Having a Ball With the Smith's: October 2013

Acceptance Letter Number 1

Makenzie got accepted into Colorado School of Mines, Dale's Alma Mater.Her first Acceptance Letter!

We are proud of Makenzie!!

Yesterday I was able to go biking at Brazos Bend State Park, aka, The Alligator Park with Juliann Pelton and Andrea Thompson. I've known Juliann for almost a year as she is fairly new to the Ward and I just met Andrea as she is really new to the Ward. It was kind of cool and cloudy when we started off, but as the morning turned into afternoon, the sun came out and it was a beautiful day. We rode bikes for 3+ hours and stopped to take pictures of the scenery and the alligators.It was hard to spot the alligators when it was cloudy because they just hid in the water, Juliann was good at spotting their eyes peeking out of the water though. As the sun came out, so did the alligators. We were hoping to see at least 10, but saw over 20. It was a good day for spotting those gators! I really don't ride my bike too much, so my but was a little sore from the seat and I got shin splints, crazy! I just iced my shins and they feel pretty good today and they didn't bother me on my run. I guess I should ride my bike more. I took all these pictures on my phone. I really wish I had brought my good camera and lens!

Juliann, myself and Andrea

A gator peeking up above the water

Looking at the landscape from a tower

There was a big black gator just on the edge of the shore, don't know if you can see it.

A baby alligator

There's a big gator in the middle of the water

There are 2 gators sunning themselves on that narrow bank

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You really cant see them, but there were 4 good sized gators where the water and the green stuff meet in the middle of this picture. This is why I wish I had lugged my good camera along with me.

BYU in Houston

This Saturday, the 19th, BYU played the University of Houston in football and we were able to go. They played in Reliant Stadium, that's were the Texans play. Almost half of the people there were BYU fans. It was a real nail biter as BYU pulled off a win by only 1 point. Both Makenzie and Jacob took 2 friends. Both of Makenzie's friends were BYU fans and members of the church, Jacob's friends were both non members, in fact one, Colin, is a U of H fan, but we still like him! When BYU team came out on the field, one of Jacob's friends, Brayden, yelled, "Go Mormon". When we were ahead, Brayden tweeted, "Those Stormin' Mormons are at it again". It was a fun game, especially since we won and the BYU fans were a lot of fun. Dale did comment that he had never seen so many diaper bags at a college football game.

In the Suburban headed to the game

The girls enjoying some ice cream!

The family minus the to at BYU

The final score

It was a nail biter of a game!

TV Time

The BYU vs Georgia Tech game was on television, but we were at the high school game. We set the DVR so we could watch it when we got home. Brittney sent me a text telling me they were 5 rows up in the student section so to look for her and Matthew. Sure enough, we saw them at the beginning of the game. It was weird because the BYU players didn't have their last names on the back of their jerseys, they had either, Spirit, Tradition or Honor on back. The coach wanted to do that all season until everyone told him how dumb it was, so they just did it for homecoming game, but it was still dumb then, at least in my opinion.

Brittney and Matthew. Glad Matthew had on blue, it was easier to spot them!

Have you ever got a call from the Spirit??
Dumb!

I know the "Y" isn't lit up all the time like the "M", but they do light it up for homecoming.

Pink Out

With October be Breast Cancer Awareness Month, they had a pink out at the high school and another one at the Varsity football game. It was fun seeing all the boys coming out of the locker room wearing pink. I snapped a few pics on my phone, trying to be inconspicuous.

Jacob

Headed to the football game

Dale's Birthday

On October 16th Dale turned 47, so that would make me, 43??? I wish!
Dale and I went to Pappasito's for lunch, which made all the kids jealous since they weren't invited. We enjoyed fajitas and then they brought Dale dessert and sang to him.

Later that evening, we had cake and ice cream with the kids. Dale was sporting his 2 new pairs of shorts.

This is Makenzie after Dale makes one of his comments that totally embarrasses the kids!

Happy 47th Birthday Dale

Pics from Jacob's last few games

The weather has finally cooled down some and it makes for much nicer football games.
Jacob's team is 8-0 with 2 games left to go. He has a bye this week.Here are some pics from October 10th and 17th. Jacob did have a touchdown on the 17th. He was playing in the free safety position on a punt, the snap was high and Jacob chased the football into the end zone for a touchdown. When you play defense you don't get too many touchdowns.
You may notice the pink as some boys where it in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

October 10th