Grandpa Came To Town

It is always fun when the Grandparents come visit. My dad came this week for a few days to visit us, especially the boys. As soon as Grandpa Butikofer walked in the door, Mikey was attached to his side. He brought more jam (Raspberry/huckleberry) for Mike (it's his most favorite) and delicious butter cookies from Aunt Tari for Josh (an entire gallon bucket of them; that should last us a few days!). It's always a hit to poor Grandpa's self-esteem with comments from the boys like "Grandpa can't bowl, he is too old!". And when they made the WII "me", so Grandpa could play, it is totally bald and, shall we say, a little portly. But he puts up with them. . . and says he loves it! Now, I hope this doesn't scare the rest of their grandparents from coming to visit!

3 Months

Although it seems like an eternity to us, it has only been 3 months today that we lost Luke. We are, very much so, still struggling to do the day to day things. But I have found some things that have helped me and I thought I would share:

Books:
Teardrop Soup; When your Prayers Seem Unanswered; Understanding Death; The Gateway We Call Death; If God Loves Me, Why This?

Quotes:
"If ever there is a tomorrow when we're not together. . . There is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart. . . I'll always be with you."~Winnie the Pooh

The best way to have Heaven in your home, is to have someone from your home in Heaven.

“God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way.”

Tidbits:
Learn to look for joy in the moment. Learn to celebrate what you do have. Change the way you look at things.

Find the light that your loved one brought to your life. Find the music of your loved one and listen to it if only in your memory. Our loved ones laughed and giggled and sang. Find that memory, appreciate it, and honor it by the way you live.

We still have so far to go, but appreciate your love and prayers and thoughts!!!
We love you still and forever, our Luker boy!

The Cabinet

Here are some pictures of our latest project. Brian made me this cabinet for blankets and stuff in the T.V. room. As you can see it looks very similar to The Hutch. Although this was not as painful to paint as The Hutch, it was painful enough that I have vowed never to do it again. Or, at least, for a VERY long time! Enjoy the work of my brilliant husband!