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Thursday, October 27, 2011

Light The Night Prep Work

So....last year, I posted a blog about what our family, as a Bible-believing Christian family, had decided to do with Halloween. Many Christian families dismiss this "holiday" altogether and have no part of it. You can read here to get our family's take on it:

http://findtheblueheron.blogspot.com/2010/11/hallo-whaaaaat.html


last night and tonight...we got ready for this years "Light The Night" celebration.

last night, we carved ourselves a pumpkin...for the last 2 years, Gavin has designed our pumpkin. last year....he gave us the "Bob-o-Lantern"...this year...we let him design it, but let Ivy name it....




Ladies and gentlemen....the "Jenny-o-Lantern"...crack-tastic.

So tonight...we started by decorating labels that I had made up with Bible verses on them:




...filling bags with candy....



...stopping for a snack....


...and ending up with about 150 bags of candy wrapped with God's Saving Word:


Our goal is pretty simple....to not hide, but offer God's word to those who come on our land to get candy. To not shove it down their throats, but get in the mix and to prayerfully seek The Lord's leading...should there be someone who needs to hear the Word that night...that we may be unashamed and full of The Spirit....or if they come by only to get candy...so be it. We pray for Godly discernment. One thing that I love is that my son is unashamed to ask a peer if "they love Jesus". It blesses me to hear him ask that of a new found acquaintance at the playground or to the new kid in the neighborhood....I wouldn't be the least surprised if he was called to preach the Word.
Come trick-or-treat night...we'll have our hot buttered cider out..warming in the yard on the camping stove...available to warm the loins of the parents leading their kids around...as well as a bonfire going in the front yard. Our goal is not to one-up anyone else...but to simply be a soft-yet-noticeable presence within our neighborhood. To quietly spread comfort, connection, and the Word of God.

Sometimes you are called to sow...sometimes to reap...Halloween might bring a bit of both.
Tonight was just about a perfect night with the family...and....oh yeah....it snowed:


Beba came out to enjoy the flakes with the kids....in his socks.....
Then we got warm beside the fire:



"..Praise the mount, I'm fixed upon it.
mount of Thy redeeming Love."

Sunday, October 23, 2011

A Horse is a Horse, of course, of course

When we were vacationing in Lancaster County, PA....right up the road from our campground, there was an Amish home...and right next to the driveway was a fenced in horse stable/riding rink that stretched right up to the road. There was a little boy, no more than 8 years old, who had a small horse that he would ride on all the time....some kids ride scooters, skateboards, or 2 wheeled bikes....this kid rode a small horse. I must have seen him on it a dozen times during our trip. So did Gavin.
Our boy took an immediate shine to the horses which peppered the countryside of Lancaster County and, during the harvest season, were all over the fields, hitched to various threshing, mowing, and harvesting equipment, under the lead and direction of many young Amish boys. Being the natural leader that we are seeing our boy emerge to be....it seemed natural that he'd take an immediate interest in those Amish boys who held control of these horse teams.
Upon our return to MA, Gavin still showed an amazing interest in horses. We told him how his mama and I saw wild horses (Mustangs) running wild on the beaches of the Outer Banks, NC and he became even more intrigued. We went to the library and he took out a half dozen books on Mustangs and other horses. He was hooked.
The Lord...seeing all of this...decided to hook us up big time.
My father had an old acquaintance whom he had reconnected with a few years ago and kept in sporadic contact with over the last few years. This man, Mr. Jack Scott, owns "Blessings Farm" in Charlton, MA. which provides riding instruction and horse-keeping direction to kids who would normally not be able to afford it. The way Mr. Scott puts it: "Everyone loves horses. Little kids, who have never seen a horse in real life, are drawn to them and they can't even explain why. They keep pictures of them on their wall and dream of riding horses. Learning to ride and care for horses should not only be for the rich but for any of those kids who have an active interest." Mr. Scott is one of those men of God that, after meeting, you walk away from feeling so fulfilled and blessed and inspired.
This afternoon, Mr. Scott invited us to his farm to meet some of his horses.




