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!

"P" is for pumpkin

A post with more pictures than words....

 

The Dallas Arboretum is a lovely place to spend time. We decided to buy a pass & look forward to enjoying the beautiful surroundings throughout the year. We caught the pumpkin patch on the tail end of the season which meant that you might pick up a pumpkin to move it or hand to a child to hold for a picture or witness a child hurling it into the air only to squish or splat in hands or on ground. We will file that away for next fall & go when it opens!

 

Rotten or not, we so enjoyed our visit! Grammy & Papa joined us which made it all the more fun.



 

 

 

the State "Fair-O"

Owen & Anson started saying they were going to the "Fair-O" early Saturday morning & we just couldn't tell them it was "fair" because they were so darn cute! So we loaded up & were on our way with a happy bunch...even mommy & daddy. It is often a feat to get everyone ready followed by getting everyone buckled without meltdowns but somehow we managed with all smiles. Our first favorite thing about the fair was not even within the gates. We were about to purchase tickets when we saw three security guards yelling "Get'em!" as they chased down a family of four including a child riding in a wagon. We were staring like "What on earth could they be doing to excite the security team to that magnitude?" The next thing that was stated in a loud voice, "SIR you cannot have a selfie stick within the park! Take it back to your car or throw it away immediately!" You might have thought they had a bomb! They looked completely dumbfounded at the extreme reaction & for a second I thought we might be on Candid Camera. Anyway, I found it hard not to laugh which was a little confusing for the girls but I explained what a selfie stick was & why it is banned at the Fair & we moved along.  

Once in the gate we banded the girls with their name & our phone number. We reviewed our "what to do if you are lost scenario" & I quizzed Eloise on some things we had previously spoken about such as "Lolo, what if someone you don't know comes up to you & invites you to go somewhere with them. Do you go?" She said "No, I yell & run away!"Then I gave her the real test...."Lolo, if someone comes up to you & tells you that if you follow them you can have the biggest bag of Cotton Candy you have ever seen? Do you go?" She actually paused for a second before offering the correct answer. I applauded her & laughed inside thinking how I might go with a stranger who told me I could have the biggest funnel cake I have ever seen. We were off to a good start & made a bee line to meet Grammy & Papa. 

It's always nice to be greeted by this handsome fella when you arrive at the State "Fair-O" of Texas. He was completely surrounded so it was difficult to get a picture with him but the boys were hilarious as they saw what we tried to describe that morning. Before we arrived they were asking if they could hug him & I said that he was too big to hug but he could talk. Anson had some serious issues with this & immediately started saying in his deep growly voice with a scowl on his face "I do not want him talk to me!"  Once we were there they were talking about how big his hat & boots were & how he says "Howdy!" Big win for those two. 

Once we met up with the ring leader Grammy who has twins attached to her anytime they are near we were at ease to walk around & explore. They had also been to the fair earlier that week so they were our direction givers....never looked at a map!

There was lots to see, plenty of fun things for the kids to explore & great views of the iconic Ferris Wheel the kids yell excitedly about when we drive past Fair Park on our way past downtown. It's so much better up close. Charlotte makes me laugh the hardest, her head turned perfectly to look natural in her selected spot & it looks like Eloise just slapped Owen upside his head. 

Here's the Valentine Six (almost seven) like within two weeks!! I was just a day away from 38 weeks & felt comfortable enough to get moving to coax Arlo to begin his exodus in the coming days. I was shocked at how great I felt the whole time, five hours of walking & chasing kids with no swollen ankles or any major contractions. It was wonderful. We did hear phrases such as "Whoa girl, looks like turkey is done!" or "Are you trying to walk that baby out today?" about 20 times. I don't blame them....he is just about done & I was just beginning to "walk him out."

In the kids area the boys loved looking at the newly hatched chicks that were extremely adorable.

The girls had a blast "helping" which meant choosing the color for the man to squirt as they made spin art around Big Tex.  They turned out cute though!

We showed back up at the ticket stand about 3 times to give them as much money as we possibly could & made sure we had enough tickets for the girls to pick a few rides. We searched for one the boys could ride without Rob since I am out of commission in my current state & came across these swings. Anson was a little apprehensive which was not a surprise. I think he only smiled when he passed a special Grammy that said "Scootly-Bootly." I'm not even sure how that started but it gets everyone a little giggly.

Charlotte was in shock when we walked up to the bumper cars to see that she is actually tall enough to be the driver & carry Eloise as her passenger! We were pretty excited for them. Charlotte panicked right as they were about to give the man their tickets. She looked at me with great concern & said "but I don't know how to drive!" I assured her that she would learn before the collisions officially started. The guys working that ride were so sweet to the little ones giving instructions on how to get out of the huddle of cars in the middle who were driven by children 9 & under minus one 70 year old man who was cruising around with his sunglasses on....not sure how he snuck on there!  They did alright though & were very proud of themselves when exiting. What cutie patooties!

