Mornin' from Kevin

Great blog Ashley, great to hear about everything happening with you and Nathan. Glad his work is going well...and of course mostly stoked about Clara!

This blog is cool if everyone uses it. Main thing is that I guess it emails everyone when a blog is posted? That will be a key thing.

The big news in our home that we haven't shared much, is Canyon walking. This may be humdrum for everyone since it's our 5th kid to 'start walking,' but it amazes me. He's now an official 'walker' and it's a big deal to his Dad. Big step up from just being a baby. My little guy is like a real little man yet. Just a glorious gift as a parent, wish you guys could see him. Still seems odd to set him down on his feet and he can take off.

Teri and Eliza are in tonight's 'Good Friday' service, Teri singing and dancing and Eliza dancing. Then again in the Sunday Easter service. And on that note, Teri was asked to be a leading teacher at the Woodland Park dance studio! Really amazing how it all came to be, so we are going to check into it. Either way, I want her dancing once or twice a week. It just fills her soul, like remote trail runs do for me.

Of course we are working toward house building...step by step. It's so amazing and I feel God's design in the whole event...more and more every day. Building the house myself is a great desire that's grown in me. It will take time, but if I pay for labor to do it...it will take my work time. But more importantly, I feel I'm to build the majority with my own hands. It's our HOME. The land is amazing. Our acreage, and the fact that it's surrounded by Pikes National Forest. We live in a little oasis. I've been doing runs to the lake that is a mile down the road (or the trailhead is). And last week, discovered that there is a main entrance to the lake that has 3+ miles of perfectly paved road to a section with zillions of trails, two more reservoirs, and a boat ramp! It's a 'no-wake' lake, meaning its for trolling/fishing, and recreation like a houseboat. For us...canoes and kayaks will be on the Christmas list. I'm just beyond thrilled that this will be our backyard.

OH...our neighbor who is also building a straw bale home...his work is building climbing walls. How killer is that for Caleb & me who want to take it up?

Yesterday evening I got another neighbor to help with his tractor, and clear the snow from the 'driveway' that goes to the house site. Where we are building is about 1.5 acres or more of clearing and snow is long gone. But in the front meadow leading to it, is where the wind piled snow up, and the line of trees keeps it shaded. So we had to plow through 3 foot drifts. Now that it's done we can drive back in there, and also next week they need to get in there to do a soil test for where we think we will put septic. I am trying to attach some pics of the plowing yesterday.

First pic is from the house site looking out to the main meadow where you can see the Mo-home. Second pic is up to the house site, house will be over to the right.

Love you all, and thanks Ashley!
Kevin

My Life Right Now.....

Ashley, I am so impressed that you worked all this out. Will be fun. I wonder even about including Nate, Vi, Rhoda and Kate...but whatever you think is fine with me....Nathan, your pictures are amazing and I especially like the ones with the "hens and chicks" on the rock. You have quite a gift and I imagine one day you will find a creative way to use it!
Well....right now I am working diligently to set aside time to write more. Recently I had a bunch of ladies for lunch from my JourneyMates group that used to meet here each week and several asked them if I had worked more on my Creating a Haven of Peace book and I was embarrassed that I had not. It is ridiculous that I keep putting off the one thing I really want to do because I don't have "everything organized and ready"! So I am carving out time to write and saying no to other distractions.
Ashley and I finished the six weeks of classes at the TN Prison for Women. It was amazing. We both were in awe of the response we got from these girls. There were about 18 girls of all ages in there and about half never missed a class. They loved it and we got amazing comments on our evaluation sheets at the last class. Many of them said we helped their self-confidence and gave them hope and excitement about their future. What a blessing! We both want to do another round of classes sometime after Clara has made her appearance into the world, gets situated and Ashley can feel free to do it.
I finished another art project and am doing a new one. I don't want to stop my classes because they motivate me to draw and I feel this is not only a good discipline but also just helps to keep me in that right brain mode. However, I don't place the drawing as high a priority as my writing.