The Scott's keep 10 horses on their farm. We met about 4 of them including this absolutely amazing horse names "Abi" (she's pictured in the middle and bottom picture). Abi is a 24 year old Arabian who is absolutely gorgeous. Her countenance around children was something amazing to behold. Now....I had very little preconceived notions about what today would hold. Here's, in order of levels of realistic expectation, what I'd hoped would happen today:
A: Gavin and Ivy would get to pet and/or brush a horse
B: Gavin would get to briefly sit on a horse
C: Gavin would get to be led around on a horse for a lap or two by Mr. Scott.

Never, in a million years, did I expect to witness what actually went down.


We saddled Abi and took her down to Mr. Scott's indoor riding rink (which, just the fact that it exists is a miracle in itself. I won't give away the story but, there is no mistake that this place is called Blessings Farm.) When The Lord puts His blessing into something, there is nothing, no act of man, that can stop His might hand. Hearing how this riding arena got built and the obstacles that were overcome in it's construction was a true testimony to the providence of God. At any rate...Gavin WAS able to mount her:


Mr. Scott led him around on Abi for a full lap and a half and then, when they were both down the far end of the rink, we could hear Mr. Scott talking to Gavin but couldn't hear what was being said.

Chrissy and I were thinking that perhaps Mr. Scott was giving Gavin some history about the horse. Either that, or he was correcting Gavin, in his infinite Alpha- Male persona, on some overly-aggressive actions....we couldn't have been more wrong. Mr. Scott, who is one of the most patient men that I have ever met in my life, was instructing Gavin on how to control and lead Abi on his own.
2 minutes later....we saw this:

and then this:

and this:

and this:


for the better part of 30 minutes, Gavin led this horse...weaving her around the rink, around us and then back down towards the far end and back again...over and over and over. I was in utter disbelief. Mr. Scott had told us that Abi was an exceptional horse in that she was so in tune with the youngest and most inexperienced riders, but then, when mounted with a professional rider, could manipulate barrel-racing obstacles like she was shot out of a cannon. I was almost brought to tears watching my son connect with this beautiful animal. While he was mounted...we talked about "dominion" and how The Lord gave us these animals to work along side us....to help us accomplish tasks while we cared for their needs. This was a beautiful afternoon on so many levels.
Ivy even got a turn:


She was fearless. Ivy has had an affinity towards animals her whole life. I know that most kids like the idea of animals...but Ivy has such an interest in them. She wants to pet every animal she sees. She talks about them all the time. She pretends that she's a kitten 86% of her waking hours. I wouldn't be surprised at all if she found her life's work along side animals.

It was a wonderful day...far exceeding my expectations. It's amazing when you meet a fellow brother in The Lord who has submitted to Him and is doing The Lord's work. You get to see the may facets that The Lord calls us to. To some, it's direct ministry: pastoral, counseling, theology. To others, it's public service and loving the unloved. To some others, it's homeschooling and training up the future generations.
And for others, it's something unique.....like keeping horses and inviting scores of children to learn to ride, keep, and care for these amazing animals...and not "the elite"...but regular, everyday kids of hard-working, blue-collar parents. Mr. Scott has made it very clear that horses should be for everyone who has the desire...not just those who can afford it.
Today was one of those things that you probably couldn't fully appreciate without being there yourself....which you can be: Blessings Farm in Charlton, MA....ask for Mr. Jack Scott.

That farm is the most aptly named place I've ever been to.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Leo Family in Lancaster County Photo Dump

Some random shots from our trip that didn't fit into the other blogs:


There's "Cozy" and then there's "Camper Cozy"...guess which one this is?


The "Pantry". Notice how the entire top shelf is medical supplies. We were prepared to treat minor scrapes and burns, gunshot wounds, and everything in between.


Gazebo Rain Dance!! Behind the kids is the "bridge" that "MillBridge Camp Resort" gets part of its name...despite the fact that it was all borded up and looked like it was one 30 mph wind gust way from being reduced to kindling.


