Memorial Day

Monday morning Gavin was up at 6:00, anxious to finish his Memorial Day project. In step with a school unit on Connecticut State, he has been spouting off such facts as the Connecticut state bird (the robin) and the translation of the Latin state motto (“He who transplanted still sustains”). Sunday evening he decided it wouldn’t be Memorial Day without saluting a replica of the state flag during the local Navy base’s daily rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner.” So he was up early coloring, cutting, and gluing, with Arwen not far behind. I love seeing Gavin immersed in a project!


That afternoon we were joined by three other families for a celebratory Memorial Day barbecue. It was fun welcoming Tricia’s mom who was visiting from out of town, and we were all especially thrilled to have Kim and Tim’s baby daughter Claudia with us for the first time. We enjoyed some first-rate food (including my unexpectedly tantalizing raspberry pretzel Jell-O salad) and equally wonderful conversation from our comfy seats in the shade. Meanwhile the kids splashed in the pool, swung in the hammock, raced paper airplanes, and begged for underdogs on the swing. Even little James with a lime green cast on his leg got in on the action, six-year-old JJ found customers for a bunch of her homegrown flower hair clips, and after hanging out in the water Molly sported the biggest diaper we’d ever seen. After a couple of hours Tim pulled out the bocce balls, and the guys duked it out on the lawn. We washed it all down with Allison’s brownies and ice cream, together with Brad’s fruit-topped chocolate cheesecake. Yum fun!