Making Progress

It has been almost 6 weeks since fencing off 3/4 of our yard for intense seeding and fertilization. We have now seen the reward! Behind the plastic fencing in the picture is the freshly mowed grass that we have successfully grown. In front, though, is the newly fenced-off area where we start the process again. We have 4 weeks until we host the big ortho resident picnic, so we are hoping to see similar results. It has been tough to grow grass here, but after 2 years we are finally making progress...

Virus..Be Gone!

So, I am not at all a homebody. I HAD to get out of the house today regardless of how I felt. Let me back up...remember what I posted earlier about the boys being sick? Well, they were kind enough to share it with me, and let me tell you the virus was (and is) a doozy. I was off work AGAIN Wednesday and Thursday in what felt like an incapacitated state. I have no clue how my children got to and from school, although I was the one driving. I hurt all over, my skin hurt, my head hurt so bad that it radiated into my neck and upper back. My most comfortable position was supine with no pillow with a heating pad on my back and a bag of frozen peas on my forehead. The virus also included the variety of GI surprises. I still hurt today! And, as I write this my poor husband, who was on call last night when these same symptoms began for him, is upstairs asleep after leaving work early (which is a huge rarity!). I just hope and pray it doesn't last as many days as the boys and mine did since he is off until next Tuesday.

Since I had to get out of the house and Blake's last day of school was yesterday, I decided it was time for an adventure to the park to enjoy climbing, the slides and watching the diggers since some of the park is under construction. Then...after getting all sweaty we splashed through the fountains at Falls Park. Our first time this summer! It was a nice break from being confined to home, although I will definitely need to nap when they do...and under the influence of more Advil. Hopefully this virus will exit the Hollenbeck home soon. It has been almost 12 days for goodness sakes!

Pool Party!

Our first pool party happened today! Boo to Daddy being on call and missing it :( and Boo to the developer of our neighborhood who went bankrupt and left the lot for the pool sitting in foreclosure :( But, the silver lining is Wal-mart sells a great little pool for $10 that the boys absolutely love! They don't even care about not having a neighborhood pool and I truly believe life is what you make it and my children will appreciate bigger and better things in their future (that is, if a neighborhood pool or backyard pool counts for a bigger, better thing at that point in their lives). Plus, they can swim a bit...then jump on the swingset...then kick a ball...then drive their car around all contained in our fenced backyard. Who can beat that for toddlers with short attention spans?! Meanwhile, Mommy enjoyed lounging and reading a magazine :) and the lawn got watered when the pool was emptied. Anyway, we really enjoyed our day in the Carolina sun today and captured some cute pictures. Hope all of you had a great weekend!

Not The Best Week Ever...

This week has consisted of...

• Matt still on ER rotation which translates to departure at 4:30am and return home after 6:00pm. (saying that in hopes you all will appreciate his schedule as well as my single mommyhood since the boys are in bed around 7:45pm)
• Dane vomits on Mommy at 2:00am Monday night after Blake got up at midnight for no apparent reason. Dane sleeping in bed with Mommy = no sleep for Mommy. Dane's fever begins. *Matt sleeps in a different room since his day begins at 4:00am.
• Take Blake to school Tuesday morning only to turn around and pick him up at 9:00am with a fever. (Thanks to my wonderful husband for making me go to Mom's Night Out this night)
• Blake begins vomiting Wednesday around 1:00am. Sleeps with Mommy = no sleep for Mommy, and wakes up at 3:30am with more GI surprises.
• Blake & Dane both home from school Wednesday with high fevers, moaning and groaning. Both requesting to be held and pinning me to the couch for long periods of time. Dane's fever hits 103 degrees and full body rash appears at 6:00pm.
• No surprises Wednesday night and Mommy gets a full night of sleep :)
• Blake awakens today with no fever. Dane awakens with 101 fever and full body rash. Take Blake to school with fingers crossed. Take Dane to the pediatrician with diagnosis of Roseola.
• At the present time...Mommy has not showered since Tuesday morning, the house is a complete disaster other than sanitized bedding and clothing, I did not work one minute this week which means I did not earn one penny this week, and we have no food in the pantry or refrigerator (which is okay because no one is eating).
• In the near future...Mommy is looking forward to a Friday of catching up and the weekend. But, wait, Matt is on call this weekend. Maybe I should be looking forward to NEXT weekend.

Mom

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I just had the most amazing Mother's Day! Really, I think it was the entire weekend, not just one day. The best gift was Matt was off all weekend. Saturday, the whole family spent the morning on a run at Falls Park, then walking through and buying yummy fresh produce at the farmer's market, and persuing though the art fair. We were able to visit with friends and take in all of the sights that never seem to get old here in Greenville, especially the spring gardens. Mother's Day was full of wonderful moments including sleeping in!, breakfast by Matt, lunch by Matt that was enjoyed on a picnic at Legacy Park (yet another beautiful park in Greenville), dinner by Matt that included steaks on the grill!, and a very thoughtful gift from Matt and the boys. Not to mention the other lovely cards, gifts and handmade goodies from family and friends.

I also have to share something that allowed me to title this blog post, "Mom." The something that happened last week was something I have waiting 4 years for. I'm sure a lot of people take this for granted, but when it finally happened for me it took my breath away. Blake said "Mom" for the first time. The "M" sound has always been the hardest for him to say. He talks all of the time and now in phrases and sentences, but that "M" sound has always been a challenge. I have been called "Mi" for awhile (the ending syllable of Mommy). A game we play is to point to everyone in the family and say their name. When I got to me Blake said clear as a bell, "Mom." As you can guess I now ask him to say it ALL the time! It was truly magical and I told Matt there was nothing in the world I needed now for Mother's Day or any day. It was the best gift.

I am so unbelievably blessed to be a mom to two wonderful boys! What a treasure it was to celebrate my mom, all the moms I know and love, and to know how lucky I am to be called mom.

Green Thumb, Not Required

Moving to a different region in the United States is always an adjustment, and for the most part everything here in South Carolina is different than where we are from in the heart of America. There are parts of the new culture you don't really understand and some maybe you simply don't like. We have experienced very few of these feelings. Then, there are aspects you LOVE about the region you have moved to. The above photos reveal one of the things I love about living in the southeast. Everything GROWS and GROWS and GROWS! I planted similar pots in Kansas City and waited months for results like this, and usually it never happened. I planted all of these flowers 2 weeks ago. The sun and atmosphere must be magical here in Greenville. No special food, no special water and no special flower-growing dance. Just tap water and admiration.