Fort Worth Stock Show

It's that time of year in Texas...time for the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo!

Yesterday afternoon we drove to Fort Worth and met Grammy here...

Love the Art Deco architecture!

Before we left I had a hard time explaining to the kids what we were going to do. I didn't want to say it was a rodeo because I wasn't sure if we would see any of those events. At first I explained it by saying we were going to see cows and horses. But I could tell that David was imagining we were going to a farm, like back in the day. So finally I told them we were going to see real cowboys. They were excited at this prospect, and Mary immediately insisted on wearing her boots. Which led to wearing her vest. Which led to wearing her hat (that got left in the car). Here is my little cowgirl...
(Here is a tidbit that I sense will be passed down in my family for generations to come: Mary may love cowgirl fashion, but she doesn't love the music. As soon as she heard the country music being piped through the grounds, she covered her ears and grimaced. She must take after her Grandpa, who tends to be more of a U2 kind of guy.)

Wowed by some big, handsome roosters...
The ducklings in the FFA Barnyard were a big hit...
Mary and a cute little cowboy checking out the chicks...
David and Mary both loved those sweet fluffy babies...
The pig is sleeping...
(And it did not appear to have a blue butt. I looked.)

Here is a picture of a hypnotized chicken...
But really I was taking a picture of the these two Future Farmers of America, who were endearingly giddy about their ability to hypnotize chickens. (So did Napoleon Dynamite make FFA jackets less cool or more cool?)

Love, love, love this kid...
After checking out some sheep and some swine, walking through the equestrian building several times, and chowing on some cowboy grub, we settled in to watch a little of this...
Team roping! Wow, talk about something that is not easy--it may even rival sacrament meeting with my kids.

David had a great time watching and cheering and hanging out with Grammy...

Mary passed the time by making silly faces...
...as well as clapping at the appropriate times. (My kids are quite the cheerleaders. Anyone who knows how energetic and enthusiastic they are can surely imagine.)

I was impressed with how well the kids sat there repeatedly watching this...

beginning...
middle...

and end...

Unfortunately, it was I who had to bail. I am seriously allergic to horses--like my airways close up and I can't breathe. That serious. (Just one of the hundred reasons I will never be cool like the Pioneer Woman. And just one of the millions of reasons I love my husband--soon after he met me, he gave up his growing love for horses and has never looked back.) By the way, don't ask why I thought going to a rodeo was a good idea. This is Texas: I guess I thought horse allergies wouldn't count here?

I thought the kids did very well. (Especially after the big weekend we had.) I'm so proud of them (especially for the minimal amount of whining about not getting to visit the carnival area). It was fun to see "a slice of life," as Grammy would say. This slice included drawls, handlebar mustaches, and the hubbub of competition. It was great fun.

***

Later that night I asked David what his favorite part was. He mentioned the ducklings, and then he remembered a really ENORMOUS turkey we'd seen: "That was my favorite! It was SO BIG--it would take you until next Christmas to eat it!"

When I asked Mary what the best part was, she declared, "ME!"