My Little Showman

Our county 4-H Council decided to put on a mini 4-H livestock show this year.  Ava has loved participating in mini 4-H meetings and learning about 4-H and was extra excited to learn that she could actually show animals too!  Mini 4-Hers could sign up to show beef, sheep, swine and goats.  She did not want to show sheep but signed up for the other 3 species.  The day before the show, she got Blaine to help her practice her showmanship skills!

 Blaine was a great sport, playing the perfect goat and pig!  However, the goat slipped his collar eventually and the pig laid down in the show ring!  I had a great time being the judge though:)

 On the day of the actual show, Ava was beyond excited!  I had taken her to a neighbor's a couple of times so that she knew what she was getting into a bit with beef calves.  She has fallen in love with cattle and was eager to show "Purdy" with Blake.

 She claims that goats are "too jumpy" and really did not enjoy showing them as much.  I had kind of thought that a goat project would be fairly simple, easy and less expensive...

 Ava did really enjoy showing pigs too and Jordan was a great teacher for her.  She even worked it out with him to show a pig at the open show at the fair as well!

I think that I have a die-hard 4-Her on my hands!  I wouldn't want it any other way though.  However, it seems that her biggest love is the beef cattle - the project that is the most expensive and most work!  She has not let up on the calf issue in the couple of months since the fair.  She has asked the tooth fairy for extra money to help her buy a calf, made lists of things we would need for calves, drawn diagrams of how to set up the barn, measured for potential pasture fencing and constantly bugging me about wanting to go help the neighbors with their calves.  She even had to take the new Nasco catalog to school with her last week so that she could look at livestock supplies on the bus!  I know that 4-H livestock projects develop a strong work ethic and sense of responsibility in kids and am all for that of course.  We may be softening a bit on the beef issue if she continues to show this much passion and desire for it...