Victor Mows the Lawn

A few weeks ago, when I went out to mow the lawn, Victor said he wanted to help.

What he really wanted to do was mow the lawn himself.

Being in charge of the lawn mower was very exciting for him. He loves machines.

He also enjoyed mowing in his own pattern.

I Flood the Kitchen Again

Yesterday, I flooded the kitchen again.

It was the same thing: leaving the faucet on to fill the Brita.

It wasn't as bad as the first time--I didn't need the shop vac to clean it up--but it still made a mess.

I Flood the Kitchen

Yesterday, I went to fetch the boys from the neighbors' house.

The boys rode their bikes home and arrived before I did.

When I got there, they were ecstatic. Because there was water all over the kitchen: running off the counters, pooling on the floor. Leaking out the back door. Apparently, that's fun!

I had left the faucet running in the Brita pitcher, and it had, of course, overflowed. I guess my audio book was so engrossing that I hadn't noticed my mistake.

Homework Word Search

I really hate homework.

I don't think there is any point.

So when Victor chose to do his spelling word search homework like this, I didn't mind.

(Look how he "found" the word "think.")

Victor's Parenting Tip

Yesterday afternoon, Zeke got very upset about something I wouldn't let him do or have. Or maybe it was something I wanted him to do or get. Either way, he was upset.

About ten minutes later, Victor came to me with the following advice:

"If you don't give a youngster what he wants, it will only increase how easy it is to make him mad."

Captain Bunny of the Seven Seas

Because I'm super fun, I asked Victor to make the ears for the Bunny Cake this Easter.

He made them last year, too, and they were very traditional ears.

But this year, he branched out a bit. He made ears and a hat.

And a sign.

Behold: Captain Bunny of the Seven Seas!

Grandpa Hammond: TV Star

A month or two ago, my Grandpa Hammond was watching American Experience on PBS.

The program was about Silicon Valley, and there was a part about the rocket tests conducted by the military after World War II. Grandpa was interested in this subject because he used to launch those rockets.

As he watched the program, he saw a film of a young officer launching a rocket and then leaning forward to look out the window to confirm the launch.

"Hey!" said Grandpa, "I think that was me!"

Sure enough, it was. Grandpa was on TV!

This photo is a screen shot from the program. The video of Grandpa was a good choice: he looks intelligent and focused, which I think accurately represents the attitude and professionalism of the people who conducted the tests.

As an interesting note, one of the rocket launch test sites where Grandpa worked is located in California and can be seen from Jeremy's family's house.