I put the "Der" in "Wonderland".


Here's "The Bean"...booger-nose and all...but pleasant as can be. Notice our fishing gear leaning up against the tree behind her. it didn't get much use....the only thing we found in the "Fishing pond" was an old boot......and a flip-flop. I wish I were kidding.


There's nothing like a battle-scarred, well-rested, armed 4 year old. WOLVERINES!!!


We don't let our kids play with fire....just near it ;^)

Some random campground silliness:







Last but not least...I give you....the only pay phone in Lancaster County:

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Leo Family in Lancaster County: Part 5

Sometime mid-week during our time in Lancaster County, I KNEW that I was officially on vacation. Someone asked me the date...and I literally had no idea. I gave a date that was 3 days off from what it actually was. Also...at one point...Chrissy asked me what day of the week is was...and it literally took me 5 minutes to figure out if it was Tuesday or Wednesday. That's one way of figuring out if you are on a good vacation...if you can truly forget what day of the week it is. Anyway....that was 3 (or 4) days earlier. Come Saturday morning, there was no mistaking what day it was....it was moving day. I had asked for a late checkout, which our campground wasn't able to oblige because they had our site booked to someone else that afternoon. It felt like we had always been there...and there was certainly a feeling of ownership over that site. 7 days in Lancaster County had felt like a wonderful lifetime....and it felt like a bit of a sacrilege to just hand over our home base to some stranger like we were being asked to do.....but.....reality settled in and we started rounding up our things and packing up our site.
God is so good....just at the same time that I really needed to focus on packing up the site....a time that I knew was going to be hard for the kids to emotionally be a part of...the campground owner ran a hayride for the kids!!! Ours and Susan's were the only ones around....so while I packed up our camper, Chrissy and the kids had the wonderful distraction of a hayride throughout our campground:





"Daddy Dog" buttoning up the site as the kids flew past on the hayride.
Chrissy brought the kids over the Susan and Dave's cabin to give me time to finish closing up the camper.

The older boys playing with their motorcycles that they got at the flea market we went to the day earlier.

Ivy helping Aunt Suse clean up their cabin.

One last romp in the driveway before packing up the bikes.
Well....sooner than we all would have liked to admit...our campsite, which provided a wonderful home for us for a week....a place that felt like we had ownership of for much longer than we actually did....no longer looked like our quaint home away from home, but rather like this:


The saving grace in all of this was that this was more of a "soft" farewell....at this point, we weren't heading home to MA, but rather to Chrissy's mom's home in Southern NJ for 3 days....our vacation would continue for a few more days...but it would be nothing like what we had just experienced.
You want to know how you can tell if you had a successful vacation with your small children....here's how you can tell:

When you are pulling away from your vacation spot and you children are hysterical with sadness. That's how you know that you've pulled off something awesome that they will remember forever.
We headed East....towards New Jersey....looking forward to spending time with Chrissy's family....but leaving a place that still lay heavy in our thoughts. Lancaster County certainly left a lasting impression on our hearts....as well as our camper:


We've already started talking about what our next adventure will be....North to the White Mountains or farther up into Maine.....South into colonial Williamsburg, VA or Washington D.C.....Northwest through upstate New York and into Canada to see the Falls....Although....at this point....the bar has been set pretty high....it will take something special to top what we just experienced....and quite frankly....I'm not in any hurry to try to best it.

If the Amish taught me anything...it's to take it slow....enjoy the process.....treasure the journey.....relish in the simple.

Done and done.


