Black Friday

Yesterday we had a great Thanksgiving day. We spent the day at my dad's parents house. We ate lunch there and then went to David & Susan's house for dinner. I was so full last night when I finally got in bed.

Today is Black Friday. I got up at 3:45 am and met my mom, sister, aunt Carla, cousin Meagan, & her friend Amber at Walmart at 4:45. It has been a few years since we went to Walmart first. However they had some great deals and I wanted to get them. So I was scoping out the $20 500 thread count sheets. I found them and stood off to the side. The rule is that you have to wait until 5:00 to put the items in your shopping cart but you can stand with your hands on the items ready to grab. Some women had the stacks of about 10 packs of sheets. Come on people let some other people get them too. Well I was just standing off to the side hoping to get one. However I was not going to get in there and take an elbow (or give one for that matter). So the lady says okay you can get them. You should have been there. There were grown women flinging sheets and yelling. Carla, Meagan, Amber, and myself were laughing hysterically at these women. You would think that they were giving away a million dollars. It was like something you see on a movie. HILARIOUS!!! The Walmart lady is like "Ladies, please you are going to get hurt!" I laughed so hard. Carla tried to video it on her phone to show her husband but it didn't take. I would love to have you-tubed it. Oh that was so worth getting up to watch. Needless to say I didn't get any sheets for $20. Oh well I wasn't going to act like an (dare I say) idiot for sheets. Anyway, I did get some great deals and I am almost through with my shopping. I can't wait to get my tree and wrap all the presents! I am so excited that it is finally the Christmas season!!!! YIPPEEEE!!!

Hannah keeps saying that Santa is going to bring her broccoli. She thinks that this is the funniest thing anyone has ever said and laughs at herself when she says it. I will have to admit that it is really cute! She doesn't get Christmas yet but I can't wait to see her face on Christmas morning. I am filled with excitement just thinking about it!

Well I am exhausted and my legs are killing me from walking all day. So I am going to cook dinner, give Hannah a bath, lay on the couch, & watch TV for the rest of the night. Tomorrow is the big game & I can't wait to see the outcome. I am hoping we get the 7th win but we will see. I would love to ruin Alabama's season right here at the end. (sorry AL fans!) We will definitely have to show up to play if we are going to beat them. If we don't show up, it will NOT be pretty. I will wear my Orange & Blue no matter what the outcome. WAR EAGLE!

Blessings

My life is filled with so many blessings. I try my best to thank God everyday for these blessings. However sometimes I don't take the time to think of all that I have to be thankful for. I sometimes forget the little things. I am thankful for so many things and I think it is good to "count your blessings" (as the song says). I am not going to list everything I could be thankful for but I will list a few. (This post is probably going to be a long one so I understand if you don't stick with it to the end LOL!)

I am thankful for...

* My family. My parents raised me in a loving Christian home. We weren't rich but we always had what we needed. I have a wonderful sister, Amy. We are close and talk almost everyday. Most days she is my sanity. I get to talk to an adult while Josh is at work. She is always there for me and I hope she knows I appreciate her and her family. I don't get to talk to my brothers, Adam & Kyle everyday but we always enjoy getting to see both of them & Jan (sister-in-law) & Clay (nephew). I also enjoy getting to see Ginger and miss her being with us all the time, especially around the holidays. However, I am thankful that I had the chance to meet her and get to know her before her accident. She is a beautiful person and I love her bunches.

* My in-laws. (yes, they are my family too) I hear stories about some people's in-laws and I sit back and smile. I don't have those problems. They have welcomed me in as one of their own. No one speaks to me as if I don't belong they just act like I have always been there.

* My friends. I could tell you a million things about my best friend, Brandi. I won't for both of our sakes but I have always cherished my friendship with her. We were basically attached at the hip through our high school years. Then we were room mates at college. She got married and moved away but we are still close. I don't get to talk to her as often as I would like (and when we do we are usually interrupted a million times by Hannah & Micah) but I know she is there. Jessica, Stacey, & Michelle were my college room mates (after Brandi) and I love each of them. We also don't get to talk much but I am thankful for the memories and the times we do get to talk. The Sensational Six (Kim, Rachel, Emily, Pam, Jennifer, & Amber) are the greatest friends. These are the people that I do get to spend my time with. We are always having girl's nights and I love these girls so much. They are the best. I haven't named everyone I should but I am still thankful for each of you!

