Happy Father's Day!

When I married Bob 6 1/2 years ago, I knew he was going to be a great husband. What I didn't know, was what a kind and loving father he would be to our children. No one makes Miriam laugh like her Papa. I love watching the two of them together - and I look forward to watching that same loving relationship develop between Bob and Samuel. They are off to a great start. After all, he is an expert diaper changer and swaddler! In honor of Bob, and all the other great dads out there....Happy Father's Day!

Samuel and Miriam

Samuel is two weeks old already! He is growing - and we are loving him more everyday, if that is possible. :) He is a precious, precious baby. Miriam is thriving in her role as big sister. She loves to do "this little piggy" with his toes and kiss him whenever she can. My heart is full when I see them together. Being a big sister myself with a little brother, I see them and remember my own childhood. I also anticipate all the fun the future holds for the two of them.

The picture of Miriam below is on her new swing set from Pataw. We love being able to swing in our own backyard. Thanks, Dad!

Sleepy Samuel

He seems to like his fingers a lot...when he can find them!

Samuel Anthony Logsdon is here!

Mama, Papa, and Samuel, shortly after his birth

Holding Samuel for the first time

Our sleeping boy

Miriam is a wonderful big sister!

Alice, our gifted midwife, with Samuel and Miriam

As most of you know, our sweet boy was born on June 2nd - one week ago today. We had a wonderful homebirth experience and feel so blessed to have a healthy baby in our arms. Samuel weighed 8 lbs. 1oz and was 20 1/2 inches long at birth. He has some dark hair just like Miriam - and seems to have the same hairline as well. :) He is a champion nurser and fairly good sleeper, for a newborn, anyway! He was born after only 3 hours of labor, which I attribute to great genes (thanks, Mom!) and being so relaxed at home. My friend Alexis was here and was a wonderful help during labor and delivery. Bob, being the super dad that he is, was able to catch Samuel. It was truly an amazing experience. We are grateful to our wonderful midwife, Alice, and to God for working through all the folks that were a part of Samuel's birth. God has been so good to us! Keep praying for us as we adjust to being a family of four. My mom went home today, so I would LOVE any prayers lifted up on my behalf as I navigate the waters of motherhood times two! Stay tuned for more pictures!!

Teen girls

It is hard to believe I am really done with teen girls ministry. It has been an unexpected blessing in my life, but it is definitely time to pass it on to someone else. I've been thinking about how much of what I have done has been with Miriam on my hip or sitting on my lap. It's been a juggle, for sure. I feel so blessed that Kaytie is around to continue working with these girls. It makes it much easier to let go. These girls have been (and will continue to be) so special to me. I'm glad I'll be around to see the next steps in their lives.

The pictures are from our last Tuesday Bible study together. We finished our lessons on sexual purity and gave the girls an opportunity to sign pledge cards, promising to wait for marriage before having sex. Then the girls got to make bead necklaces or bracelets as reminders of this promise. Please pray for their courage in the face of temptation, and for Kaytie as she loves and listens and spends time with these girls.

Thanks to all of you who have followed this girls ministry and helped in so many ways. Your prayers have been an encouragement. May God bless you as you minister to those in your corner of the world.

We are all a little LOST

I was talking to Ric, a social worker at the hospice in which I now work as chaplain. We both enjoy watching the TV show LOST. Prior to our discussion of the show, we had talked about how people do things for a reason. There is usually a cognitive, belief statement from which they operate. This leads to the feelings and actions that flow. These beliefs may not be true. Every now and then we stop and reflect. We ask ourselves, "Why am I doing this?" As we talked about the show LOST, I shared the frustration that the characters rarely stop and say, "I am not taking one more step until somebody around here explains what is really going on around here on this strange island." The characters do, but they stop so short of what I think that I would request. I connected the two discussions and realized that I do the same. Often I just keep doing the same old stuff over and over without stopping and saying, "I am not taking one more step without looking at this."

Waiting for the baby....

I am discovering how impatient I am. Miriam was born 10 days early, so I never had to sit around and wonder if she was ever going to show up. But this time....I'm not even to my due date and I'm so restless!! Because Miriam was early, I felt the need to finish all my to do lists early this time. So now I'm sitting around with my list (for the most part anyway) completed, and wondering what on earth are we waiting for! Here's a picture of me...SO ready to meet this little one!

Congratulations, Bob!

Bob graduated from CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) training on May 15th. It was a busy and intense 9 months. It is so nice to have him come home each day and not have homework. It is also wonderful to have him home every night - no more on call nights at the hospital - Hurray! (Although, to be honest, Miriam loved that part. We'd eat dinner in the cafeteria and then she got to play in the on-call room. So much fun for a 3 year old!) The picture is from graduation day. Good job, Bob! We are so proud of all your hard work!

Bob started his new job on the following Monday. Much of his time so far has been spent in training, but so far he is really enjoying it. Praise God for his many blessings!