Summer of travels & changes

Jacob started preschool this week, signaling the official end to an adventurous summer that took the 2-year-old across thousands of miles through the air and on the road.



From Tennessee to Texas to Chicago and down to the Florida gulf coast, Jacob experienced things that now will remain with him forever through his quickly developing vocabulary.

Beach, water, boat, algae, sand, crab, shark, yellow cab, pool, baseball, pitch, hit, kick, lion, gorilla, monkey and giraffe are a just a few of the many words he developed from his travels.

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Here are a few highlights from our summer:

In Dallas...

• Went to an indoor safari, where he rode a mechanical zebra.
  
• Attended a couple baseball games that created a love for the game, at least the throwing and hitting parts. He met players, saw pitchers in action up close and learned the throwing motions, spitting included. He gets excited now every time he sees baseball on TV.

In Chicago...

• Rode in a cab (that was a car seat-less experience for us all)
  
• Saw about a dozen suburban fireworks shows light up the southern horizon from our hotel room on the 25th floor
• Visited Lincoln Park zoo where he saw a lions, gorillas and rhinos up close—three animals that are not at the Nashville zoo
• Played in the frigid water of Lake Michigan

In Fort Walton Beach, Fla. ...

• Listened to/watched Elmo Potty Time at least two dozen times in the car and throughout the week
• Played in the white sand and water Gulf of Mexico. Jacob enjoyed smashing my dream to build the most amazing sand castle, or even a very simplistic one. He enjoyed shoveling sand into his giant Tonka dump truck, pouring it out and then being pushed around in it... by me. He enjoyed being buried up to his waist in sand.
• Jacob was able to communicate with us whether he wanted to go to the beach or the pool.
• I drove home solo with Jacob in the back seat (Erin left early to attend a teacher conference). Jacob was surprisingly cooperative. We stopped only four times during the 450-mile trip, had no accidents, ate well and napped for three hours. A great end to an amazing summer!