Rodeo Time!

March in Houston is synonymous with rodeo time. I got a free ticket through preschool so off we went!

Wednesday are "value" days so kids are free and rides are cheaper. That also means there are lots of school groups (and yes, it sounds hypocritical to complain about school groups when that's how I got my ticket) and lots of crowds.

Riding the tram from the parking lot

We tried going into the big indoor arena with animals and things but it was too crowded. So after seeing a few cows, we went outside and met up with the preschool group at the mutton bustin'. Sam is two months shy of being able to participate. Maybe next year! After that was over, we met up with Dionne and went to the "farm."

Making a corn angel.

 Proof I was there.

We ate lunch right by our next stop - the kids' pedal tractor pull. We got Sam and Harrison signed up (for free!) and watched the action. The kids had to pull certain amounts of weight in the back of their tractor. Since Sam is 4, he didn't have to pull any weight. The kid he competed against had to pull like 100 pounds. Let's watch the video to see who wins.

YAY! So Sam advanced to the next round, during which they increased his weight to 50 pounds. Couldn't make it very far, but it was still exciting. Here he is with his prize.

 Harrison and Sam.

Sam used some of his allowance to buy tickets for rides. He did the big slide, some obstacle course two times, and rode the caterpillar ride with Afton. Afton rode the caterpillar ride twice.

 After the rides, the kids asked if they could go feed the animals. I forked out $5 for two ice cream cones filled with animal food and we headed into the petting zoo. Afton started screaming bloody murder because all of the animals were right up in her face. So I gave Sam the food so that I could pick up Afton. Then Sam started crying because some animal nibbled on his hand and then a deer started eating his shirt. It was pretty hilarious, but we lasted like one minute in there. Money down the drain. I wish I had caught it on video.

We went through the farm one more time b/c the kids wanted the snack they gave out at the end. Then we headed home - tired a cranky. Despite that, I thought it was really fun. I really like the rodeo!