Great Adventure

All of the Hill Country Bible churches put on this awesome summer event for kids in our community every year called Great Adventure. It starts out with all of the teens going away for one week to prepare to lead these kids clubs and be able to clearly share the gospel with kids. Then, they come back and do a fantastic job in putting on the clubs all over the Austin area, which took place July 7 - 10th. Our RLG hosted one in our neighborhood at the big park. Here are a couple of pics from the week.



We had over 300 kids attend the 12 clubs that our church hosted in the Round Rock area. What is awesome is that all of those kids heard the gospel! Then, to wrap up the week, every church puts on a version of Summerfest - a huge carnival for the community. We held ours in the parking lot of one of our high schools - here are two pics I managed to get from the evening. We had close to 1,000 people attend and it was tons of fun for all of the families who came out. The biggest hit was the skateboarding group that came out to perform. I just hope my boys don't decide to try any of their tricks any time soon!


Now, to wrap up the Great Adventure, our youth and many of our adults are leaving tomorrow for a mission trip to Mexico. Please pray for God's favor on them as they minister at an orphanage by loving on babies and tackling a couple of construction projects. Pray also for safe travel and unity among the group (and good weather would be an added bonus :)

Some of you may notice that I am posting this blog at 4:30 in the morning. It is amazing how your sleep schedule is radically affected by a newborn :)

Missing my boys!

So, you would think that I would love having a couple of days with just two kids vs. four to get used to life with a newborn. But, I have felt a little lost this week honestly. Kade and Kamden have been having a great time with their E. and Papa this week, but their mama has struggled. Those two add so much life to our home. It's funny, Kale usually entertains himself when his two older brothers are home, but while they have been gone, he has acted like he doesn't know how to play by himself. Keith and I have become his playmates and he has a meltdown if we leave him at all. So I think I have discovered that it is harder to just have the two younger ones than when I have all four of them, even with all the demands.

We have had some awesome time to just love on Kale and get to know Brynlee though. Kale continues to amaze us with his love for music. He can sing more songs at 23 months old than I could sing at ten years old, I think. His favorite is "Savior, He Can Move the Mountains." He sings the chorus to that song at least 10 times a day. He also loves "My God is An Awesome God," "Zaccheus Was A Wee Little Man," "Old MacDonald," "Praise Ye The Lord," "Praise Him, Praise Him, All Ye Little Children," "Jesus Loves the Little Children," and "Jesus Loves Me." He can sing all of these with clarity. And he is always so joyful. I just love how he gets excited about everything.

Brynlee is beautiful and an easy baby. She is sleeping well for the most part and hardly ever cries. Kale has stepped up to his big brother role this week and really taken good care of her. He will not let any other children get near her - he'll get by her and yell "My baby!" And we catch him kissing her a lot.

I'll stop rambling now and post some pics which are what you really want anyways. The journaling is more for me to remember what to scrapbook about, so forgive the long blog.

The Past 30 hours

Induced yesterday morning at 7:00 a.m. It was a wonderful day full of excitement that we would get to meet our precious baby daughter soon...
Pics from her birth and special visitors at the hospital...

I think this picture of the boys coming to see their baby sister represents their personalities so well. Kale with his always joyous smile, Kamden with his Batman cape on and Kade focused on Brynlee. I am overwhelmed by the goodness of the Lord when I look at this picture.

First picture of our family of six...
Brynlee Sage Ferguson...

Signs that she is on her way

Well, I haven't blogged in over two months and the more time that goes by, the more overwhelming the task of catching everyone up on the Ferguson's. So, I procrastinate...and procrastinate. But I've decided that it is easier just to start from this moment - which is a moment that I definitely want to capture. We are at the hospital, eagerly awaiting the induction process to start so that we can finally meet our daughter. Here are a couple of pics from today that highlight getting ready for Brynlee.

bags packed and ready to go...

4th of July outfit washed and ready to be worn...
my last full body pregnancy shot...we're on our way to eat at Chuy's with the boys and our parents...I can't believe that the next shot taken at our front door will be with me actually holding Brynlee!

The boys wanted to take me to my room so they could see where we would be staying...they are so eager to meet their new baby sister.

It is weird to think that we won't be the "family with all boys" anymore. Here is a last family shot of what our family unit has looked like the past two years. I would have loved to have had three older brothers to look out for me as a little girl - I hope Brynlee feels the same way :)
And now we are just waiting. I am all strapped up to the monitors, listening to the beautiful sound of her heartbeat while lounging in the ever popular hospital gown that doesn't cover nearly enough. Hopefully, by this time tomorrow, we'll have pics up of the newest addition to the Ferguson family.

