Memorial Day

It's been a really good Memorial Day even though it's been so rainy. We had a BBQ with a few friends at our house. We spent the morning getting that ready. We marinated some meat, veggies, and pineapple and made some very yummy kabobs. The marinade was my doing, so I don't want to toot my own horn too much, but they were pretty good. Most of the pictures during the BBQ are of Henry. We put him in 6-12 month clothes today. They fit much better, but his overalls almost seemed too small already. He's a big boy.

This evening, after Thomas woke up from his nap, he really wanted to go "Bye bye car." After we got Aubree off to work, Thomas and I drove over to Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. It's like the very famous Arlington National Cemetery. Only service men and women are buried there. The scouts in our ward helped put up American flags in front of every headstone in the cemetery yesterday. I was excited to go and see how that looks. I actually really enjoy driving through the cemetery. The closest park with a playground is right by there, and I often take a drive through the cemetery with Thomas and Henry after I take them to the park. It really is an awesome sight, and it helps me keep things in perspective and helps me remain grateful for my country and the freedoms we have. Driving through the cemetery gives me a chance to think and reflect on the sacrifices endured by so many to maintain those freedoms, often the ultimate sacrifice. The cemetery is a very stunning and awesome reminder of this. Going there is especially helpful when I feel like things are hard and I wallow in self-pity. Like I said, it keeps things in perspective. It really is a spiritual place. Today, I thought about all those who have served this country, and in particular, I thought about my Grandpa Thompson and his service in World War II. I'm proud of him and grateful to him and all other servicemen and women. Here are a few pictures I took this afternoon.

I think this is a deer, but it also kind of looks like a moose without antlers/horns. I really don't know this stuff that well. We saw this while we were driving through the cemetery. First one to identify the species wins the prize.

After we got home, Thomas had some dinner, and while he was eating, we were listening to some AC/DC. On his own, Thomas started headbanging. It was pretty sweet. I don't know how well you can hear the music in this video, but the song is "TNT." My little rocker. While I was writing the post, the music was still on, and Thomas said to me, "Daddy rock," wanting me to dance and headbang, too. We were rocking out together. Grandpa Cooper should be proud.

Here are some pictures that aren't really related, but I wanted to post them. It's been rainy this weekend. I don't know if it's been statistically more rainy than usual, but here are two pictures as examples. The first is a picture of a soccer field near the Meramac River. I took it as we were driving home from fathers and sons. If you look close, you can see that it's completely covered with water and only the goals are poking out of the water. The second is a picture from the grocery store parking lot where we stopped on the way home from the cemetery. The drain was working fine, but it was having a hard time keeping up with the water.

Also, we haven't really posted about this yet, either. Aubree's sister Megan is staying with us for the summer, and Thomas is having a ball with her, even though it doesn't seem like it in this picture. Whenever she's not home, Thomas says over and over, "Where Mimi go."