Waiting, but Almost There

We are just 2 days away from closing on our house. We CANNOT wait! We are now in our 3rd room at the TLF's since being here at Shaw. They no longer had pet TLF's available, so Phoenix is staying at a friend's house while we stay in a non-pet TLF for 2 days. Crazy....so ready to get out of here and settle down. Friday could not come soon enough!

Memorial Lake

The blooming azaleas come in every shade of pink and purple and are gorgeous!

Since I seem to be on a nature theme, here are some pretty Spring pictures from Memorial Lake at Shaw. There are two lakes (one is more like a pond) that we have enjoyed walking to daily since living in the TLFs this past month and a half. If it weren't for these beautiful places to walk, I think I would have gone even more crazy living in such tight quarters. I am also thankful that the weather has been so pleasant so that we can get out and enjoy.

Do you see all 4 turtles?

Doesn't this look just so inviting?

Swan Lake II - Bland Garden

I wanted to show you some pictures of the Swan Lake gardens on the other side of the overpass. Pictures from the first "Swan Lake" post were from the "Heath Garden" and these are from the "Bland Garden" which is the original. Both gardens are beautiful, but I really like the Bland Garden because it feels more natural and secluded. (When I took these pictures, Christian and I were the only people out and about.) Wooden bridges and walkways were built right on the water so that one can enjoy the brilliantly tall trees and swamp-like waters.

One lucky duck :)

Oops! How did this cutie manage to get in this post?

Fine Feathered Friends

Christian and I enjoyed watching this mother duck with her six babies last week at Swan Lake. It was sweet to see them follow her around and stay so close. The father duck was always near and kept an eye on the little ones. So fun to see new life in the Spring!

Swan Lake & Iris Gardens

One of our favorite places to visit in Sumter is Swan Lake. A beautiful retreat from the TLF's. :o) Swan Lake features all eight swan species (as well as some geese and ducks.) I personally enjoy watching all the turtles; there are SO many! Swan Lake has a really cool swamp-like feel (especially on the other side of the overpass--pics to come) and extensive gardens. Our understanding is that the iris bloom close to Memorial Day so we will have to continue to check back. Here are some pictures from various visits.

Wordless Wednesday *Smooch*

"My Two Front Teeth"

As requested here is a picture of Christian showing off his two bottom teeth. I am thinking that the top ones are on their way soon! I thought this other picture (below) was cute, so I had to include it as well.

Picture Crazy

I am a crazy picture-taker when it comes to little Christian. I just want to make sure I capture every cute little expression and milestone along the way- I just cannot resist. What did we ever do before digital cameras?

"Give me that! Please, no more pictures Mommy..."

Christian is 7 Months

Our little joy!

Christian and his Easter puppy from Nana and Papa.

With Daddy at Isle of Palms Beach

This past month has been an exciting one for all of us:

• We were "reunited" with Steve and have really enjoyed being together again despite the not-so-fabulous TLF living. (We CANNOT wait to have a place of our own.)
• Christian has become very active and strong! Now that he has the hang of rolling over we find him all over the place. He enjoys sleeping on his tummy now, and flips right over when I lay him down for naps/bedtime.
• He loves taking walks in the stroller and enjoys two, sometimes even three walks a day. South Carolina livin' really agrees with him so far. (And us as well.)
• He especially enjoyed Grandma and Grandpa R's visit this past month. Christian is generally very easy going and loves interacting with others. He is developing such a fun personality.
• These past couple of weeks he has really been babbling, so fun to hear him say "ma-ma," "eh-meh,"and "bay-be"...although I know it probably doesn't quite qualify as his first words just yet.
• Christian has always loved it when we sing to him in the mirror, and now he loves to giggle and smile at his own reflection.
• He is mostly a good little eater, and his solid food repertoire includes: pears, peaches, bananas, sweet potatoes, apples, and carrots. We kinda took a step back with the solids this week, as poor little guy had a fever and would only nurse. On Tuesday at the doctor office (hooray! for a GREAT military pediatrician) Christian weighed 18 lbs. 13 oz.
• He absolutely loves his daddy and it has been fun to see them together.
• Christian has the most beautiful smile and contagious giggle. He is really starting to look like a little boy to me, especially now that he has his two bottom teeth. It is so fun to see him growing and learning. We love our little man!
  

Look! Toes in my mouth! Yum yum!

Always ready for an adventure!

