Then we showered everyone and went to a BYU tennis match--it offered free admission and free pizza. As we were walking to the game Andrew saw a big Y and said, "Football." I don't know how he has made that association, but it's pretty cute. We watched the end of a doubles game while the kids snacked on pizza and then the singles match started and another round of pizza. It was fun and free. We hit J-Dawgs to top of our college dining experience. There was also a gymnastic meet going on next door in the Smith Fieldhouse we debated going to, but decided with the tennis and ballroom competition tomorrow we had done enough sitting and watching. We went back to the hotel and found the gymnastic meet on TV and watched that while we got ready for bed. Andrew got to sleep in the pull-out bed which he thought was pretty cool, but he was so wound up he kept jumping up to see where everybody was sleeping and I was trying to lay with him and not comfortable at all--I was probably lucky if I got 20-30 minutes of sleeping every hour (I woke-up and walked around every hour to try and stretch my sore back). I finally crawled into bed with Steve around 2am only to have Lila start fussing a bit and so Steve took care of her and then noticed Andrew making a break for the bathroom because that was the only light we had on. So I went back to the pull-out with Andrew. I eventually reclined in the chair next to the bed with my feet up on the bed to get some rest. This is the part where I say, "WHY?" Sleeping in hotels with kids is not sleeping . . . why do I ever think otherwise.
We had a 7:30am reservation for the Provo City Center Temple Open House. I woke-up a little after 7 and everyone was still sleeping so I let them sleep a bit more. Our hotel was right across the street so I knew we could quickly get ready and walk over. Steve and the girls awoke so I had them use the restroom and get their dress clothes on. Then I gave them some bananas and a couple of pastries I had brought to hold everyone over until after the open house. Andrew awoke and ate a pastry then we walked over and arrived around 7:50 there was no line and they still accepted our reservation. We had a great experience with the tour and explaining things to our children. We told Ellie that the next time she will make covenants with Heavenly Father is when she goes to the temple and she should be living worthy of that goal. Andrew saw the baptismal font and said, "water. I go in water." Steve said that is where we can do baptisms. Andrew then said, "Yeah, I get baptized." It is a really beautiful and unique temple. It used to be a tabernacle and Steve and I both attended a few Church meetings in that building as college students. For a couple of years I had Truman G Madsen as a Stake President and he would always have the whole stake meet on Easter Sunday there and have a special meeting--we would even have the sacrament that day which usually doesn't happen at a Stake meeting. In 2010 a fire destroyed the inside of the building and then in 2011 President Monson announced that it would become a temple. The exterior walls were saved and construction began. The temple is a place of learning and worship and where family bonds can be made eternal so it was really a neat experience to have as a family.
Then we went out to breakfast which is always fun for the kids. We went back to the hotel to get ready for the competition and pack-up our stuff. At that point Ellie realized she forgot her ballroom shoes. Fortunately we have lots of great neighbors and friends who were coming down and one of them stopped and got her shoes for us. We had a little extra time before the competition so we went the Bean Museum on campus. So much has changed since I was a student there. One semester I had a class in the Bean museum auditorium and I remember hiking up there after work at Campus Craft and Floral and studying next to the animals before class. Now it has been remodeled and is still under construction a bit, but the kids had fun looking at all of the animals and buying a souvenir.
We got Ellie checked in for the competition and began the long wait for her dance. She had to check in at 12:15, the competition didn't begin until 1pm and she danced the second to last dance at almost 3pm. Steve chased Andrew around up on the track above the gym for almost 30 minutes before the competition began. Then he managed to fall asleep for almost an hour during the competition--it was so loud with music and cheering I have no idea how he slept. Then he woke-up a little before Ellie's dance and was ready to, "Go home." We managed to hold him over with fruit snacks and a lollipop until Ellie danced and then Steve took him out to the car. Lila and I enjoyed watching the professional dances and then as soon as they announced Ellie's group received a silver ribbon I gathered up our stuff and walked over and pulled her so we could go home. It was only a few minutes before the event really ended, but it had been a long weekend and I was starting to get a migraine and having contractions so we said our goodbyes to Provo.
I thought I took pictures while videoing her dance, but I guess my updated camera app doesn't do that--ugh. So here she is with her group after getting checked in.
We also played a little game of who could spot the white Y on the mountain cover in snow. Steve could never find it--granted he was our driver so he never got a chance to really look for it, but we teased him that it was like a Where's Waldo and he couldn't do it.