Cars and trucks and things that go.

Joe, like most toddlers, is into vehicles. We have 2 picture books of them that he asks to read all the time. Out and about, it's a constant stream of "Mommy! Jeep! Mommy! That ambulance! Mommy! That brown big truck - it has a present! Mommy! What that tractor doing? City Bus! School Bus!" I rarely see the vehicles that he is talking about as we drive along, but his radar is finely tuned.

He and Frank read one of his books one morning when Joe got up waaaaay too early. (click through to see videos):

Joe doesn't get much screen time, but he requests watching diggers and garbage trucks pretty often. Luckily there are videos of tow trucks, garbage trucks, and other construction vehicles on you tube. I'm teaching him to branch out, and he also now loves and requests watching the space shuttle blast off and come home.

His commentary never varies. I have to put my hand on his head to demonstrate that the rocket's hat is coming off (otherwise he grabs my hand and puts it on his head). When the mission control guy is going through the pre-launch check and Joe hears everyone responding, "Go," he chimes in. When mission control mentions that the shuttle is running on its own power, he responds "It's not running" (with head shaking).

Somewhat related: when I rock him before bed, once we turn off the lights, he asks for 3 songs (basketball song [UNC alma mater], daddy song [song I made up naming everyone that loves Joe], and Joe song [Good Night, Jo-jo, to the tune of Good Night Ladies]). Sometimes he will slip in a request for a story. Lately he has been in a tool mood, and I have been asked to make up a leafblower story, and a chainsaw story. They center around a boy named Joe with curly hair who has these tools, takes good care of them, and uses them to help people, then he cleans up, eats something nutritious and takes a nap. They are riveting.