My Little Cowgirls on Stage!

As I described in my last blog, Cattle Call week is a big deal around here.  We had a blast at the mini-rodeo, and that very night, the girls got all dolled up again for Cowboy Poetry.  Cowboy Poetry is an annual event that beckons to all local folks to wax poetic and read or recite their favorite western themed poems in front of the happy crowd at Stockmen's Club.  

A couple of years ago, the girls and Danny began to perform a song at Cowboy poetry.  At just 3 and 4 years old, Cubby and Emma learned "Home on The Range," donned their pink cowboy boots and western duds, and sang their hearts out in front of an extremely gracious crowd.  The cheers were amazing!  The girls had caught the fever for performing.  Since they've performed in front of people from such a young age, they have no problem singing right into the microphone, it's amazing! Last year they sang "Yippee-ti yay-yo," or something like that.  I don't know exactly how to type out made-up cowboy words.  The response was great!!   I know, I know, I am an awfully proud mama.  Can't you just see me with my feathers all fluffed up?  I can't help myself.  

Anyway, this year, Danny had planned on teaching them another cowboy themed song.  Unfortunately, his pneumonia knocked him out for so long, that he didn't have time to teach the girls a song, plus practice in the time left.  So since he'd already worked so hard on teaching the girls "Keep On the Sunny Side" for Western Round-Up, they gave a repeat performance at this year's Cattle Call Cowboy Poetry.  It was another smashing success.....which resulted in the girls' first front page photograph!   Check out their photo by following the link: Imperial Valley Press Cowboy Poetry Photo Gallery

Now, although my pictures are not as fancy or professional, I snapped a few fun ones, and be sure to check out the girls' performance!

Gigi had a hard time waiting for the girls to perform.  Next year, Gigi won't be on the sidelines...she'll be up on stage alongside her big sisters.  J.D. will be up there too, we hope...even if it is just to stand by Grandpa Jim and strum along on his banjo.

Yay!!  Keep on the sunny side, y'all!

After the performance, everyone felt free to let loose a little.  Uncle Christ is happy to oblige and get the kids laughing!

J.D. is like, "Yeah, this is all cute and very funny, but give me my banjo back, buddy."

Woo-hoo!  The awesome band in the flesh!  We are so proud of you!  

Gigi was happy, too. But then again, she's always happy with Grandma D.  

And here I am with the girls.  What a great night.  Good job, cowgirls!

Mini Rodeo, Big Fun!

This week is Cattle Call Rodeo week in our small town.  Every day, all week long, our town hosts fun, family friendly events aimed at pleasing any and all rodeo fans.  Today was the mini-rodeo.  The mini-rodeo is just what it sounds like.  It is a miniature version of the "big" rodeo, meant for pre-schoolers and other school-age children.  The mini-rodeo is shorter, sillier, and is full of kids doing fun events, sort of gymkhana style events.  This event hosts some serious stuff too. The barrel racing is no joke!  

Now my kids love the mini-rodeo even more than the big, full sized rodeo that's coming up this weekend.  Last year was their first mini-rodeo experience, and ever since then, we were sold!  This year, my big sis taped off a group of front row seats for us, so that when we arrived, we had a great view of the action.  We saw kids dressed up as clowns, tons of gorgeous cowgirls with sparkling belts and big smiles.  We saw the American flag flying and five year olds gently guiding their trusty horses around barrels.  We saw young cowboys fall down and get right back up.  We saw it all, and it was great!   Yee-Haw!

What follows are a handful of my most favorite pictures from our day at the Cattle Call Mini-Rodeo.

Cubby and J.D. walk excitedly into the grandstands.  

Meeting the cowgirls was such a thrill for the little ones!  I love that they ride their horses right up to the bars so the kids can give a good luck pet to the shiny horses.

Cubby was probably my most excited child.  She's the one who's been begging for a horse now for a the past year.  She reminds me a whole lot of me at that age!!  Luckily, my mom and dad bought me a perfect Shetland Pony at her age.  A pony just might be in her future...

Emma loved watching the show, and she decided that she now might want to be a cowgirl too.  I think the shining, sparkling cowgirl queen blouses may have a little bit to do with this change of heart. 

Gigi wasn't scared of the giant animals at all!  She's such a brave little girl!

This guy gave us an awesome show atop his full-proof gray dappled horse. 

The girls got quite a kick out of it!

Here's a picture of my gorgeous, and always chic niece, Ellie!

We sat with Emma and Cubby's homeschool group. And here are a couple of their buddies from class.  Gotta love all those jeans and cowgirl hats!

Then the flags came out, and the national anthem was sung by an incredibly gifted high schooler.  I looked down at my kiddos to see....

...J.D. with his hat held in his hands during the national anthem!  He's watched his daddy enough times to know what to do during our nation's song.  Way to go, buddy!

