Happy Mother's Day to all my friends and especially my mom. She is one in a million and one of my favorite people in the whole world!! I love you so,so much mom!!!

I love this picture of my mom and I (and Rod) right after I had Avarie.

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My nursery is final more like a nursery then a medical supply store!! :) A few days ago the last of our medical equipment for Ezra was picked up by respiratory care!! This was the last of it, we were happy to see it all go!! The O2 tanks, O2 machine, pulse ox, heart monitor - all gone!!

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My very sweet friend is hosting a contest to celebrate one year of blogging. Please visit  Charity

The contest is to write about your longest friend. I have been blessed with many friends over the years and am still in contact with some from high school and my best friend I met when I was pregnant with Alex over 16 years ago, but my looongest friend would be DANI!!! We met one summer at church camp. Now Dani correct me if I'm wrong, but I am thinking she was 9 years old and I was 10. After camp we would write to each other - she lived an hour away. We would make phone calls and continued our friendship over the years until our teens when we could drive to see each other. Sometimes months would go by, but we always picked up where we left off. We were at each other's weddings, our first born children (both boys) were born in the same month. She is still an important part of my life today and is always there if I need her.

Dani with Ezra at his first birthday party in Feb.

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We are so thankful for all the support!! Thank you so much for helping us more then double our goal!!!!

My kids at the walk. Avarie is in the background already starting!!

The back of our shirts

The front of our shirts - Ezra's footprints at birth

Our TeamEzra

My Jessie

Me, Rod and the kids

Avarie and Madi

Ezra giving Aunt Rachel hugs

My Dad (Thomas) and Ezra Thomas

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My oldest daughter Elle loves to "wear" Ezra. I am going to have a smaller sling made so my other girls can wear him too. They love it and so does Ezra!!

And Elle likes to share her MP3 player w/Ezra!!

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10 days until our Walk For Babies!!!! There is still time to sponser us! Please click the link below! We are so excited to participate in the Walk For Babies - March Of Dimes in honor of Ezra. Every single dollar counts - no donation too small! Thank you so much to those of you that have already spondered and supported us!! Your money will go to research that will help save babies like Ezra.

http://www.marchforbabies.org/TeamEzra

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Our mission is to provide donor breast milk to infants in need and to improve health care in developing countries.

Our global goals are to:

• Provide safe donor breast milk to infants orphaned by disease and poverty, including those affected by HIV/AIDS.
• Assist the development of community health care facilities in rural areas.
• Provide clean water, sanitation and education.
• Create employment and sustainable development opportunities. 

The International Breast Milk Project is the first organization in the world to provide donor breast milk from the United States to babies orphaned by disease and poverty. The first batch of donor milk arrived to the iThemba Lethu orphan home in April 2006 and contained the milk of one mom, Jill Youse. She then went on to develop the project into a successful non-profit organization with help of her brother Will Harlan. Since the first shipment, just a year ago, nearly 1000 moms have applied to donate to the Breast Milk Project and the organization is raising nearly thousands of dollars to improve the access to health care and nutrition for infants in impoverished areas. The organization has recently been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show, ABC World News and Time.com and several other leading publications. Visit our Newsworthy Section to see a full list.

This site was given to me by my SIL Lisa - lisasblessings who is also an RN, Lactation Consultant - amoung many other things. You can read more info on this by visiting her blog and the link above.

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Every year, as soon as it starts to get warm, Rod shaves his head. He thought it would be fun for the girls to play hairdresser and cut his hair before he shaved it all off! The girls had so much fun cutting Daddy's hair.

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We knew early on that something just wasnt right due to low hormone levels. We waited to announce our pregnancy until all of our family knew and the levels picked up. Sadly that never happened and yesterday afternoon I had a D&E done at Women & Babies Hospital.

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I got this idea from my sweet friend Kristine (aka MamaArcher ) and added a few others!

You take up a whole pew at church.

When you laugh and shake your head at so called "family-sized" products.

Cheaper by the Dozen is one of your favorite movies.

You buy milk 5 gallons at a time.

You need a minimum of 2 carts in the grocery store.

The children are lonely when there are only 4 of them home.

People ask "are they all yours?"

You leave half of the children home when you shop, and people still ask if they're all yours.

You own at least three sets of bunkbeds.

Your grocery budget resembles your house payment.

You just really wish people would not think they were clever for saying, "Don't you know what causes that?"  

When you see photos of castles and grand mansions, all you can think is how many bedrooms it has (YES!), and how much space all those other rooms provide for the kids to mess up (NO WAY!).

You discipline, change diapers and feed children in your dreams.

You gaze wistfully at the sporty minivan next to you at the stoplight and wish your family could fit into such an ecomony car.

You think they don't make crockpots large enough ~ you have to use two.

You buy the jumbo pack of everything, two at a time.

A dozen eggs is not enough to feed your family breakfast.

It takes you exactly 3.4 minutes to get to the name of the child who is actually in trouble.

You have more children than remote controls.

You often find yourself retorting, "If you think my hands are full, you should see my heart."

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For you SHEENA ~ Happy Friday!

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Finally, after how many children I get the first word!!! Ezra is saying Mama and I LOVE it!!! All the other children said Dada first, but Ezra has been happily chanting Mama, Mama all week.

And what would a post from me be without pictures!!! I really do take several pictures of my kids almost daily. Its so much fun!

Avarie feeding Ezra ~ What a good big sister!

All my children are budding artists! They love to sketch, paint, draw - you name it they love to try it. Here is a pic of Megan, Madi, Jessie and Avarie out on our deck painting.

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Pizza Hut Book It! Information:  Enrollment in this program is now being done online.  Please go to www.bookitprogram.com to register your family for the 2008-2009 program.  Orders can also be placed by calling 1-800-426-6548 (M-F 9:00 am – 4:00 pm CT). 

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If feels, looks and smells like SPRING outside!! I love it!!! The kids have been out all afternoon playing and soaking up the sun!! No coats, mittens or hats needed today! We hope this is just the start of many more warm and even warmer days to come!

Megan started her indoor field hockey clinic today. Its an 8 week class to learn the basics of field hockey. So far she loves it!!! Megan and her two sisters - Elle and Madi are also trying out for the girls basketball team at our co-op this month. If they like it practices start later this summer.

We are sooooooo excited to be soooooo close to our March Of Dimes goal and maybe even go above our set goal!!! There is still time to help us - just visit the link to the left of my page!!!

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Do you live near a Rita's? If so check out their link!! Free ice cream the 1st day of Spring!

http://www.ritasice.com/springCountdown.cfm

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Rod started working on our TeamEzra T-Shirts today for our walk the end of April. We are really excited about participating in the March Of Dimes Walk For Babies in honor of Ezra. I will have lots of pictures I'm sure!!! For more information please click the link to the left of my blog or the link below!

http://www.marchforbabies.org/TeamEzra

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