The Talens' Tales

 We have been having some fantastic fall weather as of late. Nice sunny days with just a little crisp feeling in the air. It has been great. Yesterday, when I realized that we were desperatly low on fruit in the house, I decided it was time Joash and I went apple picking. There a nice little U-pick orchard just down the road from us. And when I heard that the Cortland apples were ready, we headed right over. Joash enjoyed riding in the wagon. There were a lot of apples, but they were all on the smaller side, size wise. But that meant they were perfect for Joash's hands. While I was picking apples, Joash sat in the wagon. He soon started a fun little game of dropping any apple he could find over the side of the wagon. When I was done, I put the bags of apples at Joash's feet. I figured he would be busy enough hanging on to the side of the wagon that he would leave the apples alone.    We started the walk back and I watched as Joash, not hanging on to the wagon at all, be...

If you look close you can see the first two pearly whites poking through. He is quite proud of them.

M(om): Joash, you are getting so big! J(oash): I know Mom! It is pretty impressive how much I have grown in 11 months. M: So what is new and exciting in your life these days? J: Well, some things are pretty much the same. I still like to eat, though my favorite foods seem to change every day. I like variety, Mom. I think my favorite food right now are peaches and bread. I love bread. Dad call me a bread monster because I like to stuff big pieces in my mouth. M: What other things are the same? J: I still like books. It is fun to hear the new books that you are getting Mom. I really like the new stories. I also love toys that make noise. I also love my bath and splashing you while I play. The outdoors is great as well. I am glad that the weather is staying nice so that we can go outside a lot. M: What about sleeping these days? J: Sleep is nice and waking up is nice. I know that you will come and get me once you hear me talking, so I guess I don't need to cry much any mor...

The last few days have been really nice and we have just been enjoying our time outside with our daily walks. There have been some horses that come up to the edge of the fence as we walk by and we stop to say "Hi" as we walk by. There has also been some different construction work and harvesting happening, so there have lots of different things to see and watch on our walks.  As you can see, Joash give his approval as well.

Joash was introduced to Farm Show  quite early in his life. And since he likes reading anyway , I thought it was so cute when I found him looking at Farm Show  on his own. "Look at this Mom! What a great idea!" I really think he like the sound the pages made when he turned them. What a silly boy!

Well, even though this picture is still from when it felt like summer, I would say that it is starting to feel a bit more like fall. And with fall comes a little bit more of a routine and schedule for our lives. The most exciting part of that is Coffee Break, of course. Today was the second one and when we found out our groups and I think I have a fairly awesome group this year. It will be fun. I had a great time today and one of the things that makes it nice is how well Joash goes to nursery. I think since it is the nursery he always goes to and there are always a lot of kids to watch, that helps. He is a content little guy who just likes to crawl around and find different toys to play with. And he has great people to take care of him too, one of whom told me she loves reading my blog. Thanks!

A monster has taken control of Southland? Will Leo be able to defeat the monster and bring peace back to the land? Veiled Rose by Anne Elizabeth Stengl is a fantasy novel about a world where the line between the physical and spiritual realms is hard to see. Leo meets the mysterious Rose Red while he is at his aunt’s home in the mountains. They are great friends for the summer, though Leo knows there is something different about Rose Red, who always wears a veil over her face. During this summer he learns about the monster and he vows to defeat it. Little does he know what defeating this monster really means. Since I enjoy a good fantasy novel, I really found this book engaging. I like the older feel to writing and way of speaking that the characters had. I enjoyed finding the parallels between the world of this novel and life on Earth. This is a great read for any fantasy loving reader. Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher Bethany House. ...

We have a little monkey on our hands. This is Joash's new favorite activity.  Use Dad and Mom as jungle gym. He will crawl over, sit up to turn around and then crawl back over. He will repeat this several times. It is a lot of fun! Joash also managed to stand up by out dining room table chairs yesterday. Unfortunately, he stood up under the table, so every time he moved, he tapped his head on the table. He didn't really know what to do about that. "Umm...Mom, I could use a little help here."

