M- 1st Birthday

I can hardly believe this little boy recently turned 1.  We had a house full of family for the big day.  It was a lot of fun having both sides of our family together for the party and dinner afterward.

Here are a few pictures of the party.  

Joel had a little help opening some of his presents.

Granny (Neil's mom) made this awesome cake.

It tasted just as great as it looked.

Joel wasn't sure at first if he was allowed to eat it, but once he started he really had fun.

So much fun, that it ended up in his belly button.

N - Halloween

Mary found a sock monkey costume for Joel. The hat makes the costume but Joel will only tolerate it for about 2 seconds. That means if you want a picture everyone has to be posed and the shutter has to be pressed down halfway before you drop the hat onto his little noggin. Mike was able to snap one good picture. You may notice the My Little Pony treat bag. Rest assured that is Joel's cousin Katie's. He's just trying to "help Katie share".

PS - It's too bad that Joel can't eat his candy this year. I wonder who will help him with that???

N - Thunderstruck

Queue AC/DC . . . NBA basketball in OKC is officially underway!


Mary and I were able to attend the first ever game of Oklahoma City's new NBA team, the Thunder. For a sports fan, it was really exciting to be a part of history. Who knows, 20 years from now no one may care but I like being able to say "I've been there" or "I've seen that". That's why I'm road-tripping to North and South Dakota next year. I'm going! You wait and see!

The loudest applause during the player introductions went to former OSU Cowboy Desmond Mason. My brother and I were at Gallagher-Iba when Mason was a freshman and broke the backboard with a slam dunk during the first Cowboys basketball practice. I've enjoyed watching him ever since. Although there were few Thunder highlights on Opening Night (the team has a ways to go) but Mason had the best and I happened to catch it on camera. Enjoy!

N - Trip Report #4

Before leaving Pepperdine, Brian and Kim took us to the Heroes Garden.  It was built to remember those affected by 9/11.  One of the members of United flight #93 was a Pepperdine alumni.  Heroes Garden sits way up on campus with a beautiful view.  It was very windy when we were there but still well worth it.  As you can see Joel is enjoying himself while Evelyn tries to comfort him.  She's sweet that way.

I decided to leave the golf clubs at home but I still insisted we make a stop at the most beautiful public golf course, Torrey Pines, site of this year's US Open.

While in San Diego, we drove to the Cabrillo National Monument.  It's on a peninsula so you can look one way and see the San Diego Bay and the entire San Diego skyline.  You can look the other way and see the Pacific Ocean.  Just before you get there is the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.  It's sort of the Arlington National of the West, rows and rows of white tombstones.

We had a great vacation but were all a little worn out and ready to get home.

N - Trip Report #3

Brian and I ate breakfast and watched the OU game today with Sean Penn.

PS - When I say ate breakfast "with" he was 2 tables over and when I say "watched" the OU game with he could have cared less.

N - Trip Report #2

We visited the Ronald Reagan Library today.  You'll recall that this is where they held Reagan's televised memorial service.  It is in the hills near Los Angeles, very beautiful.  They have the Air Force One plane used by all of the presidents from Nixon to George W. Bush.  Here's the first family with our ride.

Reagan was a fiscal conservative during his days as governor of California.  They told a story of how he found some stationary in his office from a prior administration.  He had his staff mark out the other guy's name and type in Ronald Reagan so he could use the stationary.  He was evidently somewhat proud of the statement it made.  Of course one of Reagan's greatest accomplishments during his presidency was helping to end the Cold War.  "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

Herbert Walker and W don't have anything on us . . .

N - Trip Report #1

The title of this post implies there will be more (I'll try).

Mary, Joel and I made it to San Diego on Wednesday night.  We checked into our hotel, had a good night's rest (mostly) and then headed off to the world famous San Diego Zoo.  It was a beautiful day for the zoo and the San Diego Zoo lives up to its reputation.  It's almost a little bit overwhelming.  We all had a great time and took lots of steps (if only I had my pedometer).  Here are a few pictures:

After the zoo and a must-stop at In-N-Out Burger, we drove to Malibu.  I don't know what all the fuss is about with southern California traffic.  It was a breeze for us.  Actually I do know but somehow we timed it perfectly.

