I'm back!

I am kind of amazed that it has been a year since I have posted!  A year ago this month my mom had a heart attack and I spent two weeks in Las Vegas with her as she went through a quadruple bypass and an episode of flash pulmonary edema.  On the plus side I also got to spend a week with my sister.  It has been many many years since that has happened and it was good for all of us, I mean other than the heart attack.

I came home and put Mark and Rebekah into public school after 8 years of homeschooling.  I went to work for the first time since Justin was born over 20 years ago (at this point 21 years ago) on the same day they started school.  Justin had moved to Temple before I got home and John took Alex to BYU-I in early September.  Not only that, John retired from the military and started a new job a couple of months later (in October).

The Ferguson household had been pretty much dumped upside down and scrambled!!!

I have been wanting to post but where the heck to start after all this time?! This week :)

Monday was Alex's 19th birthday! He will be heading back to BYU-I in early September with his cousin Vickie.  Notice I made 2 pineapple upside down cakes, 'Cake of the God's" or so I've been told.  There were no leftovers. None.

August 1st brought the end of Justin's 2 month stay with us as he headed back up to Temple College (about 40 minutes away).  He got his Associates degree at the end of last semester but has some science classes he needs to take so that he can apply for nursing school.

Long story short on the new kitty. She was a stray someone brought in to have fixed. I have been wanting a calico and I decided to adopt her and her litter of kittens she will soon be having.  You can see her shaved tummy, I really had to make a quick decision.  She came with the name Mia, but Mark wants to name her Cocoa Fo Sho.  I like Mia but he has said it so many times I think Cocoa is going to stick.

My niece had a baby this week and Alex and Rebekah just finished with the play "South Pacific" today.

Hopefully you will see more of us as I continue to get used to balancing everything out.  I guess I am a slow learner :)

A Few Good Men

Justin, Alex and their cousin KC were in "A Few Good Men" last December.  Yes, the same month that we had Alex's Eagle Court of Honor, Seminary Auction and Christmas :)  The pictures loaded in backwards from what I wanted so the above picture was taken after the play and I took it because I still am amazed at how tall Justin is.  He towered over everyone.

This was also taken after the play.  KC, Alex and Justin. 

 At the end of the play.  Justin and Alex are the ones that restrain this General from killing one of the lawyers.  That particular picture was very blurry.

Both Justin and Alex had multiple parts.   

Random

I took the kids out the day before Thanksgiving to take pictures.  Next thing I know they are all grabbing pets to have their pictures taken also.  They turned out to be some of my favorites!

Amy is an Anatolian.  They are used to guard livestock.  We got rid of the livestock but got stuck with her because Mark bawled and bawled the day I tried to sell her.  Yeah, I gave in.  She refuses to come into the house which I am VERY grateful for because if you’ve ever seen our lawn when the weather warms up it looks like it snowed.  Seriously!

Teyla is a Cocker Spaniel.  She is dumb as a brick.  She drives everyone crazy, but is still very loved.

I told our vet that while we loved our other pets if anything ever happened to this dog the entire family would be devastated!!  He said, “so she’s in the will”?  Absolutely.  We have had Sydney for nine years this February and she has been the best dog.  She is half Blue Healer and half what looked like Australian Shepherd.



Justin, “put on your serious face Mark”.  A little too serious, but I love this picture.  We don’t have many good pictures of Sydney because she is afraid of the camera.  So this will be nice to have.

Halloween 2011

Alex and Mark getting into ‘character’.  Alex is a serial killer and Mark is a Zombie.

Mark’s face make-up turned out so cool!  It was even more awesome when his face started falling off toward the end of the party

I think Alex forgot what ‘character’ he was supposed to be.

This is Rebekah and her cousin as newborn vampires.  Yes, think ‘Twilight’.

Justin got home from work sometime after the party started.  Very proud of his Angry Bird in a Santa hat!!!

Mark’s pumpkin was a combination picture.  On one side he freehanded the Batman symbol and on the other he freehanded ‘Minecraft’.  It is a game.

Rebekah painstakingly traced this from a book we had and yours truly got the job of cutting it out.  First, we grew these pumpkins and the flesh was about two inches thick with a hard outer crust.  Second, it is kinda cool that you cannot tell that I lobbed off one of his horns and that his lower jaw was barely hanging on!!!

