Memorial Day Done Right

I LOVE MEMORIAL DAY.

As I've said before, it is all the good things about holidays with none of the pressure of gift buying or house cleaning, or food preparation.  Just lots of family and good feelings and thoughts of the coming summer.

We started the day as we always do, meeting up with the Clark family at Wasatch Lawns cemetery.  We visit my mom's, Tessa's, and my Clark grandparents' graves.

Uncle Lane shared his traditional family history moment.  I need to get my hands on that binder he is holding because it had several pictures I'd never seen before.  I see that the kiddos don't look too enthralled, but they were super good sports throughout the day.   I'm sure I wasn't that interested at their age either, but the older I get the more interesting family history becomes!

At the same cemetery we headed over to visit my Richards great-grandparents (my dad's maternal grandparents.)  Great-grandma Richards came from Sweden and we enjoy listening to Dad retell the same stories each year and getting a few new ones here and there.

The kids like to help clean off the gravestones by pouring water over them.

A cute moment of Grandma and Elinor playing wishbone with pine needles.

Those of us with the Cannon name by my Cannon great-grandparents grave at another cemetery across the valley.

We've brought our kids to the cemeteries on Memorial Day since they were very small and they enjoy the day as well.   Especially on a day like today with perfect weather in the mid-70's.  They like that the day includes a great meal out to eat!

Georgie liked Grandpa.  Maybe he just liked Grandpa's hat.

Faith and Takara gathered a whole bucket full of pine cones at the different cemeteries.

Just a few steps away from my Cannon grandparents & great-grandparents are Abe's great-grandparents (his mom's paternal grandparents).  Here are the Jolley boys.

After lunch we went to Memory Grove in Salt Lake where they have a memorial to fallen soldiers from WWII.  My dad's Uncle Hugh (Abram Hugh Cannon) was a radar man who died in the Pacific.  This is a highlight of Memorial Day.

 Fun to cool off the toes in City Creek.

Next stop was the Salt Lake City cemetery.  Once again, Abe and I both have relatives buried there.  These are his great-grandparents (his mother's maternal grandparents).

We're not related (at least not that we know of), but we wanted to stop by President Gordon B. Hinckley's grave.

This is George Q. Cannon's memorial-- my great, great, great-Grandfather. 

This was our final stop of the day.  We were all a little worn out by this point, but we were happy to find the grave of Abraham Hoagland Cannon.  My dad and Abe at George Q. Cannon's son's grave (my great, great-grandfather).
Our minds are rather frazzled from trying to keep straight all the family relations today.

We finished off the day with a very relaxing, enjoyable picnic at the park with friends.

 The kids still had enough energy to play this evening, but everyone was happy to go to bed tonight.

And a very happy 4th birthday to our little buddy who did not need any more toys for his birthday, but got some cute Star Wars toys anyway.

Happy Memorial Day!