Join us for a New Christmas Tradition

Braeton & Dadda 2004

Christmas Traditions

Here at the Davis & Miller house, we have a few Christmas traditions that we've been enjoying this month of Dec....We get the tree and decorate the day after Thanksgiving, out comes the Christmas music (which Luke insists cannot be played before that day =). On family night we make a snowman cake and dress him with yummy candy, we watch fun Christmas movies, paint our own wrapping paper or gift bags (the kids always love giving gifts with the wrapping paper they have made), count down the days to Christmas with the Christmas Story calander. Oh and I must add that on Christmas morning all the stocking stuffers are wrapped in crazy ways so that the gifts are hard to figure out, we all have a competition to see who can get the most right (thanks mom for the endless hours of taping!). We hide the pickle ornament ( yes a pickle- don't tell me you haven't heard that before!) in the tree and whoever gets it receives an extra gift from mom. We sing, we read from the book of Luke, take turns opening gifts, its grand just being together.

It's great to have fun traditions, they bring us together and remind us of the ulitmate treasure we have in Christ. This year we will add a new one.

This year we will write notes and color pictures of special memories with our Micah Man. Things we did together, things he gave us, what he taught us... on Christmas Eve we'll pull down his stocking and take turns reminiscing, reading and remembering our little treasure and all God has given us through him.

We'd love to invite you to share in this time with us with us, if you have a special memory of our "Micah J" or a story of how he touched your life we'd love to hear from you and place your note in his stocking too. We anitcipate this being a very special time for our family, we'll post some stories to share with you too! Thanks!

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, Phil 1:3

Braet 2005


Mikes 2005

Mikes painting 2006

Nana & G paintin bags 2006

Dadda & B 2007

CC first time painting Christmas bags

Christmas Music

Just in case you are looking for some great Christmas music I like to suggest...

Savior: Celebrating the Mystery of God Become Man

click this link to check it out

"While not traditional Christmas tunes, these beautiful songs are full of the wonderful truths of the incarnation:
God has sent His greatest treasure Shown His love in greatest measure Sending Christ to bleed and suffer Purchasing our joy forever Let the earth rejoice! " Girl talk Blog

You can also listen to some of them online, click the link above to listen. Bob Kauflin, friend and pastor to us is one of the song writers and producers of this wonderful album. You may remember led us in worship at Micah's Memorial. Thanks Bob, for this wonderful cd.

Updates

Oh my, I have so many updates. Guess I haven't been a faithful blogger lately =)

Okay here's the first... My Daddy. He is going in for a small surgery today so your prayers would be greatly appreciated. The recovery time will be 2 weeks. Dad has been quite sick lately and been home most of the month. Last Thursday night he spent most of the night in ER due to another seizure (think they have determined that his seizure med was too low). Dad never complains! If you ask him how he is his answer is always "good", so when most hear he is sick, they had no idea!

And mom, well she has had a lingering cold to put it mildly, maybe she is fighting off the flu- who knows. What can I say, these 2 are troopers!!

A house, we have been looking all over Gaithersburg, Germantown, Damascus, Clarksburg and Montgomery Village for a home that would accommodate both fams at the right price. We have found one that seems like it would work well but doesn't really have much of a yard for the kids. We're still looking. We go to settlement for the sale of our home on Dec 20th and then the plan is to rent back until Jan 30th. It is kinda crazy thinking that it is only about 7 weeks away yet we know the Lord will provide for us and we are looking forward to seeing what he has in store.

Cameron & Brandon are gearing up for FINALS. C just recently got accepted into Maryland's Engineering program and will start there or at UMBC in the spring semester. B still has another year of community college.