I have already posted about Joash getting into the tupperware cupboard. He is an expert at getting his toys out of the basket and getting his books out of the basket under our coffee table. Most moms have the experience, I think, where things are a little too quiet and you know that means trouble. Well,  I haven't had many of those experience yet (but I am sure they are on the way.) For now it seems like when ever Joash is too quiet in the living room, he has pulled out his book basket and is looking at some of his books. Too cute for this book loving mom. And yesterday I watched Joash crawl up the steps outside from the ground to the deck. It is only like four steps, but I could not believe it. Of course, he has no fear of trying to go down facing forward, so I really have to keep an eye on him. He hasn't tried the steps inside the house yet, which is good since there are a lot more and they are bare wood and very slippery. He is growing up so fast!

Dad and Joash had a lot of fun on Saturday. I guess Joash enjoys making a mess and loud noises. What could be more fun that that?

Joash is certainly growing and learning so much these days. He is crawling all over the place and is starting to get into a little bit of mischief.   While he can't pull himself up to standing all the way yet ( he is trying really hard, so I don't think it will be too long) if he gets a little help, he loves to be on his feet. He hangs on pretty tight yet, but each day he is more steady on his feet.  And today he discovered the Tupperware cupboard. Well, I helped him out a little since he wanted to be in the kitchen with me and he kept getting under my feet. This kept him quite busy for while. He is a sturdy little guy.And his first teeth are just starting to peek through (that's right, teeth. We are getting at least two in one shot.). I will get a picture once they are a little more noticeable.

What would you do if you were given a second chance? In Dry as Rain by Gina Holmes, Eric Yoshida finds out. Eric and Kyra Yoshida’s marriage is in ruins. This is not how Eric envisioned his life going nor does he want his marriage to end, but he has no idea how to put the pieces back together. But when Kyra is in a car accident and loses part of her memory, Eric knows he has a chance to save his marriage and win back the woman he loves. Dry as Rain is a great book. It is probably one of my favourites I have read this summer. The writing is fresh, modern and realistic. I feel like I am listening to Eric recount his story while sitting a coffee shop with a nice hot chocolate. It was a quick read for me because I wanted to know if Eric and Kyra are able to reconcile their differences. And through it all, the grace of God and the power of the truth shines through. It is a wonderful book meant for those last days on the beach. Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book fre...

Which is a good thing since it started so late. We headed to the beach yesterday after our Sunday afternoon naps. Joash loved seeing everything that is on the beach, especially the seagulls. He like listening to the waves and didn't mind sticking his toes in the water. He did not like touching the sand with his hands, however. I think it was because it stuck to his hands and he couldn't figure out how to get it off. We buried his feet in the sand, which he thought was pretty funny. On days like this, I am even more glad that I live on this island.

I really enjoy watching Wilbert play with Joash. I don't know if it is just because it give me a break or what, but it is so fun. And I think that part of it is that Wilbert is a bit more creative in his play with Joash than I am. He does silly things like put a pair of our socks on Joash's hands like boxing gloves, or on his feet so he can ski across the floor. He will stick a sticker on Joash's hand and watch him try and get it off. Wilbert will put random things on his head or on Joash's head and see what happens. You never know what will happen next when you are playing with Dad.  Joash skiing across the floor in a pair of my ankle socks. "Skiing is fun!"

You know how we like to get a deal on things (see here and here for examples). Well, I feel like I got an okay deal on some things this past week. I am a member a group on Facebook called Charlottetown Kids Buy, Sell, Swap. It a great place to post things that you are either looking for or want to get ride of. You have to act quickly though. Most things are snatched almost as soon as they are posted. I always look for things for Joash, but have never had very much luck. Until this week. I had noticed a lot of boys clothes, but was too late to get it. Then the seller reposted, saying the original buyer had changed her mind. So I jumped on it and got it. It was as a set of  18-24 months clothes, which I know Joash will grow into. The next say, I saw another seller posting a lot 12-18 month boys clothes. I just happened to be looking shortly after she posted it, so no one had commented on it yet. So, I did and as I was looking at her other pictures, I noticed she had a winter coa...