The Talens' Tales

So, way back over March Break, the local CBC had several March Break Stay-cation give aways. For the family pass for a Cows Creamery tour, you had call in a moo. My husband called from the barn and was one of the entries chosen to be played on the radio. And he name was also one of the random entries drawn to win the prize. We were supposed to go on a tour of the creamery during March Break, but a crazy snowstorm hit that day. so they told us just to stop in any time during the summer to use our pass. So, we finally went today.  Before we left, we told Joash we had a surprise for him today. "What is it?" he asked. We said that he would have to wait and see. "Is it a silage cart?" he asked. Can you tell what our dinner time conversations have been about lately? We had a nice tour and enjoyed the free samples. We decided to get an early lunch at The Big Orange Lunchbox. Wow! It was very yummy! I am telling you, if you are on PEI and you like a good burger and h...

Well, life is settling back down and that is a good thing. This week has been awesome to just be home, be a family and take some time to do some things that I enjoy. As I look back on this week, I can only smile as my kids bring me so much joy. How can you not smile at a face like this?  Or this?  My goals for the week are going really well. Potty training has gone better than I ever thought it could. And I attribute it to the fact that Joash was really ready. I don't know that I want to actually say he is totally diaper free and jinx myself, but I haven't change a big bum since Monday and I really like that. Mataya is doing excellent as well. The last two days have gone much better in the nap department. And she has been able to nap more in her crib, which great too. The biggest change I made was to put her down earlier for her naps and it seems to be helping a lot. She has been falling asleep without her soother as well, so progress is being made. And she is just so...

Wow, it is so hard for me to believe that Mataya is two month old already. Time is going by so quickly. But now that VBS is finished for this summer, I feel like I can slow down a bit and take some time to just enjoy things.  Though I did set out two big challenges for myself this week. One is to try potty training with Joash. So far, so good. I do think he is ready and I plan to give it three good days before I decide if it is working out or not.  The second challenge was to try to get Mataya to nap in her crib. She sleeps great at night in her crib, but she doesn't want to nap in there. And the VBS week did not help matters at all. So, I was giving is a good effort today, but she is napping in her swing again right now. She was getting too tired I think and that does not help out the matter at all. So, this is her favorite way to nap right now. She had her 2 month immunizations on Friday, which went as well as can be expected. She is 10lbs, 10 oz and 57 cm long. ...

Patrick W. Carr is back with the second book in the Staff and the Sword series, The Hero’s Lot . The story of Errol Stone continues as Errol is wrongly accused of a crime and sent on a journey to an enemy kingdom to find Sarin Valon, the corrupt church leader. Errol gathers around him an unlikely crew of people to aid and guide him along the way. In the meantime, Martin and Luis are sent back to Errol’s home village to try to learn more about Errol. Once the truth is learned, Martin knows he must find Errol and share this knowledge with him.  Along their journey, Martin and Luis encounter the followers and the power of Aurae and learn to believe in things they did not count as truth before. The Hero’s Lot is a great follow up to The Cast of Stones . Of course, now I cannot wait for the third book to come out to see what sort of adventure Errol is sent on next. This book was full of action, adventure and secrets that kept me quickly turning the pages, eager to know what happ...

 Mom: Mataya, you are 2 months old today! M(ataya): I know Mom! Time goes by so quickly. Mom: You're telling me. And you are growing and changing so much. Tell me a little about what you like to do.  M: Well, I like to eat, sleep and I have started to coo and smile. I like the reactions I get from people when I coo and smile at them. Mom: It makes everyone to happy to see that nice little smile and hear the sound of your cute voice. M: I also really like watching my brother. But he is a little crazy sometimes, mom. I have to keep turning my head to watch him.  Mom: I know, he is full of energy. How is sleeping going? M: I like to sleep. Right now I like to nap swaddled up really tight and I like to nap in my swing. At night I like to be in my bed and I usually want to see you one time during the night mom, just to make sure you are there. Mom: And I don't mind that at all, Mataya. M: I also like to be on my tummy quite a bit. It feels good and I can...

We had some more visitors this past week. They are a couple who both taught with us when we lived in Minnesota. They were taking a trip for their 35th wedding anniversary and decided to make PEI the destination. We were so happy to have these visitors and to give them advice on what to see and do while they were here.  The ever popular top of the car self timer shot, with a just up from nap, so not ver cooperative Joash and missing Mataya who was napping.  We love having visitors!

What if a person could really see God? Hear Him? And know what He wants that person to do? These questions are ones the characters in When Mockingbirds Sing have to answer. Will they believe? Leah is a 9 year-old loner. She stutters and this disability has left her outside the circle of her peers. An artist as well, Leah paints a painting unlike anything she has ever painted before.  It turns out to be a prophetic painting that changes the life of one man in the small town she and her family call home.  Leah says she painted what her invisible friend, the Rainbow Man, told her to paint. As more paintings continue to come, they turn darker and both Leah’s family and the rest of the town don’t know what to do with her. Leah continues to encourage them to believe, before it is too late. This was an interesting book. Part of me liked it and the other part didn’t. I don’t think there is anything wrong with the story itself, but I think it is more of personal preference...

Last week we had a busy week with visitors. My whole family came and we had a wonderful week together. It started out with Mataya's baptism. It was so wonderful to have my whole family here for that. And we surprisingly nicely coordinated our outfits, so we had to take a family picture.  The rest of the week was full of lots of other events. There was the Canada Day church picnic, taking Joash to his first Canada Day fireworks, deep sea fishing and supper at Fisherman's Wharf, a day at the farm, and a tour of Charlottetown on the Harbor Hippo. We also had lots of meals together and enjoyed some time at the vacation home my parents rented for the week. We were so happy to show our family how wonderful the Island is in the summer and introduce them to Mataya. We can't wait to see them all again soon.