Next on the agenda was filling the bellies of all the Valentines so as to insure cooperation for the rest of our visit. We took yet another trip to the ticket stand to stock up.  We found a great table in the shade & took turns grabbing meals to bring back. Robby & I would have loved to find some more award winners for 2015 but some things are hard to come by with us plus four so we settled with giving the Smoky Bacon Margarita a try. I did wonder if they would sell it to a pregnant woman. I assured her that it was not for me but I could have sucked down that thing in about 2 seconds! Rob was laughing at me as  I took my four sips exclaiming how delicious it was. He thought it was decent but we decided that the reason I thought it was so delicious was because I have only had a sip or two of things of that nature in the past nine months....I figure if Arlo comes before his due date I might swing by for a drink ; ) 

Once lunch concluded, these four headed off to the Ferris Wheel while Jeannine & I took the little guys to the petting zoo which was horrendous due to the amount of people crammed in a small space. The boys loved it though & that's all that counted in that 30 minute span. 

We bought $5 worth of feed for the animals but it was pretty much like Thanksgiving Day & the animals were completely full so we dumped ours all into a bin for a cow. The boys thought we were magicians....mean ones that made all of what they wanted disappear. Owen was excited to pet some piglets & they were precious all snuggled up & sound asleep.  He loved how the mother pigs' tail was so curly. Today at the park he saw a dog from a bit away & said that he liked their piggy & that piggy's like to go on walks. I was wondering what he was talking about until he brought up the piggy's (dog's) curly tail. Haha!

I couldn't really get any pictures of the boys because we were all packed in there like sardines which kept me within inches of them the entire time. I did happen to get a picture of a mama & baby goat that made me ready to have Arlo in my arms. I know I will not snuggle him by laying the weight of my body across his neck but knowing the sweetness & comfort for both....ahhhh, I could just melt.

I thought the llama we saw last year was the strangest & least attractive animal we had seen until we came across this guy.....

Yuck, Really yuck, that's all.

We met back up with the Ferris Wheel riders & had hit the four hour mark. Bob & Jeannine headed home while we continued to mosey on around. No one had lost their marbles yet but even if they had I would have still stopped for a funnel cake. It worked out perfectly because the boys drifted off to sleep just as we rolled up to the stand meaning I lost two addicts I would have to share my funnel cake with. Funnel cakes & french fries are the two things I have great difficulty sharing, even with my own children. We parked the boys in the shade while the girls & I devoured our delicious treat. I must say, a white top was the best choice of the day.....no evidence of my messy eating other than the powdered sugar coating the lower half of my face & my hands. We added up the amount of funnel cakes I ate over three weeks between Oktoberfest, a special night at the Valentine's where Bob hooked me up & at the fair. It was probably about 7-8. Gosh those things are good! I could eat two more as I write this!

Once it was time to head home the big girls were lagging behind a bit & begging for a ride so their muscle man Daddy loaded them up. Charlotte helped push the stroller. I love the looks on the peoples faces just behind us. They look concerned like many others who talked to us during our visit.

We were so thankful that by God's grace we had such a lovely day. The kids were in great moods & so were we. Five hours away for us in this setting with me 9 months had the potential to be extremely NOT fun in any way but it was the opposite. The "FAIR-O" was a success!  It is refreshing to have days like that. They offer a little glimpse into days/years ahead where our time together will look different. But for now, difficult or not, outings with these four are sweet & special. 

We made it home around 3:30 & were all exhausted so we snuggled up on the couch, watched a movie & some of us got a little snooze in. I could not have been happier with all four of my boys within inches of each other. Love each & every one of them!

Oktoberfest 2015!

Addison Oktoberfest takes us way back to our first couple years of marriage where we lived in Dallas & enjoyed the fun occasion as newlyweds without children in tow. We went in the late afternoon & stayed till the last band finished playing. We sat out on the grassy hill & sang along to familiar tunes, we ate yummy sausage, drank beer (one of us) & even did a little dancing. 

Once we moved back last summer we couldn't wait for this festival to begin.  We brought the whole crew which included two one year olds in a giant stroller we were trying to squeeze through lots of crowds. We had some fun but experienced some ridiculous moments such as Eloise running across a stage (during a performance), Owen having difficulty keeping his hand & arm out of Rob's beer & Anson attacking a brat on a stick like he had never been fed. Still, it was worth the trouble to haul the bunch to enjoy time together & with the beloved Clark family who had four of their own. 

This year we thought it would be fun to take the girls on a date with us & leave the boys at home with a babysitter on Saturday afternoon/evening. They were SO excited to go & possibly equally excited to be without those silly brothers that sometimes cramped their style. We were smart & took the rack of the Expedition so we didn't risk ripping it off in the parking garage as we did last time ; ) 

I convinced the little ladies to let me put their hair in ponytails since it was a good 95 degrees outside. They held hands with their favorite guy as we headed to the entrance.

