Tad's First Easter Egg Hunt(s)

Sorry, I do not know why this keeps posting funny with large gaps and captions out of place. Hope you can follow along!

This isn't Tad's first Easter, however it is his first Easter where he is old enough to hunt Easter eggs. This year he participated in three hunts. The first hunt was at the nursing home his Aunt Jan works at on Saturday, the second at the Hunter United Methodist Church on Saturday, and the third at Grandma Brenda's house on Sunday. He had SO MUCH FUN!! I think we all may have had just as much fun watching him. Ryan and I were not able to make it to his hunt in Hunter, but we heard that he had a great time there too.

Not to much has been going on with us. Ryan is getting ready to start traveling for work. He isn't traveling as much as he has in the past so that is good. We are thinking of going on a vacation sometime at the end of September. Anyone have any good suggestions? We are thinking all inclusive on a beach somewhere WARM!

Below are some pictures from two of his hunts:

Below: Tad, Jan and Lisa were hanging out before his hunt at the nursing home. He liked playing with the grass in his basket.

Below: And they are off!

Below: As long as Ashley was holding the basket, Tad would put the eggs in. Tad liked to dump his basket out as soon as he put any eggs in it.

Below: Tad had the biggest audience there!

Below: This little girl kept handing Tad the eggs she picked up... and Tad kept putting them in HER basket. What a gentleman.

Below: Tad spotted a life size (to him) bunny and had to investigate.

Below: Yep, he can take em.

Below: Tad 1 - Bunny - 0

Below: A worker at the nursing home was gathering up all the empty eggs. Remember the Tad not holding the basket thing?? He dumped them all out.

Below: And then he got to help pick them back up.

Below: Tad, Ryan and I after the hunt.

Below: Bryan, Tad and Ashley.

Below: Grandma Brenda, Tad and Lisa (aka Assistant Grandma in Charge)

Below: I think Tad thought this was the best part of the hunt!

Below: Aunt Jan and Tad after the hunt.

Below: This is the suit Tad wore to church on Easter Sunday.

Below: Easter family picture.

Below: The Ward family picture... plus Tad.

Below: Tad LOVES licking the beaters. He could not even wait long enough to put his clothes on. This time it was mashed potatoes.

Below: Tad just found out that there are goodies inside the eggs. Grandma Brenda put animal crackers and whales inside of the eggs she hid.

Below: Aunt Angie is helping Tad find an egg.

Below: Grandma Brenda made some Cascaron. Tad LOVED them. Here Grandpa (Poppa) was showing him how they worked. The rest of the pictures are a series of Tad going through at least a dozen cascarons.

(From Wiki) -

Cascarones or confetti eggs are festive, hollowed-out chicken eggs, filled with confetti or small toys, originating in Mexico. In Spanish, "cascarón" simply means "eggshell," and cascarones are similar to the Easter eggs popular in many other countries.

Decorated, confetti-filled cascarones are either thrown (for instance, during the fiesta of Carnaval) or crushed over the recipient's head showering him or her with confetti. This tradition is most often carried out among friends and family.

Having a cascarón broken over your head is said to bring good luck.










































































Up Next: Alyssa's first fishing trip.

Until next time.
Ju

Theresa Ferrell

My friend and co-worker, Theresa Ferrell, passed away on Sunday, April 4. Easter morning she lost her battle with pancreatic cancer. Theresa got to meet our Lord on the anniversary of His rising.

I wanted to share the poem that was in her program at the funeral.

God Saw You

God saw you were getting tired

And a cure was not to be,

So He put his arms around you

And whispered "Come to Me."

With tearful eyes we watched you

And saw you pass away,

And though we love you dearly,

We could not make you stay.

A golden heart stopped beating,

Hard working hands to rest,

God broke our hearts to prove to us

He only takes the best.

I will miss her dearly everyday. I cherish the many memories we have made. She is one of the strongest and most dedicated woman I have ever met.

Until next time...

Ju

New Addition

Ben Update: Ben is out of his walking boot and is getting back to normal. For awhile when he was wearing the boot he walked differently. It was funny because Tad started immitating his walk. It was HILARIOUS!!!