Camelot

Justin K - 12

This didn't turn out exactly how I wanted it, but it still turned out pretty good.

Justin's Vocal Final

It's Official!!!

Justin is officially an Eagle Scout!!! He passed his Board of Review today. All that is left is the Court of Honor. Go Justin, go Justin, go Justin . . .

Priest & Laurel Prom

This last Saturday (the 10th) was the Priest & Laurel Prom. Justin went stag last year with his cousin and friend. This year he asked this sweet girl out. She is from our Stake. This is the only picture I was able to get (I'm still nagging for him to get more - more was taken, just not by him). If she sends more or if I can get a hold of the lady who hosted 10 (yes ten) Priest and Laurels at her house for dinner, I will post them.


How do you spike the punch at a youth Stake dance. Yes, it did happen and I was floored. Caffeine!!!! Justin said it made him hyper - go figure.

Looks who's 18!!!!!

It was after midnight and we had said our happy birthdays and then everyone had decided that Justin needed his present. Of course I didn't have a card yet. So I told him it would be a recycled card. "I don't care." He wouldn't tell us what he wanted and I felt that 18 was a big deal. Not to mention that not only has he earned his Eagle and his Duty to God, he will be graduating Seminary in May. He is a good kid and we are proud of him.

The inside of the recycled card was funny, but I can't post it until I clear it with my sister :)

Yipee!

Today we went to see "Alice in Wonderland" and ate at a Chinese Buffet (man this kid was expensive). When we got home we had cake and ice cream. He also got this blanket for his birthday. Fablehaven V is on order.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUSTIN!!!

Justin's Haircut

Justin wasn't allowed to take a nap until I cut his hair. See how excited he is! His wasn't as bad but the last time he had a haircut it was a buzz cut like in September or October!




Oh hay, I do look cuter with a haircut. Thanks Mom!!!

Eagle Project

Well, my baby boy will be 18 in March!!! Over the next couple of weeks he will be collecting books for the Milano Elementary School. Milano is smaller than Cameron. His project was well chosen, he loves books and wants to share them with others.

I know that most of you who read this blog live a long ways a way, but if you have the time and money he could really use some donations. He is trying to have things wrapped up by the 3rd of February. The post office has media mail (which is cheaper than regular postage) and fixed postage boxes (if it fits, it ships).

Any help would gladly be appreciated.

Biology

Just had to brag on Justin. He had a test today in Biology (Temple College) and he got the highest grade in the class. When he first called me, some of the kids were not done including his cousin Vickie. "Vickie is not done though. She has an annoying habit of beating my score." Well she didn't this time, but still did well!!

Proud Mom

I took Justin to Temple College this morning because a hold had been placed on all of his stuff. So we went in to take care of it and in the process found out his grades last semester. He took College Algebra and English Composition I. He got A's in both classes. Yeah, he is pretty excited too.

This semester he will be taking English Composition II and History II.

Drivers Permit

Well, it has finally happened. Justin has his permit. I felt like I had to drag him tooth and nail to get it, which seems kind of opposite of how it usually is. I let him drive from Taylor to Rockdale. About 2 minutes down the freeway he says, "OK, I'm bored. This is nothing like Mario Kart!" This is why I will be completely gray before my next birthday.

What have we been up to?

I saw this idea in a Better Homes and Gardens, only they used real pumpkins. It is to hot here in Texas to use real pumpkins, they rot. So I came up with the idea of plastic pumpkins, I thought it looked cute.

This is my entire front porch.

For Justin's communication Merit Badge he had to conduct a Court of Honor. This was held in the middle of September. I really wanted to get his merit badges on his sash (which I've had for several years now). You'll notice Alex does not have his sash, that is because it took FOREVER to do Justins. I swore that I would never do another one - I've calmed down since then :)

Alex got his Life Scout Rank, along with a pile of merit badges. He had 3 campouts and 2 merit badge fairs that he was receiving badges for. And yes, Alex did finally get a hair cut.

Mark got his Scout and his Tenderfoot Rank along with his first merit badge, fingerprinting.

Justin and Zoe

Jeanie filmed these videos of Justin and Zoe. Zoe is Jeanie's granddaughter. Justin's cousins little girl. Anyway, we are so proud of Justin and I've been wanting to put some video on here of him. We don't know why all the static, but these are still cute.