The Kings and the "King"........................

So, Chad and I had a weekend away with some friends and went to Memphis. We purchased tickets for a Kings of Leon concert with some friends back in January before we knew I was pregnant. Then after we purchased the tickets we realized they were general admission tickets. Which translates into "I'm-too-old-for-that-mess". Which also translates into "Never-again-will-I-do-that-to-myself-unless-Elvis-comes-back-from-the-dead". We camped out for SEVEN hours to have the best seats. Which weren't really seats. It was standing on the concrete floor smashed against a bunch of drunk college kids.

But, I will also add, for the most part, we had a blast. The show was GREAT, and I got to listen to a new band who opened for Kings of Leon. The opening band was called Band of Horses and they totally rocked!!!!! But, Kings of Leon rocked-ed with the most-ed.

Let us in!!!

Lora and me camping out.

Lora got first row because she ran like she stole something. I had a rude girl butt in front of me and we made it to 3rd row, which was still pretty awesome. But, Lora and Jon caught 2 guitar picks, a drumstick, and a plastic shot glass that one of the band members was drinking some blue liquor out of. Me? I just caught a bad attitude with all the rude people around me. I was a very hated woman by the time we left the concert.

I should also mention that Lora and Jon live next door to one of the band member's grandparents AND know not only the grandparents, but his mother AND his aunt personally. Like, on a first name basis. Pretty cool!

Band of Horses. They all looked like they hadn't showered in a few weeks and one of the members looked like he was stoned on a lot more than happiness and alcohol......

Woot-woot! Kings of Leon has arrived!!!!

So we roamed around Beale Street after the concert looking for a decent restaurant to eat at, when we ran into this AWESOME bike. It had a DVD player jamming a video of B.B. King rocking out on his guitar. That, by far, was the coolest bike I have ever seen.

And of course, no trip to Memphis is complete unless a trip to Graceland is included..... My third trip and I still see something new every time I go. But, I won't bore you with all 100 pictures I took. Just the highlights.....

This is my FAVORITE room in the house!!!! It's just so cozy and colorful.

Forbidden staircase. Elvis is behind the blue curtain. I saw him wink at me.

Chad was interrupting my Elvis meditation.

My second favorite room in the house. When it comes time to buy new furniture, I am getting a replica made of this sectional in Elvis' Taking Care of Business room. Love, love, love it!

Lora and me.

Again.

Check out the lady behind Chad and me. She was getting irritated.

Lora's picture of me on the mirrored ceiling.

Good times, good times.

Praying for our children, grieving, and last but not least, my soapbox.

This topic has been on my mind for quite some time lately. Maybe it's because of the crazy world we are living in these days-- the same world that is getting crazier by the millisecond-- or maybe it's just my heart as a mother. Praying for my children is something I find an honor and privileged to do. But, as bad as it may sound, I find myself praying more fervently and with more passion for my children than I do anything else I pray for. I don't suppose that is a BAD thing necessarily, but other things that should require as much passion in my prayers just don't get it the way my children do in my praying. The older my children get, and the crazier this world becomes, I find praying for my children becomes more fervent and more heartfelt.

When Brennan asked Jesus into his heart last year, it was definitely God's hand in it. I had been praying for Brennan because he was asking so many questions and had such an open heart to God. Then when he would pray, it would just blow me away. His prayers were more adult-like than mine were. I have known since Brennan was little that God is going to do something major in his life. Brennan has a unique ability to talk to God and has a HUGE faith in all that he does. He also has a VERY tender heart. When I started praying for Brennan's salvation, God started using all these things one right after the other--- like a domino affect-- for things to fall perfectly into place. And things did fall perfectly into place.

