Texas

We drove to Texas. And back! Jen was our drawing power. We try to see our far away sisters once a year and she hadn't meet Brielle yet.

We had Thanksgiving on the Lester side the day before departing.

This dude was there. Nate and Bill hadn't seen each other for a few months so they lived it up. At one point we wondered where the brothers had escaped to, and Sarah found them sneakily drinking Mountain Dew in Bill's van, talking up a storm. Ha just like childhood days. :-)

Rhya's emerging imagination allowed these two to play together ALL day. It's so fun to watch the cousins interact!

Can't get enough of Gabriel's chocolate eyes!

Back to the trip. Nate worked Friday from 5:00 am-1:30 pm. We drove until 11:30 pm. We were hoping to eeeaaase the kids into their hotel beds. Didn't happen. Rhya was showing us jumping tricks while Brielle was jabbering up a storm. :-) It took a while to get settled back down.

I was nervous for the car ride (16 hours), but it went great! Maybe it's because I shoved myself between the two car seats in the back and provided constant entertainment and diversions.

It was all worth it, though! We soaked up every moment with Jen. We attended 3 meetings, hiked twice in Palo Duro canyon, celebrated Jen's b-day at a Mexican place, met lots of amazing people, and just plain enjoyed ourselves!

Enough with the car seat! Finally in TEXAS!

Relaxing at the hotel on our first night in TX.

Auntie Jen being a good sport and squeezing herself in the backseat. The girls loved it. Think it's time for a van? ha

What goes up must come down. Rhya has mountain goat blood in her. She had zero fear and wanted to follow us everywhere.

We highly recommend checking out Palo Duro canyon next time you're in TX. It was gorgeous and the perfect size for hiking. 

We loved the canyon so much we checked it out the next day. It was sunny and 66 degrees. PERFECT.

Lots of snuggle time!

Thanks for the memorable trip Jen! Miss you already.