Fall, Football, and Family

I am not a cold-weather person. I grew up in Florida, we wore sweaters when it was 70 degrees outside. I have a hard time thinking when the temperature starts to drop. Erik doesn't bother conversing with me when we walk out to our cars on a chilly morning, I don't respond. To put it bluntly, I HATE the winter. But I absolutely love the fall! I love anything and everything pumpkin. I love the fall foliage and hot apple cider. I love cute leggings, sweaters, and boots. So during this time of the year I am happy as can be.

Every fall we go to the pumpkin patch. We wanted to go to Denver Down's this year but our jobs kept us too busy and we missed out. Luckily we went up to Nashville, TN a few weeks ago and went to Gentry Farm with the Florez Family. The babies were so sweet together. We were so excited to spend time with our amazing friends.

In other news, we decided to get Harper a swing set for Harper's first birthday. We actually purchased it months ago. It sat in the garage and collected dust. I insisted that Erik put it together before Harper's birthday party. So we recruited my dad to help. Don't be fooled...this swing set was quite the man project. It came in hundreds of pieces. Luckily I have two highly skilled men that were willing to help out and put this bad boy together. 

Harper loves it. He laughs and giggles every time we swing him. And it was a hit at the birthday party. Definitely a good purchase.

What are your plans for the weekend? We are preparing for the big game... USC vs. Arkansas. It should be a good one. I am pretty devastated that Marcus Lattimore is out for the season but I was impressed with Brandon Wilds game last week. He stepped it up! So my fingers are crossed. We gotta have faith in our Gamecocks. So far this has been a great football season for me! The Bills are looking really good and USC has had a fantastic season. Who are you cheering for? Any other NFL fans out there?

How cute is this Southern Tide Nautical Stripe polo? It is perfect for tailgate. And it comes in BILLS colors! They have it in several different color choices. If you an Auburn or Vandy fan, they have the PERFECT one for you. Check them out here!

I went to the USC vs. Navy game a few months ago. It was a blast and we WON! We went with the Elmores, my dad, and Cissy. It made me miss college and the student section.

Have a wonderful weekend! I am on a blogging roll so hopefully I will keep it up and post tomorrow. :)

U-S-C Go Cocks!

Gamecock sports are on the rise. When I was in school we struggled a bit. But now we are two-time National Champs!! Thank goodness for the USC baseball team. 

I am VERY ready for football season. We had a great recruitment class. I am can't wait to see Marcus Lattimore school his opponents once again. Alshon Jeffery is the best receiver in the SEC. And Jadeveon Clowney looks like a beast. He has so much potential, I am excited to see how he performs.

Today the Southeastern Conference office announced nine University of South Carolina football players were named to the 2001 Coaches Preseason All-SEC teams.  Running back Marcus Lattimore, junior wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, junior defensive end Devin Taylor and junior defensive back Stephon Gilmore earned first-team recognition. Second-team selections include South Carolina senior quarterback Stephen Garcia, senior offensive lineman Rokevious Watkins and senior defensive end Melvin Ingram. Gamecock senior offensive lineman Kyle Nunn and senior defensive tackle Travian Robertson were named to the third team unit.

Sweet Mimi bought Harper the cutest tailgate outfit. We can't wait to take him to his first Carolina game.

Are you looking forward to football season? What team do you pull for? 

Where did the month go!?

Harper is one month old! I can't believe it. I feel like the whole month is kind of a blur. Partially because of sleep deprivation and partially because the time went by so fast. I am happy to say he is doing fantastic.

He is growing and I would guess is over 8 pounds now (he gets weighed on Monday.) This past Monday he was 7 pounds and 11 ounces. He gained 11 ounces in one week!! My child can EAT!! The doctor said the "normal" amount of time a baby nurses per feeding is 12-15 minutes. Harper prefers 30 minutes and sometimes he still downs 2 ounces of formula an hour after. It is really impressive. Just like his daddy, he can eat and eat and still stays slim and trim. Glad daddy passed him those genes! Normally babies get back to their birthweight when they turn two weeks old. Then they typically gain one ounce per day. Well Harper was underweight that first checkup and unfortunately even with his tremendous amount of growth this past week, he is still considered about an ounce underweight. So I have to feed him often. I really hope by Monday he is where he needs to be!