So much to write about

I hate that I have not blogged this past month because so much has happened. Here's a quick recap and maybe I'll get a chance to follow up with some pictures soon:

1) March 19, 2008 - Kamden turned 3!! We celebrated by taking him, along with about twenty friends, to the local fire station, where our good friend, Mike K., organized a fire truck and ambulance tour for all of us. The kids had a blast and then we came back to our house for hotdogs and popsicles (instead of cake - Kam's request). We are so blessed to get to share life with so many precious friends. As to Kamden at 3, he has the kindest heart of any 3 year old I know. Now, don't get me wrong, he can be a real toot sometimes, but overall, we are amazed at how considerate he is of his brothers and friends most of the time. I just took him on a mommy/son date a couple of days ago, and he didn't want to leave the toy store until we had something for Kade also. He loves to help and gets the most joy out of life when he makes someone smile.

2) March 20, 2008 - I became a Southern Living at Home consultant. Now, if you had told me even a day before that I would being doing this, I would have laughed. But, I am having more fun and have enjoyed earning a little extra income and getting to meet so many women. Keith asked me if I really felt that I needed one more avenue to be social :) Seriously, I think it has got to be the most fun side business out there for women. And it has helped my sanity to get out and have adult woman conversation one night a week. But this is largely the reason I haven't had a chance to blog lately. Hopefully, I'll get in a better blogging routine soon.

3) March 23, 2008 - Easter!! We had over 450 adults worship with us at church between three services and over 600 with our kids too. It has been so overwhelming to us to see how God keeps bringing people to the church and to hear stories of true life-change as people are beginning to center their lives around Jesus. If only you could see the YMCA, where we meet, you would just be amazed that people even are able to find us at all. The hardest part is trusting God that all of these people are connecting and that life-on-life discipleship is happening with as many people as possible.

4) March 28, 2008 - My mom retired!! After 26 years of service at the Department of Public Safety, she finally was able to retire so that she can move to Round Rock to be closer to us. For those of you who know my mom's and my story with my dad, you'll understand the incredible irony of the fact that mom was able to retire largely because she can draw my dad's social security. How awesome is that!!!

5) April 4th - 15th - Keith traveled to Kazakhstan with one of our elders and another pastor to teach at a church plant training center and to do some training at a local church. The first five days were extremely hard on the home front because all three boys had a diarrhea virus and Kale wasn't sleeping at all. I really thought my mom might go ask for her old job back. But life got easier (thank you Lord!) and we survived but were very glad to have Keith back.

We are just two months away from welcoming our baby daughter, Brynlee Sage, into our testosterone-heavy family :) We are starting to get the nursery ready, which is really getting us excited at the thought of meeting her. I can't believe that I am already going to the doctor every two weeks. This pregnancy has gone by super fast and I have been so thankful for how easy it has been so far. So far, I have not had to slow down at all, which is good considering I couldn't slow down even if I wanted to. I even had a couple of comments lately about how I didn't look like I was just two months away. Now for those of you who have seen me in my past three pregnancies, you know what a big deal that is for me. Usually, I look like I'm about to pop by now and get tons of "Are you sure you're not having twins?" comments.

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying to the fullest the life God has given us. Every moment is truly so precious and such a gift from God. I so desire to live a life of thankfulness and full of peace knowing that God is truly in control of all things. I pray that for all of you too.

Notes from the week

This has to be one of my favorite pics that I've taken lately. We found Kale admiring his big belly when he was supposed to be brushing his teeth before bed. There's nothing like a little boy in his diaper holding a baseball in one hand and a toothbrush in the other.

We transitioned Kale to his toddler bed in the boys' room this past Wednesday. I've got to say that so far, it has been the easiest bed transition we have ever made - and really, all of our boys have been pretty easy. He has slept in his bed for three nights now and has not gotten up one time after we put him down. He is still sleeping his normal amount of time too. Last night he did somehow end up on the floor next to his bed though, but besides that, naptimes and bedtimes have been a breeze. All three boys are so happy to all be sleeping in the same room. It has always been very important to me that they be together in the same room. To move Kale, we had to bunk Kade and Kamden's bed, which they were thrilled about.


Here are a couple of pics of the boys on the completed playscape with their buddies, Henry and Eli. I can't even tell you what a good investment the playscape has been. They LOVE being outside now, which I am so thankful for.

Did you notice Kamden's newest dress-up craze - his Batman costume. There were a couple of days where he only took it off to take a bath and to sleep. He has worn it to church, to Kinsey's birthday party, to Real Life Group, and I'm pretty sure on a couple of grocery store trips.

