Brittney Nicole Robbins Riggin

When Britt was learning to talk it was at the same time that her deaf brother Brice was in intense speech therapy. So she talked younger then most but she had trouble with pronouncing her own name, Britttney. She called herself "mitmey". What's your name people would ask and she proudly stated "mitmey". So we decided to do a little speech therapy our self with her. We would practice over and over brrrrrrrrrrrr. Now say brrrrrrrrrrrrr. Clear and beautifully she would say brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Then when we were certain she had it we would have her add itney but it still would come out brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrmittmey.

As the mommy I wanted Britt to have pierced ears early on. I would have been happy if she had them as a baby but Marty would not allow that. He said that when she was old enough to ask for her ears pierced he'd succumb. So my next lesson on speech was "daddy, ears pierced" . All day we practiced , over and over again until she could perfectly rehearse "Daddy, ears pierced". She was barely one year old. He came home and with a little coaching she hugged Marty and clearly stated "daddy, ears pierced" with big head nods and big puppy dog begging eyes (we rehearsed that part too). He promptly responded "head chopped off". Britt with her great mimacing talent put on those puppy dog eyes and nodding declared "head chopped off".. It was quite a while til she ever got her ears pierced.

Around this same time Britt comes running up to me one day all excited. She opens her mouth and wiggles her tongue around and in all seriousness says, "Look mommy its alive!"

She informs me one day that "When I'm the mommy and your the little girl....."

When Britt learned to count to a hundred she was insistent that I listen to all the counting she could do. All the numbers. Everyone of them from one to a hundred. Good thing she hadn't learned to count to 1000 yet!!!

When Britt was about nine, Marty handed her a dollar for something. She looked at it and said, "I love you Daddy!" The money wasn't for her but I guess she loved him anyway.

Britt we love you and you were and are a delight. Have fun with Olivia and be sure and blog all the cute things she does.

A Child's Paradise

One of the sweet blessings of my life is spending four years of my childhood in Oahu, Hawaii. Truly a child's paradise. I went to Laie Elementary school barefoot, like everyone else including the teachers. I learned to hula in first grade, "goin' to the huki lau". I wore my swimsuit under my little sundress so I could run into the ocean right after school. I could make my way home on the beach most of the way. We lived on Kamehameha Highway across the street from the ocean in a beach house. It is no longer there but the land is now part of of the Polynesian Cultural Center. I learned to surf when I was eight, watched seahorses play in the coral and would ride on my Uncle Lamond's back as he swam me out to the reef. It was there my first year in Hawaii that I learned to swim. I was five years old. You could stand up on the reef, it was about a 100 yards out from the beach but seemed like miles to me then. He started to swim away and I yelled " what about me?" . "Start swimming" he said. "you know I cant swim yet," I replied and he wisely said "You think you can't but I know you can. Jump in and swim. " I trusted him and I swam. Lamond lived with us for a time, he was enrolled at the Church College of Hawaii, now BYU Hawaii, in fine art. I would watch him work on his projects and he would let me do some art with him He told me I was an artist, I believed him about that too and am probably an artist today from that encouragement (along with the incredible support of my number one fan, Marty Robbins). Marty has taken me back to Hawaii a number of times. I sat on the beach where I played as a child and painted it in watercolor.

Stefan and Violin

My daughter, Kendy plays the Cello. She decided from her own enjoyment and personal growth of playing the Cello that she wanted this for her son. When he was three she went into the music store intending to buy Stefan a Cello. He was fascinated with and sure he wanted a violin. Since personal commitment and motivation were key, she got the violin. It was a little sixteenth size instrument. He is ready for a half size violin now. He had the opportunity to play for his school this past year and has made tremendous progress in his skills. This year he was accepted into the Intermediate Timpanogos Chanber Strings which will be a new and challenging experience working with the other musicians. He has an outstanding teacher David Beck who is Managing Director and Conductor of the Utah Valley Youth Symphony.

