Easter and a BIG Prayer Request

Does he look like a totally different kid to you? He sure looks different to us!

Do you want a shirt like this for your little one? Check out my good friend, Bobbie's, site at http://www.stickymonkeydesigns.com/. Bobbie makes a variety of things, including waterproof labels, room decor, and custom t-shirts. I also have some of Bobbie's Sticky Monkeys (labels) and they are AWESOME!

"But Grampa, I want your hat and Mommy's sunglasses!"

Again, Bobbie's amazing work: http://www.stickymonkeydesigns.com/. If you don't see what you are looking for on the site, just e-mail Bobbie and she can create it!


"M" is for "Matthew"--how cute is that? http://www.stickymonkeydesigns.com/. Bobbie will ship anywhere!
A new favorite: melted M&Ms!


Waiting for Mass to begin--this kid is crazy funny!

This is truly the best pic we could get of all the kids after Easter Mass.

The men


The Ladies


I like this pic of the two of them. Daddy and his little princess...boy does she have him wrapped around her little finger!


Mommy and Daddy

We had a wonderful Easter...we enjoyed Easter egg hunts, dyeing eggs, making an Easter house, and had tons of fun with Gramma and Grampa. Emily was so excited for Mass because it was her first time singing with the children's choir--she did great!

It was wonderful celebrating Jesus' Resurrection. The meaning behind the Easter season becomes more and more clear as I get older. My faith has grown immensely in the past two years and I thank God for that. Some days seem so difficult that the only way I can get through them is by relying fully on God. As a control freak, giving up that control is extremely difficult...but I am trying. I'm not saying I am perfect in my faith...just ask Tommy. I am constantly questioning things and wondering why, but I am trying and that is the best that I can do. I am thankful that Jesus died for my sins so that I can enjoy eternal life with Him and Luke one day.

I had a very special thing happen during the celebration of Jesus' Resurrection: during Mass, I found myself holding the heart locket that my sister Katie gave me after Luke died. She had his name engraved on it and it is simply perfect, just like him. My mother has told me that she feels Luke every so often and I get upset because I don 't feel him. I think that my holding the locket was Luke saying "hi Mom"--he was with me. I needed that. I needed him.

As we get closer to Luke's Angel Day, I feel myself becoming a bit more tense, a bit more clouded, a lot more sad. I don't think I realized these feelings until this week, but they are there and they are intense. I try to put on a good face, but the reality is that I am still in mourning. I am still mourning what my two-year old would be doing right now, what his voice would sound like, what his favorite things would be. I am mourning what could have been, what should have been. Has "it" gotten easier? Yes. Has the hurt lessened? No. To say I am fearful of April 18th would be an understatement. I am terrified. I would rather skip April 18th for the rest of my life. But I know that Luke is safe and that he is healthy. He doesn't hurt and he is whole. I miss him, but I am certain that he is much better off where he is now.

I have a very important (and exciting) prayer request for you all: please remember Carter Oswalt and his family this evening. I wrote about Carter a few months ago and his fight against HLHS. We met Carter's family through our work with Luke's Tree. Carter has been at Vanderbilt in Nashville since December, waiting on a heart. Well, the amazing news is...CARTER'S HEART HAS ARRIVED! Carter's dad, Bo, announced the news on the CaringBridge site this afternoon. The transplant will happen this evening around 11 or midnight and prayers are that Carter's body accepts his new heart easily and that recovery is quick. It will be great to see this family together again, home in Mississippi. If you have a chance, please stop by Carter's site and leave them a quick note...I know they would appreciate your support. Here's the address: www.caringbridge.org/visit/carteroswalt. I can't mention Carter without mentioning the family who so selflessly gave their child's heart for Carter to have a new lease on life. What a wonderful gift to give to a stranger. Please pray for this family as they are in mourning for the life of their child. They are heroes!

Once again, thank you for all of your prayers and support. God bless you all!