Saturdays in Saxapahaw

This past Saturday we joined some friends in Saxapahaw to celebrate the warm summer weather. There was a band, farmer's market, grilled cheese food truck, and Maple View Farm ice cream. So while Calvin and I relaxed, Grandma and Pop Pop got the chance to play with Kathleen. It was family friendly fun all around. I was also happy to pick up some fresh produce, munch on blackberries and enjoy a couple glasses of local wine.

Playing with Grandma and Pop Pop

Daddy and Baseball

Daddy was very excited to take Kathleen to her first baseball game last night. They have enjoyed watching several games together on television this summer with the college world series going on and the discovery of a new local channel just for the Durham Bulls ball field. The weather was perfect for our family outing and over 9,000 people showed up to cheer on our favorite home town team. Kathleen loved hearing the noises of the game and seeing all the lights and people. You can't beat $1 hot dog night. The Bulls won, Daddy now has a new hat, and Mommy enjoyed Rita's Italian ice. Who could ask for more?

Waiting in line for hot dogs and nachos.

"Stop taking pictures Mommy, we're trying to watch the game! "

Happy Father's Day

This year Father's Day has a whole new meaning since it includes my husband. Kathleen's arrival made for a sweet sweet gift in May and made my first Mother's Day absolutely perfect. Everyone in my family spoiled me and went above and beyond to make this first Mother's Day extra special. Calvin of course gave me an incredibly sentimental gift by awarding my 2nd Awesomeness Award "For exceptional results in the area of awesomeness. Specifically for the awesomeness that transpired on and prior to May 3, 2011." Both awesomeness awards from 2008 and now 2011 are framed in our kitchen.

So on Father's Day this year I would like to take a moment to recognize just how wonderfully awesome the "Director of Awesomeness" truly is. I feel so incredibly lucky to have you by my side as my teammate, my friend and my husband. Thank you for all that you do for me and our family. Whether it's making sure there's food in the pantry, clean clothes in the closet, rubbing my feet for hours on end in the labor room, giving Daddy manicures and pedicures to Kathleen and Rascal both, or making sure your sweet daughter has had enough cuddle time for the day. You're on it, and I appreciate you trying so hard to make our daily lives as stress free and enjoyable as they can be together. I'm so proud of  you, all that you've accomplished, where you're headed, how you lead and take care of this family, and how you do it all with a calming, reassuring presence.

In honor of you, I would like to post the video of your first father, daughter dance here. I'm sure this is the first of many. We love you.

First Bath

Last night Kathleen had her first bath! Don't worry, we were previously keeping her clean with daily washcloth wipe downs; however, this was her first experience sitting in the water and feeling it poured over her little body. Of course, Daddy was there with the video camera to capture the moment. Kathleen seemed to enjoy the water. I'm sure as she gets older we'll have fun playing and splashing around with our nightly dip in the tub.

Newborn Photos

Below are some of my favorite pictures from Kathleen's 6 day old newborn photo shoot. We took her to see Tracy who owns Memories by TLC for our first family outing. It was so much fun and Tracy was amazing to watch as she worked with Kathleen to get her to pose so beautifully. The studio and office where she works are in two of the upstairs rooms of her home. This set up makes you feel comfortable as soon as you walk in the door with your newborn. Tracy keeps it 90 degrees in the studio with a heater so that the baby is cozy and sleepy throughout the session. With a handful of other baby calming tricks up her sleeve, Kathleen was incredibly happy to be there soaking up all of Tracy's attention. It was so impressive we even took a home video of how a couple of the poses came together. (I'll be adding an edited clip to this post a little later on.)

As a proud Mommy, I have to brag that Tracy loved Kathleen's sweet, "mellow" attitude so much she asked if we could come back the following Monday for some additional modeling shots. That's right - my little girl was asked to come back so the photographer could try out a couple new poses, props and fabrics on her!