We’ve added a new member of our family & a Kua’aina Ranch update

I have been MIA for a really fun reason this last week. We have added a new member to Kua’aina Ranch!  My reason stands taller than me, has wayyyyy better hair than me and weighs about 1000 pounds more than me…  His name is Maxwell Kailua Pratt or “Max” as we call him.  We are in love… all of us!  This newest member is an 8 year old Quarter horse gelding, and he is a dream come true for our family, one we have been praying to find for a few years now.  We have been getting into a routine with him, trying to remember how to do the simple things like groom, saddle up, and where Max likes to be scratched best!  Most of this comes back like riding a bike… but not all.  I am super thankful for a mom that got me right back up on a horse, one that remembered how to tie up a cinch, etc…  I hadn’t been on a horse in about 18 years, and it is once again AMAZING!!!  I am hooked!  All three of my kiddos are taken by him, and my hunky hubby handles him better than all of us combined.

We still need to get a full family photo with Max… but it was dark when I finally got him back home over the mountain! So, Cory snapped this quick pic! They were so surprised and thrilled!

I’ve been learning through having Max on the ranch just how therapeutic time with a horse can be.  He is always there in the paddock, stall or the pasture.  Max rarely has his own agenda, unless he’s super hungry, so he loves to just hang out.  My 9 year old starts her morning by throwing some boots on, grabbing her favorite book, and running down to feed a flake of hay and just spend time talking to Max.  She’s spending hours worth of time reading to him, sharing her heart with him, and building a beautiful relationship.  He is building trust in her, and she in him.  They yearn for time with each other, time to talk, listen, or just be silent together.  Sometimes I hear him crying for her when she’s out playing on the property… he whinnies for her attention and keeps an attentive eyes and poised ears towards her most of the time.  They have a special bond.  One worth tending to.  Investing in.  A bond worth fighting for.

Lucy finally has her sweet horse! You can honestly watch their love for each other grow…

She could do this for hours…

Grooming

Lucy’s first ride on Max!

I love this analogy of how a relationship with our Father in Heaven can be so very much the same as that between Lucy and Max.  Our God is always here for us desiring just this kind of a relationship with each of us.  He has a flexible schedule, but treasures each second with us.  He loves it when we talk to Him, not just at meals and bedtime with our littles… but when it’s our M.O. for any reason at all.  He wants us to read with Him and enjoy each handpicked story in His word.  He wants to hear our hearts and live in it.  He desires us to think on Him 24/7, and just like Max; He keeps His eyes on us always.  His ears are always ready to hear our worries and He promises to carry them too.  This bond with Jesus is the MOST precious relationship we can ever have and yet often times we don’t tend to it, invest in it or take time with it.

For me, having Max join us last week has been such a joy.  It has also been such a great reminder of the need to tend to my heart.  To invest in time with my Savior, to talk to Him as my very best friend, for He is just that.

Hayden was actually just working out… but Grammy got him out there to work through some newness with Max! Instantly bonded!

And now Hayden can’t get enough riding in… too bad someone has to be responsible and can’t take kiddos on rides all day long! 😉

Hayden, Max and Me! Thanks for the pic Lu

And then there was Grey… she had a little bareback ride and experienced a horse for the first time ever! The love was mutual!

We are going to continue loving on and investing in Max.  And I find myself intensely thankful for the simple, sweet, subtle, yet serious reminder to keep loving on Jesus, building a relationship with Him, investing time in Him, and keeping my eyes fixed on Him.

~Sincerely, Dani