Challah for breakfast

Our roadtrip to Texas continued with the drive from Houston to Fort Worth. Unfortunately, stopping in the very fun Austin wasn't really an option -- the mapping software indicated it would nearly double our journey. Speaking of mapping software, I think the most challenging part of Texas might be all of the frontage roads for freeways - half of our directions ended up placing us on streets that apparently aren't really even streets. Anyway, so we travelled along the fairly non-descript I-45, making stops at scenic gas stations, sub shops, but also at a brand-spankin' new rest stop that featured, among other things, a giant sheet metal buffalo (O was entranced) and an excellent playground (both Z and O were excited to stretch their legs). I was amused to note that the playground's springy ground cover was actually a giant red, white, and blue Lone Star -- are they really that prevalent that some playground company manufactures them en masse, or was this custom for the rest stop?
Anyway, we arrived in Fort Worth (more specifically Benbook) after dark but did get to have a tasty pizza dinner with M and K (N was already asleep) before landing at our new hotel. Again, luck was with us: the room faced a gas station/truck stop with at least 4 big rigs parked outside for Z to enjoy in the morning. We then headed over to the S family, where Meh and the boys got to meet N for the very first time! She was initially shy, but warmed up to us pretty quickly. We all had a shared breakfast of challah french toast expertly prepared by M; friend C who we had been visiting previously on this trip in Houston had used my recipe and made an extra loaf for us to bring up to Fort Worth -- thanks C!
Then it was onward to the day's activities: a craft fair for the ladies (Meh had a great time and even discovered a new favorite jewelry artist), and a nice Fort Worth park for the dads and kids. O proceeded to sleep through the entire event, while Z swung and swung (he even started to get the hang of pumping his legs to go "faster!") and N alternated between slides, swinging, rocking, and climbing.
After tasty exclusive lunches out (Meh and K ate Texan barbecue, while the dads and kids had yummy Mexican), we all regrouped for a relaxing afternoon in the wonderfully warm (though I suppose M and K might argue cool when compared to the 100+ degree summers?) weather, taking a long stroll around the neighborhood with the kids, playing, reading books (Z was quite pleased to discover a prisitine copy of his favorite), and in general just chilaxing -- it was so nice to just stay put. Oh, and Owen and N went shopping around the house.
The last day of our trip started with Meh and K doing an extended run (Meh is prepping for the Seattle Half Marathon in a few weeks!) followed another lovely M and K produced breakfast. Then we headed to M's school for the grand tour; the large fountain was a big hit, as was a large grass field in which to run wild. Zachary and Owen were both calling the TCU horned frog statue a "dinosaur". Indeed.
After wrapping up our tour, we had a lovely group stop for ice cream before heading back to the airport. It was so great to catch up with M, K, and N (their own recollections here), and we hope to see them again very soon! All too soon we were saying goodbye to the "black car", wandering the many terminals, riding the airport train, eating lunch, and at long last catching our flight back -- both boys were still light on the sleep, but enjoyed watching "looootttts of big airplanes!", and Z even celebrated the flight by watching Curious George's airport adventure episode. An exhausting couple of days, but it was so so good to catch up with friends and family, and have a little Texas-sized adventure!