I love praying for my children, but it can be a sort of frightening thing in the back of my mind. When I pray for Brennan and Ethan, I pray for God to use my children for His Glory and for His purpose. I also pray for my children to be used to advance His kingdom. Quite frankly, that could open up the doors to a whole realm of things. What if my children get sick-- deathly sick? What if they are taken from me (God forbid) at an early age? Because God can and WILL use situations such as sickness and death for His purpose. My biggest, most real fear in life is to lose my children. I cannot even begin to fathom burying a child. There is nothing that sends shivers up my spine and makes my heart ache like the mere thought of giving my child back to God before I leave this earth. But, parents lose children everyday. God uses situations like that to change hearts and change lives. It can happen. While my children are gifts from God for a short time on earth, they are not mine to decide what will become of their lives. My job is to raise them with the wisdom and the ability that God has given me, to honor God by raising them the way He wants me to, and to give Him all the glory and the honor through praying for my children and helping them make the right choices in life. But, on a side note, I also end my prayer for my children by asking God to give them LONG, HEALTHY lives and to keep them safe and protected. And I also pray for future spouses. I hope to leave a legacy that will continue for generations to come.

Which brings me to grieving...... In our "David" Bible study, we discussed the topic of grieving. It occurred to me that while God gives His children the grace and the strength to cope with a loss from day to day, I don't believe that God fully allows us to ever FULLY heal from a loss. I do believe He allows healing, but I don't believe that He fully heals. Not because He's some mean God that sits up there on his unchanging throne and watches us revel in our misery, but because He has a purpose for pain. As unfair as it may seem. As a child of God, where would we be without pain? Anyone from a recovering addict to someone who has been through the unthinkable-- like losing a child-- can never fully heal. It becomes all about placing your priorities in order. Will you turn to that bottle, or will get on your knees and pray? Will you close yourself in darkness and sleep for 3 days straight to forget why you are hurting, or will you step outside and continue to see the blessings that God is faithful to give?

I know people who hurt and have experienced a loss have some very bad days. I'm not saying that's wrong. It's okay to hurt and it's okay to cry. What's not okay is to blame God for the reason you are suffering for the rest of your life. Blaming God can be a process of grieving, but it's just a stepping stone in the entire process, as long as it's temporary. God sustains everything He ordains. In other words, He's going to get you through it as long as you trust His word and trust He will be faithful. It won't be easy, it won't be short-lived, but the more you can turn to Him in your hour of need, the more His glory is going to shine through. As Beth Moore says: God is not a "strong- whimmed" God, He is a strong- willed God. He doesn't do anything on a whim. Not even what has caused you pain. He has a plan and a purpose for EVERYTHING. But it's up to you as to how you accept it and deal with it.

Okay, now I am changing the subject. I suppose I should just start a new blog entry, but my fingers are already typing away. Let me just say that I am NOT proud to be an American today. I think it's disgusting and despicable that our Congress is willing to freeze the pay of our military because they can't agree on a budget. HEY GENIUSES???? I have an idea! Let's do a complete audit of our entire social system and freeze spending on these dishonest people who live on Medicaid and food stamps and drive away from the hospital and grocery stores in their Cadillac Escalades and carrying their Louis Vuitton purses and talking on their newest iPhones. Gee, that makes too much sense. I'm sick to death of all these liberals who continue to put their priorities in the wrong places. If the money is not there, how about we don't spend it????????????? And if we have to freeze anything, the soldiers who risk their lives everyday and who sacrifice everything they have should be the last people to get sucker-punched in the gut. Obama, you make me sick and so do all of your liberal peeps. I wish you, Pelosi, and Reid would take a long walk off of a very short pier. 2012 where are you????? And just for the record, I was anti-Obama BEFORE it was cool!--- (Thanks, Amber, for that. Love it. I want the t-shirt and the bumper sticker. Heck, I might even get it tattooed on my forehead.) He's a moron. Haley Barbour certainly isn't perfect, but he makes sense at this point in the game. Heck, even Donald Trump does, and that is sort of sad.......

