Happy Memorial Day! ( Days Late And $s Short!)

We spent the early morning hours in the Temple and thinking about many of our relatives and ancestors who have gone before us.  How much we love and appreciate them for all they have contributed to our happy life today.  We thanks God for our military people who have sacrificed so much and for all those we visit in their graves on this special day.  As it turned out we did not go to the cemetery yesterday.  Too crowded and warm when we got home.  But we will go this week sometime.

These are the virtual flowers I am wanting to place on the graves of all of them.  Both yours and ours. They did shine magnificently in the morning sun today at the Oakland Temple.  I particularly would have put the snap dragons on my father's grave.  He loved those and planted them in our backyard as I was growing up.  He loved to "make them talk" to us as kids.  And to my mother's grave I would have added all the purple and lavender ones.

My father, Ross Colberg, served in the Army for nearly five years in WWII.  That was a great sacrifice on his part as well as my mother's, they being newlyweds at the time he left.  My father served as a clerk in the Medical Division of his Company in the Pacific Theater.  That I can assure you was no tropical vacation.  He would rarely speak of those years...almost as though trying to erase them from his mind, heart and life.

This is his army photo.  He looks so kind and handsome and young. Hmm, war is not a good thing! We should pay tribute always to those who went and served and those who supported them and still do from home.  Any person who gives his/her all for the liberty and freedom of our homeland and safety of her people is a hero.  It's that simple.  Thank you to my Dad and all of yours and mothers too.

A word about those serving in the Middle East in our generations. Thank you to our Robert especially and to all who have left family and friends and gone there to do that terrible job.  He returned to us safely, but not all families have been so blessed.  We honor all for their service and sacrifices for the liberty we all too often take for granted.  We all know that freedom has never been free.

Many of us had fun celebrations on this year's Memorial Day.  We chose a quiet afternoon at home but our children's families celebrated together in Utah and our east coast kids enjoyed gathering with their friends.  They not only celebrated Memorial Day but also Robert's birthday!  

Here are some of the photos from Utah.  Sure wish we could have been with all of them.  But July is right around the corner! Then we will be with all of them.

First of all Zachary turned 12 on the 28th so he had four days of celebrating his birthday!  They are already out of school for the year so it was double the celebrations!  Especially since last year in England they had to go to school practically until the end of July! 

This is one great Young Man!  The had so much going on on his birthday they went out to breakfast to get the day rolling.  

Missy, Chris, Zach, Owen, Connor, Aynslee

The Stewarts hosted a great Memorial Day at their home and the park across the street. Their location is ideal in so many ways.  We love where they live now.

Left to Right Nose to Nose:
Zachary, Owen, Aunt Gail, Chris, Jen, Chloe, Lowell 
Hazel Aynslee, Julia, Piper, Melissa, Connor

Cousin Time

Nice kick Julia!

Chloe and Leo

Hazel flies!

Dinner on the front porch and the lawn.
No one want to miss any of the happenings in the park!
Front row seats for every event.

That's a wrap on Memorial Day 2016!

One nice thing about being a few days late 
is that I can add a bit more family news.  
Family History in real time never sleeps.

Chris and Missy's family have a new dog as of yesterday...She doesn't have a name yet. When Connor gets home from camping they'll decided.  Missy looks happy, she has wanted a dog for a long time.  

I'm wondering if the dog is a birthday present since Missy had her birthday on the 20th, and Zach on the 28th.  And Owen is nine tomorrow, June 2nd.  And incase you think we skipped a day...today in my brother Gary's birthday!  Other birthdays in May, Chloe, Spencer and Robert.  The month of May has richly blessed us with wonderful family members.  And now you know why the title of this post reads, "Days Late and $s short!

Today, June 1st, Jen and Hazie had
 their last field trip of the year for school.  

Happy Birthday tomorrow Mr. Owen!

The Splash Pad
(I always want to go in this!) 
Owen is the only person looking 
at the camera in this picture! 

One Step Ahead of FH in Real Time for Today.