Lastly I wanted to share some great pics of our time at Children's Hospital. Our field trip group went to Children's a few weeks ago and it was wonderful!! The kids got to see the new helicopter "Bear 1". This was so great! They also got to ride in the special elevators, chat with some of Mikes nurses (Megan & Pup), climb or should I say cram into an ambulance and our kiddos brought gifts for Doctor Bears Toy Closet for the children at the hospital. It was wonderful to be there. Children's has been such a special place to us and to have our friends there with us was such a joy! Moms, thanks for making that looong drive. Afterwards Katie took us on a tour of the new wing, which is gorgeous and amazing- its so Big! Private rooms are going to be wonderful for those families. The trip wouldn't be complete without a stop at Teddy's coffee shop (a friend of Mo & Wandi -these men started the Sovereign Grace church in Ethiopia). Teddy, like so many prays for our fam often. He dotes a pic of him and Micah at the stand.

Katie, thanks for making our field trip happen. We all really enjoyed it!

the Christmas Message

“The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity—hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory—because at the Father’s will Jesus Christ became poor and was born in a stable so that thirty years later he might hang on a cross. It is the most wonderful message that the world has ever heard, or will hear.” J.I Packer

House Under Contract

Hey Friends!
Thanks for all your prayers, our home is officially under contract! It's hard to believe.... We got a good offer and are supposed to go to settlement on Dec 20 and rent back. So we are currently looking for a home for all 8 of us . Pray for us! And please send us any home ideas you may have for us! Thanks!

Happy Thanksgiving

thanksgiving 2006


Hi Friends ,

There is constantly much buzz at the Davis & Miller household. On the house front not too much buzz, 7 clients have come to look at our home, we've lowered the price by 30,000 (ouch!). Thanks for asking us how it’s going and praying for us - it is so kind of you. There have been no offers yet, so for now we are just hanging tight. If you would continue to pray for direction we would really appreciate it.

The last few days have been hard for me and I also anticipate the coming week being hard as well. We've been missing our boy... sigh....yet even amidst our grief there is hope. Our expectations for one day meeting again are sure- we just don't know the date! Because of Christ's death and our trust in him as our Savior our hope is secure. So we grieve for our sweet boy because we miss him so. Yet we hope and we dream of Heaven. Our thoughts on Heaven are grander than ever before. Randy Alcorn is helping us to do this with his wonderfully written and biblically informed books – Heaven, In Light of Eternity, and his novels.

This past week I felt weary and weak. Yet God in his faithfulness is always there to meet us, no matter what state of emotion we find ourselves in. Sunday we had the privilege to hear from Jerry Bridges (who has written one of my favorite books Trusting God Even When Life Hurts). Mr. Bridges spoke of endurance and perseverance- also being a football fan he gave the illustration of punching the line---again and again, punching the line, not giving up. Then we prayed with friends (thanks!) Both were wonderful reminders and very encouraging for my heart.

The struggles aren't over, the sadness hasn't left, the trials can still be many but God is with us. He is not far off. Even though my understanding is limited and I may feel very weary. He is near, carrying us in the darkness, strengthening the weary, meeting us in our need.

For this is what the high and lofty One says - he who lives forever, whose name is holy: "I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite." Isaiah 57:15

And with Thanksgiving tomorrow, my heart is thankful for the cross of Christ. That brings me a hope and peace for today and tomorrow. Such sadness is buffeted to know it will only be for a time and that our dear boy is completely well this Thanksgiving, celebrating with some of the Pilgrims & Indians themselves =). Can you imagine? And we will be celebrating with our fam, my wonderful husband and precious children, our loved ones and friends. There is much to be thankful for and it begins with Christ.

Happy Thanksgiving! Much Love


FYI--- you can listen to Mr Bridges message for free at http://www.covlife.org/

lil Encouragement

"Almighty God, Who can give light that in the darkness shall make us glad, the life that in gloom shall make us joy, and the peace that amidst discord shall bring us quietness! Let us live this day in that light, that life, and that peace, so that we may gain the victory over those things that press us down, and over the flesh that so often encumbers us, and over the death that seemeth for a moment to win the victory. Thus we, being filled with inward peace, and light, and life, may walk all the days of this mortal life, doing our work as the business of our Father, glorifying it because it is Thy will, knowing that what Thou gives Thou givest in love. Bestow upon us the greatest and last blessing, that we, Being in Thy presence may be life unto Thee for evermore. These things do we ask in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen" (George Dawson, 1821-1876)