Mother's Weekend in Provo

I went to Provo to visit Denya for Parent's Weekend at BYU.  They have a small airport now in Provo, and it was great!  I went on Thursday night, Oct. 20 and came back Monday morning.  Denya has her own room, so I took an air mattress and stayed in her apartment with her rather than getting a hotel.  We had a great time!  Most of the activities the school had planned didn't appeal to us, so we just had our own fun.  They have re-made the movie Footloose.  Denya was so excited to see it since the high school did the play last year and she was in it.  She has been waiting for me to get here so we could see it together.  It was a fun movie.

On our visits to Texas, we have discovered they have great ice cream!  Blue Bell, a company out of Texas,  has opened a 50's type ice cream shop in Provo so we went to try it out.  I had a double scoop of Peaches and Cream and Praline.  It was super good!

On Sunday we went to church.  It was fun to visit a student ward.

This is one of Denya's roommates, Paige.  Her other roommate, Amanda, was out of town.

  Provo is right at the base of the mountain.  I forgot how close they are.

Sunday afternoon we went for a walk down by the Provo River.  It was beautiful and the weather was just perfect!

 This waterfall is part of the Provo River.  Provo is a beautiful place! 
Denya and I had a fabulous time, visiting, eating, shopping, eating some more.  I can't wait until I get to go again!

Britta and Volleyball

Britta played 7th grade volleyball at Mesa Middle School.  She was on the C team.  They played six games during the season.  They played against Castle Rock Middle School, and schools in Parker and Highlands Ranch. Britta has played at the Rec Center for a couple of years and she is getting pretty good.  She had a great time!

Here she is in her uniform.  Mesa's colors are black and gold even though there is no gold on their uniforms.

Ready for the ball!

She made a great play!

If they try to spike, it won't get past Britta!  She does a great job of guarding the net.

Planning their strategy.  I always wonder what the coach is saying in these huddles.  Britta is always easy to spot with her bright pink and black shoes. Mesa C team had a fun season.  Way to go Britta!

Ice Blocking Birthday Party

Britta wanted to have an Ice Blocking Party for her birthday. This is where you sit on a block of ice and slide down the hill, kind of like sledding in the winter except this is on the grass, and the weather is warm. It was a great Colorado day for it even on the 1st of October. Her friends had never done this before. Only strange people like us do such things. They had a blast!

On your mark, get set, GO!

Ryan holds on for dear life as he zooms down the hill.

Carrying those ice blocks back up the hill is very tiring!  Time for a rest.

Making trains was fun.  It took a lot of practice to be able to make it all the way down the hill without  losing someone.

Riley and Britta try pushing their ice back up the hill instead of carrying it.

Blake wanted to try texting and driving.  Not a good idea.....he dropped his phone.

The girls decided to try smaller trains.

Hang on tight, Ryan!

Erica, Britta, Riley, and Peyton--the party girls.

Happy Birthday Britta!

Another Teenager in the House!

Our beautiful Britta turned 13 today!! I can't believe she is so grown up.  She got contacts this summer and she is almost as tall as I am!  Britta loves this lemon cake with lemon filling and that's she wants for her birthday cake every year.

 She wa a little nervous about blowing out 13 candles, but she got them all.  I hope she made a good wish!

Time to open all those presents--the best part of a birthday!

She tried to guess what was inside this one by shaking it.

Delwyn's family had a tradition--they always got some candy--one box for themselves, and one for the family to share.  We have carried that tradition on in our own family.  I haven't seen these tootsie pop drops since I was a kid.  I loved them!  They are miniature versions of the sucker and have no stick.  I couldn't resist buying them for Britta's birthday.

Britta had never heard the poem, "Heavy heavy hang over thy poor head, What do you wish Blake (or the person giving the gift) with a bump on the head?"  Then the birthday person makes a wish for the giver of the gift.  So we had to try it out.  She had to bump herself on the head since I was taking the picture and everyone else was too comfortable in their chair and didn't want to get up.

Britta's gifts were what every teenage girl wants: clothes, jewelry, nail polish, flat iron hair straightner,--things to make themselves beautiful.  She also got money from Austin and Grandma and Grandpa Collins.  Here she is modeling her new sweater and scarf.

Britta wanted to serve everyone a slice of her cake.  I think she just wanted to use that big knife!  

Happy Birthday Britta!! 

We love you!