The First Six Months

I love looking back at pictures of Benjamin and reminiscing- I thought you might like to do the same! A mini slide show of pictures of Benjamin, birth to six months. Enjoy!

Birth

Month one

Month Two

Month Three

Month Four

Month Five

Month Six

My Morning

This morning, Benjamin woke up at 4:30am... and was wide awake and ready to start his day. I did all the normal nightime waking procedures- changed diaper, etc., but to no avail. He did not want to go back to sleep. Nonetheless, I put him back in his pack-n-play and crawled back into bed to listen to him talk to himself for about an hour-and-a half. Since he is in the same room as us, that meant no sleep for me. Drat. Keith could sleep through a freight train driving through our room, so he got a little more sleep. Benjamin finally fell asleep again for about 45 minutes and than was ready for breakfast. I lay there for a few minutes trying to make my legs move when Keith, my hero, got up told me to get some more sleep and he would feed Benjamin his cereal. I swooned as I went back to sleep for an entire extra hour of sleep. Sheer bliss to a mom!

I tell you this story for two reasons:

1. To share with you our lives
2. To brag about how wonderful my husband is

Keith teaches me so much about our Lord and what it means that we are called to be servants. He is such a wonderful example and daily motivates me to be more like our servant King, Jesus. So, to my dear sweet husband, I am so blessed to be your wife! I love you!

"Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:3-11

A Tribute

To our lone blog-visitor...

Dorothy Denice Fisher

...thanks for reading!

Helping Mom on the Computer

Facing my Fears

I recently came across a news article about giant jellyfish invading the coast of Japan and decided to do a little research. I happen to be quite afraid of jellyfish, so this was a chilling experience.

The jellyfish that is doing the invading is called the Nomura's Jellyfish, which can grow up to 7 feet in diameter and up to 440 pounds and are found primarily in the waters between China and Japan. These jellyfish are becoming quite a problem for local fisherman, as these giants are breaking nets and destroying the quality of fish caught. While there are numerous theories as to why they are sudenly so many jellyfish, there has been nothing conclusive.

Here are some pictures of the Nomura's Jellyfish:

Pretty amazing disply of God's creation, eh?

News Article: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/01/0119_060119_jellyfish.html

Happy Thursday!

G'day Mate

That's right, this week the Ferguson Tribe is in Australia. Check out our new room:

Valentine's Day

This Valentine's Day Keith and I spent it with a group of retired volunteers called MMAP (Mobile Missionary Assistance Program - http://www.mmap.org/) eating dinner and just spending time with them. All of them have been married 40+ years and we had a lot of fun! They decorated Barn 214 and we played a version of 'The Newlywed Game'- I am excited to say that Keith and I held our own with all of the questions. Here are a few pictures of the evening:

Happy Belated Valentine's Day everyone!

Oh my Deer!

Early this morning, around 6am, as we were driving down the dark country roads admiring the stars and wishing Starbucks delivered way out in La Grange, TX (or at least I did!), we saw a small heard of deer. Now this isn't an unusual occurance, as there are many deer in this particular area, but usually they scatter as we drive nearer. That was almost the case this morning.

As on many country roads, there were fences on both sides of the road. One deer, unlike the rest, decided to continue running down the road instead of jump the fence. So there we went, 20 miles on hour or less, following this young deer. You had to feel sorry for the poor thing, as logic gave way to panic, but Keith and I couldn't help but smile. For a brief moment we drove alongside before turning onto a different road.

Writing this mornings happennings, I think about how often we do things out of fear. Reason is gone and we forget that God is in control. We begin to act on our own initiative and run headfirst into more danger instead of running to God where we know safety lies. However, even in our fearful antics, God is with us, an ever constant beacon of stability and hope if we would just trust in Him. Thank you Lord for your patience with us!

"He said, 'The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior...' " 2 Sammuel 22:2-3

Just Relaxin' in the Sink

Last Weekend

The boys went over the hill to scout for golf balls. Here is there loot!

