Fall - a time of love

Spring is usually said to be the time of love and new beginnings...

In our family, it seems to be Autumn. All but one of our weddings have occurred in September & October!

Betty & John - Sept 11

(Taken end of August when dropping their kids off before speaking at the OCRC YP week conference)

Rachel & Maurice - Sept 30

celebrated their anniversary in Niagra Falls (see her family's blog for great pictures - thanks for letting me use one, R) while we looked after their kids.
Anneke got an introduction to Canadian "democracy" and the voting process as she got to come along to "help" me vote in the advance polls! The town Fair "happened" to be on right beside the town hall were we voted and so we went for a quick look thru. Anneke even got to try rock climbing! I didn't think she was serious and expected her to change her mind any minute, but no, she was bravely determined to try! Good for you, Anna! A little more patience/encouragement from the instructor and proper shoes would've helped her get higher. Good try tho! She got some organic chocolate to share with Jo (who was happily playing w. Jimmy back at the house- oblivious of the adventures their big sister was having).

After supper, we had a rousing game of Memory

Our audience was the most excited and acting like he really knew what was going on. I was impressed how he never touched any pieces but put his whole body into cheering and "helping"

Ralph and Sharon - October 7
Two of Sharon's siblings got married in October as well:
Steve & Amy and Tim & Charlene

And my friend Kara to Eric

3 lovely maidens patiently waiting their turn... ;)

Mom & Dad - Oct 30Guess where this romantic shot was taken!

May God protect our marriages and make them more and more to reflect their ultimate purpose and meaning:

" to display the covenant keeping love and grace that exists between Christ and His Church" (John Piper in his speech at the True Woman 08 conference - also those following)

"Husbands love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her..." Ephesians 5:25

What an awesome calling and responsibility for the husband who is to take his cues from Christ and "take primary responsibility to give Christlike leadership, protection and provision to his wife" (i.e. headship)

and for the wife who is to take her cues from the church and "honor and affirm her husband's leadership and help carry it through according to her gifts" (i.e. submission)

"Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord." Ephesians 5:22

"Manhood and womanhood belong at the center of God's ultimate purpose.... In marriage, the choreography between husband and wife is meant to be a display of His Son's sacrificing His life for His wife."

Wow!

And single women are not left out as "there are truths that that can be more clearly displayed by womanhood in singleness than in marriage".

Namely: 1) "that the family of God grows by regeneration not propagation" 2) "that relationships in Christ are more precious than biological ones" 3) "that marriage is temporary and ....only a picture... Marriage is NOT the main thing!"

Yet where marriage is founded in Christ and seeks "to display His dying to make a rebellious people His bride", it is a beautiful gift and calling which we do well to celebrate and affirm/protect.

Congratulations and the Lord's grace and strength in living out this divine calling.

(For more from the conference or true womanhood... see www.reviveourhearts.com - thanks for the MP3s, Ralph!)

Boy's Special Outing

One gorgeous, warm and sunny autumn day, Opa & Oma and I (Aunt M) took a trip North to see the colours and go apple picking

with a birthday boy and his best-bud cousin. Yes, Kenny and Timmy are the same age again (Tim is not so sure at this moment). Congrats, Kenny, you're finally free of your booster seat now that you're 8 years old!

Apple picking was a family tradition for many years and a kid I always loved it. Of course these 2 goofy, fun-loving friends have fun anywhere doing anything - especially when they're together :)

"Here, let me pull it - ohhhh its too heavy, I can't do it"

"Oh yes, I can!"

"Oh... I'm dead!" ( you can't see is big grin which he was trying hard to hide)

But a crisply tart or sweet and juicy apple fresh off the tree was all the reviving needed and a good many of these were enjoyed after they were rubbed all shiny on Kenny's shirt (no, we didn't clean our's on his shirt).

Soon it was "No sweat" , or "race you" and a little showing off the muscles build up pulling up to 40-50 lbs of apples. :)

"Look I can carry it myself!"

How's the lunch? "Best bun I've ever had" with thumbs up was Kenny's enthusiastic reply.

I lured the boys away while the apples were being weighed and paid for lest the lady overhear their boasting as to how many apples they ate and decide to weigh them too ;).

There was an interesting structure near the barn that we went to explore.

This is inside an authentic ________ (guess...)

