beautiful Saturday...

Mercier Family Farms

We traveled North to Blue Ridge, GA with a car full of pumpkins that Saturday in search of apples (read fried, glazed apple pies)...and we found the Mercier Apple Farms. They drove us out into the orchards on a tractor, and we were free to pillage the fields until our $6 sack was full. It was awesome. I bet I ate 3 apples right there in the orchard.

Stu helped me reach the big, juicy apples found only near the tops of the apple trees...

Tractor #2 for the day...it was terrific. We hit a pumpkin farm and an apple orchard all in one day. It was great fun. (Look for the Cooper/wheelbarrow pic in October 2011.)

We have begun preparing my little sister's nursery. Mom wanted a photo of the old man and I before my stripes were faded to pink. This picture proves that you don't need to shower, shave nor where pants when painting.

Seriously, can someone with some legal experience (Uncle Evans) please cut and paste just a snippet of the child labor law in Georgia and email it to Dad...this painting is tough stuff.

We are looking forward to Halloween, and Mom will be snapping photos like crazy. Make sure to tune back in about mid(read late)-December for my next Halloween/Thanksgiving post.

On a college football note, you have probably noticed that the fall posts this year have been totally lacking in the Georgia Bulldog commentary. If you are a Dawgs fan, then you well understand. That said, the Dawgs have won 3 in a row (after losing 4 in a row), and we have our annual Georgia-Florida game in Jax on Saturday. After 3 solid wins, Dad has regained the hope that was lost early on, so let's hope the Dawgs can pull out a miracle and beat those dirty Gators.

Happy Halloween Everyone. CDM.

First Day of Preschool + News

Hola Amigos,

Today was my first day of Preschool. Mom had me decked out in a Peter Pan collar (BTW- If you are a dude and do not know what that is, congrats) and shorts that button to my shirt. Basically, Mom says I was looking good.
ABC, 123 dudes...

This afternoon we had a popsicle party at the playground with Mom...ahhhh, this a familiar view...

Miss Meriwether is now my school mate at The Preschool. We enjoyed a popsicle this afternoon...

....and a swing on the giant yellow tire....

Mom and Dad say this was a big day for me...I don't know about big, but it was awesome. I got to go to school and play on the playground with my #1 pal Meriwether....it was spectacular.

Speaking of things that are spectacular, I have news. I am going to be a big bro to a little sis. We will be blessed with a little baby sister in January 2011, and I am pumped.

Happy college football season to all, and to all a great day.

Later amigos...CDM

My 2nd Annual Birthday-Palooza

It has taken me weeks to assemble this Birthday Blog. Mom and Aunt Jennifer must have taken 350 photos in that short 2 hour window. I have reviewed each photo with this very post in mind. [During my review, there were several that had to be be destroyed -- Evidence.]

I decided to go with a 'before - during - after' chronology of the party.

BEFORE

Mom, Aunt Jennifer, Mimi and Stu spent hours Friday night and Saturday morning preparing the house and grounds. Everything was truly spectacular.

Chalkboard announcing the event....Check.

Cupcakes displayed in a cupcake tree...Check.

Recreation of Uncle Ethan's 1st Birthday driveway chalk art by Aunt Jennifer...Check.

Mom, Dad and I looking good and feeling good....Check.

(Note: Giant slide [awesome] set up in the backyard.)

I spent the last few minutes during the calm before the storm inspecting the grounds.

Pink lemonade jug and tubs with ice for drinks...Check.

Mimi stands atop the deck reviewing the set-up...mentally checking off each to-do...measuring and grading the team's performance, execution, and final product....FYI - We got a A+!

Again, note the hunormous blow-up slide in the rear of the house. It was an awesome birthday plan by Mom...but there it sits, baking in the sun leading up to gametime.

DURING

The party started right on time. 11 AM Saturday.

Guests are arriving in the front of the house, no slide in sight...

Then, BAM! The Slide is now smack dab in the middle of the front yard. Explanation: Dad is brilliant AND good-looking --- a double threat dad. The slide sat out back under a brutal July sun, and the blue plastic hit a temp of approx. 179 degrees Celcius...that is muy Caliente amigos. Dad assessed the situation, came up with a plan and exectued. He rounded up all the other brilliant and good looking dads, and they picked up the ginormous-awesome slide and moved it to the front lawn...let the games begin.

