8 Months~ 8 Years

July 25- 8 months & 8 years. ~ so normally these days are lil holidays in our family but this weekend half of us were sick so rather than an eventful day it was a chill, chill day. However my dad would have said the day matters not so in honor a few days late. Two fabulous people who brought joy, life and laughter wherever they went and possibly a bit of crazy- we love you for all that u taught us and what we are still learning from you. May we live- giving life, loving, laughing, singing loudly for all to hear ;), joy and crazy -for you each lived so well and your lives are still giving now! We love and miss you dearly!

The day after

So Micah's anniversary is always a special day for me but a bumpy one too. I think my expectations are still a lil unrealistic :) imagine that. And too I am learning over the years what works well for our young fam and trying to implement those tidbits each year.
This year was no different: some really special highlights and some bumps( mostly just a mommy meltdown- nothing big! ha) A side note to those who are experiencing hardship or a milestone such as we were... Simple is sweet. Think about what blesses and brings peace to your heart and your fam and implement just a few.

Some sweet highlights were a beautiful day, singing and praying together at the cemetery. Luke brought his guitar and we were able to sing some of our favorite songs from the memorial service,letting 6 orange balloons fly to the sky, giving the kids an Eddie, which they loved more than I though they would and that was a delight.
The reason they must all have another.... Mikelle! She LOVES these lil elephants and has been stealing everyone else's, thus creating her own herd. Every night she wants to sleep with lots and lots of Eddies :) Now everyone has ether own color and Kelz can't steal them!!
For those of you who don't know the History of Eddie. My friend Elizabeth gave Braeton an elephant when he was born. An Elephant that Micah confiscated! It became affectionately known as Eddie. On one of our hospital stays Eddie was accidentally taken to the laundromat- never to be seen again :( Then the Buchanan's purchased another elephant and when Micah came home from the hospital it was overjoyed I find Eddie in his toy box ( needless to say we jotted down the maker of our new found friend and promptly ordered a few!!). From then on Eddie went everywhere with Micah and has since been a treasure for us all!

Thanks so much for the many prayers, thoughts, notes via text and email, and beautiful orange flowers ( I wish I could bottle them and make them last the whole month :). It is so very meaningful!!

6 years with Jesus

It is hard to believe.... It amazes me how your lil life continues to give and ripple through us causing us to want to grow, remember and live life well.Grateful for you lil man.
     As I lay in bed last night my thoughts drifted to Eternity, it overwhelmed me on many levels. I can't imagine it, I just can't. I can not imagine each day with my Savior- the peace, the refreshment, joy, wonder,beauty, wellness, life unlimited- just to name a few :) My life is constrained by time and spent trying to make the most of the time I have or achieve much. Yet Eternity with Jesus is vastly different from the world I now live in, each day Though, I catch glimpse of that world here and now and Micah J sure has spread those footprints here for so many of us. Mikes, we long for the day when our faith we will be made sight...until then may we live well. Wuv You so much!!!

Super Bowl

So football season is coming to a close this very night. We are a divided house with teams but we have all come together tonight to support Braet and the Ravens!!!! Our celebration has been low key as we still have a sickie- Mom. But we have enjoyed some yummy food, watching the snow fall, playing with our squish, aka Owey, the kiddos and snuggling on the couch. Totally my kind of winter Sunday afternoon!
Braet, this is a note for you my boy. Tonight as we watch the game you have parked it on the floor with some cozy pillows. The girls are in bed and of course so is Owey man and I can't help but notice the absence of the lil bro who should be sitting next to you, joining in the fun. At times bud, it still seems surreal and I know your pain still comes in waves ( I'm sure it always will) we share it with you. We pray for you for we know the loss of your best friend can hit so hard, we still miss him too. Longing for the day when all will be made new. When your pain will be taken away and there will be one sweet reunion with Micah J and with your Savior! He lived- died and was raised- Conquering death and the grave, what a sweet victory to partake in. My his comfort always be near to your heart and the hope of heaven alive in your eyes as you live your life today full of purpose as you journey to that day. Love you so!

Our Mikey jackets!

July 25 ~ 5 years with Jesus

July 25th marked five years with Jesus. I find it good for my heart to say the words in such a way because it reminds me of where he is so that I don’t just focus on the reality that he isn't here with us, he is truly in Heaven with Jesus. It can be hard  at times to know the words to say or how to relate the story—such as I find it now. We’ve learned and grown so much, Micah’s life and death has shown us so very much. We feel more deeply than ever before and yet we still miss a lil chubby man incredibly. A tier is missing from Braet to CC and thus tears. At times I cant help but wonder what life would be like with him and what adventures the boys would be on and oh how Owey looks like his brother! It does make Heaven all the sweeter….I love orange– the number nine, M&M’s, Pepsi, “Cars” and more– things that would have never been dear create memory, depth, comfort and longing.

