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 :)