The Talens' Tales

On Sunday, we had cake to celebrate Joash's birthday. We gave him a piece to see what he would do with it. He didn't want it at all. He just pushed it off his tray. Wilbert tried to give him a little taste of frosting, but he didn't even what that. All he wanted was the puffs he usually has after his nap. So, we tried to persuade him for a little bit, but he really didn't want it. So, when it really was his birthday on Tuesday we thought we would try again. And this is how it went:  "Oh, Dad is offering me something. Okay, I will give it a try."  "Hmm...not bad."  "Maybe one more little taste."  "Wow! This is the best stuff ever! I am going to stick this whole piece in my mouth."  "This is really good.  What was I thinking on Sunday?" "I really liked my first taste of cake!"

Joash had a wonderful first birthday. He really likes all of the presents he got from everyone. Here is a little run down of Joash's birthday. This is the cake I made. I know, one color looks a bit pink. I was really going for red, but it just didn't happen. The little block on the top what supposed to be Joash's first taste of cake. More on this tomorrow.  Opa, Oma, and Tante Reina came over on Sunday for lunch to celebrate. Joash caught on quite quickly to the whole tearing paper off idea. Now he is well practiced for when Christmas rolls around.  He really is enjoying playing with his new toys and wearing his new clothes. All in all, it was a great first birthday!

M(om): Joash, can I interupt you for a few minutes? J(oash): Okay Mom. But I really like looking at all of the farm magazines. M: Thanks. So, how does it feel to be 1 year old? J: It is good. I didn't know what a big deal it was. Everyone kept singing to me and I got to tear a lot of bright colored paper off of things. How come you won't let me rip paper any time I want too, Mom? M: Umm... you can only rip paper on special days. So what are you up to these days? J: Well, I love to be on the move. I can crawl any where I want, even up the stairs. I also like to stand by furniture and walk around holding on the furniture. The coffee table is my favorite thing to stand by. I like to put things on top of the table and them push them off the side. It is really fun! And getting down is really easy too. M: What are your favorite toys these days? J: I really like the new toys I got for my birthday. I got some fun puzzles and a barn that makes noises when I open up the g...

Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Joash! Happy Birthday to you! I can't believe that Joash is 1 already. We are going to have fun today. I will interview him tomorrow and share all of the birthday festivities later this week.

Today we are going to go on a little adventure with an almost 1 year old. Joash is going to be our guide to the great outdoors.  "This is a leaf. You might want to taste them. I do sometimes."  "It is fun to be in the great outdoors."  "Let's explore! Come on!"  "Let's go over hear by this tree."  "I love being outside. Leaves are really fun to crawl through" "Look over there. A truck! There are so many wonderful things to see when you are outside!"

Well, Joash has mastered going up the stairs. And he is fast! This is where I found him one day. He turned his head and looked at me, smiled and kept climbing. We had been putting off getting a baby gate to block of the stairs. He didn't really seem to be all that interested in the stairs until this week. We needed one that was extra large, since the opening to the stairs is quite wide. Thankfully, our friends , who have just about any baby item you could want, let us borrow a baby gate they had, and it works great! So, no more stair climbing for a little while, unless Mom or Dad lets him.

I brought these bars to a get together last night and some people wanted the recipe. So, I thought I would share it with all of you Mississippi Mud Bars Beat together: 4 eggs 2 c. sugar Add: 1 1/2 c. flour 1 c. margarine 1/3 c. cocoa 1 tsp. vanilla 1 c. coconut (optional) Grease 9x13 pan and back at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. As soon as it is out of the oven, spread 7 oz. jar of marshmallow cream over the top. Then swirl on the frosting. Frosting: 2 Tbsp. cocoa 1/4 cup margarine 3 Tbsp. milk Bring to a boil and add: 2 c. Powdered Sugar 1/2 tsp. vanilla Enjoy!

The other day, I was brushing my teeth while Joash was in the tub. I looked at him and thought, "You have teeth. We should probably be brushing them." So, we have started brushing Joash's teeth and he really likes it. I think he likes both the tastes of his baby toothpaste and the feeling of the bristles on his gum. As soon as he sees the toothbrush coming toward his mouth, he opens up. Just another big boy step for this almost one year old!

So Joash's latest thing is when ever he sees a window, he point at it and make a little noise, like he is asking, "What is that out there?" He really likes to look out windows, and we are not really sure what is grabbing his attention. It is pretty cute because it sounds like he is really trying to talk to us.  "Ha, ha, Mom. You thought I was going to look out the window and point like Dad. That is silly." "Oh, wait. What is that over there?"

A few mornings ago, I was in bed, enjoying the last few minutes of rest before I got up for the day. Wilbert had just left and Joash had not made a sound yet. THWACK! "Great," I thought, "That was a mouse trap. And he just had to wait until after Wilbert left to get his breakfast of peanut butter." Bang! Scamper! Bang! Scamper! "Oh man! It's not dead yet. It is trying to escape, but it is pulling the trap with it. Yuck! I hope it not running all over my house. Maybe if I wait here a little bit longer, it stop moving and die." A few minutes later the racket is still going on down stairs. So, I get up, get dressed and psych myself up to be tough and take care of the mouse. I can't have a mouse running around the house when Joash gets up. It is still stuck between the wall and the oven. Only one of its hind paws is stuck in the trap, so it is not going to die any time soon. I got a small trash can and laid it on its side hoping the mouse would r...

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving a day late! We have a lot to be thankful for this year. One thing we are thankful for is being to be a farm family. We spent quite a bit of time at the farm this weekend as Wilbert's parents were biking Tip to Tip on PEI raising funds for Africa. Joash and I went to visit Wilbert every morning. We went out to the barn to say, "Hi" since Joash would be down for his nap by the time Wilbert came in for coffee. It is fun seeing how Joash's reaction to the barn is changing. When he went to the barn when he was smaller, he was a bit scared. I think there were a lot of noises and the cows were really big. Now, he is really starting to like it. He made a lot of noise over the weekend and he really liked to watch the cats. He would even pet the ones that came close enough. It probably won't be too long and he will want to be in the barn all of the time. And that is okay with us.

I don't really think you can count this as a first word, but Joash certainly knows what to do when he sees a tractor.

Here is Joash sporting his new hair cut! We had to take a picture at home because Mom didn't have her act together this morning. As we just a few miles down the road on our way to coffee break this morning, I realized I had forgotten my phone. Oh well...no big deal right? Then after coffee break, on the way to the hair cut appointment, I remembered I for my camera. Oh well...I can just take pictures on my phone. Oh wait... So, we just have a nice after picture. Joash did really well for his hair but, until he decided to demonstrate his gymnastics skills by doing a somersault out of the chair. So, he is also sporting a new bump on his head, but as you can see from the pictures, he is just fine. What a big boy he is!

No surprise here. Joash like music. Now that he has mastered standing by things, he is starting to pull himself up by the piano and playing a few notes. He gets a pretty big smile on his face while he does this. He thinks he is pretty big stuff.