The Talens' Tales

Well, I think it is pretty safe to say that summer has arrived. And we like it. I think Joash especially enjoys the freedom of wearing short or no pants at all. It allows him to eat his toes much easier. And nice weather means we can go outside and he loves to be outside. He is not too sure about the sand yet. He always looks a bit worried when he touches it. Hopefully soon he will dip his toes into the ocean for the first time. On another note, please keep praying that our house in the States will sell. Our renters have moved out and our realtor says no one is really looking at houses right now. But all it takes is one person and we would really like that person to come soon. Or at least some quality tenants.

When I first visited the Island while my husband and I were dating, he was pretty specific about when in the summer he wanted me to come. I think he was already trying to win my heart over to living on the Island, because he told me to come at the end of June because that is when the lupins bloom. Well, it is a beautiful time on the Island, and one that deserves to be shared. So here are some lupins for you. Joash admiring the lupins. Lupins come in several different shades of pink and purple. My attempt at capturing what the ditches look like. Sorry about the shadow. I couldn't quite figure out how to get the best angle this late in the day. Hopefully you get the idea.

M(om): Joash, you are 8 months old today! J(oash): I know, Mom. Isn't it great? M: It certainly is.Why don't you tell us what a typical day is like for you. J: Well, I get up around 7 and have breakfast. Then I play while you do some cleaning. I am usually in my ExerSaucer and I really like watching the vacuum move back and forth. I have a morning nap at 9:30 and I usually sleep until 11. 11: 30 is lunch time and then Dad comes home and I watch you and Dad eat your lunch. 1:30 is my next nap and most of the time I sleep until 3:00. Then I have a snack and if it nice outside, we go for a walk or to the beach. I love being outside! My supper is at 6 and you and Dad eat either at 5 or 7 depending on the milking schedule. I play with Dad for a while after I eat and then my before bed snack at 8 and then off to bed. M: You have a pretty busy day. What are your favorite things to do when you play? J: I really like jumping. I jump in my ExerSaucer and I have even jump on the tr...

I am pretty sure Joash is becoming a Daddy's boy. While he loves hanging out with me all day, whenever he hears the door open, he looks to the door and starts wiggling in excitement with a huge smile on his face. If he is in the ExerSaucer, he jumps up and down ans squeals. Last week, I had plans for the evening and the guys were putting up silage, so my mother-in-law came over to watch Joash. He heard the door open and did his usual routine. As the door opened he had a huge smile on his face, but then he saw Oma and that look drastically changed. He didn't cry or anything, but the look on his face said that was not who he was expecting to come through the door. I love my boys and I am glad that Joash loves his Daddy.

As with any child, I think, there is the on going debate about who the child resembles. So, to add a little to the  on going debate for Joash, here is picture I took of Joash this morning.  And this is a picture of my dad when he was about 9 months old. It will be interesting to see who Joash turns out to look like as he grows up.

The fate of humanity lies in David Ponder’s hand. Can he find the one principle that will save man kind? The Final Summit is Andy Andrews latest book and the second book that has David Ponder as the main character. David has been summoned to find the one principle that will save humanity from destruction. David is able to interact with a variety of characters from history in order to determine what the two word principle is before time runs out. This was an interesting book to read. Since I enjoy history, I liked meeting all of the different historical characters and learning the stories of historical figures that were new to me. While a bit wordy and repetitive at times, it was an interesting story and concept. I am thankful, though, that my fate does not lie in the hands of some random man, but rather in the hands of Jesus Christ. Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com < http://BookSneeze®.com > book revi...

It is great how he already knows that yellow is my favorite color. :)

Yesterday it finally felt like summer. So we went to the beach for bit. Joash was mesmerized by the sound of the water and he wasn't to sure about having his toes in the sand.  Smiles on the beach. This is one of the best parts about living on the Island.

 All  of my aunts are the best. I love you all!

Remember this? Oh yeah. The house that we still  own in Minnesota. Thankfully it has been rented out the majority of the time since we have moved. Unfortunately, it looks like our renters are moving out the end of this month. So, we are back to the same old stresses of last summer. During the time it was rented, I sort of forgot about it. I got comfortable. I became self-reliant. What can I do? How can I make this situation better? And now I am a overwhelmed with the enormity of owning a home in a different country, wondering how on earth we are going to make our mortgage payments in a few months. I am pleading with God to bring the people to town who will buy this house and bring them soon. Like today. I sound like broken record. I am relearning the same lessons I learned last summer. I have more to learn about this whole trust thing. Prayers are appreciated as we learn to trust that God's plan is perfect in this. And if you happen to know of ...

We have several apple trees on our yard and they are all in bloom. Yesterday, Joash enjoyed his first interaction with apple blossoms. He touched them and tried to eat some of them. We were not out too long because we had to get back in before the mosquitoes ate us.  It was fun! This is Joash's new cheesy smile. He is pretty good at smiling whenever he sees the camera.

Joash like things that make noise. So last night during supper, Wilbert thought Joash might like to play with the empty chip bag. He had a good time with it. It is sort of like how little kids often like the wrapping paper and boxes the best at Christmas. We do not mind the fact that he likes inexpensive toys.

They keep telling me summer does come to the Island and stick around for a while. But so far, I don't believe it. Yesterday was a beautiful day. Sunny. A nice breeze to keep the bugs away. Temperature in the 20's (that is in the 70's for you in the States. Joash and I sat out side for a bit and went for walk at the beach. Today it is cloudy, looks like it could rain any minute and the current temperature is 12 or 54. So, here are some pictures to help us remember that summer does exist. 

Before Joash was born, I did a bit of reading on schedules and things like that for a baby. Everywhere I read said the best thing you can do for your baby in regard to a schedule is to be consistent, especially with the time you put the baby to bed and the time the baby should get up to start his or her day. So, I picked 8 as the time for Joash to start his day. It worked out really nice around church and things like that. From an early age, I would wake Joash up at 8. I would get up at 7 and do my morning things so I would be already to go when Joash got up at 8. Well, it seems like Joash has some other ideas. He is now sleeping straight through from 8:30 to 7, but he doesn't make it to 8 any more. I am not complaining because not getting up in the night at all is wonderful. So, I have had to adjust my schedule too. I now understand why my mom got up so early in the morning. Life is so much better when I have had a chance to pull myself together for the day before I ne...

While watching Joash grow and develop, I almost feel like I can see his mind at work. We are constantly amazed at the little things he learns to do just about each day. We will be interacting with him and then we will all of the sudden realize he couldn’t do what he just did a few days ago. Things like sitting up are big mile stones, but I also like to notice the little ones. Like putting his arms through his sleeves, lifting up his arms when the tray of his high chair comes, splashing in the tub, drinking from his sippy cup, seeing him stare in fascination as he fingers a tag or ribbon on a toy. How amazing that we have been created with such amazing minds.