Memorial Day

**warning - long & lots of pictures!

Okay, so I'm a few days late...but here's our Memorial Day! We went up to Etna and the Valley for the weekend. We left kind of early Saturday morning. We'd originally planned to go Friday after Brian was done with work, but then remembered that I was in charge of a scrapbook night at Church for Enrichment that Friday night. Well, no one showed up for that (family crisises and holiday weekend), but it was just as well because Brian was exhausted and the boys would've been more than he could've handled. He was in bed and asleep by 930, I was falling asleep reading a book by 930, Joshua was out by 830 and Nathaniel was in bed by quarter to ten. We left around 8 or so, I think, and were in Etna by noon. We listened to the book "Eragon" on CD most of the way and Joshua watched Aladdin.

On Saturday Joshua helped Grandpa build a flower bed in the driveway.


Last year, when we went up for Joshua's birthday, he helped Grandpa build a similar wall for a flower bed in the front yard.

After working in the driveway, Joshua helped Grandma & Grandpa in the garden. They planted zucchini & green beans. Nathaniel even got in on the action a little bit!





Nathaniel loved playing in the dirt and playing in the backyard. He tried to eat the little twigs from the maple tree...and also tried to eat the rocks in the garden. He was less than thrilled when I took him inside and gave him a bath!

Sunday we went to Sacrament Meeting (where Grandma & Grandpa were the speakers) and Sunday School. Then we went home & changed and loaded stuff in the car so that we could go pick up Great-Grandma Darlene. Grandpa Bruce is in the American Legion and was part of the 21 Gun Salute out at the Living Memorial Garden in Shasta Valley. It was a little warm out there and the boys started to get bored, but it was neat to see the memorial wall (where we showed Joshua his Great-Grandpa Elwood's name (he served in the Navy in WW II), his Grandpa Bruce (who was in the Coast Guard in the Pacific during the Vietnam War), his Great-Uncle Ken (who was in the Army for 20 years from the late 70s to the late 90s) and another uncle who was in the Korean War. There were songs and a speaker and all, but Joshua most enjoyed the shooting of the 21 Gun Salute and collecting the shells afterwards.

When the ceremony was over, we ate a picnic lunch and then drove & walked through the sculpture area of the gardens...they were very interesting and
made you reflect on the service done by so many for our country. Here's the Prisoner of War sculpture:


On Monday, Joshua went with Grandpa & Grandma to the Callahan cemetery for the service there. Brian & I stayed home with Nathaniel and loaded the car. When they got back we went to the service at the Etna Cemetery. Then we went headed to Fort Jones for the service at the cemetery there (with a quick side trip to Dotty's for ice cream cones for everyone but me - I had my favorite & traditional blackberry shake). By the time we were done with the service at the Ft. Jones cemetery, Joshua was done with it all...he'd been to three that morning!

He was most impressed with the little girl that sang the National Anthem at all three. I think my mom said she was 10. Turns out her dad was someone from my class in high school. Anyway, Joshua went up to her after the last service and told her he really liked how she sang the song. We went to the part of the cemetery where my Grandpa Elwood is buried and had a moment there. Joshua said he wishes he could've seen him here, but guesses he'll just have to wait until he gets to heaven and see him there someday.