At church and at rest

Here are some pictures of Logan in the sanctuary of the church where we worship in downtown Siloam, taken on Sept. 23 (I'm getting caught up on blogs). It is a loving congregation with a reverent and timeless mode of worship, drawing upon early creeds, the doxology, and good old-fashioned hymns. Breck Castleman is our pulpit minister and his wife Robbie coordinates many ministries including those for college students. We hope to have Logan dedicated to the Lord in a service soon.

The other pictures are more recent, one of Logan napping in his cradle made by Great-Grandpa Heldreth and formerly occupied by Amanda in her infancy, and the other of Logan in his camouflage outfit talking to Daddy.

Sir Logan & The Dragon

Yesterday was a big day for our little Logan boy. He went on an evening hike with Mama and Daddy at Lake Wedington, riding in the Baby Bjorn with Daddy and watching the stony ridgeline as we walked along the trail, but then sleeping on the way back after we had reached the lookout point to watch the sunset. He amused a cowboy afterward as we dined at Crackerbarrel, providing the dinner entertainment; the man said it seemed like only yesterday that his 28 yr old was an infant. When we got home, Logan's toe found its way out of his pajamas (look closely). Then later Logan made the acquaintance of the Daddy Dragon (Logan's best friend is the mini-dragon son, whom he clutches while in his car seat).

Logan just gets larger (and heavier!) everyday. He is finally filling out with plenty of chub. His thumbs and feet look like little boys' appendages and not just infants'. His hair is growing in, and he babbles and cooes like never before. He laughs heartily, sometimes downright giddy, with alternating cackles and throaty guffaws. He can lift his neck up when on his tummy, though he hasn't rolled over that we know of, but he seems right on track for a 4-month old.

On Thursday, Aunt Melba & Uncle Don passed through town after visiting relatives in Bella Vista. Logan enjoyed having lunch with them at Wooden Spoon.

Medieval Faire

Jonathan and his colleague Scott Jones organized the second biannual Medieval Faire at JBU, and once again the Faire was a big success, with booths featuring medieval fare (meat pasties, fruit custard pie), medieval hobbies (beekeeping, a scriptorium), weaponry (swords, axes, spears), jousting, and even a sock puppet play about Bishop Boniface. Logan and I enjoyed making the rounds of the booths, meeting students and other faculty, and listening to Logan's daddy recite the Waldere poem--an epic fragment--in Anglo-Saxon, to much applause. Everyone loved Logan's knight costume, made especially for him by his Grandma Jean Himes.

Halloween

Logan received 3 costumes to wear for Halloween. Grandma Vivian Estep sent him the pumpkin and puppy dog outfits, and Grandma Jean Himes made the knight costume for our little guy, which he wore to JBU's Medieval Faire, coordinated by his father Jonathan. I took his picture in the pumpkin costume out on our front walk since it was such a nice day. Later, we met up with several other JBU faculty members and their children to go trick-or-treating in the dorms. Logan doesn't yet eat solids, so his parents have been forced to sample his Halloween candy instead.

JBU Homecoming

JBU's Homecoming occurred early in October and was made even more special by the presence of Hadden and Betty Wilson from Northern Ireland. Jonathan and I so much enjoyed getting to know them when we co-led the Irish Studies summer programs with Hadden in 2005 and 2006. The Irish Studies Program celebrated its 10th anniversary: some of the past leaders and team members stopped by for this picture.

Logan's 1st Starring Role

Yesterday Logan starred in the role of a lifetime as baby Jesus in a nativity skit at Watts public elementary school over in Oklahoma. Holly Allen, a JBU professor of children and family ministry, asked if he could take the part for a class project that her curriculum students present each year for school kids. I was squeamish about letting our precious son loose into the cold, cruel world of germs and sinners at such a tender age, but I suppose that's exactly how our God felt about sending His son. Even though Logan is now 3 months old, I was reluctant just thinking about all the runny noses out there and someone possibly dropping him on a hard floor, but thankfully the college student who played Mary is an experienced babysitter of 6 week-old infants and she was very careful. The Bible story and skit were well done, and I think it was a good outreach to this lower-income community.

Logan is now saying "Meh!" instead of "leh" when he wants milk. Maybe he's shifting over to "moo." His trunk and legs get longer and chubbier every day. He's getting ring-around-the-cranium (little bald patches) from his little hats since he is growing so much. Sometimes he wakes up around 9 a.m. and whines mildly but then lapses into cooing and just patiently waiting for the day to begin. It gives me time to brew some coffee before I change his diaper and hand him off to Mama. He had a bit of indigestion and fussiness for a few days after our Texas trip, but I think he is getting back on track. What a blessing he is!

Bathtime

This morning before church I gave Logan a bath in the sink at my parents' house. He enjoyed having his hair brushed afterward. What a cutie pie!