I still haven't found the motivation to blog. I have also become quite the party- pooper. If I'm not in bed by 8:00, I am not a happy camper, and therefore I make everyone else around me miserable. I don't necessarily go to SLEEP at 8:00, I just want to be in bed with a good show on television or a good book, and my feet propped up. Which brings me to the subject of cleaning. I hate for my house to be dirty, yet I am too tired to clean 24/7, as is standard in a house with 2 boys (3 if you include my husband). So I have decided to hire a maid. And yes, I use I as in me, myself, and I. My husband balances the checkbook and has half-heartedly agreed to a maid. I have WHOLE- heartedly decided we ARE going to hire one. But then when it comes time to make the phone call, I chicken out. We could afford a reasonably priced maid once or twice a month, but I know better than to spend our money on something I can do myself. But, WOW, wouldn't it be nice to come home to a clean house once in awhile? I am ready and I am going to call TOMORROW. (Got that Chad?)

Chad and I went to the doctor Friday for our first official pregnancy visit. Things looked well. The measurements and sonogram measured me at 8 weeks and 4 days as of Friday. (I was 9 weeks yesterday). My due date is November 6. The baby had a good, strong heartbeat and had a heartbeat of 160. The lady doing the sonogram said a heart rate of over 150 CAN be indicative of a girl. Of course, she said not to run out and buy pink, but I had already lost Chad after she said a fast heartbeat could equal a girl. He wants a daddy's girl so bad! However, I do have a fibroid located somewhere in my uterus and I have cysts on my ovaries. The fibroid can increase chances of a miscarriage over the next couple of weeks until the baby implants and depending on WHERE the baby implants. I was a little shocked when she said the "m" word, and I am concerned in the back of my head, but the doctor told me because the baby had such a strong heartbeat that she felt very good about my pregnancy at this point. I am amazed at the technology between 7 years ago when I had Brennan and now. When I was first pregnant with Brennan, he looked like a peanut on the screen with a very small dot as the heartbeat. With this baby, it looked like a teddy bear. You could already see the arms and leg buds and make out the head.

Before I go pick up Brennan from art class I will leave you with the link to Brennan and Ethan's Spring pictures. We had them done last year and again this year with the live bunnies. Too cute! And she offers a package that is hard to beat for her Easter special.

http://jennifernicholson.smugmug.com/Children/brennanethatn/16474919_CCC7w#1239819953_tFH27

I have no title for this blog.....

First and foremost, I know I should not complain! I am "with child" so therefore I am beyond blessed. And I totally realize that. However, that doesn't mean that I feel normal nor do I even remember what normal feels like, even after a few days of not feeling so well. So, with that being said, if you don't want to hear me whine a little, read no more. But, I do want to record this in hopes of one day when I feel NORMAL again, I can look back at this and say, "Really? I don't remember feeling like that or acting that way"................

#1. This first trimester exhaustion is KILLING me. With the first child, when I felt tired, all I had to do was crawl in bed after a long day at work and do NOTHING for the next 12 hours. And while I have a great husband who helps out more than he probably cares to admit, I'm still a mom to 2 boys who require a lot of attention. Between baths, dinner, and bedtime, I'm overwhelmed in the evenings lately due to tiredness. I just want to crawl in bed before the sun goes down and stay there until further notice.

#2. I thought I was dodging the whole "morning" sickness thing, but alas, it has paid me a visit within the past couple of days and it's showing no mercy. I've managed to down one Ensure and about a can and a half of chicken noodle soup in the past 2 days. And I've also almost drank a 2 liter of Sprite in the past 24 hours. My coworker/friend, Elaine, told me about something called Sea-Bands that you can wear for nausea. Once I wore them right, they have totally helped, but still the thought of food makes me want to hurl one of the few noodles I have eaten.

#3. It's funny how a woman's stomach has a sort of memory as to how it stretches. I don't look so big in the mornings, but by the end of the day everyday, my stomach has a baby bump that is a little big considering I'm not that far along. My bump at the end of each day is equivalent to the bump I had when I was about 4 or 5 months along with Brennan.

