Happy 9 Months, Dane!

I didn't want anyone to think Dane was ALWAYS happy! He does get mad, upset, and frustrated especially now that he is crawling everywhere and getting into everything he is not supposed to. I feel like I am constantly telling him "N0!" and moving him somewhere else...which is when he cries like the picture above! With that being said...Dane is 9 months old today and seeking his independence!

Carolina Panthers Training Camp

Arriving at Training Camp at Wofford College
in Spartanburg, SC - about 30 minutes away

Camp getting started. All the players are

splitting up into different drills.

Enjoying football & some outside time
These are some of the wide receivers, I think?
I was trying to get this last picture the entire time. The blue jersey in the back, #90, is Julius Peppers. He is a former UNC Tarheel and actually played basketball for UNC. I was getting it mostly for Matt since he couldn't come with us and somehow thought I could try to get an autograph. I had no idea how crowded it would be!! We arrived a little early and had to park quite far and all the people surrounded the field and were seated all up and down the hill up from the practice field. So, with the heat and crowd I did not attempt to stay for autographs. We did have a great time and I'm glad I got to experience training camp even if it wasn't for the Kansas City Chiefs. I might cheer for the Carolina Panthers until Carl Peterson is gone :) We were all hot and tired after the trip to and from Spartanburg, and from being out in the heat...let's hope that equals LONG naps!

Crawling!!!

Dane has mastered the art of crawling! I don't know if this is good or bad? Actually it is so fun to watch him explore and he has a big interest in Baron for some reason. Of course, Baron eats it up, but at times is a little apprehensive of this little person as you can see in the third photo. I think the picture of Dane trying to push Baron out of the way is hysterical, especially since I can't even push the 80+ lbs. lump out of my way. I just wanted to share some shots of Dane's new achievement, and by the way, he has a tooth, too! The painting here is done...well, who we hired is done. We'll be working on touch ups for awhile. That is another story for another day...

Reedy River Park

We finally had a moment of free time to enjoy some family time and sight seeing this weekend! And, let me tell you, we found the gem of this city. We went to Reedy River Park where there is a walking trail that travels quite awhile...it goes down along the Reedy River where there are huge trees, huge rocks, waterfalls, beautiful and lush plants and flowers, and places to sit and rest. It is unbelievable! It connects to other parks and eventually to the Greenville Zoo, and also has a rock garden and childrens' garden. Basically you can park your car and walk to shops, restaurants, parks, gardens, the zoo. There are people milling around everwhere walking, running, biking, sitting and reading or having a cup of coffee...my kind of town! I have always been a urban girl who likes to walk instead of drive everywhere and I just love this type of community. Other than being scorching hot, we had a great time exploring. I plan on running with the boys as much as possible at this park instead of in our neighborhood. I can't wait to experience it in the fall! If you come out for a visit, we won't let you leave until you see this beautiful part of Greenville!

Check out my Slide Show!

Rub A Dub Dub...Two Boys In A Tub!

I finally got brave enough to put both boys in the tub together! It actually went really well with no extreme messes! I'm sure that will change over time. Just wait until we add all of the bubble bath :) Please don't look at Blake's long hair...he is in desperate need of a haircut!

E-I-E-I-O...

Matt and I are starting to think we bought our house on the property of a "drive-through zoo." While we know that really isn't true, we have had our fair share of animal encounters! On 3 separate occasions driving in to the hospital Matt met animals in the middle of the road...first, a bunch of turkeys; second, a deer; and third (and by far the best), a COW! Plus, two nights ago I was driving into the city of Greenville and almost hit several geese and their babies! I have to mention that when my parents lived in this area several years ago my mom found a pig in their front yard. What is it with South Carolina and wild animals?

On another note, I took this picture of Dane this morning trying very hard to pull to stand. He gets up on his feet, then tries to bounce so he ends up plopping on his bottom. He is on the move! What am I going to do when they are both tearing up my house!

So, Matt just finished up a 70-hour week. Yesterday was a 16-hour day! Nuts! We are still looking for someone to paint the interior of our house and I am hoping that someone will give us a quote that DOESN'T make me pass out! We are not at all used to hiring out for projects, but as you can see with Matt's schedule nothing is going to get done if we don't. As for the fence, they tried to adjust it today to fit what our HOA wants. In our opinion they made it worse, so we are still dealing with that mess. Hope you are all having a great weekend. My goal is to just get to the grocery store :)

More SC Factoids...