We had to leave a bit earlier, since the little ones got rambunctious and hungry about halfway through the show.  We stopped on the way out for a classic Cattle Call photo op.  

Yep, it doesn't get much better than this in our small town, folks!!

I even had my photo snapped!  

The grandmas came along for good measure, and assistance!  The kiddos were only too happy to pose beautifully with the grandmas, every child was beaming from ear to ear.  

Then it was time for lunch, so we headed out.  The kids, who we thought were ravenous, ate quickly, then headed outside to.....

...climb a tree and look really cute doing it! 

Sweet J.D. is a natural treeclimber.  

But nobody climbed higher than little Cubby. That girl is so much like me it's not even funny.  She loved being high up in the branches, probably dreaming about the day when she too can ride around the arena on her soft pony.

Back at the Gym

For those of you that don't know, I have given birth three times.  My first two girls were born naturally, with a hefty epidural, of course.  Both labor experiences were pretty textbook, I was told.  My recovery time was typical, back on my feet the next day.   After about six weeks or so, I felt like myself again, pretty much.  Now, the twins were born via emergency C-section three and a half years ago.  The recovery time on that was pretty lengthy.  I had never had to deal with that kind of pain before.  The incision was gruesome, the pain extreme, and on top of that, I developed mastitis, a very painful infection in my right breast.  During those first few weeks of the twins' lives, I was a physical and emotional wreck.

Now today, after my second workout with trainer Robert,  I am again, a physical wreck.  I took about 2 and a half weeks off while his wife had a baby and I recovered from sinusitis.  I just followed my doctor's orders to stay away from any intense exercise since the antibiotic he prescribed me could cause tendonitis. So, during that two week hiatus, I didn't eat too well, and I definitely didn't work out one bit.  And yes, I gained a couple of pounds back too.  I basically became a softy again.  Bad move.  Very bad move.

Yesterday morning I met with Robert at the gym to get another session in before Cattle Call week started, the week of painted on jeans!  Apparently it is for some people at least, but not so in my case....yet!  Anyway, that was the hardest workout so far, including the six weeks before my illness.  Today, I am so sore,  I can barely walk.  Actually, I can walk, I just look like a cowboy who's been riding the range for a week.  My back and legs ache, my arms feel sore, even my rear end screams at me when I want to sit down.  So I had to give you that little blurb on my three childbirth experiences with pain up at the top so that I can explain to you that today is my fourth most painful physical experience of my life.  And I have just one person to thank for it.  Hopefully I will be free from soreness by tomorrow so I can get some more exercise in.  Then again....I better not push it....painted on jeans are a bit overrated, don't you think?

What a Crazy Couple of Weeks!

Ok, well, I hardly know where to begin.  My family has had a rough, hectic couple of weeks.  Since I don't know quite where to start, I will let the pictures do most of the talking, since looking back at them will remind me of what we've been through!

A week and a half ago, on Saturday, Danny played at a Master Chorale concert here in our home town.  He dressed up like a cowpoke, and despite his annoying cough, he played and sang beautifully.  The western themed concert was a hit, as this small town is gearing up for its biggest local event, Cattle Call Rodeo.  

Danny played alongside his banjo picking dad, and our good friend, Luke.  They were a great sounding trio. Check my Facebook page to hear one of their tunes, Blackberry Blossom.  It is a boot stompin' good time!

Luke and Danny have a fabulous time playing together.  

Hey, who's that handsome bearded cowboy?  It's none other than MY wonderful man!!

Now the next day after the concert, Danny's "cold" went from bad to worse. Much worse.  His cough became hacking, he maintained a low-grade fever all day, and he felt wiped out.  His second trip to the doctor and a chest x-ray later and he was diagnosed with pneumonia.  In order to not be hospitalized, he was given a heavy dose of antibiotics, a strict recommendation to lie down and rest as much as possible, as well as two shots of intense medicine to heal him even quicker.  His first few days at home were tough.  He felt bad, but he gradually felt a little better, then a little better.  He was still advised, however, to avoid going outside, avoid any kind of activity, and rest as much as possible.  So he did.  

As Danny lie resting, all of the Halloween and harvest events approached! The girls are seen here dressing our little dog, Button, in her pumpkin outfit.  She wasn't too thrilled about the hat.  

That day we made crafts and played  games at our homeschool academy's Halloween party.  Emma, our sweet little angel, is seen here painting a pumpkin candle holder.  

Cubby, or should I say Rapunzel, with her new spunky haircut, is also painting a craft project.  

While the girls were having fun at their party, I took the twins over to their pre-school Harvest Party.  The fireman, J.D., appears to be rescuing someone from atop the slide.  Nah, he's just looking super cute.  It's not a tough job for him!

Here's the three year old trio, posing for a lovely picture.  The fireman is clearly protecting the adorable Cinderellas from random flames and coy passersby.

