I just feel blessed!

It's been a while since I last wrote.  And it's been even longer since I posted pictures.    I just haven't taken the time (until now) to download them from our camera.  The first two pictures I took just this last week.  I had found my sunglasses and Lilli wanted to see them.  So I let her.  She's so cute!  But she did kind of break my glasses.  Oh well.  It's my fault for giving them to her.  The next two pictures are of her drinking a smoothie I had made.  She LOVED it!  She kept wanting more, but I was afraid she would get a brain freeze (she would just snarf that stuff down in a minute).  I made her wait a little bit and that's why she's kind of crying.  She was mad!  And I thought it was super cute that she had a little smoothie mustache.  Now the last two pictures are of Lilli sneaking some chocolates.  She pushed the chair to the counter and grabbed the plate of chocolates and started eating them.  I was on the computer and I heard her push the chair but didn't think too much about it.  But then I heard a rustling noise and came around the corner and this is what I saw!  It was actually quite hilarious!  What a stinker!!!!

Well, things have been going good.  We decided to go ahead and get the car fixed.  We paid a lot of money, hoping and PRAYING that the car will last us AT LEAST another 2 years.  It's got about 146,000 miles on it, so we're hoping to get another 30 to 40,000 more.  It was so nice to get our car back, though.  We were fortunate enough and blessed to have friends that helped us out.  Anyway, the damages weren't as severe as we thought they would be (thanks to the many prayers that were said), but we still had to get our timing belt changed AND the water coolant system changed.  Both costing a lot of money, but not as much as we thought.  The Lord definitely blessed us.  The scripture, "ask and ye shall receive" really does work, it just requires a lot of faith too.  I feel very blessed and immediately got down on my knees and thanked my Heavenly Father when I found out the damages weren't as bad as we thought.  I'm still really nervous to make long trips in the car though.  

This last Thursday I was able to go to the Columbia, S.C. temple.  It was our ward's Relief Society temple trip so I was able to go with a lot of the sisters from our ward.  That was fun.  I haven't been in a long while, and it was so nice to go.  I really needed that spiritual uplift.  It was so nice remembering the covenants that I have made and how sacred they really are.  I know it's important to go to the temple often, and Ben and I are really going to try to make the sacrifices to go.  I know our family will be blessed even more.

Last weekend I also had the opportunity to go on a girls' trip with a bunch of friends.  We had a blast!  We went down to Florida to St. George Island and stayed in a beach house one of them (her parents) own.  It was a crazy 8 hr drive, but so fun!  We were there for just a few days and it was VERY relaxing.  We watched movies, did girly stuff, stayed up till all hours of the night and slept in (some of us did), did each other's hair (or Hannah did our hair), got in the hot tub (poor Megan couldn't get in because she's pregnant, so she sat in the freezing cold and dipped her feet, WHAT A TROOPER), went to the beach (we picked up some rad star fish, and shells), made cute cards (Valentine's Day cards for our hubbies), and just had fun!!!!  I hope to be able to download some pictures from our trip (if you want to see some pics of our trip, my friend Rachel has them on her blog).  We all got to know each other better, and have become even better friends!  It was a blast!!!!!!!!!  Don't get me wrong, I love Ben and Lilli so much, but it was nice to just get a break.  Plus, Lilli and Ben got some much needed daddy/daughter time.  Ben got Lilli to go "poo poo" in the potty the whole time I was gone.  Since I've been home, though, she hasn't gone.  Ben's a great daddy and I love him so much!  I really appreciate him being so understanding and willing to let me go for a few days, and do all the "mom" jobs (as one friend likes to put it, hahaha).  He even took off work.  I truly feel blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful friends, to be married to such a wonderful man, and to have such a beautiful daughter.  And this is getting kind of sappy so.......................I just feel blessed.