Kayaking: Fun or not? Discuss.

This is a vignette from our morning spent watching the planes land at National Airport.

Watching the planes land at National Airport

There is a national park just west of National Airport. (Yes, that's what we call it still. National Airport. If you want us to pick you up, give us the name we use or else we won't show up!)

Anyway, the park abuts the major landing strip at National Airport so you can watch the planes land just over your head. It feels like you can reach up and touch them.

The park lies along the Potomac River so there are lots of ski boats, sail boats, jet skis and kayakers. Also there is a major bike path that runs the length of the park on one side, which has an unending supply of runners, bikers, and roller bladers. On the other side, there is a major thoroughfare, with lots of cars and trucks.

Add it all up and Jack was in hog heaven. He would fixate on the water and say boat repeatedly. Then cyclists would fly by and he would say BI-cull. And then every 10-15 minutes, a huge jet would land. And then just for good measure, a huge dump truck would go whizzing by on the freeway.

We sat under a tree about 15 yards from where we took that picture of ourselves on Inauguration Day. We both teared up thinking how the last time we were there, we hadn't even met Jack.

It was a glorious day.

Saturday, July 31 at the Park, swinging on the swings

Jack thought his friend was pretty hilarious.

So did we.

A day on the bay, Part II.

I think it's a boat they are observing.

Jeff loves his boy.

Now, what was that hypothesis?

A day on the bay...

Today, we drove across the Bay Bridge, to a work party for Jeff (from his days in real estate). It was an incredible day, with lovely people. Jack - for all of his water issues ... no water on the face please ... could not get enough of the dock. He made us both tense with his desire to tear off to the end of the dock, where a 10 foot drop to the water awaited. No one fell in and it was a great day. Here are some snaps...

Gleeful at the long run back up the dock.

In motion.
Whoops. Need to go back and explore again.
This reminded me of some of those archetypal pictures from Hyannis with the Kennedys.

Yes, Mr. DeMille, I AM ready for my close up...

Who loves ya, Baby?

Hope you are having a lovely Sunday night....

Jack

Words, words, words...

A while ago I posted Jack's compendium of words. I thought it was time to update. Our methodology is pretty straight-forward. He must be able to identify what we are saying and say it himself. So for "bear," we first turn to a page in a book with animals on it and say "where's the bear?" If he points to it, he's halfway home. We then turn to another picture of a bear and ask him what it is, if he says "bear," it goes on the list. This works well for nouns, not so much for verbs, adjectives, adverbs, gerunds or prepositions. There are, however, some definite verbs, that he unmistakably knows, e.g., DOWN.

As in, get me the hell out of this high chair before I lose it Papa, I can't take another bite of cheese or pasta or blueberry, I want.....DOWN.

One additional note: Margarita, Super Nanny, is not here to give me the Spanish side of Jack's vocabulary. I am sure she will be miffed that we did not include his lista de palabras, but we can update in a later posting.

So, here is Jack's vocabulary (that we, his adoring and yet both-working parents, know of) as of August 1, 2010 :

Animals (by far the largest and most popular category, until he learns that cars can be subdivided into additional categories, makes, and models):

Bear

Bird

Duck

Frog

Cat

Dog

Fish

Owl (and Bujo)

Cow

Bunny

Burro

Lion

Tiger

Elephant

Koala

Penguin

People

Tucker

Jack

Jake

Papa

Daddy

Baby

Grandma (which is pronounced "baba" and also means framed picture...don't ask)

Teacher

Body Parts

Belly (his first body part)

Ear

Eye

Toe

Foot

Nose

Tail (from the Burro...)

Colors

Yellow (far and away the favorite and go to color)

Blue

Purple

Black

Verbs

Vamos

Adverbs

Up

Down

Again

Miscellany

Shoes (and zapatos)

Agua

Cheese (which is a homophone for "fish" in Jack's lexicography)

Livro (and book)

Park

Zoo

Ball (perhaps his most favorite word of all time)

Truck

car

Vroom (verb - meaning to go; noun - anything with wheels or locomotion)

Tractor

Bicycle (pronounced BI-cull)

Flower (pronounced, rather Germanically, as Blauer)

Train

Wheel

Hat

Someone else had a long day today...

Tucker is tuckered.

The kids are goofing off in the hallway...

It was the end of the day. The only things that remained were dinner and bed. Jack and Jeff were a little tuckered out and so they collapsed in the foyer of the house. Mr. Irrepressible began goofing around with Mr. Serious and this is what you got.

I dare you to tell me you did not smile looking at these pics. There is definitely something cosmic between the two of them and I am a lucky cuss that I get to witness it unfold at random times.