From the Heart

Preface: I wrote this post a few days ago while having a down moment and debated if I should post it. I'm not looking for sympathy or trying to bash anyone who loves living in Searcy. It is just like I said "from the heart".

If you know me well, you know I'm slow to warm..always have been. Well, I'm still on the cold side of warming to Searcy. I won't even get a new driver's license or car tags because then it really means I am here to stay. I am in a state of resistance.

I knew that moving away from Knoxville was going to be difficult. I knew that leaving deep solid loving friends was going to break my heart. I knew that I would miss seeing the mountains as I drove down Ebenezer Road on the way to our house. I knew that Target would not be a daily excursion anymore. I knew that Laura would miss her friends. I knew that looking for a new church would be overwhelming and that I'd tear up sometimes during church on Sunday missing our former church home. I knew that loneliness would be a part of my life for awhile.

So you can picture how I might be feeling lately or how lucky my sweet husband must feel to be living with me.

I have lost sight that God has a plan for my family....a plan much bigger than I can fathom or understand. So as I experience a vast array of emotions as one does when they experience a move, I am focusing on the following scripture:

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Arrived & 3 Months

After two days of traveling at the speed of 55 mph, we arrived in Searcy on Sunday night at 9:30 p.m. Jim's blog has the details if you interested. It was a whirlwind chaotic move, but we are now in our new home in Searcy. For not seeing it with my own eyes before we bought it, I like it. It does need some cosmetic changes like painting, removing wallpaper and replacing knobs and fixtures. But, that will come over time. Right now, we are working on making it livable. (This picture was taken back in the spring.)

Grant turned three months yesterday. He is now smiling tons, cooing, and laughing. He probably weighs around 15 lbs. He is NOT sleeping thru the night, so I'm so looking forward to him reaching that milestone by maybe 4 months!!

Laura is doing pretty good with the adjustment. She has made a few comments on how she misses Mackenzie and others or she wants to go back home. But, overall, she is being a trooper. We will be adjusting for awhile. I can't even read my Knoxville friends blogs without tearing up.

I'll post pictures of our new house once it looks presentable.

Pictures and Packing

We recently got new family pictures taken. I was happy with the turnout despite a not so good afternoon for Grant. We got one "smiley" picture from him. He usually is such a happy baby, but he was wanting to be in his bed snoozing rather than being posed for pictures.

Here is the website if you want to take a look: http://www.joscelynhawardphotography.com/Miller/

Packing is coming along pretty well. I had a productive day today, thanks to lots of episodes of Backyardigans for Laura. She asked the other day how we were going to pack the potty to bring with us to Searcy!

If you take a look at Jim's blog, I can mimic his emotions about moving. As you know, this is a hard move for us. We came here three summers ago not knowing anyone and now we leave with such rich friendships. Living in Knoxville has been a life-changing experience for me and I leave here with a wider perspective on many many things. I'm so thankful for the growth, but wow it hurts to leave!!

Lasts

I'm feeling the weight of the move on me this afternoon. This next week is my last full week in Knoxville. I am looking at my calendar and realizing there are a lot of "lasts" heading our way. Laura's last ballet class, her last sleepover with her good school buddy Haley, the last time we'll go to Dollywood with the Watson's, the last time I eat lunch with Sara and Allison with our babies who are 5 weeks apart, the last time Laura and Mackenzie will run the church halls together, and the list continues. My house isn't "homey" anymore with all the decor and wall hangings down. My heart is heavy.

On a much much happier note, Laura has her first ballet recital tomorrow morning. We went to her dress rehearsal this afternoon and she was adorable. She did great in her performance and of course had lots of personality in her dance moves! Here is a small photo sampling. There will be more to come after the show!

News on the Homefront

HOUSE:

We are set to close on our house April 30th. I am amazed and overwhelmed that the selling of our house has happened so quickly and smoothly. We are so thankful that God took care of this huge detail in our life! Most of the time, I'm in complete denial that in 10 weeks we will leave Knoxville and head back to Searcy. Our time here has been so rich in friendships, growth, and blessings.

LAURA & GRANT:

Laura is still being a great big sister. The newness has worn off a bit, so she does not smother him as much anymore. She is always willing to help me and looks forward to seeing him in the morning! Grant now weighs in at 9 lb 2 oz. We are grateful that he surpassed his birth weight. I've realized how different it is already to have a boy from carefully changing diapers to avoid a shower to his bowels. That boy already poops and toots way more than Laura ever did!

JIM:

Jim was out of town last night in Savannah, Georgia, to present a paper. We missed him while he was gone and are very glad he is back. Thanks to Jim's folks for helping me on the homefront! Jim has a lot on his plate with finishing up his dissertation, so I imagine he'll be spending more time in his basement office next week.

Easter Sunday

Life at the Miller house is no longer the same. The addition of Grant has been wonderful and we are enjoying getting to know our boy! He is doing what newborns do...eat, sleep, poop, and cry. We are of course adjusting to all of that!

Laura has been the best big sister. She is very helpful and right now she is getting some good entertaining from Meme and Don-Don. They took her to see "Horton Hears a Who" and to the mall on Friday. Yesterday, she went to McDonald's to enjoy a Happy Meal and ice cream.

We had a good Easter filled with a yummy ham lunch, baskets, and an egg hunt. Laura loved all of it and Grant was along for the ride.

Other big news that happened this week was that we do have a contract on our house. We finalized that on Saturday with the realtor. We are scheduled to close at the end of April and we will rent from the buyers till June 15th. Of course this is all pending inspection which will take place in a couple of weeks.

As you can see our plates are filled with a newborn, house, transitions, adjustments for all of us. We welcome your prayers!!

Enjoy the pics.

A Full Week

We are one day away from our baby entering our lives. We are excited and anxious all at the same time. I am sure Jim will update his blog sometime on Monday to share our news. My parents are coming in tonight, and Jim's folks come in tomorrow. It is here!!

This week Laura and I made bird's nest cookies. It is a cute Easter cookie and quite tasty. I had forgotten that Laura doesn't really like to have messy hands, so I pretty much shaped the cookies and she added the M & M's. And then she didn't really even like them. She is extremely particular about her sweets! Regardless, it was fun.

Among all of our last-minute preparations for the baby's arrival, we've been in the midst of showing our house to a potential buyer. They came back this morning for a second look and decided to make an offer tomorrow. And yes, we do go into the hospital on Monday morning for a c-section.

The last thing we expected the week before my delivery was to be selling our house. A tip came from April about a couple looking to buy in our neighborhood, so we hopped on it even though we haven't put our house on the market yet. It would be a HUGE blessing if it all worked out now, and if we didn't have to stress about selling the house after the baby is born. We probably still won't move until June, and this actually will work out fine with the potential buyer. At this point, we just have to wait and see what happens.

We ask for your prayers as we welcome baby boy or girl on Monday morning. Specifically, we're praying that the c-section will go smoothly, the baby is healthy, and our transition is easy.