God Does Notice Us

One of my favorite quotes is "God does notice us and he watches over us, but it is usually through another person that he meets our needs."  -Spencer W. Kimball

With Holly in Oregon, I have been praying for God to send angels to watch over her and also praying that she'll see God's hand in her life.  "Ask, and you shall receive." There is a woman named Deedee that has taken Holly under her angel wing and others who have shown her so much kindness!  

Holly's car broke down several weeks ago.  It had been in the shop previously, so she took it back to the guy who had worked on it before.  He said he would do the work for free in his spare time, but she would need to pay for parts and it would take several weeks.  During that time, Holly learned to use the bus system and did a lot of walking!  When Holly went to get the car and pay the bill, she was told that someone had already paid it.  She asked who it was, but was told that they wanted to remain anonymous. I believe God had a hand in this.  His fingerprints are all over it.  

Another cool thing happened a few weeks ago.  In March I had been thinking about replacing the drain in our kitchen sink because it had become corroded.  A couple weeks later we got a new load of Amazon overstocks to sell.  In the load was a small white box.  We never get anything small, so I figured it probably went with something else in the load.  I put it aside and started listing all the items.  None of the other items seemed to be missing anything.  I finally looked inside the box, and was stunned to see that it was a replacement drain.  Divinely orchestrated?  I believe so!

Ben lost his job two weeks ago.   It was immediate and not expected.  He was given no notice or severance, and  I went into panic mode.  We have a little money in savings, but only enough to last us a couple months.  Two days ago, we got an email from our attorney in Georgia.  He said that Exploro might be able to pay us back some of the money they owe us.  We hadn't heard anything from them in months so it was quite a surprise.  I'm not sure if we will actually get paid, but if we do, it's will be a miracle.

Mother's Day

This year we celebrated Mother's Day a day early because Ben and Qyntn were going out of town.  On Saturday morning, Q brought me a cinnamon roll for breakfast and gave me the best pokemon card ever!  It's a one of one that he designed with the two of us on the front.  Ben smoked some chicken and made me a delicious quesadilla before I took them to the airport.  They also gave me flowers and almond roca, my favorite!  It was all very thoughtful and sweet.  

On Sunday, it was just Tito and I. 
He has been my easiest to raise, by far.  

I loved talking on the phone with Alyssa and Qyntn and I got to facetime with Tiago!  He sent me a very sweet message after we got off the phone.  I may have shed a few tears.  

From Tiago:  

"The love of a true mother comes nearer to being like the love of God than any other kind of love

   -Joseph F Smith

Thanks for being a true mother even though I am your step son! With the love you've shown me throughout the years, makes me feel like I'm your son instead of a step son!

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!!"

I knew Holly probably wouldn't call, but I wanted her to know that I love being her mom, so I put together a little slide show to send to her and Alyssa.  It was so fun to look through all the pictures and remember all the good times we've had.  I know I haven't been perfect, but I've tried really hard to be a good mom.  

We Survived Home School!

Home school didn't go the way I had hoped,
but we got through it.  

He Lives!

We had an easter egg hunt and a treasure hunt this year.

Certified!

She's a certified private pilot!

Where in the World Has Ben Been?

Ben's new job has him traveling quite a bit.  In the last 2 months he's been to Mexico, California, Orlando twice, D.C. Vegas, Boston.  He also went to Washington with Reyn for her spring break.  He's a busy boy. 

on his way to Vegas,
he stopped to take Lyss to breakfast

New Head Shots

Seattle Underground

Florida Birthday Trip

Ben was going to be in Florida for work over my birthday, so he invited Qyntn and I to go with him.  His flight and hotel were paid for which made it much more affordable.  We went a few days early so that Ben could come to some parks with us.  The three of us went to Busch Gardens and Sea World.  While Ben was working, Q and I spent a day at Disney World.  We crammed in all four parks in one day.  I loved spending the day with Q, but it was a rough day.   The lines were incredibly long and several rides shut down.  The only ride Qyntn really wanted to ride was Tron and it broke down as we were almost to the front of the line.  I felt so bad.  We walked around 26 miles over the duration of the trip.  It was a nice way to celebrate my birthday.  I especially loved the warm weather and sitting by the pool.  The boys loved the roller coasters.  

There were kangaroos at Busch Gardens

The penguins at Sea World are so cool!

It was our first time on a standing coaster

Mako was their favorite ride!

I love to see these two together

Meta Glasses

For my 51st birthday, Ben got me some Meta Glasses.  They are so cool!  I can just look at something and say, hey meta, take a picture and it does!  I can ask Meta questions and it answers.  I can video record and listen to my podcasts and take my phone calls all on my glasses.  They double as sun glasses too, they darken when I go into the sun.  When I opened them, I had never heard of meta glasses, so I don't think I gave the appropriate response.  I didn't realize what an amazing gift they were.  Thanks Ben!

 

New Venture

We've been saving our pennies to start a business venture in Puerto Vallarta.  When we go there, we don't fit into one car, so we have to rent 2 vehicles to get around.  We decided to buy a passenger van that we will use when we go there, and we'll rent it out the rest of the year.  We'll see how it goes.  Starting out small, but who knows, maybe it will grow and thrive.  

Q's Spring Break

He learned how to make a grilled cheese sandwich

Baptisms with friends

Ice Skating with Caden

March Madness at the Hilton Hotel at Brianhead

Hitting the slopes with Alyssa

Spent some time in Vegas for Reyn's
volleyball tournament

great block!

Basketball Season

This year Q played on multiple basketball teams, all coached by Ben.  They had another amazing season.  They went undefeated in the Salt Lake Bantam League, but lost in the semi-final (because half of our players were out of town for baseball.)  In the Utah County bantam league they had a great season, but also lost in the semi-final.  

Qyntn's handles have improved, his defense is great, we just need to work on his shooting.  It will come.  He's playing club ball in the off season.

Ben was a phenomenal coach!  Love my ballers.