Jack and the construction crew

PG&E is still working in the intersection of Chenery and Diamond and today they have a Double Drum roller sitting there while the whole crew eats lunch on the sidewalk in front of Tyger's. After inspecting the roller, we cross the street and greet the crew. Jack says something about seeing the generator and then announces "I have wheelbarrow and round-tip shovel." "I have jackhammer." The men ask Jack if he wants to join them. They tell him it is important to eat lunch. Then they point out that their jackhammer is in the truck nearby. So we inspect the truck bed, noting the two jackhammers, the straight-edge shovel, the push broom, and the jackhammer bits (that is, Jack sings out the names of these tools). One of the men asks if Jack is four and is pretty surprised to learn his age.

All of this followed our trip to the library where Sharon read several books and showed three movies. Ask Jack about the movie with the tricycle and the dump truck. We gave Sharon her present and I think she was really touched. At the hardware store, Susan and Hal gave Jack and Emma valentine balloons. I think they really do enjoy having us visit. They gave Jenny and me chocolates (Alex ate two of mine).

Jack really does like to run the show. At the library, another little boy was sitting where we generally sit when we pick out books. I realized that Jack was telling him to move because that's where Nana sits! Fortunately, I don't think the other little boy understood him. I told Jack we couldn't move the other kid and we could sit on the other side of the aisle. Jack has also started grabbing things away from other kids, so we need to be alert to that. Jack also asked Jenny to read a book to him and settled himself into her lap. I read to Emma and everyone was happy. Very cute to hear him talk to Jenny. When Jenny and Emma came into the library, Jack ran up to tell them about the card he has for them. (Need to take it to the park tomorrow.)

Jack's language is astonishing. Notice that he uses the future tense correctly and that he says "catched it" and adds 'ed" to other irregular verbs to make the past tense. That shows that he understands the grammer of the past tense--he has never heard any of us say "catched" but is correctly following the usual pattern. He also remembers the names of things that I have forgotten. For example, I have forgotten what you call the round wheels that a bulldozer track goes around. Jack remembers what they are. Jenny says she has learned the names of the various machines from Jack; before she called them all tractors.

In the afternoon, Jack ate two of my cooked baby carrots and a bit of my peanut butter sandwich, but none of the brown rice and vegetables that I had made him (wouldn't even taste it). Maybe I need to put things into my lunch box or maybe buy a lunch box for him. (Or maybe toddlers are just always going to be difficult about eating.) No poop today. He slept about two hours or so. He was excited that Papa fixed his rake and he loved the new puppy from Ken and Christina. When he saw the little card that Christina sent (Why God Made Little Boys), he announced that he was going to hang it with his cherry picker and he ran in to hang it from the fireplace, standing in that little wagon. (I later moved it higher because it wouldn't stay up where Jack put it.)

Maybe Jack is going to solve the global warming crisis.