Brian, Kim and Evelyn moved from Edmond to Malibu a few months ago so Brian could teach math at Pepperdine University.  Evelyn is a few weeks older than Joel.  Here is a picture of them and the view from Brian and Kim's back patio (rough huh).

N - More pictures for Granny

Joel is getting to be pretty smart.  Yesterday he and I were playing with one of his toys that has small blocks.  I set one of the blocks on top of his head.  He looked up to see it and of course the block fell off.  We did that a couple of times and then went on to something else.  Tonight we were on the floor together and he was holding one of his blocks.  He tried to set it on top of my head.  He did it several times.  I don't know how he remembered but I thought it was pretty cute.  Speaking of cute, here's a picture of Joel's baby blues.

Mary recently bought a zoo pass.  I surprised Mary one day, took off work, and we had a family day at the zoo.  Joel seems to really like it which is good since we're planning on shelling out about $70 to hit the world famous San Diego Zoo in a week or so.  Here is a picture of him with one of the OKC gorillas.

We went to Tulsa a couple of weeks ago for Luke's birthday party.  We also got to stop and see my Grandma.  Here's a picture of Joel with his Great-Grandma.

This blog's for you, Granny

N - A Day of Firsts

Joel seems to have been on the verge of crawling for a little while now.  Mary and I have anticipated that milestone with mixed emotions.  On one hand it's so exciting to see our little baby boy grow and learn new things.  On the other other hand, mobility brings a whole new set of challenges.  Today he decided it was about time to get moving.  His crawl resembles an army crawl but it is very effective.

Why stop there though.  It's an entirely different world when taken in from a standing position.

N - Probably not what HE had in mind

N - Just Some Pictures

The boy has some big eyes.  This is watching fireworks on the 4th of July in Kingwood, TX.

Joel loves dill pickles.  He gets this from his mom.

Not the most flattering look but he was cracking his mom up.

Hanging out with dear 'ol dad.

N - Sooner Youth Camp 2008

The family enjoyed a great week at Sooner Youth Camp on Lake Murray in Ardmore, OK.  Mary was a camper at SYC for 7 years and has been on staff now for 8 years.  I started going with her in 2002.  This was Joel's first year (2nd if you count the womb)!  Joel was a big hit with the staff and campers alike.  Our friend, Sammy, quickly became a chick magnet with Joel in his arms.  Each night the campers provide their own entertainment in "Social Hour".  Joel was well-represented in many of the skits.

Here is a picture of Joel and his mommy.  No shorts at SYC (j/k - that was the old days).

Here is Joel with his friend Diana.  Diana was one of Mary's counselors when she was a camper.  We are good friends with Diana and her family.

The view from my bunk.  The fan is a must have as there is no A/C and the temperatures in mid-July can be ridiculous!

N - Independence Day

Mary, Joel and I drove to Houston for the holiday weekend. We stopped in Arlington on the way down to pick up Mary's uncle David. David's daughter, Mary's cousin, Jana Kay lives in Kingwood near Mary's parents. Jana Kay and her husband welcomed their first child on July 3, Jayden. We were still a couple of hours north of Houston when she made her arrival but we got to see her several times over the weekend. She's a very pretty baby girl. We enjoyed the Kingwood fireworks on the 4th. Here is a family picture before the fireworks started.


Joel already enjoys watching sports on TV. Now I've started teaching him to like to play sports. No golf clubs yet but here is a picture of Joel going after the basketball.


Joel is really active now, especially in his crib. Here is a picture of him in the process of getting ready for bed. He's a really happy little guy about 98% of the time.

M - Ferguson Family Fun 2008

We had our annual family get together a couple of weeks ago.  This year we went to Lake Tenkiller.  On Saturday we got up in the morning and went to the marina where Darrell and Willa Rae rented a pontoon boat for the family. Baby Joel took a while to settle down.  Mostly we just had to take his life jacket off. Shhh, don't tell.  

