Thanksgiving

Sometimes I just stop and think about how blessed I am. I'm sure I don't do it enough. I feel like I could go on forever giving thanks for my many blessings... from every member of my family down to my dear Kitchen Aid. Of course, I could never mention everything, but I feel like I have to list a few things that I couldn't do without - my Savior, my family, our health, and our freedoms. I worry that the day I don't give thanks for these things is the day they will disappear. And since I can't handle that, I'll continue to give thanks for them, even if it does sound redundant day after day.
A little miracle took place in our family this Thanksgiving. I feel like if I write down memories, it's a way of showing my gratitude. We recently found out that my nephew Miles (Angie's baby boy) has been suffering from heart failure... we don't know for how long. He's just 4 months old. It was a miracle it was caught when it was because who knows if he would've even survived a few more days. At his 4 month well visit, the pediatrician noticed his irregular heart beat and sent him directly to the hospital. Poor Angie and Dane had to watch Miles be poked and prodded tons of times to do all sorts of tests, and they weren't able to get any answers for a few days. His heart was enlarged, and he wasn't responding to the medication. The worst case scenario was for Miles to have a heart transplant. On top of that, he had to have a blood transfusion. Miles was given a blessing, and my family, as well as many others, held a fast for him. The day the family started the fast, there were 2 small periods of regular heart rhythms. They didn't last long, but it was enough to instill hope. As they moved Miles to Texas Children's Hospital, they started seeing a little improvement. He wasn't cured, but it was clear his heart was shrinking a bit. Now they're saying he may be able to go home in the next week or so on medication if things continue to go well. It truly is a miracle. I don't know why sometimes these miracles occur or why sometimes they don't, but in this case, I'm guessing our family needed it for some reason. We needed this to strengthen our faith and to bring us closer together. We're grateful and so happy for Angie and Dane to still have their sweet little Miles with them. I've given Hazel many an extra tight squeeze and kisses on her little head since this experience. I just want to savor each day with my little angel and my sweet husband. They're my favorites.
It was so nice to be with family this Thanksgiving. Plans were altered a bit because of Miles's situation, but we ended up being able to see everyone on my side. Because Angie, Dane, and Miles were in Houston, we all stopped there to see them on the way to Beaumont. It was so wonderful to see baby Miles without tubes and cords everywhere. I just watched him sleep soundly in his bed with his sweet parents watching over him, beaming. It was so sweet.

While we were in Houston, we stopped by the zoo. Hazel LOVES animals, so it was so fun to watch her reactions. She surprisingly liked the 4D Dora movie (only 15 minutes), and she was thrilled about the petting zoo.





Once we got to Beaumont, we just got to spend time with family and eat a lot of food!

I even got to go to one of my friend's baby showers. Lacy is having a girl in February!

On the last day we took a few family photos. Here are all the grandkids (except Miles) with Grandma and Grandpa Hayes.

Happy Thanksgiving! On to the other most wonderful time of the year!