* Josh. I don't even know where to begin to tell you why I am thankful for Josh. I will just say that he is the true definition of what a Christian husband should be. He puts God first. He always puts Hannah & I before himself. He works so hard so I can stay home. Then he comes home from work and plays with Hannah. He is my rock, my shoulder to cry on, everything. I couldn't live this life without him and hope I never have to.

* Hannah. I just smiled as I typed her name. She brings me so much joy. At times she makes me want to pull my hair out - like all 2 year old kids but I love her so much. I am thankful she has so much energy or life would be boring. I am thankful she is healthy and has had no major problems. I love it when she tells me she loves me & gives me a kiss. She is the sweetest little girl. I am so thankful she is here in my life.

* Health - speaks for itself.

* The love of God. Without God's love and mercy, where would we be? We would all be living a hopeless life, but because of Him we can lead the most rewarding life there is. We can be Christians, follow His will and live with Him one day.

* Heaven. I am thankful that I already have a child there and will hopefully take the rest of my family and many others with me.

* Trials of life. This one may sound a little weird. I do not welcome bad things to happen but when they do it does make me stronger.

* My home. I love our house. It is small, things are crammed places that sometimes drives me crazy but it is ours. It keeps us sheltered from the rain, cold, & heat. We are blessed to have such wonderful things.

* My country. Yes, Barack Obama is president and that depresses most of us who have sense. However our country is still the best and will hopefully stay that way.

I could go on & on but I will stop there and make the rest of my list for myself. I encourage you to sit and count your blessings. It will make your day better and you will realize how much God has blessed you. I found this poem that I liked. Praising God for His blessings should be an everyday thing not just once a year.

Thanksgiving Every Day


The table is brimming with good things to eat;
We're surrounded by family and friends; what a treat.
The feelings that fill us today can’t be beat;
It’s Thanksgiving Day, and it all feels complete.


But other days, sometimes things don’t seem so fine;
Those days are not polished and don’t seem to shine.
It's then in our minds, we forget all the good,
And think of the things we would get, if we could.


On days when our thinking causes us dread,
If we could remember, it’s all in our head,
And not let our minds take our gratitude away,
Then we'd make every day like Thanksgiving Day.


By Karl Fuchs

I just wanted to tell everyone THANK YOU for all the kind words and prayers you have made for us. We are slowly getting back to "normal" if we ever can be. It has been one week since we found out our baby was no longer with us and it has been a roller coaster of emotions. I know we will continue to have our ups and downs but we have great family & friends by our side. We are going to be okay. Unfortunately grief is not something you just wake up one day and not experience. It is a process that through time gets easier but never really goes away. I will ALWAYS miss my baby. I will always wonder the gender. I say boy because that was my gut feeling (and I was right with Hannah). I will always wonder how much he would have looked like Hannah. I will always wonder if he would have been my calm baby as Hannah is our "wild child." (She is not really out of control just a tad on the hyper side) I will always wonder all those questions that you wait to see about your baby.

I owe a BIG thanks to my sweet husband. He has been everything to me for the past week. He was before all of this but he has helped me in more ways than I thought. He has taken care of me and Hannah. I can't even express how much I love this man. I don't think there are words for that kind of love. Even in his grief, he has made sure that I was okay first. Not many men still exist like him and I thank God that He answered my prayers and gave me the Christian man of my dreams.

Hannah has been confused. She knows that something isn't right but she doesn't understand. She will rub my stomach and ask about the baby. This is heartbreaking to me but I just tell her that he went to be with God. I think she thinks I am crazy. The other night I was crying and she crawled in my lap, wiped my tears, and said "It okay mommy." She said it with such empathy you could see it in her little blue eyes. That girl is going to change the world with her big heart. She loves to help & is a great comforter.

We received an angel for our Christmas tree from Brian & Tina. It was such a thoughtful gift. I LOVED it. I had already thought I would try to find something that represented the baby for our tree. This was perfect.

