The Ward Family: June 2010

So in my last blog I mentioned that I always had an urge to help turtles across the road when I see them. I hate to see smashed turtles on the road (or any animal). For those of you who try to run over them so you can here them crunch... SHAME ON YOU!!

I don't have an obsession with turtles, and I have never owned one. I'm not sure where all of this is coming from... but here we go! On my way home from work today, I saw "Andy" pictured below trying to cross the road. I decided that since I was on a rural road and no one was coming I would put the car in park and help the little guy out. Who knew??? Maybe 2 miles down the road someone would be driving along and accidentally hit the little guy! So there I was, squatting in the middle of the road admiring this turtle. I grabbed my camera and decided I would document my find. I then went back to my car and grabbed the ice scraper and proceeded to push the scared turtle into the ditch. He peered at me with his little beady eyes wondering who I was and what the heck was going on. As you will see below... he came out of his shell and wondered back into the field. Andy is SAFE!!!

I decided I would start a project and start documenting all the turtles I find that I help escort across the road. So... Project Turtle: The Ultimate Recovery of Turtles Lives Experiment has saved its first turtle!!!

You may be thinking... ok has she completely lost her mind?!?! Maybe... but when I think of little Andy it makes my heart happy knowing that tomorrow when I am driving home I won't see him smashed all over the road.

(Disclaimer: I can hear the lectures coming already. "Julie, it is not safe to stop in the middle of the road and look at a turtle." I promise you this... I will not stop in an unsafe place to save a turtle. My life is more important than the turtle (although the turtle may argue that assumption). Rest assured, all turtles and humans involved in this project will not me harmed.)

Ryan and I are very fortunate to live so close to our niece and nephews (soon to be nieces!!! Ben/Angie AND Bryan/Ashley are BOTH having girls!!!!) With that in mind, I love watching Ryan interact with them. He is so good with them and they all just love him. I know that when we decide it is time for us to have kids that he is going to be an excellent father who is very involved and active in their lives. I love that quality about him. That is just one of the MANY things I love about him.

Below: Tad has really enjoyed Keiffer being down. Not sure what he is going to do when his buddy heads back to California!!

Below: Notice anything odd about this picture?!?! I was getting Cebu ready for Tad to watch while I got his clothes and DIAPER on. Important step I missed... diaper THEN Cebu. Yep, he is peeing!

Below: Just having a good time outside.

Below: Tad likes to drive things these days... or at least pretend to drive. He makes all the proper noises and everything! He also knows how to honk the horn. I am surprised that we did not get the cops called on us that day. He was laying on that horn!!

Below: Dinner time is always a fun time.

Below: Tad was chasing me with the water hose and trying to spray me with it. I think his Momma put him up to it!

Below: Lily lives right across the street and Tad goes and visits every once in awhile. He really thought the car she was in was cool!

Below: Tad was showing Lily how to dance!

Below: Lily is such a precious little girl!

Until Next Time: Save a Turtle! :)
Ju

I have decided I have a love-hate relationship with summer. More love than hate... I love the warm, even hot weather, sharing our pool with everyone, the green trees and grass, harvest and so on. I also feel this need to stop every time I see a turtle crossing the road, and help it along. I just hate seeing smashed turtles on the road. While most of the time this is not possible... I can't say that I have never done it. With summer comes a few things I dread. The spiders now feel the need to try and live inside our house. While I have only seen a few... that is a few to many! Even with the regular application of high powered chemicals inside and outside our house, a few still seem to manage to make it in. Once I see one I let out a scream that would make you think I was dying. Not on purpose of course... that is the natural reaction I have. Ryan already knows what has happened and comes to my rescue. However, Ryan travels off and on for work which presents a problem when I see a spider. We bought me some high powered insect and spider killer. When I see one while he is gone I spray the sucker until he is completely coated... and then I spray some more. A cup then is put on top of him and he waits to be disposed of until someone braver comes along. I have actually come a long way with my fear of spiders... just ask my mother. However I will not ever be like those people on the Montel Williams show that are afraid of spiders and end up holding a tarantula by the end of the show. No thanks!

June bugs are another thing that comes with summer that I do not much care for. They are constantly flying into you or are stuck to you. If they did not feel the need to cling to you, I would be more okay with them. Not sure why they scare me and other insects do not.

Below you will see what Ryan and I and the others have been up to lately. I know I take a ridiculous amount of pictures and that I post a lot of them too. I want to document as much of our life and our families lives as possible. I want to try and remember every moment when I am old and look back through the photo albums. I want to share these memories with all the family members to come. I want a history of us. I do take the time to develop, date, identify the people, and put them in an album so one day when they fall into somebody elses hands it will be a record of events of people in our family... and they will not have to guess what is going on and who is in it.

So onto making history...

Below: I just love harvest. I love watching all the hard work my brothers have put into their crop and then watching them get to harvest a good crop. They just love this time of year.

Below: Tad and Aunt Gigi were watching the combines and waiting for the boys to come have supper.

Below: Tad LOVES to ride! He really wants to drive though. Here he was helping his daddy drive for awhile.

Below: Tad also really wanted to push all of the buttons. He thought he was being sneaky and going in front of the steering wheel to get to the buttons. It didn't happen. :)

Below: Dumping on the go!

Below: Our cousin Keiffer is here from California for a month!! We look forward to having him come every summer and spending time with him. He had just gotten here and was about to take his first combine ride for the summer.

Below: I think Tad thought if he could sneak inside the picnic basket... maybe he could go out to the field?!?!?!

Below: Tad just loves the water. I always enjoy swimming and spending time with him.

Below: Uncle Ben was pushing Tad around on his tricycle. He almost has it down.

Below: Ashley and Tad were playing a tickle game. So cute when Tad belly laughs!

Below: Ben and Angie's niece and nephews came swimming. Here Ben was throwing Christian into the pool!

Below: Tad's water balloon had a hole in it. He thought it was fun to spray his Daddy with it.

Below: Tad was trying to back into the pool. He misjudged where he was at. To cute!

Below: I found a great deal on this Little Tykes car so I had to buy it for Tad. He pretty much loves anything with wheels these days. He even goes "shhhhhhh" and puts his little finger where the gas tank is and fills it up with gas!

Below: Tad and Lisa cheesing!

Below: Tad and I cheesing.

Below: I am trying to teach the boy everything I know.

Below: Tad was working hard with his screwdriver. Grandma was making X's on the cardboard and having Tad punch a hole through them.

Below: I am thinking about blowing this picture up and hanging it on the wall. Any thoughts?

Below: Tad was waving bye as Uncle Ben was pushing him around in the grave digger.

Below: Lisa made Jake and I her awesome homemade cheesecake for our birthday. Tad loved it... he ate half of mine!!!

Below: Everyone was checking out Jake's birthday present from Grandpa and Grandma. They got him some tools.

Below: The girls got together for my birthday. I just love them! We went to a wine bar in Stillwater and then to the Strip.

Below: Ryan and I at the wine bar.

Below: Yah Ann made it... but now Abby is gone! LOL We had so much fun that night. We all need to get together more often. I just love you all! (And Kim... you need to hook me up with one of those hats!)