Kids flew down the slide by the half dozen.

A gentlemen always escorts his lady friends by the hand to ensure safe sliding.

The slide and my friends made for a super party.

I must have physically slid down that thing 85,000 times.

I made a concerted effort to stay hydrated...it was hot that day.

Miss Danielle took my pal Matthew for his first huge blow-up slide ride. Matthew- Will and I are going to be looking for you at the UGA-Idaho State game this fall...Go Dawgs.

My buddy Will made the trip from Watkinsville. I can't wait to roll up next week for his birthday extravaganza.

AFTER

As the party began to wind down, Mom distributed the cupcakes. Frosting everywhere.

Dad and I were not looking so spectacular towards the end...Mother was lovely all day long though.

Yep, it was hot.

Nap time and a bath made everything all better. Aunt Meg and Uncle Josh brought over a sweet 4-wheeler...its electric. I drive this bad boy around the yard everyday now.

Well friends, that is a pretty comprehensive look at the best birthday party I've ever had. I want to send a special thank you out to all my family and friends for making it a perfect day.

I can't wait for the 3rd Annual Birthday Coop-Stravaganza....hopefully Dad will take a few mintues to blog once or twice between now and then for us.

Talk to you later dudes.

Adios....CDM

Wow, Just in Time for Fathers' Day...

Hello Friends,


I want to wish a Happy Fathers' Day to all the Dads out there this week. I haven't posted since Mothers' Day, so we have much ground to cover. Team Murphy has been busy....



...but we will start slow. Dad took a moment while on a water break from our Chastain walk to teach me the finer points of growing a 3-day beard. Step 1: Shave for work Friday. Step 2: Do not shave again until Monday morning. Thanks Dad....good info.





Hanging out with my dog.

Memorial Day 2010

We loaded up the Murphy family truckster and headed down to Kiawah for Memorial Day Weekend with K and D. The beach was spectacular.

Dad and Grandpa D wanted to take it slow at first, so I played along...

...and I felt like I had to hold Grandma K's hand through each project...sand castles, digging a hole, filling a bucket with water. K eventually got the hang of each.

Finally, Dad manned up and we hit the surf.

...Um yes, A-W-E-S-O-M-E.

Unfortunately for Uncle Skip's feet, he flew in for the weekend. I (naturally) buried his feet in the sand when he was not paying attention....deep...he may still be on the beach today, not sure. Good burying you dude.

Not Pictured: Monday, May 31st. Memorial Day.

Alright, it has been a couple of weeks, so the details are a bit foggy. Allegedly (key word), I woke up at 3:30AM and refused to go back to sleep. Mom and Dad claim to have begun packing our belongings at 4:30AM, and Team Murphy was supposedly wheels up at 5:45 AM -- back in the Dirty by lunch time. I'm not saying it didn't happen...rather, I am choosing to take the high road and not comment.

Fish-O-Rama 2010, Big Canoe

The next weekend, we headed up to BC for the 33rd Annual Big Canoe Fish-O-Rama. Stu, Dad and I got up at dawn and got a jump on the competition. It was a beautiful and quiet day on the water...sort of like we were the only 3 dudes for miles...

...not exactly. Wow, the Fish-O-Rama really brings a crowd. I plan to lobby for an invitational tournament next year. We skipped out on the tourney, grabbed a nap and then hit the lake for some goose feeding. The baby geese (goslings apparently) were as aggressive as a Woodruff Park panhandler on a sunny Spring Friday afternoon.

Dad is teaching me how to drive anything with a steering wheel....Boat - Check.
Last week, Mom and I hosted a play date for my neighborhood crew. We had a great turnout, and I can't wait until we all get together again.

Miss Meriwether was lovely as usual. We got some QT.
We had a lovely visit with my Great grandfather last week as well. He stopped in for dinner and a trip to Fat Matt's for lunch on his way back home. We ate, we laughed, and we ate some more...perfect.

Happy Fathers' Day again to all the Dads out there. Have a great weekend, and I will catch you dudes next time.

Adios...CDM

Jack-We are thinking about you, and we love you man.