Memorial Day Activities with Irelands

The family of Howard Ireland (Sam's grandfather) gather together on Memorial Day each year. The American Legion always has a program held at the cemetery where relatives and friends have an opportunity to meet while visiting grave sites following the ceremony. In recent years the Irelands have been meeting at the Masonic Lodge for a potluck dinner at noon. In former years, they met at Curly's and before that at Grampa and Grama's.

Sam, Karen, Phyllis, and Roy
at the graveside of their parents, Harold & Mabel.
We took flowers to the cemetery the day before
Memorial Day when this picture was taken.

There were 14 children in Howard and Mary's family; and Mable, Shorty (Forrest), Curly (Eulalia), Beanie (Berniece), and Wilma are still living. Wilma had a family wedding to attend and so wasn't able to come, but the other four siblings were here.

Shorty, Beanie, Mable, and Curly

This has been a close family, and they have had many good times together. Sam's dad was the second oldest child and the oldest boy in the family.

Phyllis came from California for Memorial Day
and stayed for our 50th anniversary open house.
Here she is visiting with Mable and Shorty.


Sam, Beanie, Curly, and Mable


Jane Ann (Curly's daughter), Charlene (Bob's daughter),
Barbie (Roy's wife), and Joyce (Beanie's daughter)


Phyllis, Charlene, and Narene
Charlene has been living in Colorado, but
was in the process of moving to Idaho.


Bill & Karen live in Gering, Nebraska.


Sam with Brent & Tauna's family
(Sam, Grandpa Sam, Seth, Julia - exchange student
from Germany - Rachel, and Weston)


Barbie, Bill, and Karen are looking for asparagus
in what used to be Grampa Harold's garden.

While Grampa was still alive, he used to bring asparagus to the Memorial Day potluck. It was missed this year as was Grampa. He always raised such nice vegetables in this sub-irrigated land, and his garden was free of weeds; but now nature has taken over this spot.

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At the end of the school year, we attended the music program on May 20 at Longvalley where Rachel and Weston go to school. The children seemed to really enjoy singing. Rachel had a speaking part at the conclusion of the program. Here are two pictures taken at the concert:

Rachel is the 5th girl from the right.


Weston is the 3rd boy from the left.

Family Visits Extended on the Farm

We were pleased that some members of our family were able to spend a few days with us on the farm after the official end of our family reunion Wednesday, June 3.

Tani and the children stayed two more days and left for home about noon on Friday. Jeff & Rochelle and Doug & Shannon stayed until Saturday. Todd left on Monday for a business trip, and Beth and children had an extended visit until June 18.

Jacob, Jamon, and Brynlee get to see
Grandpa Sam planting sunflowers with the
planter and fertilizer connected behind the
big tractor that becomes a long chain.


A closer look at the planter.
(Sam, Brent, and Jeff)


Those are big tractor tires.
(Jacob, Brynlee, and Jamon)


The GPS and controls inside the tractor provide
helpful information as well as auto steering.

Jeff and Jamon get a tractor ride with
Grandpa Sam.


A view from the front.


Seeing the machinery from a different angle.


Ethan checking out the big tractor.


Sam and Brent discussing
the farm work.


Jeff, Todd, and Doug doing some
target shooting. Beth also took a turn.


Brynlee giggles when her dad
makes her wiggle in the air.

Her balance is very good.

Some of the other smaller children also enjoyed trying to keep their balance on Doug's hands. Jacob's experience doing this helped him stay up even when his dad gave him a wild ride. Grandpa Sam used to do this with our children, which they also loved to do.

Joshua gets a ride with Grandpa in the Bobcat.
Is Ethan waiting for a turn?

The kitties came along on our
walk through the pasture
north of the house.
(Rachel, Amanda, Megan, Ethan, & Joshua)


Joshua getting a piggyback ride
from his sister.


We circled around on our walk and ended up
coming behind the barn and corrals.


Jared and Sam taking it easy in the shade
on the swing.


Amanda gives the horse swing a try.

Megan, Amanda, and Rachel

The kitties remain popular.
(Megan)


Ethan and a kitty.


Joshua and Ethan look at the 4-H steers.


Now it's Amanda, Joshua, and Megan's turn
to relax in the shade on the swing.


Once the weather warmed up, the kids
enjoyed swimming at Brent & Tauna's.
(Amanda, Rachel, Weston, Sam, Keith Hodson,
Megan, and Jared)


Taking time from swimming to look at the
horses. There wasn't a horse ready yet
for kids to ride, unfortunately.
Hopefully, there will be one on their next visit.
(Tauna, Ethan, Joshua, and Rachel)

The horses are friendly, though.

