4th of July

The 4th was on a Wednesday this year and Dan didn't get the rest of the week off, so we had to skip the traditional Kenwood Footrace near Santa Rosa for something more local. We decided on the Woodside Youth Rodeo for the cooler morning hours. Woodside is so gorgeous and feels rural and secluded from the rest of the busy bay area. Mounted teens, western attire, and rodeo princesses everywhere. I didn't know there was so much "country" in this area. We were glad to get there early and beat the crowds and heat.

Checking out the cows that were yet to be roped.

 Petting zoo.  Miniature horse or donkey? Newborn chicks were adorable.

In the stands watching the rodeo events.

 We saw a lot of cow roping and barrel racing. Jackson was most concerned that the cowboy/girl's hats kept flying off and he wanted someone to retrieve them.

 Hanging out with the sweet horses.

  We ended the day with a BBQ in the park with our church small group. So fun to hang out with all the kiddos. Our neighborhood had a lot of illegal fireworks going on and freaked the kids out throughout the night with a lot of loud noises and bangs. We ended up with scared kids in the bed with us all night :(