Labor Day Weekend - by Gideon... Really.

Hi Everyone! Grandma said I could tell you what the family did over Labor-day weekend.
On Saturday we drove about a million miles (okay, just 2 hours) to Grays Lake, Idaho to go to a real rodeo. First they had a dutch oven dinner. All the tables and chairs were full so we just sat in the grass.
****
Behind me is Michael Egloff from Missouri, Hillary Crawford from Colorado, Hillary and her foreign exchange student, Ricky, who is from Venezuela and Mommy and Daddy.

They had these pretty quilts up for raffle. I think that I saw grandma eying them pretty close.

After the great lunch the rodeo started. This was Ricky's very first Rodeo!

Jesse is always happy at The Rodeo. That's cause she knows everyone here. Kelly's family has been putting on this rodeo for years.

What's everyone looking at. It must have been a good ride or a bad wreck!

Hey Mom! Down in front.

The man on the horse is a REAL cowboy. He is Randy Crystal and he and his family own Crystal Brothers Rodeo. He is a real good friend of mine, kind of like another Grandpa. He lets me go to his house to ride horses and pet the animals sometimes.

Let me take you for a walk around the rodeo grounds. They have pens in the back where they keep the animals they use in the rodeo.
These are the calves they use for the calf roping.

Yep..... when your good pards with the guy who runs the whole shebang they let you come behind the chutes and let help.

This is Jolene Crystal. I am pretty sure that she could be the real boss of this rodeo outfit. I just came by to see if she needed any help loading the stock in the chutes. I love Jolene, she gives the best hugs!

When you work behind the scenes at a rodeo you should always climb up on the fences. This is because it looks so cool to the ladies!

Aunt Jesse!!!! What in the world could that be?

Dang, she didn't fall for it. This girl has brains and looks!

Another cool thing about hanging with Aunt Jesse at the rodeo....

She lets me take ChiChi for a walk and she takes short cuts through the animal pens.
Come on ChiChi!!

Aunt Jesse thought I was getting a little rambunctious, so she tried to contain me...

But I was too fast for her and soon got away and hid under the bleachers.

Well, the rodeo's over and I gotta run..... before the grown-ups get me.

Oh.. I almost forgot, On Sunday Aunt Hillary made this lovely trifle mountain creation!
After church someone bumped it and the whole top of fell off.
Hey.....It wasn't me... Honest!

And finally.... Mom says that a fish aquarium is no place for a boy.

Hope you all had a fun Labor-Day too!