Charleston "Where History Lives"

Two weeks ago, Steve's parents came to visit us, and one of our adventures was a fun trip to Charleston (less than a 2 hour drive from Sumter.) There is much to do in Charleston: tours of historic sites, houses, and buildings; a fun artsy marketplace; beautiful scenic views and beaches; and a plethora of unique restaurants to choose from. We stayed for one night (probably a full day total) so we saw just some of the historic city. It has such a special "feel" with it's cobblestone (not very stroller-friendly) streets and narrow sidewalks, and some of the most gorgeous architecture and gardens, we certainly look forward to going back to explore.

We stayed at a beautiful historic hotel called the Ansonborough Inn, dating back to 1901. Definitely would recommend!

Isle of Palms Beach was pretty, and very family-friendly (obviously very crowded also.) We hope to bring Christian here when he is walking/toddling. :o)

The Battery:

The Citadel Military College:

TLF "Living"

Phoenix certainly didn't waste any time getting comfortable in the TLF. Although we will ALL be happy when we can finally move into our home and have more space. This weekend the a/c in our TLF went out, and the repairman seems to be having trouble making his way over here to check it out. Fortunately the temps have been a little cooler (70's, low 80's) so we are surviving for now.

This little pirate stole our hearts!

This weekend we checked out the State Museum in Columbia and went to an exhibit called "Pirates, Privateers, and Buccaneers." It was pretty interesting, not to mention a good chance to escape the TLF!

Riverbanks Botanical Garden

Here are some pretties from the botanical gardens in Columbia. You can hop on a tram from the zoo and it will take you right over. Such a beautiful place to visit!

Wordless Wednesday *Cool Little Dude*

South Carolina Visit

Steve's parents came to visit us this past week and drove out some of our boxes as well as Phoenix, who had stayed with them these past three months while we were en route. What a wonderful time we had! They were here for almost a full week, so we did lots of site-seeing around South Carolina. This state is beautiful with all the woods and trees. It is so wonderful to see green! (Something that we desperately wished for during our 4 years at Edwards.)

South Carolina is also so rich in American History with both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. Sumter itself is home to General Thomas Sumter "the Fighting Gamecock" who maintained South Carolina's will to fight during the Revolutionary War. We are just minutes from a civil war battlefield and a road that during the time was labeled "the King's Highway." I am not much of a history buff myself, but I do find a lot of these events very interesting. I think it is so cool to be near so many historical sites that happened a couple hundred years ago as well as other fun things! Look at all we did this past week, and this is just scratching the surface:

Sumter:

• Swan Lake and Iris Gardens
• Sumter Memorial Park

Columbia:

• South Carolina State House
• Hampton-Preston House
• Riverbanks Zoo and Botanical Garden

Charleston:

• Battery
• The Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon
• Ansonborough Inn
• The Market
• Isle of Palms Beach
• Citadel

All tuckered out...lots of site-seeing!

I may just have to do separate posts on some of these because they were just so interesting...plus I have lots of pictures to gather and share. :) Obviously we didn't even come close to seeing everything in Charleston. Lots of the tours are a little bit more difficult with an active baby.

It was so nice to have Grandpa and Grandma R. with us to explore some of South Carolina. Christian loved having his grandparents here and mommy and daddy were even able to have a dinner date. (Thank you for everything and for the beautiful time!)

Springtime in the SC

It has been Spring at Shaw pretty much since we arrived here mid-March with white flowering trees and tulips and daffodils perking up. In these past two weeks we have seen even more growth. Spring has sprung! In fact, we are already experiencing temps anywhere from 75 to near 90 degrees. The current owner of our future home was telling us that people that move to South Carolina often experience allergies even if they never have before. (Yea for me.) Just this past week we have seen something very different than what we ever saw in California or Colorado...what I call "pollen storms" (versus dust storms...ha ha.) There is literally fine, yellow pine pollen coating every outdoor surface. We were shocked upon our return from Charleston (post to come) because both of our cars were lost in pine dust. When the wind blows, it's almost like the dust storms at Edwards; all you see is a fog of pollen in the air making things less visible. I am hoping that it only lasts a week or two and then settles down because poor Christian has had runny eyes and ours are very irritated. I cannot complain too much though because we certainly enjoy the fruits of this crazy pollen...lots and lots of pine trees!

My attempt at capturing a picture of Steve's car covered in pollen. Great picture with the dumpster in the background :)