That afternoon, we took all the kiddos to the pool.  Baby Joel decided he really likes the water there, and now, he splashes me all the time when he takes a bath.  Lily had no fear going down the water slide, and Liam is quite a diver off the diving board.  

In the evening there were steaks, potatoes and smores to eat.  Don't you wish you were there?  Sunday at lunch a big storm came through making grilling difficult.  Uncle Joel had his handy wok though.  So, he saved the day by cooking on the range.  The smoke detectors only went off once!  Here are a few pictures.

Neil and Joel in their shades

Joel and Stefani on the pontoon

Aunt Di and Lily

Uncle Joel grilling inside

Uncle Matt and Luke fishing.  

They're the only ones who caught fish, I think.

M - A day at Granny & Grump's

A few weeks ago, Neil had a conference in Tulsa.  So, Joel and I went with him and stayed at his parents house.  While Neil was busy working, Joel and I were busy having fun with Granny and Grump.  

His favorite thing was the swing at their house.  Who wouldn't love a swing that is attached to a branch much taller than the house.  

My camera doesn't record sound, but here is a video of the swinging from a distance.  You just have to see how far he goes in this swing.  

M - Bible Class in McAlester

Nick is Joel's cousin.  He was born three days before Joel.  He weighs somewhere between 2 and 4 pounds more than Joel.  He is seriously one of the sweetest babies in the world.  Even when he was crying after getting shots, Nick still managed to smile at the nurses.  He went to Bible class for the first time in McAlester over Memorial Day weekend.  He and Joel sat by each other.  They look happy don't they?

Approximately 4 minutes after this picture was taken, I was back in the room because Joel was heard by literally everyone in the auditorium screaming at the top of his lungs.  What was wrong?  His sweet, precious cousin kept taking his pacifier away from him and he had enough.  When I picked up Joel, Nick gave me the biggest grin.  

M-For he's a jolly good fellow

On this Father’s Day, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on some of my favorite things about my dad. It’s no secret that we’ve bumped heads a few times, but what else can you expect from two pretty stubborn people. So, here’s a list of five of my favorite memories.

1. We used to go out in the evenings in the cul-de-sac and play Frisbee together. He’s really shockingly good at Frisbee. It may have been only a few times that we did this, but for some reason it really made an impression on me that he came outside to play.
2. On my 18th birthday he bought me my own fishing pole and took me to a friend’s lake house. We spent the whole day fishing together. This is by far one of my favorite days.
3. During my junior and senior year of college, he used to call my cell phone almost every day on his way to work. He’d leave me a message saying how proud of me he is. There were definitely times when I erased the message before really listening to it, but there were other days when I saved them and listened to them over and over.
4. One year he came to Dear Ole Sooner Youth Camp as a teacher. I was pretty nervous that he would cramp my style, but really it was great to have him there. Secretly, I wish he’d come again.
5. There was a time when he commuted to Kingwood from Edmond every week. My mom and I would go to the airport each Friday evening to pick him up. He never failed to save his peanuts from the flight for me.

These are just a few moments in a thousand spent that I could write about. Instead, I’ll stop here and say, I love you, Dad!

M - A little catching up

I apologize to all of our fans out there for not keeping you up to date on the life and times of our little family. I'm pretty sure I'm only addressing my grandma and my dad. I think everyone else gave up on us a long time ago.

I made it through my first Mother's Day with only a few tears. Neil had a cradle blanket that belonged to Grandpa Emmitt framed with a picture of Grandpa as a baby and a picture of him holding Joel. It was the perfect gift and definitely made me cry.

We've started tearing up our tile floors. There's a little dust in the air and it's not fun to walk around in bare feet. But, it means progress. We've had four tiles torn out for a year, and we've finally started the replacement process.

Apparently, the people who lived here before us didn't bother to get all the glue off before they laid their tile down. So, that means we have to go through two layers of glue before our tile gets to be put down. It's such a mess!

Here are a few pictures of Joel enjoying some of his favorite things.

The Johnny Jumper

The ExerSaucerThe Swing

I know he doesn't look like he's having fun in the swing, but that's how he fell asleep in it. This last picture is purely for me, and those of you who claim to know me will know why.