Yay!

I found the other pics. For some reason, they were under year 1980, instead of 2009. Of course they'd be under 1980, ha! Whatever! And blogger uploads pictures all weird like, so they are a bit backwards.

Anyway, here is Christmas in Memphis with the Ferguses. :)

(actually, this is a few days after Christmas)

Playing outside on a cooooold day. Our kid likes the cold. He's a weirdo!

He was enjoying this, despite the look on his face.
Eatin cheerios on Papa's chair.
Just wakin up...love that sleepy face!
Playing in the tent with Aunt Mary.
This was too cute.
Jude, with Nanny and Papa! He was on the move and this was the best one we could get.

Here are the ones from Christmas day...well, night really.
My bro-in-law doing something very disturbing...yet very funny. :) Fuzzy Captain Morgan.
Creepy backwards Spiderman!

Kacy playing with Jude.
Jude doing his snort face. The monkey pillow he's holding snorts, and so of course he snorts now too...with the snort face!
My sweet in-laws.
Daddy and Jude...doing the snort face again.
Just some good ole playin!
Grandma Mary holding Jude...although he was really interested in the keys around her wrist.
Jude loves Spiderman!

Mary and I being way too silly with our new gifts.
Aww, sweet.

The guys having a seeerious discussion. Really, they're probably talking about zombies or something.

Jude with Aunt Mary and Uncle Sammie!
Grandparents Fergus with Jude...this is my favorite picture of the night.

Snorting monkey again!


Love those brown eyes!
Ross loves having his picture taken.

The end! We had a great Christmas with both of our families. (I took some pics at my family's too, but I don't have them, boo.)

Christmas

Christmas this year was....how do you sum it up in one word? Amazing? Wonderful? Lovely? Spectacular? None of those words seem to fit. Jude was super fun this year and we had a lovely time with our families. Just a few fun highlights:

Jude now loves Spiderman. Its his favorite thing (other than the ball, of course). He got a Spiderman dvd, and every morning he wakes up, points to the tv and says "Spiderman!" ...or at least he sort of says it.

And because of Spiderman, he now knows how to say Dr. Octopus (which is super cute) and he knows exactly what to do to Dr. O (the bad guy....remember? POW!)

He's got lots of new warm clothes to wear this winter...plus, the jacket that, if he could say it, would say "I CAN'T PUT MY ARMS DOWN!"

He has a big Buzz Light Year doll, and he points to him and says "BUHHHzz."

And he love, love, loves his basketball, soccer and football he got from us, but pays no attention to the basketball goal we got him. He will someday though, I know.

Here are some pictures from Christmas. Once I find out where the other pictures are saved, I'll have some more to post!

I love our little family of 3, and can't wait to become a family of 4. Less than 6 more weeks and counting!!

How do we fight the "stuff?"

This year, I am really struggling. I have always, well, in my adult life, fought materialism. I do not want to be a person who wants or has a bunch of "stuff." But sometimes, I think I need all this stuff for me to be happy...even though I really know it won't make me happier. Its a battle of the mind, really. However, this year, the materialism is manifesting itself in a whole different light.

With my kid(s).

Last year, we didn't get Jude much of anything. We got him a few gifts and let the grandparents kinda step in and go nuts. He was 10 months old and although we loved it, he really didn't give a rip. But, this year, I have found myself feeling that how much we get him equals how much we love him and I have been wanting to get him e.v.e.r.y.thing. I've even found myself trying to justify it by saying (in my head, of course) he really needs all this stuff. He really needs a wood work bench with a hammer and tons of big cars to push around and oh, lots of picture books, a gazillion dvds, and every kind of ball out there with goals to match and blah....blah.........blah.

Anyone else have trouble with this, or is it just me?

I am reading a great parenting book (see sidebar) and I just read this last night, that one good way to cultivate generosity and kindness in your kids....give. them. less.

Whoa. Exactly what I needed to hear in this season of fighting "stuff." I so want my kids to be kind and generous and not greedy. Does Jude really even need all of that stuff? No way. He would probably be a lot better without it. So, I talked to Ross, confessed how I've been thinking, and am changing my thoughts and attitude. It's hard. Because "stuff" can be fun. But, being content with what you have (or with what you can get your kids for Christmas) is even better.

p.s.- We did get Jude a few fun things for Christmas and we're really excited about spending our first Christmas together as a family in our own house....and watching Jude light up with excitement at the 1 big thing we know he'll like. :)

The Life of a Stay-at-home-mom

Being a stay at home mom means you can be in your pjs until 11am and that's totally fine. Well, I can't be, but Jude sure can. :)

Here's his new 'do. He desperately needed a haircut! Now I can see his face! (how did Tigg sneak into this one?)




And who says a toddler doesn't like to wipe his own nose...


Last night, the last thing I got Jude for Christmas was a new coat, one that was super warm and had a hood. I tried it on him last night to see if it fit and he loved it so much, he wore it around for like 30 minutes...hood and all. It was so funny!

Traditions

Before I start this post, I have to start off with a belly shot. I have several people who have been begging me for one, so here ya go! Here I am at 30.5 weeks.

During our small group on Sunday, our leader asked us what our old family Christmas traditions were as kids. I got a little sad. I couldn't remember a single one. My family has always done fun things and enjoyed being with one another for Christmas, but have we had any traditions? I can't remember. Ask my parents, because pregnant brain has set in. Well, we have started a new tradition where we go to breakfast together, but that is our favorite thing to do together, so I'm not sure it would be strictly considered a Christmas tradition.

Ross talks a lot about his family traditions from childhood. How his parents would wake them up on Christmas morning with these silly old Christmas albums/songs and how him and his sister would wake his parents up at 5am to open presents (even though they'd already kinda know what they were cause they were SNEAKY, bad kids, hehe).

Hearing him go on about his family traditions, it makes me long for and excited about starting my own. Even if we have to steal some that have been previously used (we have acquired his parents' old records that he listened to as a kid and we dance around while listening to them everyday...I have to admit, I LOVE it), that's ok. We will make some new ones of our own, too.

And for that and many other reasons, I am so incredibly giddy about my family this year. Our little Fergus family. Starting a family was something I wasn't sure I'd ever do, before I got married of course. But, it truly is the greatest blessing. Its more than just having babies because that's the thing to do, or because that's what's expected. Its about making your life mean something; finding joy in making traditions and memories that will be a part of your childrens' lives forever.

I am excited!

And of course, the post would be boring without pictures! My sister and I took these at one of our family Christmases this past weekend!

Ross and I (+Ezra)

Jude looking at something.

This was the only pic we could get of the three babies! Well, they're not babies anymore!

Jude and his favorite Aunt Ellen. :)

Papaw and the boys.

Jessie and Sydney.

Us girls with our bro.
Us sisters. I love that girl.