Salute to Mom!

Happy Mother's Day to my Mom! She is the best of the best. I love you Mommy....



...isn't she beautiful.





We had a spectacular Mother's Day. We had family from far and wide (North Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama) join us for the Race for the Cure Breast Cancer 5k and a good old fashioned BBQ on Saturday. It was a blast. Grandma K, Grandpa D, Aunt Meg, Uncle Josh, Mimi (formerly known as Babs), Grandpa Stu, and Aunt Jennifer all met up at our house bright and early Saturday morning and headed down to Atlantic Station in caravan formation for the big race.



One must always stretch and warm up prior to any athletic endeavor....Dad and I did a few light wind sprints before the race.

Dad got tired, so I did a few more laps solo...

Way to go Mimi! Mimi was awarded a medal and a beautiful pink rose as she crossed the balloon arched finish.
After a short nap, Dad and I headed over the Casa Qualman for my pal Charlie's first birthday party (not pictured). It was a great party, but with the big family BBQ shortly thereafter, we (sadly) could not stay/party for long. Happy Birthday Qualman!

Mom, Dad and I hosted the family Saturday evening for a big Mother's Day celebration. We had a splendid morning, mid day and evening. It was by far the best Mother's Day I have ever enjoyed....at least in my top two of all time.

I would like to extend a special Happy Mother's Day to all of you Mom's out there. Thank you for all that you do.

Hasta Luego, CDM.

Birmingham Visit

Mom and I headed West this last weekend to visit Aunt Jennifer in Birmingham, who had a fun-filled weekend all planned out. We went to the Birmingham Zoo and the McWane Science Center.



Now, as an annual member to the Atlanta Zoo, my zoo standards are set pretty high. First, and foremost, a proper zoo must have Lions....and, right off the bat, I came across this handsome, young King of the Jungle....




Next, a quality zoo will have heavy duty farm equipment...In this picture, I am commending Aunt Jennifer and her zoo for checking off two critical zoo quality points in short order.

CHICKENS....Ooooo, yes. A good zoo also has chickens -- Check.

Wow, they had a bald eagle too. I can officially give the Birmingham Zoo a quality score of 8 (scale of 1 to 10; 10 being the best). That darn bird is taller than I am...he must be in the 98th percentile of Bald Eagle height...impressive.

A merry-go-round too? What a fantastic zoo. Aunt Jennifer and I rode a tiger. We requested a lion, but settled for the tiger...it was equally fun.

The zoo was Friday. On Saturday, we went to the McWane Science Center, and it was awesome. I call this one 'Piano Lessons' by Aunt Jennifer...

I couldn't tell exactly what we got into in this photo, but it certainly looks cool. Giant peg board + giant glowing pegs = great fun.

Later, it was my turn to play the piano...If Mom's camera had been fast enough, she would have caught me doing chop sticks from the handstand position.

Here's Mommy and I at the petting pool - sharks and rays. Cool.

Dear Large Mouth Bass, you are an excellent sport fish. However, this thumb right here is the reason you are in there and I am dancing on a giant piano.

Mom, Aunt Jennifer and I had a great weekend in the Ham. Thanks for having us over Aunt Jennifer.

I hope everyone is enjoying Spring. Later dudes...CDM.

G-Day 2010

Spring Football. It is time once again for college football spring scrimmages, and I went with Mom and Dad to the Georgia Spring Game, a.k.a. G-Day. Athens, GA was spectacular on Saturday April 10th, and the turnout in Sanford Stadium was pretty impressive.



I brought my football just in case they needed me to suit up and hit the field. As it turned out though, they had enough players for the day's event....though I'm not sure they have enough today.



Mom and Dad wanted to snap about 85,000 pictures during the game -- Look, they are the only two (out of 39,000) looking away from the action.

Great picture...

FYI- This kind of loitering on North Campus will be officially banned by Mr. Adams beginning Fall 2010...It was a terrific day in beautiful Athens, GA, and I can't wait to head back up and cheer on the Dawgs. See you in the Fall Uga and Hairy Dawg! Adios...CDM

Easter: 4 Hunts, 3 Days, and 1 Cooper

Hola Amigos! Easter weekend just wrapped up a few days ago, and what a spectacular weekend I had. I got to see Aunt Jennifer, Uncle Ethan, Grandpa Stu, Grandma Babs, Aunt Meg and Uncle Josh. It was fun-filled to say the least.

The Easter Bunny was busy on this side of town. I was booked for 4 Easter egg hunts starting Friday at school.

Hunt #1: Friday, April 2nd.
I didn't get the most eggs in my first hunt, but I darn sure got the best egg. Hello Golden Egg! The fine print in the note below actually goes on to say, "...it is his attention to detail and rigorous preparation that makes Cooper Murphy quite possibly the finest egg hunter in the land..." I didn't make that up...it is right there on the certificate, but just too small to see in this photo.You would be scared too, believe me.