I am still sticking in there with the breast feeding. It is not getting any easier but I have convinced myself that it will soon! I hope that time comes and much needed rest comes with it. I think Harper would actually sleep a good bit through the night but right now I am waking him up during the wee hours of the morning for his feedings. I really have no idea how long he will stay asleep on his own.  Four hours would be FABULOUS!

Baby battle of the week- My husband and I are trying to determine when Harper should sleep in his nursery in the crib. Right now he sleeps in the Snuggle Nest in between us in bed. Sweet Auntie Caroline got Harper the Snuggle Nest and he LOVES it! I love it because it makes it easy to feed him throughout the night, I honestly can't imagine having to get out of bed every few hours to go feed him in the nursery. And I like knowing he is right next to me so I know he is safe and breathing well throughout the evening. Not to mention, he holds my hand when we sleep and I think it is the sweetest thing ever! But my husband has been told by several people that the baby should make the transition to the crib as soon as possible. What do you all think? Any good mommy advice would be appreciated!

He sticks one arm out so we can hold hands. Love him!! 

Last week was a great week, CAROLINA BEAT ALABAMA. We looked amazing. I think I was actually in shock for the first few hours after the game but when it sank in I was thrilled.

This week... not so much. We lost to Kentucky in true "Gamecocks blow it in the last quarter" fashion. It was miserable and I think Spurrier made a horrible call when he decided to try to go for a touchdown at the end of the game. Personally, I would have gone for the field goal. Spencer would have had that, no problem. Then you tie it up and win in OT. Today was a sad day for gamecock fans!!

Well I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I am off to... you guessed it, feed the baby! :)

How About Them Cocks?

I had another exciting event take place on my birthday, the College World Series. I am actually a huge baseball fan. I played ball my entire life and it is one of my biggest passions. I admit, sometimes when I watch baseball and my favorite team is playing, I get a little too into the game. I chuck peanuts at the television. I yell at the screen and sometimes at the players (as though they can hear me.) And I often make comments to the umpires when they make bad calls. I am the one in the bar clapping and screaming, "Good eye, way to watch it!" But I can't help it. I love baseball! 

I think I am about 9 years old here.

With that being said, I have two favorite teams. One in the SEC and one in the MLB. I am a diehard Gamecocks fan. I went to the University of South Carolina and actually starting cheering for the Gamecocks when I was in middle school and attended the Lady Gamecocks softball camps. My two best friends and teammates, Megan and Lauren, were huge Cocks fans. So their love for the Gamecocks started rubbing off on me back then. And I am actually a Florida Marlins fan. I lived is South Florida for 15 years. The 1993  Florida Marlins season was the inaugural year for the team and I have been a fan ever since. I even had a "Billy the Marlin" birthday party at a Florida Marlins baseball game at Joe Robbie Stadium when I turned 10! 

As long as I have been a South Carolina baseball fan, they have always had a great team. South Carolina owns the longest current streak of NCAA Regional appearances among the 12 SEC schools with 11 straight trips to the tournament dating back to the 2000 season. In that span, Carolina has eight NCAA Super Regional appearances (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010). The program's 11-year total record of 522-217 is the fourth highest win total among NCAA Division I schools.

And this year they had another remarkable season. They beat Coastal Carolina in the NCAA super regional series in order to advance to Omaha for the College World Series. 

The Gamecocks started off with a tough loss at their CWS opener against Oklahoma. But they managed to win six straight games after their first loss, including one game where they were down to their last strike. Talk about shot nerves. South Carolina closed out the final College World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium with its first National baseball title with a 2-1 victory over UCLA in 11 innings! It was such a great game, a little nerve-wracking and scary at times but it was a blast to watch! I am so proud to be a Gamecock!!! Congrats boys. You all did an amazing job. It was a great way to start off my birthday. Man, I had one heck of a birthday now that I think about it! 

Just announced-South Carolina head baseball coach Ray Tanner has earned National Coach of the Year honors from Collegiate Baseball!  This past season, Tanner reached a career milestone, he recorded his 1,000th career victory!! Congrats Coach, well deserved!