N - Boys getting down and dirty

Lately we Ferguson boys have found a variety of ways to get messy. Since the weather turned nice, Mary has been taking Joel and Clay to the OKC Zoo once or twice a week. There are several animals Joel likes to see but his true favorite is playing in the kids water park area. A change of clothes is a must.

I couldn't let the boy top me so I set the bar a little higher and competed in the Warrior Dash this past weekend in Forney, TX. If you're otherwise unfamiliar, think of it as 5K run meets obstacle course with lots of mud and a couple of fire pits. Here is an "after" picture.

Clay has a knack for making messes as well but seeing as how it's not really appropriate to take pictures of THAT, we had him pose in Daddy's Warrior Dash viking helmet and medal. We told him to make his meanest, nastiest warrior face. This is the best he could do. Scary huh?

M - Yes, I know they look alike

Clay at 2 months

Joel at almost 3 months

M- How Time Flies

Our lives have been pretty crazy over the last couple of months. I didn't realize how crazy until I decided to try to catch my blog up to date. So, here are a few highlights since Clay has been born.

When Clay was two weeks old, we had to check back in to the hospital. He got RSV, a respiratory virus that's pretty dangerous for infants to get. Luckily, he has a strong immune system and was able to fight it off quickly. Below is a picture of him in the hospital with an IV in his head. Supposedly, that's the best place to give those to babies because they aren't always tugging at it and it's a big vein. I can't help but feel sorry for him when I look at this picture though.

Another one of Clay in the hospital

We've had to keep a close eye on Joel because he loves his baby brother a little too much at times. What once started as me telling Joel to "be soft" while touching Clay's head, has turned in to a sort of game for Joel. He now thinks Clay "is soft" and loves to rub his head. Poor Clay, one day he'll be able to defend himself. Until then, he'll endure a lot of high fives and noogies (I have no idea how to spell that word). At two months, Clay weighed 11.6 pounds (35%) and was 22 inches long (10%).

Here are a few pictures of what he looks like now:

Clay with Grandpa

Clay with Granny

For spring break, Joel, Clay and I went to Kingwood. We caravanned with Jill, Michaela and Nick from Allen. The boys were real troopers in the car. Neither one complained too much. We went to the Houston Zoo, the Aquarium, had an egg hunt and picnic. Joel and Nicholas had a great time together. It was really sweet to see them interact with each other. Unfortunately, my camera was dead at the time, so I don't have any pictures to share. Luckily, Jill and my mom took some, so hopefully I'll get those soon.

Joel has really been loving his friends Dax and Jack lately. We try to go to the Science Museum or to the Zoo with one or both of them as often as we can.

Joel on the playground at the Zoo

Joel and Jack at the new Children's Zoo area

Dax, Jack and Joel on the lion statues

Jack, Joel and Dax at the Science Museum

N - Clay Andrew Ferguson

Mary was scheduled to be induced on January 13, 2010. She hoped Clay would come on his own on January 9, her Grandpa Emmitt's birthday. I hoped Clay would come on January 10 or January 11 so that he would be a "binary baby" (01/10/10 or 01/11/10). Go ahead and say it, Neil you are a dork. OK now that you got that out of your system . . .

Alas Clay was not ready so January 13 was the day. We had to be at the hospital at 5am. It is a weird thing knowing that you are going to have a baby the next day but we managed to get a little sleep. They started Mary's labor around 6am and Clay made his arrival at 11:57am. Mary did GREAT. Of course it helped that his 9lb 6oz big brother helped pave the way for him.

Clay tipped the scales at 7lb 13oz and was 20in long. We both think he looks a lot like Joel, especially when he is crying and he curls his lower lip. Here is a picture after they cleaned him and up and gave him to momma.

Clay has quite a bit of dark hair and dark eyes although he's quite the sleeper and doesn't show his peepers very often. Here is a picture of Clay snuggling with Mary.

Big Brother Joel wasn't real interested in the baby yesterday but warmed up to him today. He played "Where's the baby? There he is. I found him." for awhile this afternoon. Here is a picture of Mary with her boys.

We've enjoyed being taken care of and seeing visitors here at the hospital but are very much looking forward to going home tomorrow.

M - Just some pictures

My boys at the Thunder game

Joel kept playing catch with the girl behind him.

M- Joel's 2nd Birthday

Joel turned 2 on Monday. I know it sounds cliche to say "I can't believe how big he is" or even "Wow, where has time gone?" Seriously though, I'm really not ready for him to be so big. Sometimes I have moments when I want to keep him just the way he is right now, but at the same time, I love watching him grow up. I love every new step he takes and every new thing he accomplishes.

There are a few things he does now that I hope I never forget. I hope I remember the way he kicks his little feet out when he's running. He looks like kind of a goof, but it's so cute. I hope I remember the way he calls every big truck a "tracker" (tractor) or "tah truck" (fire truck). I hope I remember how much he loves his stuffed duck and elephant, "kack kack" and "el-punt".

Obviously there are a lot more things I hope I remember, but I won't keep on. More than all that though, I hope he continues to have the same sweet, sensitive spirit he has now. He may be covered in bruises most of the time from the many tumbles he takes, but he really is very sweet natured; kind of like the man he's named after...

Here are a few pictures from his party on Saturday.

M- A few of Joel's favorite things

Lately it seems as if Joel has grown up so much. He's really turning into a big boy faster than I'd like. Here are a couple of pictures of Joel with the things he loves most right now.

Number 1 - Daddy

Number 2 - Tractors

Number 3 - Suckers

Number 4 - Cars

Number 5 - The Science Museum