  Thanks for the prayers over the years, the bags of M&Ms and tic-tacs, the donations to fav places , the stories and so much more. They are truly special to us.

 Orange Balloons fly to Heaven

Thanks All for making the day a special one for us!

                                         Helen's Thanks for the pics

Happy Birthday Micah Man

April 28- 8 years old
A day in photos.

   The weekend was filled with emotion~ memories, tears, laughter, recounting, happiness, sadness and longing. We spent the day as a fam enjoying some of Micah's favorites, Krispy cream , McDonald's and pizza. It was rainy so most of our activities were food related =) But we were able to go to the cemetery which was good and hard all at the same time. Luke and Braeton lead us in songs, it was a sweet time that overwhelmed our hearts.
  Its hard to believe that he would have been 8. Sometime is seems like forever and other days just yesterday. The reality of death always hits hard-the finality of it can seem altogether unreal. There are still those occasional times I turn around expecting him to be a part of the bunch and this is what makes the promise of Heaven so very dear. Jesus has conquered death, hell and the grave and while Micah is absent from us here, he is very much alive and well in Heaven. I can only imagine what he is up to- the sights, the sounds, his family there, the Savior. What comfort and hope this brings to my heart. One day... oh what a day...


Pics in no particular order-- I think this Dinner first =)

Dessert Together

Gerber Daises- 8 of them =) THANKS MOM!

Watching Doughnuts!

The Girls!

Napping with Dadda- we were worn out!

A picture with my boys too!

Some of his fav foods, Pepsi, Coffee, M&M's , Chips and Candy!

A Gift from Mark & Jenny- oh this is a treasure for me! Our boy sure loved his chocolate! 

Our Boys B-day

Thanks for all the prayer and the notes. They are still much appreciated!!

The night before Mikes b-day my dear frind brought me Cars balloons and orange flowers =) too sweet. Luke was able to take off so we spent the whole day doing some of Mikes fav things. Krispy Kreme, Chuckie Cheese and Noodles. Of course we had to watch Cars and a few home videos. It was a great day together. Many wonderful times to reflect on God's kindness and the life he gave to our dear boy.

The following week was the annual walk for Hope in DC which we were able to attend with friends and fam- it was crazy with tons of people but awesome to see the tremdous support. How we long for the day when sickness and brain tumors with no longer be!

message from a friend!

Got a tear jerker of encouragment this afternoon...what a wonderful picture!

The other night when we went to the Brookeville Inn we stopped by the grave yard where Micah's body is buried, we left some orange carnations there. My tears flowed as I thought of this boy who brought so much joy into our world. And I thought, "Wow, he would be turning 6, learning to read & write and learning so much." But then my thoughts turned to the fact that he knows so closely the one who is the beginning and the end, the author of life and the things that he would be learning here are nothing compared to the knowledge that he attained being there. As you celebrate his birthday this week, my heart aches with you as you grieve but also rejoices with you as you are comforted by the knowledge that he is home.

Love you friend
Jerusha

Jan 16, 2006

Thanks friends! How can we ever thank you enough for your time, your care and your prayers! We will never tire of thanking you or trying to thank you for all you've done, and that's the reason for this post.

While the 16th of Jan may not be very significant for you, it is a day forever etched in our minds. It started out normal, what's that =) Dressed, breakfast and Daddy had a day off work, but Mikes wasn't well and Luke called our pediatrician (we'd been in constant contact trying to figure out what was up with our lil man), upon his recommendation we were off to Shady Grove for an CT scan. The CT revealed Mikes tumor.

It was that day that our lives forever changed. Our hearts raced, tears streamed, we were whisked away to Children's National. Our dear friend Solomon Campbell dropped his work and came to drive me to the hospital. Not only were we on the way but Luke's parents and my parents were to meet for lunch- they were on the way as well as our pastor, Joe Lee,who beat us there. What a comfort to our hearts~ our fam, pastor and friends-there to pray with ,cry with, sit with - just being with us in our time need.

Never under estimate just being there! In the midst of our suffering you were and still are a means of grace and comfort. Forever Grateful!!

Hope for Heaven our Home~ May we run well until we are carried home
~With Love & Gratitude

Thanks

For your prayers and the notes and emails from dear friends- the beautiful orange bouquet delivered to our hotel room- it all meant so very much and your prayers were answered. Sat the 25th was a day of grace anew. We started the day with choc milk and choc doughnuts. We watched home videos and the slide show the Lees made for us for Mikes memorial service. Then Luke led us in reading stories we loved to read to our dear boy and still love to read to the lil ones (I know Braet 7- but he's still my lil one!)- one of my favorites is from the Jesus Story Book Bible where Jesus clams the storm- (how many times does he calm the storm in me). And then we sang the favorite songs, prayed and cried. There were tears of sadness intermixed with tears of gladness. Sadness for the obvious reasons, we miss our Micah Man and our lives are forever changed- Gladness for our Micah is no longer in the anguish and pain that he knew many days of his little life, gladness that our lives our forever changed , and much gladness for our Saviour, Jesus Christ, that one day we will spend forever with our Saviour and with our boy; creating memories for eternity.