Louie Update: Louie went back to the vet this past Wednesday. They still do not have a strong positive on the fungal culture, but because he is responding to the treatment so well they think that is what he has. They said they could have got a bad sample. Anyways, they said his quills should start coming back in the next few months. WOO HOO... no more bald Louie!

Here are some recent pictures:

Below: Angie was going to read a story to Tad, but instead they looked at some pictures she had. She said "Who is this person? This is going to be your new baby cousin!"

BEN AND ANGIE ARE HAVING A BABY!!!!!!!! He or she... or as we are calling him/her Traverse until he/she is born. Traverse is due October 11. We have a pool going and I have picked October 12.

Below: Angie and Tad just told Ashley he was getting a cousin!

Below: In the next two pictures Tad kept cheesing everytime I aimed the camera at him.

Below: Tad thought it was funny to chew on his Daddies boot. Who knows what those boots have been in.

Below: Tad sporting his suit at church. He looked so cute.

Below: Ben and Angie took Tad on a wagon ride... although I think he wanted to talk most of the way.

Below: Tad figured out how to run the power tools. He thought it was so much fun.

Below: Tad was trying to walk in Grandma Brenda's shoes. He looked like a clown.

Below: This is what happens when you leave Tad unattended with the pantry door open.

Please continue to pray for Rich and Theresa Ferrell.

Until next time.

Ju

A Dawg - G Baby - Tad Gets a Hickey

So I have no idea how many people actually read this thing. It is funny, I keep hearing of more and more people who do. You must enjoy my niece and nephews as much as I do!!

This past weekend Ryan and I went to Kelly and Erica's to babysit Alyssa (aka A Dawg) and Grayson (aka G Baby). They are so sweet. They had both been sick for a few days and weren't feeling real well. Somehow they managed to keep all bodily fluids inside until their parents got home. We went down Friday night after watching a sorry OSU men's game and stayed the night. We got another hour of sleep that way! It snowed (I know end of March right) Saturday night so Ryan and I decided to go ahead and stay the night again. The snow melted pretty fast the next day.

That is what you get for living in a bipolar state! I would not have it any other way. I love the flat land and being able to see the hills, cattle, ponds, trees, etc. for miles and miles. I love the windy days that blow and mess up your neatly fixed hair. I love that some days you have the heater on going to work in the morning and then have to turn the AC on for the way home. I love how Enid is considered a rural town in the grand scheme of things (Enid is big to me!!). I love living in a town of 800. I love all the pickup trucks and tractors. Mostly, I love the people. Oklahoma people really are friendly. Just leave the state for awhile and you will know what I am talking about.

Below are some recent pictures of... you guessed it... my niece and nephews!!

Below: Alyssa was thinking really hard about a card game. I think this was big fish little fish??

Below: Grayson is WALKING! He is so tiny so it is funny to see him toddling around. He is doing such a good job!

Below: Ryan and Alyssa were playing some elephant game. I'm not sure who had more fun!

Below: G Baby has the cutest little smile. He was so proud sitting on the chair all by himself.

Below: The horse was beating Tad up... seriously that night it was getting the best of him.

Below: Ryan and Alyssa were still playing!

Below: Such a happy little guy. Can you see the little round circle in the middle of his forehead? That is where his Daddy taught him how to stick his suction cup toothbrush to his forehead. It left a hickey. TAD'S FIRST HICKEY!!

Below: Tad better watch out now that Uncle Ben is mobile again!

Below: You can see the round hickey better here. Kind of have to look hard... but it is there!

Below: Grandpa Dale got him so rabbit ears. He wouldn't keep them on long enough for me to get a good picture.

Below: Tad pushed this table from the sitting room all the way to the living room. He thought it was time to play games.

Prayer Request: My coworker and friend is battling Pancreatic Cancer and is currently in the hospital with an infection. She is 8 months into her battle and is having a rough stretch. Her name is Theresa Ferrell.

Until next time

Ju