Last weekend I went to the Ramsey Lake house for the weekend with six other girls in our group. Two could not be there. It was the 6th anniversary of our Circle of Friends group that Birdie Adams and I started. At that time we both needed girlfriends....Now I sometimes wonder if I could get RID of a few! My cup runneth over! However, I am grateful for them and am enjoying this season of my life immensely.

Hello Family!

I think it's time for us to start a family blog. I know we love sending pictures, and it's only going to get crazier as we add all of the pics of Clara breathing and doing exciting things like that. So...here is our family blog! We can post pictures here instead of sending the emails. It's fairly easy--Mom and Dad, I can show you how.

Just so all of you are up to date with the Logsdon side of the family, here goes:
Nathan: Nathan is officially running his first branch now. It's been up and down as far as stresses--he has a fresh new staff that is doing well, but everyone is pretty green. He left for about 2 hours the other day for a meeting and everyone freaked out at the branch...looks like he's going to have to really prepare them for him being gone when Clara is born. He's a little stressed because the grand opening is April 13th...that time is getting closer and I haven't had this baby yet! We are really hoping and praying she comes by this weekend so we have time to just be with her before the craziness of a grand opening--Nathan really needs to be there (although we know his priority will be with us if I'm in the hospital at that point). Since he's the manager, people need to know his face for networking, etc. Plus, they're going all out--the branch is off Crestmoor in Green Hills, and they're getting a hot air balloon to do rides, and a cash machine (ya know, you step inside and see how much cash you can catch), etc. It's going to be a big event and we would hate for him to have to miss it.
Other than that, Nathan is doing really well--he's enjoying being branch manager, even with its ups and downs--he has the ability to be back up front with people, which is what he loves the most--creating those relationships with businesses and individual clients. To help de-stress on the weekends, he's taken up mountain biking. He goes down to a trail in Columbia and goes crazy. He loves it, and he already has his eyes set on new mountain bike "toys." Kevin, if you know of any connections to spruce up his stuff, let us know. His birthday is coming up!
He's been working like crazy on our landscaping, too--has done an awesome job--I'll post pictures of our place this weekend.
As for me, I'm 3 cm dilated and my feet look like the marshmallow man. I'm feeling more crampy and have had a few contractions that were a little painful, but nothing serious. It's so crazy how everyone's childbirth experiences are so different. I've heard of people getting epidurals at 1 cm, and then I've heard of another that was walking around Walmart at 9 cm. Craziness. Here I am at 3 and I don't feel like I'm in labor at all. Nathan is calling me all the time from work asking if I've shown any progress, and urging me to go for yet another walk. I've tried it all--evening primrose, raspberry tea, hot showers and compresses, sex, walking, walking, and more walking, Eggplant Parmisan, spicy foods, etc. About all I've gotten are some strong Braxton Hicks and some viscous heartburn. Oh well--she can't stay in my belly forever!
And the soon to be replaced "kids," Kenya and Ranger, are doing well. They sense something is different and are more clingy to us. Kenya is very protective of me--won't let any other dogs come close to me. Rachel has been bringing her little boy, Ian with her sometimes--he's 15 months, and Kenya is great with her. I'm not worried about her at all with a baby--we've pulled her ears and tail and taken her food, etc. since she was little--she knows two-legged things are boss, even if they are shorter than she is. When Ian drops something on the floor, she won't get it unless I tell her she can. She's great. Only thing that may be an issue is balls--we have a ball toy that she is infatuated with--it blows balls out of the top of it and shoots them out--waay too tempting for her! But she drops them instantly, so that's good. She's always got her rocks to keep her satisfied.
Okay, this is it--long enough blog. I just talked to Jared on the phone and hopefully he'll have internet by tomorrow again--he sounds GREAT and I'm excited for him and all that is going on over there.
These pictures are from this past weekend at Cheekwood--Nathan suggested us going before the Easter craze to see all the plants. Caroline has passes, so we went with her--it was gorgeous, and Nathan got some amazing pictures, as usual. Just thought I'd share them with ya'll! Love to everyone, and post soon!