Additional random pics from our trip coming in the final installment tomorrow

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Leo Family in Lancaster County- Part 4

I'm blessed that Chrissy's twin sister, Susan, married one of my very close friends, Dave. I'm also blessed that Susan and Dave's kids are just about the same age as ours. Our kids and theirs have a great cousins relationship, despite only seeing each other 4 or 5 times a year. It's kind of like me and Dave in some aspects. We have a kind of relationship where we could go 9 months without seeing or talking to one another then, when we finally get together, it's like it had only been 3 days since the last time we hung out. Dave was awesome in putting this vacation together. he did tons of leg-work securing our campsite, finding out about the best local spots to visit....what restaurants to hit up, which touristy stuff to check out, etc.
We visited some major smorgasbords for breakfast and dinner. One place that we hit was the "Plain and Fancy" restaurant. They promote themselves as a "Farm to Table" restaurant, getting most of their vegetables and meats from the Amish farms in their surrounding area. It was a family style meal that featured just about the best food I've ever had. The best fried chicken, roast beef, gravy, chicken and dumplings, desserts....If you ever hit up Lancaster County for a vacation, The Plain and Fancy Amish Feast would be my #1 recommendation for good eats out that way. They also had a cool play area and petting zoo:

Hangin' with horses.

I am currently working on putting a materials list together to see what it would cost to build one of these clubhouses out back. This thing was stellar....complete with flower boxes and a loft.

Not exactly sure why, but I LOVE this shot. Our kids are typical 2 and 4 year olds, and they have their squabbles...but they really do love each other, and care for one another. I think this shot captures that beautifully.

My pumpkin with a pumpkin.

Earlier in the day, leaving from the same campus as the Plain and Fancy....we took a 3 mile legit Amish Buggy Ride:

The boys got to sit up front with our less-than-talkative Amish driver "E.J.". The Amish traditionally do not take photographs of themselves...they hold pretty literally to the command in Exodus 20:4..."You shall not make unto yourself any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth." In fact, they take this verse so literally that the dolls that the little Amish girls play with don't have faces on them. they are o.k. with getting photographed from behind, though...which works out because....the one time my kid is riding shotgun in an Amish buggy....graven image or not...I'm snapping a picture...you got that E.J.?! :^)

here's the fam outside the buggy hanging with the horse that just trotted us around. At the mid-point in our ride, we stopped at an Amish farm for fresh baked cookies and homemade root beer. Very, very nice.

As a parent, you always want what's best for your child. And even though they are young, you hope that they develop skills and interests that will fuel them throughout their lives. It's nice to see your kid's ambition. Gavin has pretty much made the decision that he wants to be an airline pilot or a Belgian draft horse when he grows up.....we're so proud. *sniff*
When we got back to our campsite...i think that this was Thursday night....5 nights into our vacation....we were treated with the Amish equivalent of the Ice Cream Truck:

The Snack Wagon!!!
Let's get fat Amish Style! The Stoltzfus family came through our campsite peddling all sorts of amazing baked and canned goods. We bought some cookies, a pumpkin roll, and several jams and jellies from this wondrous little horse-drawn cart of love. One thing that I had found while vacationing out here is that the Amish don't, in any way, thumb their noses at those who live a "modern" life. They understand that sustaining their way of life greatly depends on the tourism that perpetually invades their County. They don't pass judgement on anyone who holds beliefs different from their own. With that in mind...it was neat to have conversations with them and pick their brains a bit. As I was buying some jam from Mrs. Stoltzfus, I had mentioned to her that our family keeps a rather large garden and small "orchard" at our home and that this past Summer I had experimented with my own homemade jams and jellies. I had brought a few jars with me on our trip and I gave one of my Cherry Jam jars to her and her very quiet husband. She said that she was excited to try it and thanked me for it. I wonder if she and her family actually cracked into my jam or if they accepted it kindly and then privately threw it out, as not to let any influence of the "English" into their home. I'd like to think that they enjoyed it over breakfast the next day, spreading it over some fine fresh-baked bread and thinking "that Englishman puts together a fine jam....he's alright".

That night our kids got some playtime in the Haggerty family loft:

and we got ourselves a good campfire hang outside in the crisp Autumn night:


We had been in Amish country for 6 days....with less than 36 hours left to go....none of us were ready to leave...and it wrenched my gut to think about packing up our site. I guess that when the last full day of vacation makes you feel sick....that means that all the days previous were amazing.
2 more sleeps in the camper....then back to reality.

Wrapping it up in part 5 tomorrow.