Mutton Bustin' 2010

So Saturday was our annual pilgrimage to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo with the kiddos. This was Jackson's second time to compete in the Mutton Bustin' event (inside the stadium) and he was all fired up to ride. The day started out great with Jackson and Grant and their friends Ava and her sister Kate going to the carnival. Jack, Ava and Kate rode a ton of rides, Grant watched from the sidelines, not quite brave enough. I'm not sure what his thing is, I think it's a control issue. Grant is the biggest daredevil on HIS terms, ie, jumping from great heights, riding a bike at top speed, etc. When it comes to riding carnival rides he's the biggest chicken on the block. In the picture to the left he's cheering his brother on from the safety of Grandpa Mike's lap.




Jackson got all suited up and then had a change of heart. He wasn't so sure that he really wanted to get on that sheep after standing behind the chutes and seeing how unhappy those sheep were to be standing there. To a 39 lb 6 year old I think it was a bit like looking at the bulls he just saw the bullriders on. Daddy gave him a big pep talk, and it didn't hurt that we mentioned the belt buckle he was going to get. He decided to give it a go.

My friend Angie took this picture and I just love it. It's a picture of the jumbotron over the arena and the only bad thing about this picture is that my baby is upside down under a sheep! But it was so exciting to see his name and picture up there on the big screen!
This is Jackson on the way home from the rodeo. Both my little cowboys were wiped out!

February Catch-Up

February...I'm glad to see it end! By February every year I'm exhausted. Most people can settle down from the stresses of Christmas sometime in January, but for me, the stress goes on until the end of February. I'm planning Jackson's January birthday party before Christmas and since the boys' birthdays are only 4 weeks apart, the minute Jackson's ends, I'm planning Grant's! Couple that with a husband who is very active in the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLSR) and you have a very busy family!
As you can see, Grant's birthday was a hit. We had it at the gymnastics center and all the kiddos had a great time playing on all the equipment. I'm sure all the moms loved going home with their worn-out little guys. Lots of red faces!

Also this month we were blessed to be invited by our neighbors to go sailing with them down in the bay. The boys had a great time, Jackson was more impressed with the cabin than the deck! Grant loved sitting on the back seat with the wind blowing...and boy did it blow! This trip was especially nice since Heath was out of town and the boys were getting antsy around the house.

Heath was able to take part this year in the Salt Grass Trail Ride. This is a 50 year old HLSR tradition and it is enormous! About 2000 people participate and ride horse or mule drawn covered wagons and horseback from Catsprings, TX to downtown Houston over the period of about a week. I think it's about 90 miles or so. Heath and his dad have done a few of the preliminary rides and this year joined Wagon 6 for the first few days. I'm sure he would love to do the whole ride in the future with one or both boys! The next weekend was the HLSR Barbeque Cookoff and that's a pretty big deal in our family. From set up on Tuesday to clean up on Sunday it's a whirlwind party. The best way it can be described is "Cowboy Mardi Gras." We have a wonderful time with all of our family and friends and about a week later my house stops smelling like a campfire!

So, with the end of February comes of course the beginning of March and that's just a whole new set of activities! The rodeo gets in full swing tomorrow, March 2nd and Heath will begin work on his "Horspitality" committee this weekend. Jackson will be participating again this year in the Mutton Bustin' competition on March 13th and we'll have Heath's cousin and her two boys in town as well. My sister, neice and my parents will be in at the end of March and the boys are so excited to see their cousin Lucy Goosey!

So, on your mark, get set....MARCH!