#4. I am hell to live with these days. If I'm not yelling about how messy the house is, then I'm having a crying spell over being so tired and having "no one who cares how I feel". Okay, yes, I admit. I can be a drama queen. What female isn't? And yes, Chad is probably reading this and nodding his head in agreement. OKAY, Chad I admit it. But that doesn't mean I feel just fine and dandy. I'm tired, I'm grumpy, I'm sick, and I'm carrying YOUR child. Were you going to say something?

#5. I mustered enough energy to bathe AND wash my hair this morning. However, I could still only manage to halfway dry my hair before pulling it back in a ponytail. If for some reason I should venture out in public within the next few days, don't judge me.

#6. I can't wait for my nesting instincts to kick in in a few months. Everybody better watch out. This house is getting shed of anything that this pregnant chick deems "junk" (whether anyone agrees with me or not) and it is going to be a happy, jolly, CLEAN home. My family better be ready.

The Military Park and "learning" experience.....

I know, I know. It's been FOREVER since I blogged, but there has been so much going on and quite frankly, I have been in bed no later than 8:30 every night for the past week.

So, last week was Spring Break for the kids around these parts. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I had to work so we didn't have anything fun planned. On Thursday my friend Kelly and I decided to take our kids to eat and to the park just to get out of the house. Then we had this GENIUS idea to take them to the military park in Vicksburg on Friday. They were pretty much over it the first 10 minutes we were there. But, overall, we had a good time and the weather was beautiful. We had a picnic in the park and the kids wore themselves slap out. All in all it was a good day. Exhausting, but a good day.

Making our first trek up one of the first hills. One out of a THOUSAND. Towards the end, we just decided to drive on by all those hills......

Olivia, Allie, Brennan, and Sadie. Ethan would not cooperate for this picture. He hates the camera.

In case you can't read all of the back of his shirt, it says: WARNING: Adult Supervision Required.

Never has a truer statement been spoken.

Ethan and Brennan.

One of 5,000 trips back to the van.

Sadie and Allie.

Ethan and Sadie.

Brennan.

Brotherly love.

Kelly and Olivia and Allie.

Some of the sights.

Sadie was tired at this point. She was pouting at the bottom of the steps.

The U.S.S. Cairo---- very interesting.

Sadie must have been telling Brennan something very important from the look on her face..... I'm just not sure what she was saying.

Some pieces from the U.S.S. Cairo museum.

The cemetery of unknown soldiers.

They (ESPECIALLY my child) wanted Mrs. Kelly to read every word to EVERY sign. I think she summed it up this way: The north and the south fought and after the war everyone got along.

We broke the rules and probably the law. What sign? I didn't see the sign that said "Please fasten your seatbelts". I was just trying to keep the kids quiet without bashing my head against against the window in agony. Who cares if there were 5 kids piled up in the front of my van? I was so over it.

Again, we had fun, and I would really like to go back at some point and actually a learn a few things. I find the Civil War era to be one of the most fascinating parts about American history. I love reading and learning about things from that time period. However, there was NO learning anything other than patience on this particular day.

And moving on...... On a little side note, for the few that may not be on Facebook (but I think most are) Chad and I are expecting Miller baby #3. Yes, I know what causes that, and yes, I probably have lost part of my sanity. Chad is already talking about having a 4th. REALLY???!!!

In the midst of chaos, God still has a sense of humor....

Yes. I said it in the title........... In the midst of chaos, God still reminds us that He has a sense of humor. So, what's with those 2 pictures of our car and the broken light about you ask? Let me enlighten you to the BEGINNING of the story before I share the REST of the story.....

We've had "Goldie" for 9 years (almost). We purchased her (and no, I don't normally name my cars OR give them a gender, but for this blog entry's sake, I will) 4 months after our marriage. She was the champion of all of our married fights before and since. Chad has never spent a full night on the couch due to any fighting. However, the day this car was purchased, he spent the night on the couch and I cried because I had married such a mean man (okay, I'm over it, he's not really that mean anymore). Goldie was purchased in my immature, irresponsible, financially unsound days. I HATED Chad's T-Bird. I mean, the odometer had even quit working for crying out loud. Anyway, I will move on.... this has nothing to do with anything relating to the pictures....