July 25- two years with Jesus

Tomorrow we leave for Vacation! And I must say this is one we've been looking forward to for a long time. Wanna know why?.....

Well first we have the opp to bless our kiddos by surprising them tomorrow morning with a trip to Hershey Park (I know - fun =) don't tell them!) and from there we will travel to a beach in Maine. I know as if that weren't reason enough to be jazzed about this trip- but it gets better. We will be spending this trip with our dear friends Katie & Adam, they're getting Married! And both Cianne and Braeton have the honor of being in their wedding (no only do we have the privilege of being quests- but we also get to shoot the wedding)! For those of you who don't know about Katie and Adam...

Katie worked as the Volunteer & Events Coordinator at Children's Hospital (she's now studying to be a nurse). She's one of those cheerleader types (but without the froo froo fuss =) bubbly, high energy and tons of heart. I still remember the day we meet Katie, we were "In House" at Children's (Mikes was being treated) and Katie had scheduled the Dogs to preform in the playroom for the kids. It was a great day and God had just blessed us with a great new friend. Katie came to visit us each and every day she worked (and since we were there ALOT, we spent much time together). She took Braet on coffee/tea dates, to lunch and he even pal'd around with her and the DC United boys. She brought gifts for B-days and Christmas, coloring books, play dough, finger paint. She was there for many surgeries, she even beat us to the recovery room for his second brain surgery. We didn't know where they had moved him but when we found him Katie was already there reading to him. I don't know if I can even describe the comfort and joy that brought as a mom, that Katie was there with him so that he wasn't so scared.

Then there was her boy, Adam. What can I say a match made in Heaven. The first time Mikes met him, he hid under the blanket until Adam offered him his cell phone to play with. You'd often see Adam toting a kid or our gear, he always just jumped right in. It didn't take long before he had won the kids hearts too.

Kaite's Artwork for Mikes hospital Rm

Katie & Mikes at the Redskins Game, SkyBox seats!
Adam, feeding CC at the Caps Game
Handing out the Crocs, so many of you donated at Children's

Mike's 3rd Birthday Party at the Shefs

Katie & CC running at the Race for Hope

So we're spending the week with our precious kiddos, at a gorgeous place, celebrating the marriage of dear friends and then there is one more highlight... Katie & Adam choose the day before Mikes went to be with Jesus as their wedding day and we are so honored. This coming weekend we will get to be with our lil ones (who are not so lil anymore) and dear friends as we celebrate and remember the life God gave Micah. And the life that he lives now free from pain and suffering where one day because of the cross of Christ and the forgiveness of our sin- we will join him forevermore. So while this 2 year marker will be mingled with sorrow and joy,we have Hope and we press on for that which is unseen.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

Thanks for the notes on the blog and the Care Pages, the calls, the emails. I have found them particularly comforting and encouraging. We'd also covet your prayers for this weekend for comfort and for joy. Our hope is that our hearts will be encouraged as we remember and full of joy as we anticipate. Thanks for your prayers !

Mikey's B-day

There were no posts on my lil mans b-day this year (April 28) but that didn't mean we didn't celebrate =) We sought to have a grand day, first is started with one of Micah's favs, doughnuts and chocolate milk (another fav breakfast for him was Kashi- I know can you believe it!- but we figured we'd go with doughnuts for Braet & CC this year). The day was filled with many ups and downs. I'm not really sure what I was anticipating, but I found that this years B-day celebration was much harder than last years. We wanted the time to be filled with memories of our boy, doing fun things that he loved and anticipating a time yet to come.

Yet one of the highlights was the end of the evening, each year we purchase the kiddos a small gift for Micah's B-day and this year we were able to do something extra special.... we gave them a bag with an orange doggie toy. That's right for their new doggie, we told the kids we would soon be purchasing them a puppy. We'd been contemplating this decision for a while, Mikes loved dogs, Brandon loves dogs and Braet & Cianne have been asking for one for quite sometime. Another reason this was so special was that it was from Micah- or rather Micah's college fund that his great grandma had started for him (Thanks so much, grandma!). Over the last year we used a portion of this money to buy a special blanket for Braeton (one with pics of him and Micah on it) and now we were able to use the remainder of Mikes fund to again bless the children in a way that we could not afford to have done.

So just a few weeks ago we welcomed the newest addition to the Davis fam, our Wheaten Terrier puppy, named Mator. From you guessed it Cars- Mikes all time fav movie!

Mikes, thanks for all the laughs, smiles, hugs, bravery, tears and love- you still inspire us! Your family longs to be with you again!