I warned you that I would be providing you interesting information about SC! I think it is so cool how the state has different named regions, and that is really how people refer to various locations. We live in the "Upcountry" or the "Upstate." We used to live in the "Pee Dee Country" when we lived in Florence in 2000. Where we live in the "Upstate" is off of I-385, which is referred to as the "Golden Strip." Sounds a little like downtown Las Vegas to me, but I assure you there is no XXX places or casinos!

So, when we watch our local weather during the news we get 2 forecasts...one for the "upstate" and one for the "mountains." And there is quite a difference so I have to pay attention to what they are talking about. Interesting, huh? Yesterday evening they mentioned on the news that there was a tornado warning just north of us...and that was it! I am used to KC's Gary Lezak being on for an hour or so tracking the tornado, telling us what time it will be where, listening to the storm spotter guys and watching the sky tracker helicopter talk about the clouds. Nope, not here. Just a mention and then they moved on to something else. I didn't miss the drama, but I did wonder where it was going especially without basements and tornado sirens!

Well...there is your lesson for the day. We finally get our kitchen table and chairs delivered tomorrow! Yeah for progress!

Growing up...

Whether I want it to happen or not, Blake is growing up and becoming quite independent. Well...I do want the independence! He really enjoys brushing his teeth and learned the sequence very quickly. He still looks like a little peanut standing up on his stool in his jammies! Just a proud mom wanting share her "baby's" achievements!

Fun Times with the Boys

Adjusting...

Well, we have almost been in South Carolina for a month! It has gone by very fast. We feel like we are fitting in for the most part and the people are so incredibly nice. Nothing like southern hospitality! We haven't had an opportunity to "sight see" because we are always out shopping for furniture or unpacking during our free time. I have included a picture of the falls in downtown Greenville. Cool, huh? They have a state of the art bridge to walk over and other areas to walk. Downtown is amazing with shopping, dining, free concerts, farmer's market, etc. Matt finished his 2nd day "on the job" today and it was a 13-hour day. The surgery started at 9am and finished around 8pm...what fun. He said the nurses were asking what he would like to do for the patient. No stress, right? So...we like it here, but we still have some adjusting to do. Here are some things that are different and some that we are having a little trouble getting used to...

• The news doesn't come on until 11:00pm! I don't want to think about how tired we will be after Monday night football this fall.
• Places don't open, if they do at all, until 12:30 on Sundays.
• We are the only people in the area with the feature on our car called the "turn signal" (of course it isn't EVERYONE, but a lot of people!)
• The houses in subdivisions are sooooo close together!
• The roads are sooooo narrow!
• The same road will have 5 different names in a short distance
• Gas stations have their prices posted and have one that is less than all of them IF you pay with cash
• Completely opposite of KS ~ it is all HILLS here! Roads are windy, hilly & narrow
• They sell sweet tea at Starbucks

I'm sure there will be more! You have to appreciate all of the different cultures in the USA. It is fun to learn new ways of life and meet new people with different backgrounds. I will say that waking up to crisp 50 degree weather is lovely even when it does get hot and humid during the day. Hope all is well with our friends and family where you are...

Just our luck!

So, the fence is done! Too bad they put up the wrong type...the type the Home Owner's Association did NOT approve!! Yes, it is true. Now, we are waiting for the property manager/developer to take pictures and see if they will approve it, although she already said it is highly doubtful. The fence company has not commented on what they will do, but we haven't paid them a dime (thank goodness). I must add Matt talked with the owner multiple times prior to them coming to discuss the type of fence and even drove through some other neighborhoods the owner recommended to ensure we would have to right type. I guess that still wasn't good enough! So...it is wait and see. Until then, we have a very nice fence and even the type we personally prefer. Plus, Baron has a place to run. Once it is said and done I will take a picture of the finished, CORRECT, product! Matt is now mowing the grass for the first time, which means our sod and seeded areas are doing well even in the drought. This part of South Carolina is 8" behind for the year and is considering water restrictions, so we feel lucky our grass is alive and growing. This wouldn't be the Hollenbeck family if there wasn't drama...