Memorial Day and Other Things

On Memorial Day, the boys went with Colin on one of his many trips to Home Depot and they came back with their faces painted. Samuel, of course, wanted to be Batman:
Sissy dressed as herself - in a diaper, helmet (have I mentioned that she walks around stores with this helmet on?), necklace and watch:
Jude got his face painted as Spiderman:
And Colin spent the remainder of the day in the nursery (it has just been completely remodeled) sanding/staining the floors:
I have implemented Bible time every morning as part of school. Samuel reads a Bible story of Jude's choosing - it really kills two birds with one stone - they get in the habit of devotion time and Samuel gets his reading practice in. He's reading from "The Beginner's Bible". It's the perfect reading level for Samuel and has enough pictures to keep Jude interested.

Memorial Day - Willamette National Cemetary

For years I have been wanting to visit my grandpa's grave on Memorial Day, taking a moment to remember not only him, but his service in World War II. Yesterday morning, the kids, Colin and I made the short trip over the hill on Mt. Scott to Willamette National Cemetery and here's what we saw:

It amazes me that each of those flags (and there were many more than this picture represents) symbolizes days, months and even years each person devoted to our country so selflessly.
And here's my grandpa's grave.