I have to give a praise from this week. I had had a really bad morning with the boys on Thursday. I was going to meet a friend at a local kids gymnastics place for preschool free-play time at 10:00. At 10:00 we were just loading up in the car because the boys were having so much trouble listening and obeying me that morning. I was so angry because the free-play time only lasted from 10 to 11 and you had to pay for the whole time no matter when you got there. So, yes, I allowed my anger to be visible to the boys on the way to the gym. I griped at them pretty much the whole ride. We had a great time at the gym and then we went to see colored Easter chicks at a local feed store before heading home. I was much calmer by the time we got home, but I still was eager to put them down for naps so that I could recharge a little. Well, during their naps, I really felt my attitude change and was so convicted by the way I let my anger get to me and affect the way I treated the boys. By the time they woke up, I couldn't wait to love on them and spend time with them. And....even more amazing, when Keith got home, I didn't even have the desire to gripe to him about how they had acted that morning. We ended up having a great evening together as a family. Before their bed, we usually read their Bible story together and pray. During that time, Kade looked at me and said, "Mama, before I took my nap today, I prayed that you wouldn't be angry with us anymore." I was blown away that his response to my anger was to pray for me and was so excited to be able to tell him that God had immediately answered that prayer. I truly felt God changing my attitude during their naptime! I know I really messed up by acting on my anger that morning, but what a sweet growing moment it was for me to see God answering Kade's prayer.

We have had some wonderfully sweet family evenings lately. I feel like Keith does an amazing job of protecting our family from going all the time, which is so easy to do in ministry. I have come to realize lately, that as social as I am, there is nothing I enjoy more than spending quality time with Keith and the boys (soon to be kids - my whole vocabulary is going to have to change once Brynlee gets here!). I always come away from my time with them with a thankful heart to God for the blessings in my life and am 100% content. Shopping, time on the Internet, looking at catalogs/magazines and other ways I can spend my time never produce those same rewards at the end. Thank you Lord for the gift of family.

Chopsticks and A New Playscape

Keith came home from work tonight and loaded us all up for a family date night. He thought it would be fun to go to Firebowl Cafe and teach the boys how to use chopsticks. Here are pics of each of us using our chopsticks. Kade got the hang of it really fast. Kamden did pretty good too, but Kale opted for a straw instead. After Firebowl, we walked down to Maggie Moo's for some ice cream. Needless to say, we had a blast.





Oddly enough, I don't have any pictures of the boys enjoying their playscape this past week, but trust me, they have only come in to use the bathroom and sleep. So far, even mealtimes occur in the clubhouse. We are looking forward to starting a tradition of family meetings in the clubhouse soon also. Kade has even asked a couple of times if we could all take our sleeping bags up there to sleep at night. But I do have some pics of daddy (with a little help) putting the playscape together last week. He finished last Saturday evening, after approx. 18 hours throughout the week of hard work. Now that's what I call sacrificial love.

Kade and Kamden "helped" whenever they had the opportunity. I'm sure daddy really enjoyed having to search for all of the dropped screws, washers, and nails.
I am pretty sure the grandparents might freak out when they see that Kale was having fun climbing to the top of the 6 foot ladder to "help" daddy. He has no idea that he is only 18 mo. old and should not be climbing on everything he can get up.
Nick came over last Friday night and helped Keith put the roof on the clubhouse.
Jose, our neighbor, came over on Saturday and helped Keith attach the swing beam to the clubhouse.
Jocelyn and Maddie helped Kamden put the glider together.
And mom took pictures...does that count as helping?

I'll try to post pics of the finished playscape sometime next week.

Happy Valentine's Day!

We just finished a wonderful dinner of chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, fried okra, and rolls - Keith's favorite meal. I am so incredibly blessed to have Keith to celebrate Valentine's Day with every year. I am so undeserving of such an amazing, godly, man of integrity. He loves his family so well. But most importantly, he loves the Lord. He is intelligent and funny. He always can make me smile. We've almost been married for eight years and have dated since our junior year in high school - and during all that time, Keith has been my very best friend, the one that I would rather spend an evening with over anyone else.

And then there are my boys. They are all so different and so beautiful. They definitely make our life rich and full of fun. They are curious and always busy. And boy can they all eat. The way to Kade's heart is thru sweets of any kind. The way to Kamden's heart is thru time spent just cuddling. And the way to Kale's heart is thru food of any kind. He is not picky. They love to dogpile with their daddy. And they love to read books with their mommy. They love going to the pizza place and McDonald's. Kade loves being first. Kamden loves to help. And Kale loves to be able to do what his brothers can do. One has dark bluish gray eyes. One has brown eyes. And one has bright sky blue eyes. My oldest loves competition. My middle son loves to wear a cape. And my youngest loves to get his way and make people laugh. Together, they are an absolutely breathtaking sight to see. When they're together, they bring a smile to everyone's face. And I am so blessed to get to be their mommy.

