I am months behind on any posting. I think that is a good sign though. Being too busy living to write about it seems like a life well-spent.

In May we went to Hawaii. While there, we visited Pearl Harbor. It would be a lie to sa Carter enjoyed it. He LOVED it. Interestingly, he didn't love it in a "let me be an army man" sort of way, but he seemed to have a quiet reverence about it. I think this is, in part, due to the fact that he experienced it with Gil. Gil has a way of making history feel very real and special to Carter. For that I am thankful.

On Memorial Day (AKA Decoration Day) we drove to the Midway Cemetery. Carter instantly noticed that there were flags on the many of the markers. We told him that the flags signified the graves of soldiers. Upon learning this news, Carter begged to walk through the cemetery and learn the names of every soldier. At first I was irritated. It was late and cold and all I wanted to do was stop at the family plot and show our respects. As usual, Carter persisted. "Mommy, I want to know the name of those soldiers!" At that moment, Jeff and I both realized that Carter had the spirit of Memorial Day that we were both missing. He didn't want to look at flowers or decorations. He didn't want to comment on how beautiful the cemetery looked, he wanted to learn about the people who were there. What greater respect is there, than to take the time to learn the names of the men we never met, who sacrificed so much to serve our country and their families? We didn't see every marker that day, and we didn't spent as much time at our family's resting spot as we had planned. Somehow though, I don't think they minded. A four year old and his parents learned the names of a few of our country's heroes. I think it was the best Memorial Day I've ever spent.