The Talens' Tales

Mataya had her 4 month immunizations yesterday, so today I had an extra tired baby who just wanted to be near mom. Thankfully, she still slept really well, so hopefully she will be back to her normal self soon. The check up went well. She is now 12 lbs, 10 oz and 63 cm long. So she has gained two pounds and grew 6 cm. They were a little concerned about her length to weight ratio, that she may be a bit too slim. But I don't really buy it. We will see what the family doctor says at her check up with him on Monday, but as far as I can tell, she is a happy, healthy and active baby. I don't think she would be nearly as good if she was really hungry all of the time.

Sorry for all of you who have been following this saga on Facebook, but I thought the blog needed one post about the corn field. You see, this is a big deal. It is the first time in 27 years of farming on this Island that this farm has planted and harvested corn. It was the dream of my husband and this year it became a reality. Having grown up surrounded by corn fields, I never really thought one person could get so excited about a field of corn. But his excitement was contagious, both to myself and Joash.  There were many trips to check on the corn after it was planted. And then Monday was the day. The day to chop corn. While my almost three year old is usually pretty excited to get up in morning, I have never seen him as ready for a day as that morning. He ate his breakfast quickly, got dressed easily and then stood by the door and declared, "I am ready to go to the farm!" We bagged it this year and there was more corn silage there than anyone thought. We fill...

Detective Avery North has experienced her share of loss both inside and outside her time of work. But when two young women are found dead within a short time from another with some very interesting connections, Avery knows she needs to act quickly before yet another young woman falls victim to this killer. Dangerous Passage  by Lisa Harris follows Avery on the search for the killer. And not only is Avery busy with her work as a detective, she is also a busy single mom and on the brink of a new relationship with Jackson Bryant. Jackson a medical examiner provides both important clues to her case and some needed distraction in her life. But, when this case hits a bit too close to home, will Avery and Jackson be pushed closer together, or ripped apart? I enjoyed reading Dangerous Passage . It was an very engaging novel and also very relevant and current to the realities of the world we are living in. I appreciated that these were Christian characters who were struggling wi...

I don't know about you, but it is 9 pm on Monday, and I am tired. I think part of it is we had a busy week of  "firsts" over here, all which remind me that my kids are growing up way to fast. Our fall activities have started. I attend a Coffee Break Bible study on Tuesday morning and Joash has moved up to Story Hour. We have now entered the time of crafts to take home. "Clear the refrigerator." said Wilbert. I was nervous for this transition because he did so well in the nursery he was in last year. He loved the ladies that took care of him because they brought tractors for him to play with. But Story Hour went well with just a few tears. Then on Sunday Joash started to go to Junior Sunday School. This means he sits in church with us for the first half of the service, then goes to the front of church for the Children's Message and then heads downstairs for Sunday School. He did really well with this one. He was pretty quiet during church, sat in the fr...

Mom: Hi Mataya!  You are 4 months old already! M(ataya): I know! I am so excited about that! Mom: I can tell. You certainly do love to smile. And you have a very lovely smile too. M: Thanks, mom.  Mom: So, what is new in your world? M: Not to much really. I am growing. I am rolling both ways now. I love my brother. I like to be in the swing in nursery. It is nice to take a nap then. Mom: I am glad you take a nap then too. You are much happier the rest of the day if that happens.  M: I think it is safe to say I am a morning person right now. Mom: I would agree. You are so happy and content in the morning. But by about 5 pm, you have had it for the day. Anything else that you like to do? M: I like to spin the rattle on the exersaucer. It doesn't scare me any more like it used to. Mom: Well, I think it might be getting close to time for a nap. Are you ready for that? M: You bet mom. I don't mind going to my bed most of the time now. Sleep is usuall...

Not too much to say today. Just some fun pictures to share.  Joash showing Mataya the different machines used to harvest crops. Mr. Potato Head glasses! Silly monkey!

And the start of the school year is upon us. Not that anyone in this house is going to school or anything, but this time of year is always interesting to me. I guess my 17 years of school followed by 6 years of teaching really makes September a big month in your life. And this September it seems crazy to think that next September I will have a preschooler!  But this is the sort of early education taking place at our house these days... Joash loves to show Mataya the finer points of using the telehandler to move round bales. In just this last week, he has decided that he likes to play by her. So all around her gym and exersaucer are tractors and round bales. It will be a sad and difficult day when Mataya become mobile and interested enough to grab onto all of these items  and start putting them in her mouth. But for now, I love watching this older brother introduce his sister the world.