The Talens' Tales

We have had a really busy and different week here so far and Joash has been a bit out of whack because of it. So today, he is taking a good nap, which I think he has needed since Sunday. So just a little update from us.  Joash loves spending time with his dad. He has been going for lots of tractor rides and spending extra time in the barn and that has been fun. Sometimes Dad is pretty tired, though. In these next two pictures, Wilbert is asleep after having a meeting the night before. Imagine Joash talking non-stop and moving all around and driving his loader into Wilbert. Wilbert slept through it all.  I also think Joash misses his Oma and Opa. He wants to go to their house all of the time and yesterday he told me he wanted to go on an airplane and see Oma and Opa. We are glad they are enjoying their time away, but we look forward to them being home again soon. And, a new pregnancy picture for you. I don't think the stripes are really helping how big my...

That is what Joash declared today, "I love the moon very well." Joash has had a long love of the moon. And tonight, after many cloudy nights, the moon showed up again. I was cooking supper when Joash came running in from the living room shouting, "The moon! The moon!" So of course I followed him back to the living room so he could show me where it was. "The moon is here again!" he said, pointing with his little finger up in the sky. I guess he thought the moon just didn't show up for the last little while. I am glad for him that the moon has come back once again.

How can one hold onto to their faith in the midst of the most trying circumstances? Jeremy Camp shares his powerful testimony in IStill Believe , a book that will challenge every reader to strengthen the foundation of their faith. Jeremy Camp, award winning Christian music artist, came from humble beginnings. His parents turned to Christ after struggling with substance abuse in their young adult years. Jeremy was brought up in a loving, Christian home, but they were very poor. Yet, he never felt in need. After his own conversion experience as a late teen during summer camp, Jeremy dove deep into the word of God and never looked back. After high school, Camp moved to California to go to college and while in California, he met Melissa. She was a passionate Christian young woman who swept Jeremy off his feet. Melissa was diagnosed with cancer after they met, but after treatment, it appeared as though she was in remission. Jeremy and Melissa were married, but after 3 ½ months of ma...

This post has been rolling around in my head for a while. But, we were all under the weather the last part of the week, so I never got it up. So, some of you may have already seen the different pieces of this blog in other places. We are on our own. Wilbert brought his parents to the airport this morning and they are off for a three week trip in Europe. So, we are on our own as farmers for the longest time we have ever been on our own yet. It is exciting. And scary. Dipping our toes a bit further into what it means to be farmers and to be completely on our own. To know the good and the bad. That things don't always go right, or go like you had planned. Just this morning, twin calves were born. Too early. The cow was outside as she wasn't expected to deliver for another month. Nothing to be done and the calves were both lost. This is the life of a farmer. I am sure many of you saw this commercial during the Superbowl. It made us proud to be farmers and so many of the things...

The king of the land is dying and has no descendents to take over the throne. Will the delicate balance of the land be over thrown as selection process takes over? In a small village far away from the capital, a young man named Errol take messenger job hoping for an easy gold. But, when he finds himself being chased by assassins and then part of a journey to the capitol, he quickly realizes his life will never be the same. Errol learns from his traveling companions that he is a reader. That is, a person can create and cast lots to help with a decision making process. Errol had grown up thinking he was a useless orphan, so this new found purpose takes a while for him to grow into. But through a series of battles and duels and through the teaching of his friends along the way, Errol learns that there is more to him than even he at first realized. This was a great read! While summarizing or explaining the book seems confusing and far-fetched  if you like fantasy liter...

Joash does like to sing. Here are a few videos from recent days.  In this first one, he stood by the fridge for close to 20 minutes playing this song over and over again while I got supper on. The words go "You made a match; look what you found. You made a match. Hear a ______ sound." The blank is filled in by the animal that he matched up. I was doing a bit of work on the computer when Joash sat down at the piano to play his version of "Mary Had a Little Lamb." You will hear him signing and you may also hear the radio in the back ground. I didn't want to go and turn off and have him notice I was taking a video of him. You really never know what he is going to say next! I can say for the most part, that the twos, while it does have its challenges, has been a really fun age.