Preparing for the Easter Bunny

Mimi and Brenna are searching for supplies to build a nest for the Easter Bunny

 Greerson working on his nest

Brenna and her nest for the Easter Bunny

Tyler and Greerson working on their nests

It is a Shultz family tradition to build a nest for the Easter Bunny each year. On Easter morning the Easter Bunny will leave a basket with goodies for you in the nest you Brenna really got into building the nest much more than the boys ever did, but even at 17 years old Tyler made a nest!

Easter Saturday at the Ranch

Marshall and Grandpa Woody drove us down to the new Deer Blind

Brenna is checking everything out

Only Mimi would wear white pants and sandles on an adventure into the woods!

Greerson on his perch in the blind

 Christa is holding on for dear life!

Marshall is ready to go!

We spent a leasurely Saturday afternoon touring the woods. We went down to the new deer blind that the boys and Grandpa Woody are building. Then we headed on back to see if any animals were out. We saw a herd of zebras and a few elk. After that we went along the highway and checked out the new fenceline. Then it was naptime!

Youth Bible Drill

 Mathew, Greerson and Taylor at the Church Drill

 Daryl with the Youth Bible Drill Team for 2012

 Associational Bible Drill

 The judges deliberating at Assocation

Greerson was excited someone came to watch him.

Greerson wanted to continue Bible Drill this year and there wasn't a leader so Daryl stepped up and helped three boys prepare. All three boys made it past the Church Drill, but Greerson and one other made it past Associational to the Regional Competition. We will head to the Regional competition in Dallas April 13. It will be interesting to see how they do.

Spring Break

 Greerson Working hard

Grandpa Woody and Tyler check out the construction while Greerson contemplates the next step in his dreams

 Our makeshift cover to keep our chairs dry

 Not very attractive, but it worked

 This was what it looked like outside from Saturday to Sunday lunch

It was actually beautiful weather Monday

We got the camper out and headed to Lake Texoma for the first weekend of Spring Break. Greerson and I left Friday afternoon in the rain and got to camp and set everything up. It was not raining there when we arrived, but we knew it was forecast to rain the next morning. We rigged some tarps to serve as walls for the camper awning and it worked very well and kept all of the chairs and outdoor equipment dry. Christa joined us Friday evening. Saturday we were kind of lazy, but managed to get out and check out the lake and the campground before it began to rain. Around noon the rain began so we decided to go into Sherman for lunch and a few groceries. After a driving tour of Sherman we settled on Braums for lunch. Turns out they had all of the groceries we needed so we didn't have to go anywhere else. After returning to camp we stayed in the camper and watched the first season of The Big Valley. Greerson had never seen it, but he was into it enough that Sunday night he stayed up until 3am to complete the entire first season. Christa had to leave to go to work Monday, but her cousin Melanie and her family came out for lunch. We had a good visit and enjoyed a nice meal. Tuesday we packed up and headed toward Waco and got there about 3 in the afternoon. Just in time to set the camper up get Greerson's clothes out and head for Groesbeck. Greerson spent the rest of the break at the ranch with Christa's parents. They were working on a deer blind for next winter. The description sounded like a huge ice chest in the air. They were sealing it with foam and planning for a heater. Greerson had such a good time he didn't want to come home, so we let him stay until Sunday afternoon. Daryl had plans to really clean the house during spring break, but all he really got done was the laundry.

Marshall's First Birthday

Marshall turned one year old in February and we all came to the ranch to celebrate. After the party and presents we loaded up in the truck and bad boy buggy and headed down to see the animals.

 Shanda made the birthday cake with fondant icing

 Brenna wanted to help blow the candles out

 Greerson actually washed some dishes

Marshall playing with a present.

New Year's Camping Trip

 The Kids at the tennis courts

 Christa walking down to the lake

 The lake is way down this year.

Greerson and Daryl decided to go camping with the Gill's the week after New Years. We headed to Lake Whitney Thousand Trails for  couple of days. The weather is unseasonably warm, highs in the 50s and 60s and lows in the 30s and 40s. Perfect weather for camping. We met the Gills and had camp set up by mid-afternoon and then decided to go grocery shopping. We had tacos for dinner and stayed up playing Skip Bo. The next morning Jessica made biscuits and gravy which was a real treat. Then the kids played around the campsite and we all went up to the lodge for miniature golf. Jessica had to go back to Waco for an interview, so Mike and Daryl held down the fort. Christa came out that evening and we enjoyed another round of Skip Bo. It was a little cold, but the furnace in the camper worked great along with the heated mattresses. The next morning we ate waffles and then went down to the lake to go fossil hunting. There were a lot of them visible since the lake was so low. After that we packed up and headed back to Waco. It was a great escape for the beginning of the New Year.

New Years 2012

 This is a Bobcat we saw last week next to the house

It was a pretty good sized cat, but there is even a bigger one out there. Glynda saw a Mountain Lion a couple of weeks ago.

 Go Bears!!!! Baylor won the Alamo Bowl this week!

Greerson waits for his prey

 The hunters return

 Bill and Rhetta check out the Elk

Caroline checks out some tracks left behind by the hogs

 Greerson is prepared to take down a hog or mountain lion if it attacks

Caroline drove the bad boy buggy back to the house

We travelled back to the ranch for New Years Eve with Christa's parents and her aunt and uncle Bill and Rhetta and their daughter Melanie and her family.  We enjoyed soup and a variety of appetizers all evening and played Mexican Train. About 10:30 Caroline, Melanie's daughter was tired so they headed to the house and shortly after Uncle Bill followed since he planned to get up and hunt the following morning. The rest of us finished the Mexican Train game until after midnight and then cleaned up the kitchen and headed to bed. Daryl stayed up and watched the Lincoln Center New Years Eve Concert featuring the New York Philhamonic. They played the dances from West Side Story and Rhapsody in Blue. New Years Day Greerson and Grandpa Woody went Squirrel hunting early and then about 10 am the rest of the gang showed up to go look at the animals. We saw several Elk and then headed back to the house for target practice. Rhetta hit the center with the first shot, she didn't feel the need to continue after that. We had a traditional New Years lunch mid afternoon featuring cabbage and black-eyed peas. After lunch we settled down for a movie while the hunters prepared to go out again.