Hunt #2: Saturday, April 3rd -- AM

The field is set. I'm just not sure why the dude with the bull horn hasn't dropped the green flag yet...I might just ease out a few steps onto the playing field...there we go, just a slight advantage.

Oh, well hello Miss Meriwether...what a lovely surprise. (Fans: I call this "sharing".)

It was a big haul Saturday morning. My egg numbers certainly improved, and I am feeling confident going into the neighborhood hunt where 12 months of bragging rights will be on the line.

But first, I thought I'd spend a few minutes with the family. Mom, Dad and I in post-hunt picture pose.

HORSES! The church hired horses to gallop about in the parking lot post-hunt. Golden hunter turns Golden Cowboy...it was awesome.

Hunt #3: Saturday, April 3rd -- PM

The neighborhood party was just around the corner from my house and I was feeling pretty confident after a strong morning hunt. I posed for a few shots with the family and some blow-up yard art.

Grandpa Stu, Easter Bunny...nice to see you.

Without the dude with the bull horn to hold things up, Hunt #3 got underway right on time. This worked to my advantage in the under-2 age class, as most of the registered entrants were late. I cleaned house.

Miss Meriwether and I had a terrific afternoon.

I won this teddy bear for Miss Meriwether....

....and that bear was well received. Take notes boys.

I don't know whose wagon this is, but I am commandeering it.

Easter Sunday, and Hunt #4: Sunday, April 4th.

We started the day by getting all dolled up and heading to Easter Mass.

Looking good, feeling good Team!

By the time Grandma Babs gave the high sign to kick off Hunt #4, I was toast. I played along for a few minutes, but I eventually made it clear that I was more interested in this stick. 3 Easter egg hunts is my limit.

Aunt Meg and Uncle Josh came over Sunday afternoon, and brought an Easter basket full of goodies. It was a great end to the holiday weekend.

Thank you to everyone for a fantastic weekend. I had so much fun that it took a few days to recover fully. I am back to 100% and getting ready for a big weekend again. Saturday is G-Day in Athens, GA. I am heading up to meet with my pal Will and to watch the Georgia Bulldogs in Sanford Stadium...Go Dawgs!

Later Dudes....CDM

Spring Returns

Happy Spring Everyone. We have been making the most of the improved weather patterns as of late in the Murphy household. Since last we spoke, I've had a couple play dates, went to a crawfish boil (saw the "before" and "after" crawfish), and hopped down to Florida for a visit with Great Grandfather.

After a late night dinner party with Miss Meriwether and the Gleason sisters a couple of weeks ago, I had Charlie and Luke over for some dudes only time. We had a good time playing with trucks, throwing the football around and talking about chicks.

Here is a random shot depicting some general Murphy house frivolity...these boots were made for walking...

A gentleman always offers his booster to a lady, such as Miss Meriwether.

Saint Patrick's Day! I love it. We had corned beef and cabbage, and we celebrated Molly's 9th Birthday.

Last week, Mom and I hopped a jet bound for West Palm Beach, Florida to visit Great Grandfather. We had a blast.

Aunt Pat and Uncle Alex were home, Aunt Kate and Uncle Roger flew in, and Uncle Pete was in town as well. We got to hang out on Uncle Pete's boat one of the days. It was fantastic.


It's like riding a tricycle...only bigger.
Fountains. Lakes. Wow, I love a good fountain-lake combo and Great Grandfather's place had several.
Thank you for a wonderful visit Great Grandfather. I cannot wait to come back down soon.

Well, Dad and Aunt Meg have birthdays coming up, and Easter is only a week away. I plan to spend all week in training for the festivities. I currently have 4 Easter egg hunts on the books. Its all about fundamentals. Strong fundamentals and a clear head on the egg hunt field are absolutely key.

Happy Spring, Happy Easter and Happy Birthday Dad & Aunt Meg.

Later dudes...CDM

One of the Better Shows on Earth

Hello from the ATL. Mom (not pictured), Dad and I went to the Ringling Brothers-Barnum & Bailey Circus a couple of weeks ago. It was pretty fun, but the elephants stole the show. I got up close and personal with Asia the Asian Elephant during the pre-show with Dad...
...then later in the show she brought out 9 of her friends and performed tricks. It was great. The picture above of Dad and I was snapped during the first 20 minutes of the show...pictures were nearly impossible for the last 1 hour, 40 minutes as I had lost interest and could not sit still. Elephants are awesome.Will was in town last weekend and stopped by for some outside play and snack time. We were chillaxin' in the man cave when the paparazzi snapped this pic...

Grandpa D has a rule: He does not play golf when the temperature is below his age....that rule doesn't work for everyone. Conditions were tough, but Molly and I still got out there last week.
Molly loves it when I read stories to her...Good night sweet Cow.

Winter, cold, snow, and ice is almost finished. Spring is near (I hope), so get excited amigos. CDM.