Sometimes gratitude for examples set and lessons learned takes a while to set in. This Memorial Day, just like every other Memorial Day that I can remember, we drove to
Richfield to decorate graves. Growing up, while friends spent their Memorial Day weekend boating, camping or just kicking of their summer with a bang, we ALWAYS spent the weekend cleaning graves, putting up and taking down the flag and setting out flowers. Of course there was always a fun picnic or outing, but the focus was on honoring those who had passed on. I remember how appalled my grandma was with the people who set
their flowers out early so they could take off for the weekend. I have no doubt that there was a time when I rolled my eyes at the number of graves we had to visit on Monday morning, or perhaps my annoyance was more with the rate at which we traveled from
cemetery to
cemetery (grandma wasn't the fastest driver). However ornery I used to be I would just like to say now that I am grateful to my Grandma June for teaching me the importance of remembering. You can't grow strong without deep roots and thanks to Grandma I know where mine are. Hers was one of the graves we decorated this year and I just hope she knows that her lessons are finally sinking in, I plan to deprive my children of Memorial Day get-aways as well!
Once all the graves were properly visited and decorated, we spent some time at Uncle
Craig's farm where Oliver got to drive a tractor. Tractors are his latest obsession so he was absolutely in heaven. After that we visited some family whilst Sam, my brother Donald and his wife
Caci attempted to ride their road bikes from
Siguard to Fish Lake. It turned out to be an extremely steep four-hour ride into the wind. None of the riders were happy when we met them at the lake for a picnic (except for
Caci on whom goo seemed to have a very
optimistic affect.) The ride was all Sam's idea and I think he was permanently banned from planning any future family activities.
We were all tired and ready to start the drive home at this point, but Sam had promised Oliver that they would catch a fish at the "big pond" (we don't watch
Dinosaur Train anymore, but some of the themes have yet to wear off.) So we sat on the bank and watched everyone reel in fish and wished that someone would just give us one. Fortunately Sam pulled through and caught one just in time for us to pack up and drive home.
My sister made a whirlwind visit to Utah this summer (she lives in Little Rock Arkansas) and as part of the celebration all of the girls - and Ollie - hiked up to a waterfall in Alpine that you can slide down. It was lots of fun, and pretty refreshing!
I was teaching my neighbor how to make homemade bread (yes Megan, I remembered the salt this time!) and our boys decided that they needed to make some too. They were so serious about their playdough bread, rolling it and shaping it just right.
This was one of those good moments. Ruby is starting to actually care when toys get ripped out of her hands so we are enjoying the peaceful happy moments while they last! Oliver loves to tease his sister - but at least he won't let anyone else tease her. The other day at the splash park he spent the majority of the time guarding the puddle that Ruby was playing in so that no one else touched his sister's water.
Oliver has made a new friend down the street, Brayden. The two love to ride bikes, play trains and marbles and just be crazy together. On this particular day however they decided to sing. I should have taken a video instead; you can see from the picture that they are using wire wisks and microphones but you are missing out on a very spirited rendition of "The Wheels on the Bus." So funny!
