Remembering Granddaddy Claud

Chad's Granddaddy Claud passed away last night.  He will be missed, but we are also glad that he is not in any pain anymore.  We thank him for all of the memories he has given us.

I remember...
*one of the first times I met him was at church where he proceeded to do a high kick-as a joke- that stopped a couple of inches short of my face!
*Chad telling me that he came to all of his and Josh and Patrick's ballgames
*him jumping out and scaring the kids
*making his false teeth jump out and chatter for the kids...or anyone for that matter!
*he called me "Squirtblossom"
*when I walked down the aisle at our wedding I saw him crying as I passed him
*Chad telling me that he had seen him cry at one of the talk shows that were doing a reuniting of family members
*I sat beside him at Sunday lunch nearly every Sunday...which leads to...
*I got picked on and jokes played on me at lunch every Sunday
*he would pick on Cana a lot and one Sunday she had enough and told him she was going to give him a knuckle sandwich
* I included the picture above because this is what he loved-- to be surrounded by his grandchildren/great-grandchildren
*When Colton was a baby, he would stop by the house and bring Cana and me a cheeseburger
*When a man tried to break into our house and I was alone and 7 months pregnant with Cana...Chad called Granddaddy who came over to protect me and made them leave...with a pistol tucked in his overalls.
*punching him in the stomach (because I also picked back at him) and it was rock hard.
*in these last days I would still talk with him when I went to visit...at the end I would say I love you Granddaddy and he would mouth the words back to me even when he couldn't speak anymore

These are not all of the memories I have and I know I will think of more and Chad has a ton of them!  But these are just a few that I could think of right away as we are preparing to celebrate a life who has left this world to be with Jesus and to be surrounded by the arms of God.  We love you, Granddaddy!