Our trip to Texas was fabulous. Two weeks! It took us 13 hours to get down there, and JR did so wonderfully, again, that it was surprising. I think John and I were more hyped up about travelling with a toddler than we needed to be.

We got to spend time with JR’s little cousins, aunts, uncles, & grandparents while we were there. They all seemed to have just so much fun together, and I know JR misses them now that we’re home. We spent a few days at the beach in Port Aransas, where JR felt the ocean for the first time. Priceless. And I tanned for the first time in, oh, forever. (Daddy got a little burnt though.)

John took JR to Kiddie Park, a McDonald family tradition, and they both had a blast. It was the first time that JR rode something without us, and he didn’t want to get out! He learned a bunch of new words down there, and had so many charming moments that it’s hard to encapsulate them here.

He got sick though — 13 months with only one cold, ever, then we get down there and he gets a cold, gets better, and that’s followed a few days later by another bug. That meant two pediatric urgent care visits, but everything turned out fine.

We had a day with friends and their kids, and it was so nice to have them all in the same place. I got to go shopping, we tried to go to Retama Park one night (failed effort), and I fell in love with a health food store down there.

Then it was 18 hours back home (after delaying our flight for a day so JR could get over his intestinal bug). Even though it took freakin’ forever to get back, JR again did marvelously. He’s a born traveler!

More later!