Pie Festival

Today was the Pie Festival in Pie Town. It is such a fun event for the kids. We look forward to it all year. It is a carnival like day. The community puts on a festival one day a year. We have pie eating contests, kids games, pie test tasters, award for the best baked pie, lots of random venders, barbecue food, toys, crowning of the pie town queen, and last but best of all the horny toad race. It cracks me up because it is so hick, but so wonderful at the same time that you just have to love it. It is actually gaining a lot of popularity. This year there were tons of people from Albuquerque who had heard about it, who came and camped for a few days. I kinda liked the smaller community feel, but whatever.

When we got there, we started out with the kids games. Sack race, three legged race, water balloon toss. ect.



Blazen kicked butt in the sack race and placed 2nd. He was stoked. He got a head start because they called out, "If you are 2, go......if you are 3, go, ect."



Denim was having some major fun here. 2 seconds later she and Ike collided and we had major tears.



She finally got over it and did the three-legged race with this girl.



Blazen sat back and enjoyed a snow-cone. Blue, OBVIOUSLY!!



Blazen with Pops McKee. We love Pops. He has been in Pie Town his whole life. He has the nickname Pops because when he was younger he could fight, and fight GOOD, like Popeye the sailerman toot toot. Anyway Pops walks everywhere, it is fun to drive down the road and see him walking. He is very gently with the kids. He is a great gardener and surviver and has a wealth of knowledge.



A girl from a Scientology school out here painted faces. She was awesome. Turns out she used to face paint at Disney World.









The Pie Eating Contest gets a little messy. Your hands are tied behind your back.





It was a pretty hot day for Darlin. I fed her carrots in her stroller under a tree.



We looked for three days for horny toads and never found one. On the day of the festival a little girl found three for us. Thank heavens.



"All right little buddy, get ready!"



1st. Each horny toad gets a number marked on their belly. That same number gets marked on the owners palm. That way, you know whose horny toad wins.



Then all the horny toads get put in a big basket.



A small and large ring are made. The 1st horny toad to cross over the big ring wins.
"Off with the bucket, CHEER, and let's go."



Denim named her toad, Rainbow Diamond, and Blazen named his something like pookie (can't remember). Anyway basically you holler your lungs out and tell pookie to get a move on. The toads stay clumped up for like 5 minutes before they move an inch. Finally when one does move the crowd goes wild. On and on and finally one toad wins after about 10 min. It is really good fun. Then the kids get to go find their toads and return them to their natural habitat. That is the idea, however, our horny toads usually get abused at least the rest of the day before I make the kids release them.



And the Pie Town Queen is.......



Just kidding, but she did really start to take her 1st little crawl today.



This evening there was also a dance with a local (Bill Hansen) band. They play old country music. We love to go and have fun and two step and swing and cowboy waltz. This is how we went with the whole fam. We took the knomemobile and parked it next to the pavilion for the kids. Blazen was a toot and after one dance wanted in the motor home. Denim danced with Ace quite a bit. Ace and I dance a little together. It was fun.



Something a bit new and strange. Fire dancers on the b-ball court. Denim was amazed.



Darlin crashed and it was not a safe place in the motor home with Ike, Denim, and Blazen. She got to sleep under the picnic tables at the dance. AWESOME!



I just love these girls. They are all grown up. I taught them a few years ago in dance. Autumn is almost a nurse, Stormi is a world traveler, and Shayla just graduated and has a boyfriend.



Gotta love the Pie Fest.