First stop was the carnival where we stocked up on enough tickets to ride a good six rides. There were many to choose from & though I feel like the girls are so big compared to the boys they were darling when they chose an extremely calm flying dragon ride. Just a reminder that they are still so little : ) The hilarious part of the dragon ride was their dragon was the ONLY one that stayed in the lowest position while all else with little bitty kids were flying high. Their faces were excited at the start but then they looked slightly annoyed by the end. I wanted my tickets back but decided not to pick a fight with someone who did not speak the same language as me. We continued on to a couple spinny rides which are my least favorite. Thankfully I have a good sized pregnant belly & am not allowed to ride anyway. What a perfect few weeks to be pregnant! Easy out for rides at the Fest & the State Fair of Texas! The cutest ride is the is the Hog- Rally Cycles, they do wheelies & sound like the real thing. When we looked at the height requirement it said that for under 36 inches an adult had to ride as well. We were laughing wondering where they were supposed to sit until we walked by about an hour later. We saw a Dad sitting in a side car looking like Elf. I could not keep it together.....soooo funny! We loved watching Charlotte take care of her sister. She is so considerate & helped her on & off rides, waited for her in the rope climbing up to a big slide & followed her lead as she panicked in the mirror maze & tried to exit as quickly as possible. Again since I'm pregnant they wouldn't let me go with the terrified girls....were they concerned I would slam my belly into the glass? That is a real possibility as we watched one little girl moving quickly run straight into the glass. We were happy to see a mommy enter & told the girls to follow her. They made it safely out!

There was a lot of walking around & an exciting trip to the Porta Potty where the girls were completely disgusted as they should be. Arlo didn't give me much trouble until he was ready for a funnel cake later in the evening.

We ate dinner in the tent where the main stage was. Rob told the girls if they wanted a sweet treat they would have to show off some moves on the dance floor. Charlotte almost broke down in tears so she stayed with her Daddy while Elo & I headed over to dance. Before we knew it Char was running our way & joined in on the silliness. I loved it & so did they. Once the requirement was reached to receive a treat we went back to the carnival area. The girls picked out pink cotton candy & Eloise proceeded to eat nearly the entire bag in about five minutes. I absolutely LOVE funnel cakes so I ordered one for myself but had to share with my friends : ( Funnel Cakes & French Fries are really challenging for me to share. You may think I 'm joking but I am completely serious. I've been known to pop a hand. We parked it on the curb as I began to snarf the perfectly thick & covered with the perfect amount of powdered sugar funnel cake. By the end Rob was cracking up at the amount of powdered sugar on my face, hands & pregnant belly. I folded the plate in half & began to stand up to head to the trash can. I leaned to the side & poured all the powdered sugar in my lap & on my legs. We were laughing & then we watched Eloise as she started licking her hand & rubbing it across my legs to get every bit of sugar. This was after eating almost an entire bag of cotton candy...how much sugar can one girl handle? I shouldn't give her a hard time about it since I wanted three more funnel cakes!

We were going to attempt to take a picture of the four of us until a nice couple walked by & offered to take it for us. When she handed my phone back to me she said, "I think we took a picture of ourselves on accident." I scrolled through & we laughed so hard at their awesome selfie! On the other hand our family picture wasn't of the same quality ; )

We enjoyed a bit of music at the other stage before heading to Torchy's Tacos & then home. We got our family selfie which I like better than any picture we have had with these cute girls in a long while.

All four of us had a blast & little whining went on which made it SO nice. We enjoyed it so much we thought we would return the next afternoon with the whole brood. 

Owen was really happy about his new pin "Prost Ya'll" which is basically saying "cheers!" Anson was really happy about the sausage his Daddy bought for an afternoon snack. 

All four loved running in the field & Anson loved his little taste of Paulaner.

We showed up just in time for the Weenie Dog race. Eloise walked right up to this service dog which had to have weighed at least 100 pounds. She looked at me & said "is that a weenie dog mommy?" I laughed out loud as I described what a weenie dog looks like. Robby & I agreed that the race would be way more exciting with large dogs ; ) The boys were super wiggly so sitting didn't last too long. We definitely had about a million people ask us if all the kids were ours or tell us how great it is to have a big family or pay their regrets to our "predicament." When we think back to one of our pre kid visits to watch the Weenie Dog race our favorite memory is this. We were on the hill sitting near a family with a two year old boy sitting quietly with his child leash attached to a monkey backpack in place. A weenie dog ran up & attacked the monkey pulling the little boy back a bit. We were cracking up & saying "and people think Pit Bulls are vicious!" We did not see any weenie dog vs. monkey battles although it would have been fun ; ) 

Owen has been really snuggly with me lately & I love it. He likes to sit on my belly & send me into a million contractions but he is soooo cute I cannot resist!

Well, we knocked out another year bringing back up to a "tradition status" for our family. Can't wait to take all five there next year!