Stockshow 2013

It's that time of year where we're posers and put on some cowboy boots like we're fresh from the farm and go see the Stock Show in Cowtown. After every Stock Show, my children ask when the next one is repeatedly throughout the year.

Too bad in years past we've had boots for everyone. This year my boys outgrew their boots but Campbell didn't let that stop him from dressing the part everywhere else. Nolan said, "No fair, why does Campbell get to dress up? I want to wear my Buzz Lightyear costume." Apparently, he thought that the Stockyards were the same as Halloween.

We held our noses and checked out all the animals. Landry was mesmerized by them all as you can see in the photo above. There was no taking her eyes off that cow. She sure was rockin' those boots.

The boys couldn't go home without riding rides of course. All those rides scare me to death because I see how they fold them and put them in a suitcase when they're done. I can just see a screw falling out and throwing my kids out of it like a boomerang. Thank goodness they want to stick to the kiddie rides still.

Nolan walked the plank while Landry and Daddy watched. Yep, that's a Hot Wheel band-aid she's sporting after a moon walk act she pulled. The tiniest little scratch but that sucker would NOT stop bleeding. By the end, she was looking and acting ragged and so were we.

So maybe we're not the country folk we pose to be, but we're Texan. So that pretty much means we belong anywhere where tractors, cows, and horses are. Or at least that's what we tell ourselves.

Stock Show 2012

When I went to England in high school for a handbell choir trip (yes you read that right), the families that we stayed with thought that since we lived in Texas, that we rode horses to work and school. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Texas, but I'm a city girl through and through.

My sister, Tonya, moved to the country with her girls and I can't believe it but those girls are as country as they come. I'm talking showing pigs, horses in the barn kind of country. My boys absolutely love going out there and playing on the farm. So every year when the Stock Show comes to Cowtown, we act like we're country folk and check it out. We brought my niece, Madison, to make us look more authentic since she knows what she's doing when it comes to this country stuff.

Sadly, with trying to figure out this whole "family of 5" thing, we didn't get to the Stock Show until they were nearly closed. It was a serious sprint in and out of the barns trying to see all the animals.

For some city folk, my boys sure do love some farm animals.

 

 And it's not a stock show without a few scary carnival rides. I remember wanting to ride all of those rides so desperately when I was little, but now that I'm a mom, all I can see is their germ infestation and lack of safety. Does that officially make me OCD?

After all the talk about rides, the carousel was the only thing we could talk Campbell into riding.

Nolan gladly took his remaining tickets. 

 We went to the Stock Show back at the end of January (yes, I know it's April and I'm finally getting around to posting these pictures) and the boys are STILL asking when we're going back. Good thing we live in Cowtown.

Stock Show

If you give a girl a pair of cowboy boots, she's going to want to try them out. And there's no better place to truly break in a pair of boots than the Fort Worth Stock Show.

Every year in Fort Worth we have the Stock Show and this year we just knew we had to make it. With Campbell's love affair with all farm living things and his fascination with cowboys we knew he would love it.

So we dressed the part and did our best to act like we're Texans fresh off the farm. Which if you really know us is absolutely hilarious to think of us as country folk. But you know what they say, when in Rome...

As we waited for Justin to park the car (because we forgot the stroller), we had a rootin' tootin' time having a snack. Nolan was completely cracking me up when he kept looking at his sheriff badge on his hat.



As we waited I told Nolan to give me his best Cowboy lean against the wall. This is what I got. He's our city boy. However, Campbell has that cowboy gene and tipped his hat and got all kinds of "awwws" from passerbys.

 
And just like we thought, we saw beautiful horses, stinky cows...

The cutest little chicks and ducklings that you ever did see...

The boys absolutely loved it. It was such a beautiful day all the way around.

Even if the lighting was terrible in the building where the horse were I had to do my best to capture the boys.

As I sat back and watched my boys click their boots and point to every living creature, I loved that they loved it. Although my sister lives on over 25 acres, country living is not part of our daily life. But I can see why it would be a calling to some.

Especially because cowboys are so stinkin' cute.

It wouldn't be a true carnival without some rides. You know those kind of rides that look like, Please God, I pray that these are safe. They also fall into the realm of, Here quick, come straight here for a squirt of Purell.

Our smallest cowboy couldn't ride all the rides but even then he loved watching his big brother cowboy saddle up and ride some.

 
 Campbell also had his first port-a-potty experience. Yikes. You know it's bad when a 2 year old says, "It's stinky Daddy!"

Despite all the smells, it was a fun time had by all and the boys think we should go back everyday.

Yee Haw!

I would call this another episode of Forced Family Fun but this wasn't forced...it was actually fun! We took the boys to the Fort Worth Stock Show. First I asked Nolan if he wanted to go to the Stock Show. Not knowing what it really is, he of course said no. Then when I really talked it up and told him that we would see horses, pigs, goats, he got his excited voice and told me, "and lions, too?" The morning of I was trying to get everyone up and moving and reminded him about going and he said, "I can't wait to see the monkeys!" So what if he thinks the Stock Show is the zoo.

He was dying to see the baby piglets and the ducklings and just went on a on about how much they were snuggling. And believe it or not (we hardly could), he actually rode rides...kinda scary ones too! It looks like our cautious scaredy cat is coming out of his shell! Campbell was a trooper. He's like me in that he loves to people watch and there were definitely a lot of people there to watch! We skipped nap time for Nolan but he crashed on the way home and didn't have any meltdowns the rest of the day. I told you it wasn't forced!