Mutton Bustin', Llamas & Ice Cream- Rodeo 2018

The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo brings a stench of livestock to my nose, aching to my feet but a smile to my face. My parents treated the kids & I to a day enjoying all things Texan. The favorite moment by a LONG shot was Eloise riding a sheep. Mutton Bustin' is a favorite event to watch for many. It is quite simple, you place a child (ages 5-6)  in protective gear, put them on a sheep, tell them to hold on to that wooly coat for dear life, then let the sheep out of the gate. Eloise was begging to sign up & I was reluctant while being out of town away from Robby. He gave the go ahead yet I still felt nervous that if she fell & broke her arm it would be my fault. I had to just get over it. Here we are just before getting in line.

Apparently you have to show up way early. I thought we were early but we didn't make it into the first slot so we waited around for this girl to have the ride of her life. Eloise is a thrill seeker so this was right up her alley! In no time at all, she was waiting to be suited up. No butterflies in her tummy yet my heart was racing! I just kept smiling for her sake.

#8 was pretty darn adorable. 

Her number one supporters had a great view & were ready to cheer her on when she was announced. We were already in stitches as they announced each sheep coming out of the gate. The names were hilarious. All were pronounced with the appropriately placed "baa" sound whether in the actual "baa" or in the word "lamb." Our favorites were- Lamb-orghini, Lamb-a-saurus rex, Lamb-chop, the serious sheep- Bob (baaaaab) from accounting, Mutton-but Trouble...many others made us chuckle. Eloise rode the best named sheep, none other than "Lady Baa Baa!" I almost lost it.

The announcer said the name of the sheep & asked "Who's my rider?" The rest that followed, in a cheerleader type voice, "This is Eloise, from Dallas! She likes corn dogs, Mutton Bustin' of course & wants to be a nurse when she grows up, Go Eloise!" WAY cheerleader. For months, Charlotte quoted this perfectly, words, inflection, everything. One day I heard the announcement coming from my room. I walked in to find her under my bed, announcing her sister in the shoot. Oh my, that was GREAT & I will save the video forever.

 Enough about the announcing & onto the rider!

Lolo tied for 3rd place out of over 20 kids with a score of 96 out of 100. She rocked it & we were screaming so loud! I couldn't help it! She had much to be proud of & that little dimpled grin, oh my. Like I said, HIGHLIGHT of the day. From that point forward, Arlo told anyone that asked about the rodeo, "Lolo ride sheep....real fast!" We watched the video at least once per hour for days, maybe not but it sure felt like that! He also called any sheep in a book or in person "Lady Baa Baa." 

While Arlo really liked "Lady Baa Baa," he was so excited about the llama at the Petting Zoo. We have read every Llama Llama book published SO many times. Seeing one in real life was a treat! He was enjoying that strange looking creature until he stood up. I will say that the one in the book is a bit cuter!

One of the goats really like Charlotte!

Our boys sure do enjoy ice cream, I am not sure which one of us they inherited it from. Maybe both? ; ) They rode a few carnival rides but were really just interested when it was going to be treat time. Totally get it. The pure delight was all over their faces, especially Anson's.

We had some tickets to blow due to some miscalculation in how much they were worth. Better to have more than enough! They all had their first experience with carnival games. I think many of us only need one of those to know they are rigged & not worth it. They, of course, were lured in with those giant stuffed animals displayed only to get a 8 inch long stuffed pill that said "chill pill." Really, who wants that? The younger siblings did better & some siblings were very frustrated & shared their feelings about how stupid the games are. I gave the child pictured below a big hug & let her know I shared her sentiment. She was cute though throwing those hacky sacks. Not sure when they got rid of the darts but talk about rigged! Throw a ball at something that looks like a ball?? Everyone's legs were tired so Eloise tried to hitch a ride on Arlo's lap.

Owen got the best seat since he is as light as a feather! Gaga & Paw Paw were the best sports through our 8 hour adventure. It was wonderful & most all of them were zonked asleep within minutes of leaving the parking lot!

Just a couple days later, Paw Paw & Gaga took over full time car of my crew & sent us back to the Rodeo! An adult only trip included a leisurely walk, snacks without sharing (with children) & a few hours of watching the main Rodeo events. We were there for the closing weekend & watched the semi-finals for bull riding, bareback, barrel racing, steer wrestling & calf roping. It was lengthy & enjoyable then they immediately announced that the final competition was starting immediately after the semi-finals. Talk about long, ha! We loved catching up though & as usual, I enjoyed their comedic commentary. The only missing thing was Robby! Next year is the year!

Once the finals were over, Brad Paisley took the stage. I had flashbacks of Reba McIntire, Wynona Judd, Billy Ray Cyrus, Alan Jackson & Faith Hill. I love the Rodeo & I love these guys. There is a series of awkward group selfies & this was the winner of least awkward.

We, who are not really into the country music scene at the current time, vowed to stay for three songs then headed out to dinner. What a lovely evening!

The Valentine brood will definitely return for next year! Robby & I were laughing when looking at the qualifications to ride Lady Baa Baa or one of her friends. You have to be 5 or 6 & the low weight requirement makes us think that Owen would age out before he could ride. He's always been a skinny guy! There were some skinny cowboys though!