Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

We are thrilled that the Ronald McDonald House collection in Ramsey's honor was such a success! Our goal was 61 bags. We have enough for 70+ well-stocked bags. I can't say thank you enough to each of you that have helped to make this a success! We couldn't have done it without the help of friends, family, churches and businesses who supported the project. In addition to the products that were donated, we received enough in monetary donations to purchase custom tote bags! We also have enough money left to purchase a few items that we still need, and possibly some extra to go towards preparing a meal for the families at RMH on the day we deliver the bags. We hope to prepare the bags in April and deliver them in late April or early May. We're so excited to support over 70 families in Ramsey's honor!

My basement is packed with donations!

Ramsey displays some of the goodies!

Now, about the bags...you may remember the logo I created to raise CDH awareness and prayers for Ramsey. We used it on Facebook and even ordered cute buttons that our family, friends, and eventually the staff at Children's Hospital wore in honor of Ramsey.

We were (and still are) amazed at the immense support we received. As I planned this project, one thing I wanted was a way to allow other families to praise and honor their loved ones...to share their story, to request prayer, to seek consolation from other's who have walked in their shoes. That's when the idea for the tote bag graphics came along.  I modified the "Rooting for Ramsey" logo so it just says, "Rooting for _______". Each tote will include a marker so the family can fill in the blank with their child's name. I had tags made to attach to each bag that briefly explain why we wanted to honor Ramsey. They invite each recipient to visit our new Facebook page, Rooting for a Reason, to share their story. I hope the page might grow so each family can benefit from the support and prayers of others just like we did!

That Smile...

Tonight, I wanted to write to commemorate the day we brought Ramsey home, one year ago. I launched iPhoto only to realize that we brought him home one year ago....YESTERDAY.   I'm glad there were no fact-checkers around to criticize me for the last 60+ days as I promoted our Ronald McDonald Collection to end on the 12th, the day of his supposed discharge.

Maybe I did forget the exact date (I'll blame that on the exhaustion of a two month hospital stay), but I will never forget the joy, the fear and the anticipation of bringing Ramsey home. It was so exciting to see our sons together in the backseat for the first time. I still find myself grinning with joy when I catch a glimpse of them side by side in my rear-view mirror.

The smile on Reed's face as we drove home is one I will never forget...

And Ramsey, well...it took him a bit to settle into this place we call home...

 Until peacefully, he slept in his own crib, 366 days ago.

Firsts!

Ramsey had his first hair cut! He didn't like wearing the cape, but he handled it well! Honestly, he doesn't look much different in the before and after pics, but considering he had a 1" mullet since his ultrasound pics, I think it was long overdue. (Not to mention the comb-over)

Today, we are featuring our first child on our new Facebook page, Rooting for a Reason. Adison is a beautiful 8 year old with a heart of gold. Read more about her at Rooting for a Reason and be sure to offer her some encouraging words! While you're there, don't forget to "LIKE" our page.