The Golf Pros

Girl Rock Band! We were pretty awesome...

Watching the sun set

This past weekend we had some friends up to La Grange. We took pictures and just wanted to share how much fun we had. Aaron, Amanda, Robert (we missed you Brittany!), John and Lauren thanks for coming to see us and we look forward to hanging out again soon!

A Delicious Discovery

I have recently tried a wonderful new dessert called Chess Cake. I am putting the recipe for anyone who wants to try it!

Chess Cake

INGREDIENTS:
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
4 cups confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9 x 13 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, 2 eggs, and 1/2 cup melted butter. Put into prepared pan.
3. In another bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Blend in 1/2 cup melted butter and 2 eggs. Gradually beat in the confectioner's sugar. Pour over the crust mixture already in the pan.
4. Bake for 1 hour. Cool. Makes 18 servings.
(http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chess-Cake/Detail.aspx)

Adventures in South America

The Fergusons are in South America! Check out the pictures of our new room:








Disclaimer: For those who are just starting to read our blog, we are not really in South America. Scroll down to "Barn 214" for further details. :o)

Delight Yourself in the Lord

The more I read scripture, the more it is affirmed just how much we are called to delight ourselves in the Lord. Nothing compares to Him- He is the fullness of everything that we seek, that we could ever hope to attain. Our joy brings Him glory because, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him," and should be what we seek above all else. Not just joy, or a sense of joy, but the fullness of joy that can only be found in the presence of God. His divine nature inspires us to have joy; His very presence is what gives us the only joy that is complete. My thoughts on this subject are vast, but I wanted to write a little about what was on my heart. I want my focus to always be to delight myself in the Lord and to encourage anyone reading this to do the same.


"O God, you are my God;
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you."
~Psalm 63:1-3

"Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever."
~Psalm 73:25-26

"You will make known to me the path of life;

in Your presence is fullness of joy;

in Your right hand there are pleasures forever."

~Psalm 16:11

The thoughts that inspired this post can be found in the book Desiring God by John Piper.

The One Where Benjamin Eats the Camera

Barn 214

"The knowledge of the Lord will fill the earth as the water fills the sea." ~Habakkuk 2:14

Above is a picture of the giant world map that fills the wall of our new "living room." As mentioned earlier, Keith is now working for Camp Tejas, helping them build what they call "The Meadows." It is an extended retreat area with some really awesome lodging. During the week we are getting to stay in Barn 214 (named after the verse above), a renovated barn with rooms decorated like each of the 7 continents (minus Antarctica). Keith and I love that we are getting to stay here in the international building as our heart is to move over seas to share the Gospel with those who have never heard. Plus, it is cool that by the end of our stay here in Giddings, we will already be "world travellers." :o)

The first few weeks we stayed in "Asia", an upstairs loft:

Keith and I are so blessed by the opportunity to live here and be a part of the ministry being done here, as well as the time to focus on Christ before we head overseas. We will keep you posted on our "world travels" both in Giddings and the real travels soon to come!

Camp Tejas Website: http://www.camptejas.org/

Lions and Tigers and Bears... and Giraffes!

This past weekend we went to Houston to celebrate my dad's birthday. As part of the weekend festivities, we went on a behind the scenes tour of the Houston Zoo. We had a lot of fun seeing and petting the animals, especially Benjamin! Here are a few pictures; Enjoy!

Campfires and Weenie Roasts...

Well, after a very long absence from the blog world, we are back! Writing to you from Camp Tejas in Giddings, TX, we are so excited to share what is going on in our lives on a more regular basis.

So without further ado....

From this (Benjamin at 21 weeks)...

To this (at 36 weeks)....

Happy Birthday Benjamin Luke!

7 pounds, 1.7 ounces

July 24, 2007

My how time flies!

That is all for now, keep coming back for new news from the Ferguson Tribe!