Let's Rodeo, San Antonio!!

Thursday morning I got a feelin'... one of those instincts that you can't really seem to shake off... I knew that our original plan to leave for San Antonio Friday morning so that Justin could make it to a 9am meeting was seeming a little impossible, especially with the local weather forecasters going NUTS about our impending SNOW/ICE storm! So I picked up my handy dandy phone and made a few phone calls and before I knew it we were packing up the car getting ready to get to head out of town later that night! We had until 9pm that night... or else we'd be driving through heck and high-snow to get to KK and Albi's house... and a HUGE no thank you to that we said!

Turns out, Justin's 9am meeting didn't happen either because San Antonio got the ICE part of the SNOW/ICE storm that the Austin forecasters were calling for. So we had a nice relaxing morning at home... and by relaxing I mean, Albi pacing the floors PRAYING, HOPING, WAITING to get in his truck to head to work... he can't stand a day off apparently! And Justin... on the computer, off the computer, on the phone off the phone... he too was trying to convince people to risk their lives so he could save their meeting... oh... men! We love them for it, BUT geez, can't they appreciate a slow start to the work day?! I know I could!

Typically, by noon on a Friday I would have done ALL sorts of things... cooked breakfast and lunch for both Caden and I, played countless games, done some laundry, cleaned the kitchen, played some more with Caden, turned videos on and off, filled sippy cups, changed diapers, found missing toys, etc. etc. BUT on Friday I didn't do ANYTHING! That's right, I turned KK loose and sat my pregnant, happy bootie on the couch under a PILE of blankets! It was LOVELY! Caden bossed his KK around ALL day long and I was happy to let him do it... and of course she was happy to play employee to his bossy schemes! GOT TO LOVE grandparents!! I needed a break and I got one!! Thank you KK!!

On Friday night after the boys both had a successful afternoon at the office, we went out for a YUMMY dinner... it was fabulous to be treated to such a meal, especially one that required no one to cook! It was nice to get out of the house after a cold day inside, and even nicer to chow down on some good, good, good food! Did I mention that I ate a 16 ounce steak that night?! Oh, I didn't?! Well, I did... and I ate every last bit of those 16 ounces! And by the next morning I was recharged and raring to go...

We all were... well Caden maybe not so much as the rest of us, since he's been BATTLING the nastiest cold since last weekend! Fever Saturday and Sunday, better Monday and Tuesday and then Wednesday all of that congestion seemed to feel the urge to FIND it's way out and so it did in the form of eye yuck, nose yuck and cough yuck! Thank goodness for a sweet friend who recommended the UNTHINKABLE... mucinex... we did it and Caden was SO much better within just a few doses! :)

Okay so back to being raring to go... we were READY and RARING to go to the RODEO!! Let's RODEO SAN ANTONIO... that was this year's official slogan which I'll be darned if it isn't the catchiest little slogan I've heard in a awhile... it got us there! :)

Last year, KK, Caden and I went to the rodeo during the week and got to enjoy the sights and sounds of the action with ZERO crowds... and quite honestly for a Saturday we got pretty lucky... the crowds were nothing overwhelming! The weather was gorgeous... a Chamber of Commerce day for sure... and a nice break from the blistery cold of the previous week!

We started our journey at the Petting Zoo... NOT my favorite place, BUT Daddy was with us this trip so I was ALL about it! These animals have NO shame and NO fear... they will start nibbling on anything they can get their grubby little mouths on... shameful I tell you!

Caden really seemed to enjoy the Petting Zoo, especially all of the animals that were Caden-sized... once he ventured over to the BIG (ugly) Llama he wasn't so sure... actually scratch that... he was VERY SURE that he didn't want ANYTHING to do with that guy... no love for the llama! Poor llama!

This picture below seems to be more about the pretty high school girls than the animals... I think he was asking if they would pet him??!! :) Hubba, hubba!

After the Petting Zoo we headed over to the Swine Races to grab a front row seat and of course a Swine Snout... snouts for a buck... can't beat that! Thanks Albi!

Wouldn't you know, Caden wasn't a fan of the pig snout, although today he's been playing with it at home... strange! Anyway... pig snout or not we were in for a treat... LOTS of CUTE, CUTE little, little, itty-bitty pigs were off to the races! After three exciting races and LOTS of energetic cheering from the crowd we set off for the next portion of our day...

The RIDES... Now, I'm not sure what the deal with the San Antonio Rodeo is, BUT the majority of the rides would not let any kid under 36" ride a ride... not even with an adult! Oddly, enough at the State Fair of Texas some of the EXACT same rides were present and you only had to be 34", so with Caden being 1/4 of an inch too short for most rides we had to stick to just a few! BUT it didn't REALLY matter because Caden had fun on ALL on them!

ESPECIALLY THIS ONE!! The Poo-moo ride... or Shamu ride... or whale of tale ride... he LOVED it! AND he convinced his KK to ride with him! I need to do a little shout out to KK and Albi right here... they have both been on Weight Watchers and have BOTH lost some serious weight... like 12 pounds a piece! AND KK was PROUD that she and Caden BOTH fit into this tiny little whale seat!! AND her energy level was crazy high this weekend... and it's a good thing that it was because Caden had her on-demand! We are very proud of KK and Albi and all of their hard work... they are looking g-double-o-d, good! :)

Hold on KK... :)
Next up, the infamous balloon ride from the State Fair... he rode this one twice with his Daddy!

After a full sheet of tickets worth of rides (Thanks Albi) we headed over to the coliseum to watch the Cutting Horses do their thing... pretty darn cool!

And then to the cows... Caden loves "moos"
And some more pigs... BIGGER pigs!!
And a wooden pig... cool! Please notice the pink sheet of paper in Caden's hand... he carried this around for no shorter than 30 minutes, in and out of EACH building and exhibit... why you ask? Because it had a picture of Shamu on it, of course... it was a flyer for Sea World! Bless his heart!

The BABIES... Caden kept saying BEEBIES, BEEBIES! He's really into BEEBIES these days... perfect timing huh?! :)

When the beebies grow up they become "tit-ens" or chickens! :)

One of our last stops before riding some rides before leaving the park was to watch some of the livestock competitions that were going on. Caden loved watching the bulls, steers and other animals being shown... while I do love the rodeo, I am secretly hoping that we don't have to raise one of these animals of our own one day... hopefully Caden will choose another passion!

After a LONG day at the rodeo we were all glad to be at home and in our comfy clothes! It was was a take-out type of night and a great way to wrap up a fun weekend in San Antonio! Sunday morning we came home early to get ready for our Super Bowl party and get our CRAZY house back in shape! AS soon as we got home I went into frenzy mode, washing clothes, cleaning dishes, steaming floors... after a long, dark, cold week inside last week... all it took was a little bit (or a LOT) of lovin' from KK and Albi, two days of BEAUTIFUL sunshine and a 16 ounce steak to give me that burst of energy I was so desperately needing! Thanks KK and Albi for treating us to yet another fun YET also relaxing weekend in San Antonio! We love y'all!!