Keeping With Tradition

This was the first Memorial Day in a LONG time that I have been here in Utah.  

Every Memorial Day since I can remember, my family has visited the grave sites of my Grandpa Olsen's parents and of his brothers that had passed away.

The past 8 Memorial Days we were in Bakersfield, so I was pretty excited to take the kids to the cemetery and continue the tradition with them.  

Since we went a little later in the morning most of my family had already been to the graves, so it was up to me to find them!   

I found my grandpa's brother who served during WWII right away (the American Flag probably helped a little bit), but I have to admit I got a little lost in our search for my great-grandparents! Luckily after a little while, Jared spotted them-- right next to where we had parked (and I don't mean kind of by our van-they were RIGHT by our van)!  

I told Jared I did a pretty good job in getting us in the general vicinity!  If you consider that I haven't been there for 8 years and all the other times I've been there someone in the family was there to take us to the exact spot!)

I think the kids really enjoyed it.  I didn't hear any complaining!  Nothing.  Not even one "this is taking too long, or this is boring!"

There was one moment at the cemetery I tucked away into my 'I want to remember this moment' vault in my head.

Buried right behind my great-grandparents is my grandpa's little brother who died when he was only 4 years old.   When I told Janie that he was only 4 when he died just like her, she went and pulled of a flower stem from the flowers we had brought, sat down by his grave and placed her flower there.  Too adorable!

In the afternoon, we headed over to Jared's brother's house for a BBQ.  It was such yummy food and the weather was perfect!

It's always fun to sit down and chat with the family.  The kids have so much fun just playing with the cousins.  It was such a fun, relaxing, memorable day!