I honestly can not remember a single year that I have missed attending the Stock Show since I have had my driver's license.
The atmosphere is the same every year. However, the experiences have changed over time. In high school and college, my girlfriends and I spent every waking moment wandering the isles in our painted on Wranglers chasing cowboys. Somewhere between the end of my college years and my adulthood, I started paying a lot more attention to the four legged attendees. I could spend hours watching good horses run through the pen all day long.
The last few years, my Stock Show adventures have been split between the petting zoo and Pony Trails.
My kids eat it up.
Last year Mr Blue Eyes really didn't engage very much - he was too little. But this year, he and his sister were like little explorers. They sat on every stuffed horse they could.
Although having to share with Sissy was not his idea of fun. His independence is beginning to 'blossom.'
He didn't like the idea of sitting behind Sissy, since on the real horses he always gets the driver's seat.
He refused to smile. He tried to convince me that Sissy had cooties when I told him to hold on tight.
Of course my Brown Eyed Girl was in heaven. Real horse or fake - it was a horse.
Mr Blue Eyes did get a kick out of the cut-out photo boards.
Mr Cowboy Blue Eyes.
Mr Show Jumper Blue Eyes.
Mr Saddle Bronc Blue Eyes.
Of course when brother appears to be having fun and getting attention...
Brown Eyed Girl Bronc Rider
Brown Eyed Girl Polo Player
Brown Eyed Girl Show Jumper
We test drove a lot of saddles...
Our Stock Show adventure would not have been complete without a trip to the petting farm.
Where there are goats... lots of goats.
Cute baby goats (who unfortunately become head butting adult goats. Sorry kids, we will not be taking any goats home with us. Mommy is not a fan.)
There were wooly soft sheep.
A couple pot belly pigs.
...who had baby pot belly pigs that like scratched behind their ears like a dog does.
And this big thing...
... that sat very still. In fact, I am pretty sure Mr Blue Eyes either didn't think it was real or was so extremely comfortable around all of these animals that he could have cared less that this Lama could have taken an arm if he wanted.
Ahhh the goats... he loved petting the goats. Sorry kid.
I thought this little cutie was adorable. A baby miniature donkey. I would load this one up in the truck today! Though Handy Man would make me turn around and return him that very evening.
This year they had little buckets full of brushes so you could brush the animals. My Brown Eyed Girl thought this was the best part of the day.
The other things she really liked were these two ducks in the little pen with the baby pot belly pigs.
She informed me that she really, really wanted baby ducks. She reminded me we even had a place for the ducks to live - the previous owners had geese. They built this little pen with a little house and had sunken a couple shallow water tanks for swimming pools.
Ducks...
I have raised ducks before. They are very, very cute as babies. However as adults, ducks are SO dirty. They muck up all the water, poop all over the place, make a mess of their food... I told her I would think about it.
Of course the hugged me dramatically and said, "Oooohhh thank you Mommy. I loooove you Mommy." I said think about it! Good grief...
I love sharing the Stock Show each year with my kids. I love that they are given the opportunity to touch different kinds of animals, see big cows up close and see all the different kinds of draft horses and watch the horse shows. I am thinking they might be old enough to sit though the rodeo next year.
I can hardly wait!
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