Olivia Ann Riggin

Olivia was greatly anticipated as the first child to Bret and Britt Riggin, the first grandchild of Ray and Donna Riggin and the first granddaughter to Marty and Anita Robbins. She decided to lessen the suspense by arriving three weeks early. Tiny but strong she came on July 6th the day after her Grandpa's, Marty Robbins, birthday.
The photo is of Olivia in her blessing dress. Britt had made a gorgeous one for her but it was waaaaaaay too big because Olivia was not even 5 pounds. Her Grandma Donna whipped out a darling dress using a doll dress pattern. Britt had to sew up the itty bitty shoes so they would fit. The blessing was wonderful. Many Spokane family members attended, Marty and I were there. Bret was one of the speakers. I'll sum up his wholehearted testimony of one of God's greatest earthly blessings, parenting, by quoting the same chorus of a country song he did. This was his immediate feelings the moment he held his little girl,
"Daddies don't just love their children every now and then.
It's a love without end, amen, it's a love without end, amen."
(Love Without End, Amen Lyrics by George Strait)

My old friend Earl

Earl was old. He had lived a difficult and troubled life. He had little money and was unable to work a regular job. Early in our marriage Earl moved in the apartment across from us. I saw him often because when Earl would go fishing to catch some cat fish for dinner he would catch many and take them to his neighbors. He would go in the woods and find wild blackberries and pick enough to give away some to his friends. I said to him, "Earl, you should freeze your fish and your berries so you can have them on the days you're too ill to go out.” And he explained that if he wasn’t doing something for someone else everyday it was a wasted day. He had very little but he gave so much.

Britt Riggin Joins Dad and Mom as BYU Alumni

6000+people in the Marriott center in Provo, Utah. Among the crowd of strangers I hear "Anita". Examining the sea of faces there she is, SydButler with husband Kevin Calderwood, fellow graduates of MHS! With them their daughter Quincey and great parents we love dearly Bob and Ellen Calderwood . (Bob baptised Marty!) Syd and Kevin live in Virginia and us from Texas , we probably couldn't have found each other if we had tried. It was surreal to sit together with our family and friends as we watched our Britt and the Calderwood new son-in-law, Quincey's man, graduate from Brigham Young University.

It was so amazing to see our daughter complete such an outstanding accomplishment. Britt has always been one to work hard , set high goals and make it happen. She has already done so much in her life. She was a leader in color guard, graduated high school with amazing grades, served a wonderful mission at Temple Square and now a graduate from BYU.

Britt presented Marty and I with her white BYU stole and wrote, “Mommy and Daddy, I love you so much! This has only been possible through your love and support and your wonderful examples. Thank you! Love, your baby girl”. We will treasure it.

So Britt: Congratulations!

You're off to Great Places!You're off and away!
You have brains in your head.You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You're on your own.

And you know what you know.

And YOU are the gal who'll decide where to go.

The Day Brice was Born

Twenty-six years ago I was three weeks overdue with a baby. I was thinking I might have a baby girl in April and call her April. But it was May and a boy on the way. Marty was in Provo ready to start his first class at BYU while I stayed put in Montrose Colorado til our baby was born. Marty called me in the evening from a pay phone because he was just getting things set up in our new apartment. This was before cell phones. He wanted to hear what the doctor had said earlier that day. The doctor told me that there was no progress and the baby would be taken cesarean on Saturday when Marty would be back in town. They had already induced me and that hadn't worked.

Shortly after I hung up the phone I had a labor pain. They persisted and we tried to figure out a way to call Marty. My mother-in-law, Bernadine, was able to get a hold of the manager of the apartment who said he wasn't home but that she left him a note. He was actually there and never saw the note when he rushed out the door in the morning.

Bernadine took me to the hospital and they put me on an infant stress monitor to make sure the baby was doing ok. It showed my labor pains also. The were sporadic and intense. Near the end of the progress to delivery they became concerned about the baby. His pediatrician was present and it was a blessing because Brice Glenn Robbins was born blue. It was frightful to me as they whisked him away to clear his passage way and help him breath. Soon I heard his precious cry and he was given to me.

In the mean time Marty slept, got up and went to class at BYU. Midway through his first class he was pulled out and given a memo telling him his wife had had a baby!