to texas and back again

texas is always a big deal (if for no other reason than the sheer volume of people that we get to see, and the mexican food i get to eat *)...but this year texas was an Especially Big Deal.

this year, we took ivan.

we went through tsa security with ivan.
we shared two airplane seats with ivan.
we had a three hour layover with ivan.

then we spent three great days at popi and mom's....with ivan.
we enjoyed (for the first time ever) a swing set with ivan.
i enjoyed being in the fall garden with mom-with-ivan.
we watched my nieces and nephew love all over ivan.
we got to go out for breakfast tacos while mom stayed with ivan.
we got to listen to all the birds singing outside mom's window with ivan.

all in all, not just a very big deal but also a very sweet deal.

(i wish we could do this more often)

(i think ivan agreed)

*and, since it was thanksgiving, there were also pies. eight pies, i think, maybe nine? no matter. there were lots and lots of pies, which meant there were plenty for dessert, and then there were plenty for breakfast, not just the morning after but for the two days after.