{texas}

We are headed to Washington this year for Christmas and are staying in North Carolina for Thanksgiving, so a trip to Texas this summer was in order! My brother and sister were also in town from BYU and we all had such a great time together.

Flying with a baby scared me to death, but luckily Jake exceeded expectations. Of course it was a work out and we were exhausted by the end of it, but I'm just so glad Travis was with me! I admire all those mamas out there who can fly solo with kids! Naturally, Jake pooped on 3 out of 4 of our total flights. One of them was thankfully at the end of the flight since it started going up his back. Those airplane bathrooms get 100 times smaller when you're using the changing table in there. Other than the diaper changes it was pretty smooth flying there and back.

The day after we arrived in Texas, we all headed to Schlitterbahn and spent the day having fun at the water park. My parents rented a cabana so we had a great shaded area with a grill. My dad grilled hamburgers for lunch and delicious chicken and grilled pineapple and veggies for dinner. With of course delicious snacks to go along! We ate like kings the whole week. We all had a blast on the water slides and we all managed to get away without sunburns. Jake loved the water too.

We stated at a hotel that night then woke up and the boys went kayaking down the Guadalupe River while the girls {plus Jake} shopped at a huge outlet mall. The boys also went to a movie since they couldn't stand shopping. Once we were back in College Station, the boys did a lot of soccer playing, golfing, movies. They also went to the Houston temple. And my brother had his court of honor! Nate couldn't find a neckerchief slide with his scout uniform, so he grabbed a binki to use until mom came to the rescue with something a little better. Very creative though!

All of my siblings were so great with Jake and I hardly had to do anything but nurse him! I had personal nannies all day long. It was great. Makell taught Jake how to self-feed himself finger foods like cheerios too.

Our adopted grandpa, David Braziel cooked us delicious fajitas, we got to see some great friends, and we went to the Bluebell ice cream factory too. It was a packed week full of fun and I think the highlight was when we all sat in the family room and talked and laughed for hours, predicting the future for my siblings and watching old family videos. Just like old times! Thanks mom and dad for a fabulous trip!