Brad Paisley at The Rodeo

We had two fun days at the Houston Rodeo this year.  The first was the carnival.....the second was the actual rodeo!  My mom was in town that weekend for the procedure I had that Friday and we had our Gender Reveal party the day after.  It was a busy weekend, filled with lots of fun!  Luckily, we had a good parking pass so the rain wasn't too bothersome.  William was super pumped to see the animals and wear his new cowboy hat and boots.  

Staying dry with daddy  |  Crazy guys  |  There's nothing better than ice cream in a cowboy hat  

Listening to some good music  |  The best family pic we could get  |  Telling Nana all about the rodeo

Having fun!  |  My little cowboy

I'm always shocked at how well William does at these type of events.  He will just sit and watch everything.  He loved the bull riding (not a good sign) and he couldn't stop talking about how fast the horses could run.  During mutton bustin he told us he wanted to ride....he's been practicing on daddy every night since.  LOL.  Brad Paisley did a great job performing.  William loved watching him play the guitar.  Basically, this night is William's dream come true.  Animals, music, guitars, ice cream, pizza, and popcorn.  It doesn't get much better than that!  The only thing we were missing was Papa.  He was out of town hunting.  As you can see, we took lots of pictures to send him!

RODEO Time!!

It's Rodeo season in our neck of the woods!  Every year since I've lived in Houston I've attended the Rodeo.  This time of year means a few things....Tons of fun.  Lots of nights up too late.  Priceless memories. 

Here's a little bit of my Houston Rodeo history......The first few years I attended the rodeo I was a bit spoiled with suite tickets, thanks to a college friend.  I've been with my parents and brother to see Taylor Swift.  Gone while I was pregnant.  Seen George Strait in this arena twice.  Taken my 11 months old because the babysitter cancelled at the last minute.  Paid for too many bike cabs because my feet always hurt by the end of the night.  Stood in long lines for the light rail.  Gobbled down cotton candy with my nearly 2 year old.  Gone with a group of M.D. Anderson kids to see Rascal Flatts.  And I've had some of the best girls nights at the rodeo.  If you're ever in the area during Houston's rodeo season GOOOOO!  Don't let the traffic scare you.  It's well worth the memories.  

• Mommy and her little cowboy
• Lovin all the action
• Selfie with Parker (notice the two little mouths full of pizza!)
• Blake Shelton with Stacy
• Easton Corbin with my TCH girls
• With some of my favorite people!  Enjoying the Wine Garden before the concert.
• We braved the crowds with these three little things (they loved the bike cab ride).   

Last week I had two girls nights out in a row.  Obviously, that's unheard of these days.  I even got to hit up some of my favorite midtown spots before heading to the rodeo on Thursday and Friday night.  I had the best time but it definitely makes me appreciate my 10:00 bedtime.  :)
I was dying to see Blake Shelton but was never able to find good tickets.  I made Gordon promise he'd take me to one of his concerts in the near future.  And then the NIGHT BEFORE the concert my sweet sister in law called to say she had two tickets for me!  YIPPEE!!!  He was fabulous (and Miranda even came out to sing Home with him).  The next night I saw Easton Corbin with a bunch of my best girl friends.  I have to say I was super impressed.  He put on a wonderful show.  It was a night full of singing, laughing and story telling.  I sure do love my girls and country music!

It's simply amazing how much he's changed in 12 months!  At this rate, he's going to be bull riding before I can blink. 

William's Rodeo Art Work From School

I've enjoyed going to the rodeo since I was just a little girl.  We would go to the Big Spring rodeo with my grandparents every year growing up.  I'm so glad I get to share the same stuff with William!! 



Rodeo Weekend



This past weekend we made our yearly trip to Reliant for the Houston Rodeo!  Since our nanny is out of commission right now we decided to just bring baby W along with us.  We went grocery shopping Friday night so we wouldn't feel so rushed on Saturday.  William was definitely ready for some rodeo fun.  He had his outfit on and to really get into Rodeo mode we played with his barnyard friends from his nana before heading out (the pig is his favorite).  I can't wait to put him in cowboy boots next year!   

 

I know I've said it a million times.....I'll say it again....William really is the best baby.  He did so good at the rodeo.  Everyone sitting around us was amazed.  They kept asking if he was always so good.  He just sat in our lap and watched all the action.  We even caught him clapping his hands along with everyone else!  He was mesmerized by the fireworks before the concert started.  It got pretty loud once the concert started (and we'd been there for over 2 hours already) so we walked around the concession area and did a little dancing.  We left a little early so we could beat the traffic and we wanted to grab some dinner before heading home.  We had some yummy mexican food at Spanish Village and then went home to put baby boy to bed. 
Rodeo this year was definitely different than years past but Gordon and I both agreed we had so much fun.  It was so fun watching William!  You could tell he was amazed by it all.  The next day I swear he "talked" about it the entire day.  On Thursday he started saying dadadadbabbaba!  And, it is non stop.  When he woke up Sunday morning he was in constant babble. 

Sunday was our 6 year "anniversary" so our rodeo weekend was the perfect way to celebrate.  It really does seem like just yesterday that Gordon came back into my life.  The past 6 years have been jam packed with happy and fun times.  I can't even imagine how great the next 6 years will be!  
We went to church on Sunday, had a burger at the park and went on a walk at Memorial.  I'm so happy to have more sun time at the end of the day!!!! 
I'm so glad we went to church on Sunday because the sermon was great and made me think of my family.  I'll be honest....I don't have the most functional extended family (which makes me appreciate Gordon's calm, easy going nature even more).  Father Walsh, who married us, talked about forgiveness and resolution.  Both of my parents come from big families.  With so many people you have many different personalities and opinions.  Life is too short to hold a grudge, to not get over something and move on with your life.  I wish everyone could understand the way I do.  Right now I know two children, under the age of 6, that will die too young.  They will be taken from their parents much too soon because of cancer.  Therefore, I will never understand not forgiving.  I will never understand wasting a single day on silly things that stand in the way of happiness.  We are all different.  We all have different opinions and some of us are more sensitive and emotional than others.  It doesn't make one person right, wrong, better or worse.  Just different.  I may be young but I've been cheated on, picked on and made fun of.  And, ALL of those things have made me stronger.  I've forgiven those that cheated and lied.  To me, holding onto bad feelings means leaving less room for happiness and love in your heart.  And let's be honest, if I hadn't been cheated on would I have Gordon and William in my life?  I don't know.  I am grateful for every single good and bad thing that's happened over the course of my life because it's led me to where I am now.  So, I choose to surround myself with positive people that love me.  I pray that we can all forgive each other because nobody is perfect.  I pray that we can trust in God and not live life worried or sad.  God has a plan for all of us.  Sometimes it's not what we had planned but in the end we will see why He's chosen that path for us.  So, this week forgive someone!  Find resolution and make peace in your life because it's too short to be anything but happy, happy, happy!

He was happy after church too!

"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."  - Mark 11:25