And now there is our little girl, growing and getting ready to make her debut in this house full of boys. From her sonogram, we can gather that she is a modest little thing. It took her awhile to want to show us anything. I can't wait to have a daughter to enjoy this life with. Our birthdays are going to be really close together, so I'm already looking forward to celebrating life with her. I wonder if she'll have my eyes and Keith's smile or my smile and Keith's eyes. I wonder if she's destined to be a tomboy because of the family she's entering or if she will be the extreme opposite of her brothers and be a girly girl. I wonder if she'll be analytical like her daddy or a social butterfly like her mommy. Can you tell that I can't wait to meet our daughter?

I hope everyone has been reminded on this Valentine's Day how precious the gift of love is and that we all never take it for granted that we are loved.

Celebrations

This pic was taken yesterday at the doctor's office waiting to find out if we are having a girl or boy...Jada and I have had a couple of times where our pregnancies have overlapped, but we have never had the experience of having sonograms at the same doctor's office at the same time. It just added to the special day having Nick and Jada with us to celebrate with. We also let Kade come to see if he was going to have a brother or sister. He was right the whole time though - even in the sonogram room he was telling us that he knew the baby was a girl. After we left the dr.'s office, we went and picked up Darin and Kinsey and all went for ice cream to celebrate. And then, Keith and I had our date night last night. So yesterday was a very good day :)

A precious lady, Judy Hocher, watched Kamden and Kale for us while we were at the doctor. When we returned and told her it was a girl, she immediately went to her car and came back with our sweet girl's first outfits.
This next pic was taken Sunday night at the Wingate Hotel. Our church is putting on Life University - Marriage Edition for the last three Sunday's in February. We kicked it off with a romantic date night at the Wingate with a catered meal. It was so much fun and we were just overwhelmed by the number of couples who are attending - 62 couples in all! We are just praying that God will strengthen all of our marriage relationships during this time as that relationship is the most important one in all of our lives outside of our relationship with the Lord. This also shows you my "pregnant with my fourth child" belly at 20 weeks. I honestly don't know what my belly is going to do with me not getting pregnant anymore after this baby is born. It just knows that it is supposed to start expanding every year or so.
This is a pic of Paul and Anna Williamson and the boys taken on Sunday afternoon. Paul was the children's minister at FBO during our time there and just got married to Anna this past summer. They are such an amazingly sweet couple who just ooze the love of the Lord. They are at Wycliffe Bible Translator School right now preparing to go to one of the least reached parts of the world sometime in the summer of 2009.
We had a brief time of relaxation at the farm this past Friday and Saturday. I just loved this pic of Kade and Horace on the tractor. Kade thinks he is supposed to be right where Horace is the whole time we're at the farm. I wish everyone had a retreat place to go to like the farm with H&R. Outside of my home, that is definitely my favorite place to be. For anyone who is in need of a retreat place, they have one at the farm called Emmaus Walk Christian Retreat Center. It will accommodate up to 32, but if you're thinking about scrapbooking, only plan on 8 or 9 max. It's in the middle of a cow pasture and the most peaceful place you'll ever go.
We are still a little in shock that we are having a girl. That will definitely change our family dynamics :) But we are so excited and overwhelmed by God's amazing goodness to us. I say this a lot, but I will never understand why the Lord has blessed us like he has. We just pray that we are good stewards with all we have been given and that we always point people to Jesus.

We are still thinking on a name for our baby girl but are really leaning towards Brynlee Sage. I also like Landry, Grier, Kylie, Blakely, Bailey, Korley, Kampbell and Berkley, so as you can see, her name might change a couple of times before she gets here, but for now, it is Brynlee.

Our Big Announcement!!!

We're having a GIRL!!!!! We'll blog more later, but we are off to do a little girl shopping on our date night tonight :) She is healthy and modest. We are overjoyed by another gift of life that the Lord has chosen to bless us with.

Potty Seat Incident

I think this might top my list of crazy moments with my children. Somehow, Kale managed to get the potty seat over his head. I have no idea how he did it, because it took me 10 minutes to get it off and that was with him screaming. I thought that now that I can laugh about it, everyone else might want to have a little laugh with me.

My friend, Laura, had a Valentine's Party at her home this morning for all of the kids. I kept telling her she was crazy for having so many children in her home at once, but just like always, she was calm and smiling. She amazes me. Here are most of the children - I think we had 20 or 21 total and 5 in utero. I am so blessed to have so many friends to go thru life with here in Round Rock. We all have kids about the same age and are stay-at-home mommies. I think there were twelve mommies at this party and there are many more who were not able to come.
My favorite males...
I thought this was funny...I was trying to take a picture of them and they thought they would practice being photographers at the same time.