Ahhh....Gigi and Ellie.  BFFs!  And no, believe it or not, Ayron and I did not plan this out!  

Yum!  A harvest lunch just wouldn't be complete without fried chicken, mashed potatoes and a scarecrow hat!  Boy do I love those two kids!

And a few days later, now, J.D. took his fireman outfit to a whole new level with boots, shorts, a fireman top, and two sets of goggles.  I guess you can never have too much eye protection, eh buddy?

Next on the agenda? Western Round Up!!  Every year since I was a youngster, my church would host a harvest type event around Halloween.  The chili cook off, salsa and cornbread contest, plenty of games, a mechanical bull and country music in the background, Western Round Up is a community hit. This is the first time we have attended for many years.  The only bittersweet part was that Danny had spent the last two months practicing to headline the country concert with his dad, Luke, and other friends.  His pneumonia kept him away from the outdoor concert, but the show went on!  So we got all decked out in our cowboy duds and had a good ol' time!

Gigi and J.D., who wore his banjo around to show that he was filling in for dad, enjoyed the country music.  There was some spontaneous dancing.  Moments like those are just another perk of having three year olds.  

My sweet western family poses here just before the hats started flying off and their hair went from civilized to "cwazy" as Gigi would say.  

Emma and Gigi roll some pumpkins here with our good friend Isabella.  Luckily, no winners were announced, everyone got candy for participating!  

The girls sang "Keep On the Sunny Side" with Luke and Grandpa Jim accompanying.  Their sweet voices stole the show....at least in my opinion. :)

On my, were the desserts delicious!  Cubby is enjoying a mini brownie with frosting and a candy corn on top. Heaven!

Emma is gearing up for her big solo on stage at the talent show.  She was asked at the last minute by our Pastor's wife to sing Amazing Grace.  Look below for the video.  Also, this is the grand beginning of her journey to long bangs.  She wants to grow them out, and it all starts here people!  Now it will be seen in awkward lengths until it finally gets to that blissful state of fitting in a ponytail.  Ahhh.....maybe next spring?!

J.D. and Grandma Susie have a very special relationship.  She can understand most of what he's saying, but even when she can't, her encouraging facial expressions and big smile keep that boy talking on an on.

Here is the talent show when Emma was asked to wrap it up with her now favorite song, Amazing Grace.  Watch below for the video version....

Adorable cowgirls....with relief written all over their faces after successfully finishing their songs for the talent show.

Sweet Grandma Susie with her loving granddaughters.

The day after Western Round Up was Halloween day.  Now you may recall that Danny and I were trying to downplay all of the evil stuff about Halloween.  So we had a pretty mellow day in preparation.

The girls are working on a fall leaf craft here.  

They went outside to gather fall leaves so that we could rub them onto paper.  They loved this project!  The simplicity and beauty of watching fall leaves appear on paper was the perfect craft.

Soon enough it was time to get dressed up.  Cubby, with her new chic haircut, decided to be a flapper since we already had the costume from last year's after Halloween sale.  Gigi decided to impersonate Ariel this time around.  

Here are the terrific foursome!  Ariel, a fireman, a flapper, and an angel!  Love it!

When I said, "What does an angel do?," this is what Emma did.  Love that dramatic little princess!

And Cubby was right on when I asked her the same question!  How on earth did that girl know what a flapper does?  Oh, that's right I was mimicking behind the camera.  I'm glad that's not on film!

Our good friend Elizabeth came over with glow in the dark wands with flowers, hearts and hatchets.  Oh, that hatchet was a big hit with Brawley's littlest fireman!

My sweet girls trick-or-treated at five of our neighbors houses, and then were ready to call it quits and hand out our candy.  We had a great night, playing games, eating yummy food, and laughing and talking.  Poor Danny had to stay pretty sedentary, but his spirits were good as he watched the kids run around in their costumes.  

On the next and final day of our two week adventure, Cubby and Gigi were lucky enough to meet the Cattle Call Queens!!  They learned all about the rodeo from their presentation, and had the opportunity to ask any question they wanted!  They had none, but I did.  What a smart couple of poised young ladies.  

And here are my two girls, in between the queens of our local rodeo.  What an honor it was to get to take pictures and get autographs from these hard working gals!  The fact is, the girls totally didn't have any idea who these girls were, or why they were wearing those hats, or why, for that matter, their hair was so big and poofy.  That was Cubby's only question, actually.  "Why is their hair so big, mama?"  I don't know honey, was all I said.  I just don't know.  

Anyway, the most important news I can leave you with is that Danny is on the mend.  I drove him out to the ranch yesterday to look around, and today he went on several errands around town, and came back looking like himself. Or should I say, looking like a scruffy version of himself.  

Finally, sorry this post was so long, we've had a lot going on, and I just had to share!