Road Trip!

When we decided to take the kids to the beach this summer, Drew's Dad and I were worried about the long drive. What would we do to keep two kids entertained for 10+ hours of windshield time? We were worried that they would get cranky and make an already rough ride worse with crazy behavior.

I'm excited to report that they could not have been better (on the drive, at the beach is a different story)! I packed plenty of snacks and activities, and we coordinated the drive well with nap time and bed time, so the kids slept a good amount of the time. We split the trip up on the way down, and Drew and his sister enjoyed their first stay in a hotel room!

Drew and His Sister enjoying a morning cartoon.

Drew's Dad and I find that the car is an excellent language environment. There are so many things to look at and talk about while driving in a car, especially when you're driving through new areas of this beautiful country.

As we drove south through Virginia, we went through several tunnels in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Drew loved the tunnels! He would say, "Wow!" the whole time we were driving through one, and as we left the tunnel he would say, "More, tunnel...More TUNNEL!!" He loved them! And now we can add the word tunnel to his vocabulary list.

We also passed a lot of pastures while driving through Virginia. Anytime Drew saw an animal he would make his animal noises. We'd be driving and hear a "moo" or "neigh" from the back seat. Drew would even sing his little song, "Where oh where...cow?" All four of us had fun singing and looking for different things: trucks, cars, cows, horses, sheep, just to name a few. It's amazing how quickly the miles pass as you are playing fun games!

As we got into North Carolina and the sun was setting, the kids were becoming bored of games, songs and movies. We turned the movies off and told Drew and his sister that it was time for bed. They were both just sitting in their seats, settling down for the night when we heard Drew say, "Go Bucks!" It was hilarious! Clearly he was sitting in his car seat, bored, thinking, "Hmmm, I'm bored. I should say something. What should I say?" So, he busted out a "Go Bucks!" and we were all back to laughing, talking and playing games.

While Drew was watching one of his movies, we heard him sing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." It was so sweet to listen to his little voice sing. He was able to say several of the words clearly and was even singing somewhat in tune. It was a wonderful moment as we realize just how special it is that he can even hear music, let alone sing along with it. I don't think Drew's Dad and I have ever smiled more on such a long car ride. It was an excellent reminder of just how far Drew's language has come in this past year. We are forever grateful for this wonderful technology!