Mutton Bustin

 Last spring during the Grab the Gold Ranch Rodeo, my little darling participated in the mutton bustin.  She did a fine job.  I'm super proud.  

Let me start by saying that Scout Preston Smith is one of the toughest kids I know.  Honestly, she has always been full speed, wild woman and doesn't really get hurt.  I know the day is coming, but....

Of course she can whine and act like such a baby just like any other 5 year old girl, but when it comes right down to the real stuff she is tough.

Excuse my yelling........so embarrassing!! 

You can't really tell in the video, but my tough Scoutie was not so happy about riding.  Ok, so I'll confess, my friend Rain had entered her kids and so I entered Scout, then talked her into it.

She was actually crying to start with and didn't want to ride at all.  Riley looked at me and I said to turned her out.  You may not agree (which is fine), but I just don't think you can let kids chicken out on things that require a little bit of grit.  You'll see, she was happy and smiling by the time the ride was over.

1st Annual Sandhill Invitational Team Roping!

Our fourth of July was very laid back this year!  Thankfully we received a good rain the night before and the 1st Annual Sandhill Invitational got moved to the round pen.  Team roping in the round pen isn't ideal, but it was a little western.  It was packed with lots of fun and a few wrecks.

I'm usually the first person to freak out, but I do have a little experience with a person losing digits.  Riley lost his thumb the year before we were married and even though I wasn't there when it happened I was at the hospital with him before his surgery.  When our good friend Coby caught his fingers in his dally, I offered to take him to the emergency room. I'm almost certain that my wild driving kept his mind off of his fingers.

My Scoutie fearlessly sang the National Anthem to start the roping.  You can watch the video at the end of this post.

 I love these pics Rain shot of the kiddos playing in the commodity barn.  

After the roping we headed home for lunch and some tasty shortcake and fruit thanks to Rain.  Our cute little table is a combo of her cooking and craftiness and my junk on hand.  

Tell me we aren't going to have trouble keeping the boys away from these two!

Springlake....yes people Springlake, Texas has a pretty awesome celebration for a tiny town (population 200).  We enjoyed the parade, music, food, and fireworks.  

Here you can watch Scout singing the National Anthem at the feedyard.  She had no problem standing up on the bumper of a pickup, leaning over the fence, and belting it out in front of the cowboys.  I wish I had her courage.  She is something else!

Summer Visit in NM!

The kids and I were so lucky to spend almost a week this summer with my parents in New Mexico.

We celebrated Mimi's birthday with their ranch friends.  It was kind of a big birthday.  I seriously hope to look like her at 65!  I'll be proud to tell my age.

 We didn't have much of anything that we had to do.  We played and played for days. 

 You might remember that Scout adores Mimi's dog Sandy.  In the past she found my child harness in the vehicle and used it to lead this poor pooch around.  This time Mimi took Scout into Big R and they picked out a new red leash for Sandy.  Bless her for being such a sport.

Papa brought a few heifers in from the sale.  We processed and Reno's job was to pick up the sale barn tags off the ground.  They made countless trips to the barn.  We made red velvet cake for Mimi's birthday.  The kids enjoyed ice cream with their Papa.

 I love this pic!  Everything about it is perfect to me..........my babies, high-water pants, palm leaf hats, the windmill, old red wooden boxcar!

The older cousins went on a train ride with Mimi and Papa from Trinidad to Raton awhile back.  My kiddos were too little so we finally got to take a train ride.

I hadn't been on a train either.  We loved the freedom of moving around the cars. It would be a fun way to take a medium length trip with a large group.  Our problem is the large group getting to one spot to take a trip together.  It's usually a meet up kind of deal for us.  

We shopped a few places downtown Raton as we waited for the train.  The kids had fun just playing as we waited for the train.

We also swam at the aquatic center in Raton.  It was pretty crowded and a little cold, but a very fun place.  Maybe we can rent it over Christmas break since it's indoor.

 Let's see next year they can probably do Mimi's Summer Camp without me.  (Except for I love going too!!!)