Aunt Tauna was good to give the younger
kids a ride in the John Deere Gator.
(Tauna with Joshua and Ethan)


While the boys went fishing, the girls
had fun trying on jewelry from the dress-up box.


Trying on my old dresses.
(Amanda, Megan, and Rachel)
Amanda is wearing the pink dress that I wore
in the picture that is sometimes thought to be
our wedding picture. However, that photo was
actually taken at a BYU dance.


I made the pink dress for a prom when I
was a business teacher in St. Johns, Arizona.
The blue dress was my prom dress in high school.
(Megan, Rachel, and Amanda)


Megan is wearing the blue dress I wore
on her mom and dad's wedding day.
My mother wore the yellow dress
at her 50th anniversary party.
(Amanda, Megan, and Rachel)


Fixing hair.
(Amanda, Rachel, and Megan)


Joshua joins the girls and gets a
new look. Rachel's long hair is being
brushed by Megan, but she also wanted
a new look and had her dad cut her hair
a few days after this photo was taken.
(Joshua, Rachel, Megan, and Amanda)


Grandpa giving Joshua a haircut.
He also cut Ethan's and Jared's hair.


Megan, Rachel, and Amanda perform another
original musical production.


A game of chess.
(Seth, Weston, Ethan, Jared, Sam, and Joshua)


Megan, Rachel, Amanda finished the doll puzzle.


Making all sorts of things with play dough.
(Megan, Joshua, Amanda, Rachel, and Ethan)


Megan and Amanda find Oreo Fluff good
to the last drop.


Joshua having fun jumping on a large tractor
inner tube and tossing the blue ball
while running through the sprinkler.


Ethan has fun on the inner tube with Joshua.
The ball is high in the air.

Beth and I and the Graham kids went to Mitchell to visit Curtis & Marla's family on June 12 and 13. We got a personal tour of Mitchell Technical Institute where Marla works and went to a drive-in movie Friday. Saturday we went to the water park where Sarah is a manager and lifeguard and saw the Corn Palace.

The Mitchell Corn Palace has a new look each
year as the decorations and murals are redone
with various shades of corn. It is advertised
as the world's only corn palace.


Inside the Corn Palace decorated with murals
made of corn. When our sons were in
AAU wrestling, we spent many hours here
at state tournaments.


Inside the Corn Palace.
(Jared, Ethan, Grandma, Megan, and Amanda;
Joshua is hiding beneath the seats.)


Photo taken across the street from the Corn Palace.
(Maggie, Haley, Maren, Amanda, Megan, Ethan, and
Jared. Joshua still didn't want his picture taken.


Friday evening the Graham children
experienced their first drive-in movie. It
was "National Treasure: Book of Secrets."
Joshua, Megan, Amanda, and Maren
are ready for the movie to start and
are enjoying the popcorn. A large container
costing $5.00 provided unlimited refills!


Maren, Megan, and Amanda at the
Mitchell water park.


Jared hitting the water.


Sarah on lifeguard duty at the water park.


The sandbox by the water park was also a
fun place for Ethan and Joshua.


Photo of Megan, Rachel, and Amanda
taken after church in Rosebud.

While Beth was here, we had a project of taking pictures and documenting family heirlooms, special books, collection pieces, gifts, etc., so when the time comes for these to be passed on to whomever might want them, they will know the history and significance of the items.

One dish we documented is a sugar bowl that belonged to my great-great-grandmother, Laura Wilder (Harris) Merrill, that was brought with her across the plains in a covered wagon when she and her husband, Austin Shepherd Merrill, left New York in 1848 with the "Y" Company of pioneers under the leadership of Lorenzo Snow that arrived in Salt Lake in September of 1848. This is a special keepsake.

Some items are not so special, but still have a history and are meaningful to me at least. For example, we have things we got on our mission in Russia and the Europe East Area that family will now know where we got them.

I got this tablecloth with lace and embroidery
in Bulgaria while we were attending our
first Area Humanitarian Conference in April 2008.
I don't know who created the watermelon head,
but it provided us with a good laugh.


Grandpa Sam getting an early Father's Day
present from Beth and Marla's families.

I have included a lot of photos, but honestly I did leave out many others that could have been used. These serve to preserve memories of a very special time. I still have one more blog to do to document our 50th anniversary open house when I get those pictures.

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Doug & Shannon posted on their blog a video they took when they were here. They will be surprised to know I sort of watched even the part with the bull snake. The rest of the video was good. :-) The video action recorded at WaTiki Water Park's "toilet bowel slide" was fun to see. (See the video at the end of their June 20 posting, but I warn you there is a lot of snake footage included on the video!) Here is a preview picture of the snake that Sam thought I should include on this blog. The grandchildren were more delighted with the snake than their grandma was. This photo is Doug & Shannon's:

Weston and Jacob with the bull snake.