Afternoon at the Park

Yesterday the weather was nothing short of stunning. We took our little family unit on a picnic in Piedmont Park to celebrate the weather. So did everyone else in the city of Atlanta. We drove to the park, drove practically back to our house and parked, walked to the park, up a big hill and laid out our spread. There was my fresh-baked baguette, smoked gouda, chicken salad and the red pesto and sour cream lemon pound cake I made Jeremiah make while I was off on a training walk with Joy. To my surprise, Kate rejected the gouda. That is the first cheese she’s tried that she said she didn’t like. She refused to try the red pesto outright. Instead, she dined on a healthy menu of yogurt, bread and pound cake. Sarah stuck with her apple-pear puree, though she made several grabs for Kate’s cake. Lola, who behaved impeccably to our surprise, enjoyed her giant doggy biscuit. She made eyes at the cheese, but her fantasy was not fulfilled.



I tried to teach Kate how play Frisbee. She got the whole throw-it-to-mommy bit but once I caught it, she’d run toward me while I said “no no no no no stay there, I’ll throw it back!” So, I started running away from her to get distance between us. She’d run after me, I’d run away again. And that was the game. Kate loves Frisbee. Sarah, who was nearly bonked on the head several times as a result of Kate’s throw, thinks it’s too dangerous. After the rousing game of Frisbee, there were some rounds of Tackle Daddy and Look I Can Do A Summersault. The debate regarding whether Kate can actually do a summersault, it seems, is one of semantics.

After we ate we rolled down the hill and to the big pond where Kate and Lola enthusiastically watched the ducks do what ducks do. Then we walked across the park, down some steps and under the railroad trestle to the dog park so Lola could run free. Kate walked the whole way. When we left the dog park and headed back to the car, Kate walked nearly the whole way again. The only times she was carried were at our instance because she was so freakin’ slow. It was difficult to carry her because she spent the entire time squirming and yelling “leave me alone!” I fully expected her to start screaming “this is not my daddy!”

We made it back to the car and home just as the sun was beginning to set. Then it was time to bathe and put on some sleepin’ T-Shirts and settle into the sofa for some Muppets’ viewing.







Kate wanted Sarah to sit on her lap, which worked out just fine.


After some hair-pulling.