It's that time of year again

March for Babies, formally known as Walk America for March of Dimes, is just around the corner. I have been active in this walk for the past 6 years. I have been walking on the Marysville Middle School team and for the past 8 or so years we have been the number 1 school in Michigan, raising more money than any other school team. Our main goal, more than any other is to raise the much needed money that goes toward studying premature births. I can't even express to you how blessed I have been to deliver two healthy, full term babies. Many, many families are not so lucky. Some families face weeks in the hospital giving their premature babies a fighting chance at life. Other families face an even more difficult outcome.

This is the first year I have joined the rest of the world in raising money online. I would greatly appreciate any donation you can make to this wonderful cause. No really. Even $1.00 is appreciated greatly! Beware, if you live in the area I may start going door to door to collect donations!!!

http://www.marchforbabies.org/AmberHodgins


I told my friend Sarah that this year I would be making my donation and walking in memory of her daughter who was born at only 22 weeks. Please feel free to visit Sarah and Chris's (yes, I know two Sarah and Chris couples!) site to raise money for their walk at http://www.marchforbabies.org/InMemoryofEmerie
Sarah and Chris, you and Emerie are always in my thoughts!

Beat that

Ok, so I'm not very fast.
68 words

http://speedtest.10-fast-fingers.com">Speed test

Happy Easter

Easter Morning! Searching for the eggs was fun. Finding money in them was even better!

I do love that we live near both sides of the family. It makes holidays much easier and we get to celebrate with everyone. We spent the afternoon with the Hodgins side of the family and then went off to Grandma Rice's house for dinner with the VanDeven side. We won't talk about the way the night ended with both kids in meltdowns because of being so tired. Let's focus on how sweet they looked dressed up in their Sunday best!

The Family!

Painting Eggs

We had a great Easter weekend at our house. Even though it was cold outside, the sun was shining and the days were beautiful. Here are some pictures of the events.

The kids just loved painting eggs. Both had to be soaked in the tub afterwards because they had blue hands by the end! Don't worry, no children were harmed during the shooting of these photographs!!

The tongue is out. He must be working hard!!

TGIF

Never have these words rang so true.
This week I played the role of single mother and I didn't like it at all. Jason worked nights this week because he was covering for someone else. He went into work at 4pm and got out anywhere between 10pm and 2am depending on the night. So there I was left to get the kids ready in the morning, as always, but I was also the only one home with them after school, at dinner and for bedtime. By Tuesday morning I had the early signs of a virus with body aches, chills, sore throat and a runny nose. Feeling sick and not having someone to take the brunt of child raising responsibilities off my shoulders was incredibly hard. Kaleb had his share of meltdowns around bedtime this week and I know it was because he was missing his daddy. Emerson, God bless her, is an angel at bedtime and she goes to sleep for me with no problem. Unfortunately, this week she must have been feeling something too because she kept waking in the night. Lucky for me, one or two of those times happened when Jason was home and still awake in the living room so he was able to take care of her. I am just in desperate need of sleep. Why am I on the computer then? I should be up in my bed, sleeping! TGIF!

Ouch!

So I get a call yesterday at work from the daycare. I am told that Emerson fell and hit her head. There was no blood, but it looked pretty bad and ice was being applied. Emerson had been running across the room and being the star athlete that she is, she tripped over her foot, fell, and just so happen to hit the corner of the one cabinet in the room dead on.

Here is the end result. Don't worry. She's ok!

For good measure, here are a few of my little man!