Caprigalli Haven » Kids

Emma and Seth

Sheryl R. Helms — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 18:18:27 +0000

We were at the barn the other day and Seth wanted to ride Emma. He had been acting hyper most of the evening and when he looked at me he had that wild-eyed, out of control look that I have come to recognize. It’s the look that says, “you can say what you want, but there is no where in my brain that it will process, so it won’t make a difference.” Emma was already wild-eyed herself after giving 4 other kids rides. She was a little out of her comfort zone. Wanting to divert a potential deadly disaster, I told Seth he could not ride, but he could lead Emma around if he wanted. What I saw was absolutely amazing.

Boy and horse walked away from me. Seth had the lead rope tightly gripped in his hands, he was stiff and jerky. Emma’s head was high and she was looking around with whites showing in her eyes. She was prancy and twitchy. They both had a fight/flight air about them. As they walked, Emma’s posture slowly relaxed. She dropped her head so her ears were below Seth’s shoulder and began licking and chewing. Her ears drooped and her feet dragged. She became as docile as a 30 y/o kids pony. At the same time, I saw the tension slowly leave my son. The rope loosened in his hand and his shoulders slouched. When he had circled around I looked into his face. The wild-eyes were gone. This is not the first time this has happened.

I told this story to a friend who also had similar problems as Seth in his boyhood. He said that Seth is out of control and knows he’s out of control. He can’t control his own thoughts and is therefore unable to control his behavior. The feeling of complete loss of control is totally overwhelming. When he walked Emma, he was controlling a huge creature. He was put back in control. He was given power to control a force outside of himself and therefore was able to control the wildness inside. I like this explanation. I am very thankful that God creates a link between Himself and us through His creation.

Camping Trip to Lake Selmac

Sheryl R. Helms — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:37:44 +0000

My mom and I took the kids to Lake Selmac for a camping trip. We had a lot of fun. I’m afraid I was a bit cranky the first few days. I just don’t do heat well! It was 110F one day! The night before we were going to leave a HUGE thunderclap woke us all up! The kids all ended up in our tent. We didn’t have the rain flys on and we got SOAKED! It was fun, though. At least it was warm and wet. We also visited the Oregon Caves. It was nice and cool in there. If you’re looking for a place to go camping, I’d reccomend it.

That’s My Boy!

Sheryl R. Helms — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 04:13:09 +0000

Seth has his own blog which he updated quite a bit today. I think it’s a great idea. It teaches great journaling skills. Life is never dull with this kid. I wish I had more patience and understanding. He’s such a smart kid. I’m glad there are people in his life that were probably just like him when they were young. Of one of his adult friends he said, “Wow, Matt, I bet you were as smart as me when you were my age!” At least he has a healthy self-esteem! Check out his blog at www.smhelms.wordpress.com make sure to leave some comments!

New Arrivals

Sheryl R. Helms — Thu, 29 May 2008 00:06:16 +0000

Camanna’s Velvet Hammer (Velvet) gave birth to twin boys! The first time momma is doing great. The delivery went very well. The whole family got to be there. It was such a good experience for the kids (human!). Lily cried because “It is just so beautiful”. Seth had fun taking pictures of all the bloody parts. I tasted some of Velvet’s milk. Yummy! I just don’t have time or motivation to milk her every single day!