Thanks VDOT

I think Jake has realized that Sadie is here to stay and that he won't always get 100% of our attention, and I think that's made him a little uneasy. We talk to him about how he's the big brother and how he can help us out with little chores, and then he says "BIG BIG BROTHER!" in his deep little voice, but he's still a few months shy of two and it's a big change (BIG BIG CHANGE!) for the little guy.

So, when the four big VDOT trucks pulled into our cul-de-sac this morning I knew it would be a great opportunity to go out and spend some Jake-Daddy time together. They all had their engines idling, so the rumblings added to the effect and Jake was transfixed on the action. He started pointing things out to me - mostly "Truck" or "Big Truck" but also "shoveldaddy" which is what he called the snow shovel I used to clear the driveway this winter. They were using their shoveldaddies to pile asphalt into a giant sinkhole that opened up on Jeanne St. They sent one truck out yesterday, but then realized that erosion had carved a wide cavity under the width of our little street and that the whole thing would need to be dug up and repaved ("You and I could lay down in dere," the foreman told me). In the meantime, they told us yesterday to "drive carefully" over that section, which we presumed meant no late model Chevy Impalas with hydraulics.

We watched them do their thing for a while, and then played with some basketballs the neighborhood kids had left out. I did a very awkward white-man's layup but Jake loved it and gave me the high pitched "Dadeeeee!" that always makes my day.

Click here for some more photos.