Wild West Winter Fest

Yesterday (Saturday) we went to the "Wild West Winter-Fest" (winter-fair) at the county fairgrounds.  We met Rob and Janet and Karie there.  Although it was a cold morning, and we were really there too early for many of the activities (but had to be pre-nap time!), we had a lot of fun.  It is something Reder will probably be talking about until next year.  We saw lots of animals.  For some reason, Reder was most interested in cows.  Maybe because of Gpa Randy & Gma Mary's cows?  But he was impressed by other animals too.  We spent a bunch of time with the Alpacas, but he was most impressed by their huge guard dog "Griz" (Turkish Anatolian).  They said that their guard dog often fights mtn lions - which is interesting because they are just a couple of miles from our house - towards town!

Here are some baby pigs:  Reder came up with "They want some of their mommy's milk!" - all on his own!

Reder was very excited to see miniature donkeys too:
But the highlight of the day was squealing pigs - potbelly-pigs in the petting zoo.  But he uses the verb "squealing" a bit differently - as in "I squealed that pig!"  This meant that he grabbed the pig (after chasing it and cornering it), causing it to squeal.  The squeal was somewhat similar to Reder's shrieks of delight at this new game.  I don't have any real good pictures, but here are a couple of Reder "Squealing a pig."

The other funny thing to point out about the petting zoo was that Reder was terrified of stepping in poop.  At times he would freeze after realizing that he was surrounded, and need Papa Rob to pick him up.  Gosh!

Another highlight was the Home Depot craft booth - where Reder got to build his very own tool-box.  The kits were great, with even pre-drilled holes to start the nails.  
We ended our time at the fair with hot-dogs, chips, and Coke.  Excellent day for Reder.  Ruby had fun too, but will appreciate the animals more once she is older.