Taking a moment to organize

I have been trying to find pictures from Billy-Bob's first forays into the mutton busting arena.  Unfortunately, due to a fire in 2007, I am missing almost all the pictures from that time.  We have been hunting and scanning pictures from my mom and in-laws the last week or so.  I am going to try to post on Sundays through Thursday nights so that I can be consistant and take Fridays and Saturdays off.  I am hoping that I can add more pics as I go and find them.  Right now I am not sure where Michael has scanned and saved them to.

On with Billy-Bob's tale.
As of January 1st of 2005 Billy-Bob was listed as a 3 year old for the Northern California Bull Riders Assoc., even though his birthday is in the middle of January.  So he was riding as a 3 year old when he was actually 4.
My mom and my in-laws drove up for his first ride of the year with gear and all.  I took him again behind the chutes.  What was nice about this assoc. was that the older boys and girls, yes girls, were all willing and eager to help with the littler ones.  All I had to do was ask what do I do.
I handed Billy-Bob down into the chute to Sara, a bull rider, and climbed down in with them.  Billy-Bob cried and cried this time as soon as he sat on the sheep.  Sara was very good with him and we finally got the chute open.  Billy-Bob didn't make it very far, I don't think he even made it out of the chute before he fell off, but at least we had another ride down.  I had to go and carry him out.  I wasn't sure what the heck we were all getting ourselves into or if he'd ride again.
The answer, of course, was....

Toys.
You thought I was going to say Yes huh.
All mutton busters get a toy.  They also compete for a buckle but no money and really at 3,4,5, and 6, toys are great!
We watched the bull riders and back to the hotel we went.  This was a 2 day event. 
In my head is still the picture of Billy-Bob wiped out asleep in the hotel bed with his Elmo Blankie and Pooh Bear, alas, that was on the computer that burned.
My little cowboy and my little boy all rolled into one.

You may ask...

You may be asking why would a mom encourage her son to ride calfs? Why encourage the beginning of bull riding? Sure riding sheep is cute, but calfs? He could get hurt!

Billy-Bob was a deceptively calm and quiet baby, only three sleepless nights in the first year.

Of course that was just to lull us into a sense of calm.

Ignore the fact that he was starting to roll over at 3 days old. I thought he was a bit ahead on his milestones but the doc. didn't, he didn't try to crawl, pull up, or walk.

But at eight months and three days I get a call from the hubs. Guess what Billy-Bob did today... He stood up and ran!

OMGosh help.

He hasn't stopped since. Although the boy sure can sleep hard. We've had to find something for him to keep him busy.

Along came a young man that bought our colt. He was a nice young man, Nic Lica, with a bit of a hard life. My oldest knew him from riding lessons, he was in junior high and both boys immediately idolized him. Nic worked off his colt by doing chores and exercising horses for us. He also wanted to ride bulls. Eventually Nic was going to ride steers in Jr. Rodeo and asked us to come watch him. Billy-Bob was three and was enthralled. He didn't want to leave the fence. At the next rodeo we talked with another parent who told us of an association that had sheep riding.

Thus starting our adventures.