Nine days o' big Texas fun

Jack and I just spent some time visiting my sister Val ("T.T.") in Texas. My parents were also there for part of the time. Highlights of the trip include:
*A jaunt to Shreveport--where Jack rode a carousel for the first time--and the very southwestern corner of Arkansas:

*A visit to the Ft. Worth Zoo (elephants and giraffes and monkeys, oh my!):

*A walk through the Stockyards in Ft. Worth, where we caught just in time the twice-daily parade of longhorn cattle through the streets:

*A bounty of bubbles, courtesy of cousin Jody, batted at with two pinwheels:

*A yummy dinner at St. Alphonsius Church's Greek festival:

*And an early second birthday celebration for Jack, including dinner at a Cajun restaurant and an ice cream cake set ablaze with waaaay more candles than two:

Time spent with family is always precious, and Jack and I are still enjoying our trip; currently, we're in Las Cruces for a few days. More pictures to come!