With our kitchen renovation in full swing and the kids out of school for Easter break we packed up the Explorer and set out for Lancaster, PA. It's something I've wanted to do with the kids for a while and my friend, Saskia, had been wanting to do the same. We also took along our "adopted" son, Jakhai, who we met through the
Fresh Air Fund when we hosted him in our home last summer. *
Jakhai, Malcolm (Saskia's son), Megan and Brendan all piled on a bench in front of our hotel for a photo op. After five tries, I gave up on getting them all to look at the camera and smile!! : )
One of the things we wanted to do with the kids was take them on a buggy ride. Our buggy driver was a wonderful Amish man named Daniel. We got to ask him lots of questions about the Amish way of life as he took us on a tour of the neighborhood.
He took us past the one-room schoolhouse that Amish children in that area attended. He told us how children from kindergarten on up all learned in the same classroom. We told him that Malcolm and Brendan are both enrolled in a multi-age class where two grades are combined into the same room. It really was a wonderful experience to learn a little bit about their culture.
Saskia and Megan in the back of the buggy. I think Saskia has a new best friend!! : )
We stopped at an Amish home and were able to get out and walk around a little bit. Above is George who was the horse that pulled our buggy. He is a ten year old Clydesdale horse who is absolutely beautiful. It was so amazing to see him respond to Daniel's commands. He was a little shy but I was able to take a photo of him that I'll post tomorrow for
Wordless Wednesday.
We met some of the work horses in their barn. They were so beautiful and friendly. Brendan was in awe of how big they were. He is my nature/animal lover and kept saying how much he'd love to live in Lancaster.
We also got to go inside the Amish homestead where we got to see some of the crafts they had created for sale in their basement. This is where I met Priscilla. Priscilla is a five year old Amish girl that I fell in love with. She was very shy and didn't speak much. She let me take her picture and then wanted to see it in the camera. That was when she finally smiled. She held my hand and gave me a hug and wouldn't let go. It actually brought tears to my eyes. I swear I would've smuggled her in my purse if it had been big enough!! : )
After our ride was over, we thanked Daniel and George and let the kids play on the swings for a while. We also spotted the most beautiful chicken I've ever seen!! Does anybody know what kind it is?? The black and white feathers are incredible!!!!
We were so blessed to have such a beautiful day filled with lots of great memories!! I'll share some more photos tomorrow. : )
*I can't put into words how happy we are that we decided to sponsor a child through the
Fresh Air Fund and, if you are interested in doing the same, I'd be more than happy to tell you about our experience and where you can get more information.
Many blessings for a happy Tuesday ~ Wendy
