Gearing up for the Rodeo

It's Rodeo time again. This is a BIG deal here in Houston. By BIG, I mean, there is an entire day (tomorrow) called Go Texan Day where all of Houston dresses up in rodeo/cowboy gear to celebrate the kick-off of the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, a three-week, rodeo/party/concert/state fair/barbecue cook-off affair. It truly is an official day where the entire city is encouraged to 'grow beards, wear big hats, boots and spurs..." (per the rodeo website!).

O & Mac had the perfect outfits our first year (the 2006 Rodeo) here so we didn't have to go out of our way to prepare for Go Texan Day. I felt like a bit of a poser so I didn't bother getting dressed up (unless you call wearing jeans being dressed up). Take a look at how little O & Mac look in these pictures.



By the time of the 2007 Rodeo, we had invested in a pink cowgirl hat for Olivia. McIver was still pleased as punch to be wearing the red cowboy boots. He wasn't interested in a cowboy hat at all. He was fine to wear the farmer-looking hat. As a teacher, I had to dress up (to a small degree) last year for the Rodeo Parade. I think I just wore a brown t-shirt and straw cowboy hat that I had found at Target (but did not feel compelled to go further than that). The Rodeo Parade at school is terribly cute - the kids are all decked out in their finest western attire, we march down the hall to the gym where parents are waiting for us. Then we sing about 6 cowboy/girl songs. (Most) Everyone loves it.

Now that the 2008 Rodeo has arrived, I felt the need to "do as the Romans." So, McIver and I headed to Cavender's Boot City (with the other 500 people who 'needed' new cowboy duds) yesterday afternoon. He had inherited some boots a few weeks ago, but was still in 'need' of a shirt and hat (and, according to him, spurs and a horse, but I told him Cavenders didn't sell those). As you can see from the picture, he selected the ugliest shirt on the racks. Believe me, there were plenty of ugly ones to choose from, but I think he found the very ugliest. I kept trying to convince him to get a nice plaid shirt that he could wear again and again. Before I knew it, though, he had stripped off his shirt from that morning and was snapping up his new shirt. You see, since it is a 'cowboy shirt it has to have cowboys on it!' And it has 5 of them, on bucking bulls no less. It's very Garth Brooks circa 1990. But, McIver loves it and has already worn it 2 days in a row.
We also purchased a cowgirl shirt and boots for me - which I love and do not feel the lease bit ridiculous in! - and a new shirt for Olivia.

As we loaded into the car to pick Olivia up from school:

Me: Well, Bud, are you excited about your new hat and shirt?

McIver (in a bit of a sad voice): Yes ma'am, but I very wanted a horse.