Memorial Day

On Memorial Day we drove about an hour away to Farson Wyoming, where Dean got to participate in a Memorial Day ceremony at the cemetery. It started out with some singing, and a speaker, and then a bunch of kids played guitar. It would have been really nice if my kids hadn't been bored and wanting to run around. After that the Honor Guard provided by the Sheriff's department did a rifle salute and played taps. It was really cool. Dean was the one who got to play the bugle. Many people were impressed with his bugle playing skills, but we didn't tell anyone that it was a special bugle that plays the song all by itself. It is actually the very same bugle that Dean takes to do the military honors at veteran funerals.

 
 
After it was over, they provided doughnuts and juice and we met up with Dean. Isaac took a little while to recognize him in his uniform, but when he did, Isaac immediately wriggled down from me, ran to his daddy and gave him a good two minute long hug. The older boys were more interested in  the doughnuts.

 

 When we got home, Isaac and I took a nap while the boys watched a movie, and Dean mowed the lawn. Dean tried to plan an impromptu barbecue with some of his friends. Only one of them were able to make it with his family, so we invited another family in our ward at the last minute and they came too. Dean cooked hamburgers, hot dogs, bratwurst. Grandma cut up hamburgers and bought cupcakes, and Dean's friend brought potato salad. It was fun, although it would have been better if it weren't raining for a lot of the time. Our house isn't really big enough to host that many people with everyone indoors.

After everyone went home Dean surprised me by announcing that we were going to have a regular family home evening that night, which I had not been planning on. He organized everything though. He gave a really good lesson on patriotism, and ended the evening with the kids drawing the flag. They were frustrated because they couldn't draw stars, so I pulled out some stickers, and they went to town. 

Deano likes to keep his next to the little plastic cupcake topper that he got at the barbecue.
  

Andrew wanted to make his as authentic as possible. I'm pretty sure there are 13 stripes although they may all be red. And he put on as many silver stars as we had. 

And Isaac just had fun. He learned to say the word star last night too. 





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