Tradition!

One thing I miss about being near Logan is the tradition of visiting the cemetery on Memorial Day.  I try to make a stop and pay respects with the kids once a year.  This year we came more prepared with flowers from my dad's awesome garden.  

We've only made it to the Logan cemetery so far, but there are quite a few relatives buried there.  (Delsa and Irwin Thomson, Arlo, Arlene, Norma, Grandma's parents, Alma and Veda Dittmer, Don Pack, Gray Thomson.) I think it's good for my kids to see me and my parents cleaning the headstones, placing flowers, and telling stories about their ancestors.  None of them groan when I tell them where we are going.  In fact, they all seem to enjoy it. 

 Jacob liked taking the petals that fell off and make decorations on the headstones.

 My dad had two siblings die young.  Arlene was only three days old.  If she had been born in more modern times, she could have been fixed by surgery.  Arlo was 9?,  younger than my Dad, may have died from complications of cystic fibrosis from reading accounts of his health history.  

He also had an Aunt (Norma) die when she was 8? years old.  She had been climbing in a tree with her sister (my grandma) even though they had been told not to be in the tree previously, and she fell and was impaled by a fence post.  

They also have a cousin, Gray, who was stillborn who would be eleven.

I asked my kids if they would put flowers on my headstone when I die.  Of course, the good littles that they are, said yes.

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Ammon got a haircut from his cousin Corinne who is in beauty school.  He was mad about it though.  I didn't tell him where we were going so when we got there, the pouts came out in full force.   Even Corinne couldn't get him out of it.  We stopped for a smoothie at McDonald's after.

Jacob worked at Shawn's company, Brave USA, his first job!  

Mom made a fantastic dinner of peas, fruit, delectable bread, and perfect chicken legs.

Walked down the street to look at a Ward garden my dad is in charge of and saw some childhood friends, The Andersons (Ruth I hadn't seen in at least a decade, Roger, Nedra, and Tim).  I love that family.  

Ate a Fat Boy with Allison (dreamsicle) on the hammock.

Watched slides for over an hour.  It's so fun to hear my kids reactions to old photos.  We watched some with my first trip to New Zealand (1983), trip to California to pick up Bruce from his Mission, random house pictures, and some of my parents travels.  My kids LOVE these.  Isaac kept making comments that were making my the grown ups bust up.  That kid has an interesting way of thinking, he does.