So, a year after we purchased the car, I rear-ended someone in the ONLY collision I have ever been in. I ran into the back of a green Cadillac, and it caused so little damage that we didn't even call the police to report it. It just cracked the front right parking light and didn't even scuff the Caddy. So, for SEVEN, count 'em, SEVEN years I drove around with a cracked light that slowly kept cracking more with each bump I hit. We never had it repaired. However, when we got our van, Chad started driving the Camry as his main car (this was before his current job and company vehicle) so it drove him NUTS to drive around with a cracked headlight. By the way, I drove around SEVEN years with a cracked light. But Chad in all his O.C.D. ways, was determined to have the light replaced because he just couldn't STAND it!

LESS than a year ago, we paid over some serious cash to have the front light replaced. Then Chad cleaned the headlights and made Goldie look like she had when we drove her off the lot 9 years ago. Let me rephrase that............ when I drove Goldie off the lot 9 years ago. (By the way, Chad loves this car even more than I do, and I love her a lot which is why she has 225,000 miles on it and we treat her like I gave birth to her.) So, again, less than a year ago we paid some serious cash to replace the light.

Here is where God's sense of humor comes in....... Chad was craving a hamburger so decided to drive to Byram, 20 minutes down the road, for a burger. On his way home, a deer ran out in front of him. Chad slammed on the brakes, and lo and behold........... the deer caught the front right light of Goldie. Of all places. Of all things to have damage. The VERY light that I drove broken and falling apart for SEVEN years (did I mention that already?). The VERY light Chad spent money on to have replaced just a few months ago. Good money. Hard earned, cold cash. Now, I did put things into perspective. Chad wasn't hurt, there was no other body damage done, and Bambi's mom survived. After I sat and thought about it for awhile, Chad and I both had a good laugh. I really think somehow God is using this humorous situation in my life.........

Life for my family and even outside of my family's has been chaotic. Chaos has literally reigned for several weeks, and while I have been seeking God's purpose, and trying to hand it all to Him, I am still a high-strung individual. It seems like EVERYTHING and EVERYBODY around me is falling apart, and situations are occurring that have been devastating and stressful, yet God allowed Chad and I to see that in the midst of it all, God can still speak to us very AUDIBLY and show us that He has a sense of humor, and we should at least try to have one too. Because after all, God is still in control and eventually the end of the story is going to turn out just fine and everyone (who has a heart that belongs to God) will live happily ever after.

I am going to switch gears from my last few posts, and post what I stole from a friend off of Facebook. It is politically involved, but it is 100% truth. Supposedly this doctor that wrote this is from Jackson, but I'm not sure how truthful that is. Anyway, here it is:

Dear Mr. President :

During my shift in the Emergency Room last night, I had the pleasure of evaluating a patient whose smile revealed an expensive
shiny gold tooth, whose body was adorned with a wide assortment of elaborate and costly tattoos, who wore a very expensive
brand of tennis shoes and who chatted on a new cellular telephone equipped with a popular R&B ringtone . While glancing over her
patient chart, I happened to notice that her payer status was listed as "Medicaid"! During my examination of her, the patient informed
me that she smokes more than one costly pack of cigarettes every day and somehow still has money to buy pretzels and beer .
And, you and our Congress expect me to pay for this woman's health care? I contend that our nation's "health care crisis" is not the
result of a shortage of quality hospitals, doctors or nurses. Rather, it is the result of a "crisis of culture", a culture in which it is perfectly
acceptable to spend money on luxuries and vices while refusing to take care of one's self or , heaven forbid , purchase health insurance.
It is a culture based in the irresponsible credo that "I can do whatever I want to because someone else will always take care of me" .
Once you fix this "culture crisis" that rewards irresponsibility and dependency, you'll be amazed at how quickly our nation's health care
difficulties will disappear .

Respectfully,
STARNER JONES, MD