rodeo.

I have gone to this Labor Day rodeo for 25 years, maybe?

This was the first time we've ever gotten picked up in the parking lot (aka: grassy field) and hitched a ride up to the ticket gate.

Sophie and Lawson spent most of the evening switching back and forth between Grandma and Aunt Aletha's laps.

Corey and I actually got to watch the rodeo! I spent a lot of time talking to old friends... we sat beside an old boyfriend from my sophomore year of high school (15 years ago?! Wow, that makes me sound old!) and his wife and 2 kids, his mom, dad, sister and nephew. At one point (as I was taking pictures) his mom said, "I bet you always have a camera with you, don't you, Amy?" When I said yea, pretty much, she said, "Some things haven't changed." Which I found funny... I didn't remember always having a camera with me when I was 15 years old.

These guys are trying to be the first team to saddle and ride their cow into the circle. (The guy in blue on the right may be my cousin... it looks like him...)

See this horse? He's not really supposed to be looking out over the top of the chute like that.

At one point we had to explain to Sophie that it's not really appropriate to laugh when the cowboys get thrown off of the bucking broncos. Especially the guy that got thrown into the fence and didn't stand up right away.


Look at this sweet baby in front of us. 7 weeks old, 7 pounds. So tiny. (Her mom was tiny and skinny, too. I hate that.)

Mutton busting. Lawson's favorite part.

This year there were actually a couple kids that the rodeo clowns had to catch and pull them off the sheep! They weren't letting go!

Sophie spent some time on Uncle Pete's lap, too.

Calf scramble.

We had seen this act before...

but this part was new. Those 2 brown blurs... are buffalo.

2 buffalo that she quickly herded up on top of this big trailer.

Perfect weather, perfect night.