It's Rodeo Time!

It's rodeo season here in Texas!  In our part of the state that means a HUGE cookoff (300 teams kind of huge with an EIGHT year waiting list to get your team added to the cookoff!) to kick off the festivities for the world's largest rodeo.  Austin has been on a cook team for the past six years and has been one of the head cooks for the past few years.  He takes it very seriously and Hannah and I spend quite a few weekends on our own while her Daddy and the Smokin' Amigos team are gearing up for the long cookoff weekend.   

Thursday night Katie and I headed up to the first night of cookoff while Hannah stayed with Lainey and Pops.  It's so funny how different cookoff is now from the past years.  Last year I was pregnant so obviously I wasn't partying it up and this year I'm nursing and Katie is pregnant so our experience was very different from previous years.  We were back home by 10:30.  And went to work the next day.  Usually I take off Friday during cookoff time but I knew with a six month old waking me up early I might as well just go to work that day. 

I only got a few pictures on Thursday night.

Katie and me hanging out enjoying the band in the tent

Katie, me and Julie (you can see part of the carnival behind us)

Katie and I took a ride on a rickshaw heading back to the car.  We were parked FAR!  We broke the rickshaw by the way.  Oops!  I swear all we did was sit in it but about half way to the car (which was waaaaay far away from cookoff) the guy's chain broke off the bike.  Soooo.....he just kept peddling us the rest of the way to our car without a chain.  It was like watching someone swimming for their life going against the tide.  We could not stop laughing at the situation and I swear, no matter what we said, that guy was not going to let us get off and walk the rest of the way.  He said he was taking us to our car and that was just what he did!  He got a nice tip to fix his bike later.  ;)

Enjoying a nice "relaxing" rickshaw ride with the wind in our hair! Ha!  We were laughing really hard in this pic.

Saturday morning Hannah and I headed over to my parents house to ride with them and my Godparents, Vernon and Lynda for another day of cookoff fun.

Hannah, Austin, Spam and Big Dan ready to party!

Mark and Cindy came down to hang out with us too!

Hannah and her CiCi

Papa Coach was making Hannah laugh by getting her to dance  :)

Smokin' Amigos!

The big tent 

We went on a walk to check out some of the other tents.  Our little cowgirl decided that was a good time to take a nap.

Hannah with her CiCi and Lainey.  We didn't get many smiles from her there since she was pretty much in awe the entire time of her surroundings. 

Hanging out with Uncle Chris!

Silly girl

Liz and me

CiCi giving sleepy Hannah some kisses

One of the team members was being interviewed by some media and a few of the guys thought they would "participate" in the interview.

Mommy and her cute little cowgirl.  She was definitely the cutest cowgirl at cookoff!  I LOVED her little cowgirl outfit, I had it made a few months ago just for this occasion.  If it's an important day for her Daddy then she MUST dress appropriately for it!  :)

The Townsend crew (minus Hannah who was napping) 

O.M.G. this guy was a trip!  There are several company sponsors for the Smokin' Amigos (it's a big production, sponsors are a must!) and the only thing we can think of is that the man below, Phillip, is a client or friend of one of the sponsors because NO ONE knew who he was.  He walked around all alone the entire time and basically became a carnival attraction.  He didn't need friends, he just walked up to people and started talking!  Just so you get a better idea of just how ridiculous is was (more ridiculous than walking around a public place with no shirt on looking like the cast of Jersey Shore with a cowboy hat on) it was about 50 degrees outside.  I found out later that Phillip is a FUNERAL DIRECTOR!!!  ?!?!  Haha!  Seriously, I don't know anyone in the funeral business but I'm guessing he's a one of a kind funeral director.

Fun times!