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.

A Date at the Zoo with Dane...

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Last Friday, Dane and I enjoyed a beautiful morning at the zoo with friends. Then, a picnic lunch. Some pics from our day...

It's About Time!

We finally tackled our backyard this weekend. Well, a little bit. Matt was on call Friday night...slept a few hours Saturday...and is on call today and overnight, so in reality we only had a few hours to plant some hostas and monkey grass. I have all of the flowers for my containers, but I am cleaning the house today since the maid apparently quit while we were on vacation ;) so those will have to be done sometime later this week. The grass continues to get more lush, but we still struggle growing it here in South Carolina. The plan this week is to fence off 3/4 of our fenced yard for hard core fertilization and seeding. We'll see...

At least I can enjoy the hostas and monkey grass - two of my favorites! The boys had a great time helping dig holes and plant, and of course needed a stop to refuel during all of their hard work outside.

8 states and over 2,500 miles later...

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We are back in Greenville! Whew, what a trip! We finally had 10 days to spend as a family away from the hustle and bustle of work and school. Somehow we managed to have beautiful weather all 10 days with the exception of some rain on our drive from Greenville to St. Louis. The 10-hour overnight drive from G'ville to STL was again successful with both boys snoozing the entire way, and truly the entire trip they never complained about riding in the car...even the 4 hours to KC, then 3 additional to Des Moines...the snoozed again the 10 hours from STL back to G'ville!

We were blessed with fun, memorable moments with a lot of family and friends. The boys had a great time in St. Louis enjoying the Magic House, dinner out with friends, playing outside and hunting for Easter eggs with their cousin Bailey, and meeting our friend's brand new baby girl! We all enjoyed the time spent with Matt's family and the wonderful food they fixed for us! On our drive from St. Louis to Kansas City we stopped halfway in Columbia to have lunch with more of Matt's family...many who we had not seen since 2005! We had a great time catching up over lunch and the boys loved all the hugs and attention :) We got to see all of my side of the family in Kansas City and the boys loved playing with their cousins Lane and Tanner. It was such a treat to spend time with Uncle Travis and Aunt Melissa, and now we know they are expecting baby #2 in the fall :) I had a few moments to see some old girlfriends, and we even stopped by where I worked and Blake had all of his therapies from day one on the way out of town to Des Moines. My parents live in Des Moines and spoiled us with lots of good food, Easter baskets, an afternoon at the Science Center, a day at an indoor water park and playtime at the park! And - stop the presses - Matt and I enjoyed a night out ALONE for dinner and even an overnight stay at a hotel. That was a huge treat!

So, as you can see we had a fun-filled adventure! If it seems we were constantly on the go, well, we were. But, we wouldn't have it any other way as we miss our family and friends so very much during this 5-year stint in Greenville. Thanks to all of you for your hospitality and we hope you will travel our way soon! As for now, we will give the good ole Malibu Maxx a rest and enjoy springtime (a.k.a., pollen soaked atmosphere) in South Carolina and hope the heat and humidity will wait awhile to make its appearance...

Marching into Spring...

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March is a busy month for us! From watching A LOT of basketball to preparing for our spring break road trip, this month sure has flown by. I have taken some fun pictures along the way that feature the boys geared up for Mizzou basketball games, playtime in the bubbles and a celebration of their friend, Sullivan's, 2nd birthday! We sadly won't be able to be a part of Sullivan's birthday celebration since we will be traveling, so we decided to have a picnic dinner (inside thanks to the rain) and a moment to sing "Happy Birthday" and give her a gift. She and the boys had so much fun playing, eating brownies and exploring her gift...mainly the pink bucket! On a side note, the bubbles the boys are enjoying are from Gymboree. Completely overpriced, but so worth the extra money because these bubbles last forever and stick to everything making it even more fun to pop! You will notice them stuck to Blake's head. Anyway, just wanted to share a slideshow of some fun times and we will soon be sharing more following our road trip back home to St. Louis, Kansas City and Des Moines. Same trip I took last summer except Matt will be joining us and we will be doing it all in one week instead of two. It should be an adventure!

Movin' On Up

Yes, they are jumping on Dane's new toddler bed!

Blake's face when he first came in his room

to find a new big bed!

So proud of his new big boy bed! Amazing that it was
once a crib.

Enjoy some cuddling (actually wrestling) time on

big brother's new bed.


I am not sure why Matt and I chose a random Wednesday night to tackle this project, but we did it! Nothing like scrambling to wash new bedding, take apart and put together two beds and get everyone situated all on a school night! I can't even put into words Blake's reaction to his new full size bed. He was so excited that he was speechless. He kept climbing on and off of it eventually saying "Mommy, bed!" every time. Once the bedding was on and it was time for bed he got right in the middle - laid down - and pulled the covers up to his chin. And that was it! I actually had to wake him up this morning to get ready for school, and for those of you who know our family dynamic well, that is EXTREMELY unusual. Blake is an early riser who likes to run into our room and climb into bed with us...usually before our alarms have gone off.

Dane, on the other hand, seemed to have a bit of an adjustment to the new freedom of the toddler bed. He never made a peep, but was found sitting in his little pottery barn chair across his room awake when we went to check on him at 11:30pm. Once put back into bed he stayed put and slept well all night until I woke him (which isn't at all unusual for this 13-hour + sleeper!)

I also am having a little bit of a struggle adjusting to seeing my two little guys in their new beds. They have grown up so fast and it is a little difficult to see cribs taken apart, crib mattresses and bedding sold and them becoming more and more independent each day. And, no, that doesn't mean it is time for another one... :)