Jacobson Park by John Lee

To finish off our first day in Lexington and relax, we went to Jacobson Park. They had a great playground, but the most exciting thing was the river. We saw ducks everywhere.

They even had boats you have to pedal like a tricycle. First we got our lifejackets on.

Then we loaded up. Only two per boat, so Denny went with Mama in the blue boat and Daddy and I got a red one.

It was pretty fun!

Denny helped pedal a little (very little), but my legs wouldn't reach, so I made Daddy do all the work.

Next we moved on to playtime! They had lots of great stuff.

It was a fun afternoon and a great way to kick off our vacation and prepare for all of our upcoming activities!

Thoroughbred Park by Denny Lynn

We were finally in Kentucky! It was a late night driving to get to Lexington, so we decided to have a relaxing day. We started out at Thoroughbred Park in downtown Lexington. It was really cool!

Along with the neat fountains, their were all kinds of horse statues. We loved checking them all out!

It was great to be outside and enoy the lovely weather.

We learned about Lexington, named for the city and a hero horse during the Civil War.

And we posed with the racehorses...

...and the baby horses. It was a great time exploring a cool place...just the first of many!

Memphis, Tennessee by John Lee

We had such big plans for vacation, that we had to drive alot to make them all happen! Luckily that made some time to rest in the backseat!  

Our second official stop was in Memphis, Tennesee. We stopped off at the welcome center for a driving break. Here we are with the big Elvis - we took our picture with him for Grandma because he is our favorite!

We took some time to check out the river and stretch our legs.

We were extremely excited to see a squirrel.

Memphis made a nice break and another place we can plan to go back to someday.

Our last stop in Tennesee was a Cracker Barrel. We loved the organge rocking chairs. It was a long day of travel but funtimes together!

And They're Off...On Vacation by Denny Lynn

For the end of summer we planned a full-fledged family vacation! After a stop over at Grandma's to drop off Oscar we headed out for two weeks of fun! We had the backseat set up with tons of fun stuff to keep us busy.

And of course, we had our snack boxes on hand whenever the munchies hit!

For our first stop we went to Shreveport, Louisiana. We just spent one night there, but we had lots of fun, including crossing over to Bossier City and checking out the Boardwalk. We found this great trolley - even though it wasn't running yet we liked checking it out. We found all kinds of fun things to see...

...including paddle boats on the river...

...and giant fish at Bass Pro Shop....

...but the best thing was a carousel! It had unique animals to ride. John picked a turtle.

I chose a neat bench that didn't go up and down. It was a fun ride.

Our next stop was Louisiana Downs - the horse track. Even though the horses weren't running, we got to check it out.

Louisiana was a great way to kick off our vacation, and we hope to go back there and stay longer next time!

The Coconut by John Lee

So, Denny and I have been wanting to try coconut milk. Coconut milk in a carton is pretty boring, so Daddy got us a real coconut. We decided the best way to get to the milk was with a drill.

We all helped and finally got a hole to pour the milk out.

This is my "I really don't like coconut milk" face. It only took one drink for me to make up my mind.

This is what Denny thought of it.

We busted it open and I like the coconut meat, but I won't be asking for coconut milk anytime soon.

Goodbye Summer School by John Lee

We took our summer break a little late and headed out on vacation. Before we left, I wanted to thank my teachers for all their help and patience this year. We got them each a cupcake mix and a new spoon.

Mama made a note that said "Teachers have the recipe for success. Thank you for a fun summer." I gave them out on my last day and told each teacher thank you.

This is me at the end of school - look how much I have grown since my first day! I can't wait to go back as a big boy!

Goodbye, Preschool by Denny Lynn

We ended our summer of preschool a little early so we could go on vacation. I really loved Montessori school and wanted to thank all my great teachers! We got them each a new oven mitt and a cookie mix.

Mama made a card that said "I have to ad'mit' you made me one smart 'Cookie'". I signed my own name to each one!

Then we clipped the cookie mix to the oven mitt and tied on the card.

They came out really cute and my teachers loved them.

I have grown so much over the last year! I am really excited to start Kindergarten, but I know I will miss Montessori. Here I am on my last day, holding the picture of me on my first day! I am ready for the next adventure!