You don't look too convincing, guys

that's better Yes, its a Tee-pee

Kenny's photography (and the inside top shot)

After this we headed for the highlight of the day:

Round the Bend Farm: a family farm set up like a park with exhibits, a petting zoo with interesting facts about the animals. There were soft cute kids, lambs, honking/hissing white geese, big faaattt pigs with their snouts stuck in pumpkin shells noisely eating while flies swarmed around, cute knobby-kneed calfs, interesting looking chickens of various origins and nationalities.... and everywhere differently dressed straw people (some with pumpkin heads). There was a wedding party, the Wizard of Oz characters, football player and many more. Unfortunately, I did not know how to get Chris' camera back into photo mode and therefore we don't have any photos :(.

And then there was the hay-bale maze/obstacle course - that was the greatest! The boys ran and jumped non-stop on it while Oma & Opa were stocking up on fresh, naturally grown produce and poultry at the barn-store. Boy, the boys sure got their exercises today - we had no trouble getting them to bed that night!

BTW, this Dutch CRC family does school tours too! FMI go to: http://www.roundthebendfarm.com/.

"The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof"

Yummy pasta dinner with, yes, green sauce - which after the initial trepidation was eaten with great relish and 2nd & 3rd helpings requested

Dessert was a banana coconut pie which Timmy made specially for the birthday boy. All in all it was a wonderful day. Thanks boys for coming!

We'll have to do this again - with another pair of special kids!

Autumn Outing

Thanks, John and Betty, for having us over on Saturday!

Betty & kids joined us for a visit to Marshville Heritage Village.

Surprise Camping Visitors

Tues evening (Sep 23) around 9 pm, I had just zipped up the tent and crawled into my bed for a long peaceful sleep when I heard a knock on the trailer door! "That's odd", I thought, for all the neighbours had gone to bed some time ago and all was quiet (the long-term campers tend to go to bed around an hour or less after dark which ends up around 8:30 in the fall). I peeped out to see a figure outlined in the moonlight. It was not an adult and the only child nearby was the girl next door but it didn't quite look like a girl -tho with it beeing so dark, it was hard to tell. I wondered what could be the matter and was just about to come out when Mom opened the door and the light fell on the figure who she immediately recognized and exclaimed "Josh! What are you doing here!?!" and "How'd you get here?" No vehicle had come by recently.... Then I saw what Mom couldn't see: a man hiding behind the trailier. Yes, Maurice had taken Josh for his birthday on a trip of his choosing and he had chosen to come here to fish/visit! They had parked the van down the road and walked over to surprise us - that's Maurice, he goes all out :). Tho it didn't take long to set up their tent, it took me a while to settle down to sleep so a fair bit of that long peaceful night I was looking forward to was over. However, this was something worth losing sleep over - for a change!

The next morning we were up early to send Josh off with his Dad in the canoe for his fishing trip

Beached...

(good thing Opa's still strong, tho taking off your shoes and pulling it out to deeper water is still a better option)

After a full morning of fishing in West Lake, the hot and tired fishermen came back - with quite the catch! And guess who caught them all?

Yes, the birthday boy!

3 large mouth bass and one the biggest Maurice had even seen, let alone caught! Josh was pretty pleased and proud to show off his whopper of a bass - 18" !! That's no fishtale, we have the proof!

Guess what we had for supper?!!

Fresh Fried Fish prepared by Maurice, along with Mom's "borenkole met worst" Delicious! - especially when eaten on the beach with the sunset as backdrop. I'd recommend it anytime! Thanks guys!

Here's Dad coming back from a garbage run - crucial to prevent unwanted night visitors after such a meal! (it didn't work tho - they still smelled it and came scrounging at least 3!)

We also enjoyed swimming and playing frizbee in the water before supper - yes it was that warm! and a very brief canoe ride after supper

and a campfire at night - where Josh, after such a very busy and exciting day, fell asleep draped over his chair. "I'll never forget this day" was his parting words as they left for home that night. Glad you had such a good time, Josh - we did too! Come again next year (the welcome goes to other of our family & friends - forewarning and a little earlier in the day is good :)

Other visitors this year were the swans. We've never seen them here before - there were 6 in the river one morning and a number in West Lake! I finally managed to see one on the last day!
Our faithful Mr. Hook who hooks up and drags my trailer in and out of the park each year!

And so ends our vacationing for another year. I praise the Lord for His care and provision for us again - also thru kind campers who noticed the flat on the rear tire on our way to church and another who blew it up (I mean pumped it up) and before that took me canoeing.... Many of the regulars were there - some I didn't recognize who recognized me and came to say hi. And we got to visit some of our friends in the town again too. All in all we came back strengthened and refreshed and glad to get back to our own church again and see the family....

"Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."