Memorial Day weekend was a weekend spent remembering those who have gone before us & savoring the time we have with
each other while we're here.
Our first stop was the cemetery to visit the graves of Darren's Grandma Rose & Grandpa Joseph along with many other relatives. (Though it was part of his namesake from the start, it was a little odd seeing a tomb with Andrew's exact full name on it.) We prayed that their souls are happy with God in Heaven. The girls didn't really get it & there was a crazy cold wind, but I'm glad we made the stop. Grandma Rose held a special place in my heart... she was the first to know we were going to get engaged!
Then it was out to Green Grandpa's pond for some fishing. Andrew & Darren had no luck. After about 20 minutes of *patiently* waiting for a bite as they almost blew off the dock, they decided to call it quits for the day.
Rebecca wanted to give it a try, so she cast out once... & caught her first fish ever! She was very excited. : )
Teresa & I enjoyed watching all of the fishing, bug hunting, flower picking, & bird chasing.
Then we dropped in at Darren's brother's home for a visit & to meet the new pony.
Alaina generously let each of the kiddos take a couple of rides.
Thanks, Alaina!
Andrea & I hung out in the warm house with our cutie pies. Can you tell they are only three weeks apart?
We finished off the day with some tasty Cici's pizza & an amusing game of air hockey.
Hooray for memories!
high in a tree 
We enjoyed fun at the zoo with some past & present Bible Study friends. I don't have any pictures from inside the butterfly pavillion, but it was crazy in there! It must have been just the right time of day or just the right temperature or something, because butterflies were going bonkers! They were almost swarming but still beautiful. No "nectar" on your finger needed.
These kids (the girls, especially) will pick up, pet, or chase just about any bug!
One adventure we've never had at the zoo before was a pony ride. Since we had a coupon we decided to give it a shot. Andrew was in heaven.
Rebecca REALLY wanted to ride the baby pony but settled for riding his mom instead. She was a little nervous at first, but by the end she was grinning ear to ear as she rode atop Tinkerbell.