I am sorry I am probably depressing all of you. I think Susan was right - blogging is good therapy. I probably couldn't choke all of this out if I were to say it out loud so it is good to be able to type it. You need to visit Kristy's blog and read her post today. It is about rainbows and the promises God has given us. It just reminded me that God hasn't always promised rainbows on this earth but we just need to wait for the "big" rainbow. The one promise that we will be in Heaven if we obey His commandments. So today I am a little happier knowing that I have a wonderful life and the grief I feel will get better. Plus I have been reading message boards from people that have suffered miscarriages. I will tell you after reading some of their stories I feel pretty lucky. I have had a healthy pregnancy and had zero problems. Hannah has been healthy and is growing up. My marriage is GREAT! Right now there is no reason to think I couldn't get pregnant again & have a healthy pregnancy and baby. Life really is good. I just need to focus on the rainbows and not the storms.

If you are still there - thanks for listening!

The Worst Day of My Life

I have had some bad days in my life but Thursday and Friday have been the worst. Some of you already know that we lost our baby. I started having some problems on Thursday and the doctor wanted to see me. After having an ultrasound the doctor told us that the baby hadn't been developing. There was no heartbeat and so yesterday I had to have a D & C. We are heartbroken but we trust that God is with us. He hasn't left us and we know our little baby is in Heaven with Him. It is comforting to know that our sweet angel will never have to know the pains of living on this earth. He is where we all want to be one day. Yes, I would have loved to have carried this baby full term with no problems, held him in my arms for the first time and raise him just like Hannah but my plan wasn't God's plan. We don't always understand why but for me it is best just not to ask and trust that God knows best. His wisdom far exceeds our wisdom. I am just asking for your prayers today that our hearts will be healed. Our lives will go on because we have another child to raise and to make sure that she makes it to heaven with us. It is times like these that I realize how much God has really blessed me. I have the best family (blood & in-laws) in the world. I am reminded of a verse that I have written on many cards in the past, Psalms 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." He is there for me and I know He will help us make it through this.

Do you know what I am doing right now? Listening to Christmas music on the radio! I know, I know, some of you are rolling your eyes but I am so ready for Christmas. It is my favorite time of the year. I like Thanksgiving but I LOVE Christmas. I will not decorate before the day after Thanksgiving but I would pull my stuff out today if I didn't have that rule! Every time we go in a store that has anything Christmas Hannah screams "look mommy, CHRISTMAS!!" Although she says she does not want to go see Santa. I may have another picture of her like last year. Josh says I shouldn't make her go see Santa but I am one of those moms that must have a picture. Does that make me crazy? Don't really answer that!

Our country elected a new president since the last time I blogged. I am disappointed in the outcome. I think Barack Obama will push this country even further away from God and that scares me. However I know God is in control. So Barack Obama can bring about all the changes he wants but I know God doesn't change. I take comfort in that fact. I could say so much more about why I think Obama was a bad choice but I know we are all a little sick of hearing his name.

So I will tell you some funny stuff that Hannah has said lately.

1. The other day she looked into my belly button. I asked her what she was doing and she said "Mommy, I no see the baby!" I guess she thought my belly button was a window! LOL!

2. Last night we went to 6th Avenue to hear Daniel preach for the Area Wide (& to see my parents). Daniel was quoting several verses that ended with "and all the people said Amen." After he said it about 5 times, Hannah looked at me and said "is Daniel praying?"

3. Last night she didn't want to stay in the auditorium to sing. She wanted to go & play. So she said "mommy just take me out & spank me!" (BTW, I do not let her play when we go out so I don't know why she used this reasoning)

What a mess! She is wearing big girl panties today and has only had one accident! I am going to try this method and hope it works. Anyone have any other good potty training tips? I am in desperate need of help. She is doing good but I want her to be potty trained before the baby gets here.

Avon order goes in on Thursday. If you spend $25 or if you take a book to a friend (new customer) and they spend $25, you name will be entered in a drawing for a free gift bag with several goodies. So let me know if you need a book. I will try to get you one tomorrow. There are some great deals this time so take a look! You can also visit the website www.youravon.com/kcourington