The Talens' Tales

An annual tradition at Joash's school is Storybook Character Day. This is the first time we really have done the whole costume thing, so it was a bit of an adventure for us. But, it was fun and Joash was pretty excited. Can you guess who he is? A little elfin man, who has gold thread and he won't tell you his name? That's right! Rumpelstiltskin. Joash was very specific about what the hat and beard should look like. And you can't really tell here, but he has a round belly too. Joash was very excited to go to school today and it was great to hear him explain to his friends who he was. What a fun day!

We had a pretty great birthday celebration with our five year old this weekend. Once again, he asked for a tractor cake. So this year I rented a cake pan from the Bulk Barn and I think that it turned out quite well.  Since it was an older style tractor and Joash wanted it to be blue, he decided it was a Ford New Holland. So, it says Ford and then I drew the logo for New Holland.  Joash birthday lunch of choice: Grilled cheese, bacon and orange jello.  He got some very nice gifts as well. All have been well played with over the last day. Happy Birthday, Joash!

Joash is 5 today! Here is what he likes at 5 years old. 1. What is your favorite color? Orange and yellow 2. What is your favorite toy?  Tractors 3. What is your favorite food?  Cake and pizza 4. What is your favorite TV show? Paw Patrol 5. What is your favorite outfit? orange and gray shirt with comfy pants 6. What is your favorite game? Checkers (we played it for the first time last week) 7. What is your favorite animal? Cow 8. What is your favorite song? "Old Polina" (a sea shanty on a record of Songs from Newfoundland in our basement. 9. What is your favorite book? If  You Give a Dog a Donut 10. Who is your best friend? Mataya 11. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play with the pay loader in the sandbox. 12.  What is your favorite drink? Chocolate milk 13. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? My cow - Hazel the Heifer 14.  What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Grilled Cheese, Bacon and Orange Jello 15. What d...

Since someone is turning five soon in this house, we have been doing a lot of birthday preparations. Since Joash's birthday falls on the weekend, he took a snack for his class to school today. We decided to make fruit snakes. I like to send something a little bit healthy for a school snack and his class is in the middle of the a unit on healthy foods.  Joash thought these were pretty fun looking. He (and Mataya) helped me by pulling the grapes off the stems and putting the chocolate chips eyes on the faces. I am pretty excited to hear how his class liked them. Lots more to come about this birthday weekend!

Yesterday we woke up to a covering a snow on the ground. While it was mostly gone by noon, there was still a small pile that had slid off of our roof in the shade that had not melted by the time Joash got home from school. So he and Mataya eagerly played in snow for a while in the afternoon. While I am a not quite ready for winter yet, I love how my kids remind me of the wonder and joy of the changing seasons.

Forgiveness is a state that we live in as Christians. We are forgiven by God through the work of Jesus Christ. But sometimes the reality of showing that same forgiveness to others can be very difficult. Forgiven by Terri Roberts is a story of how she and her family were granted forgiveness in time where it seemed almost impossible. On October 2, 2006, a gunman entered an Amish one-room schoolhouse, shooting ten girls, killing five, then finally taking his own life. This is his mother's story. Not only did she lose her precious son through suicide, but she also lost her understanding of him as an honorable man. It was a trauma that none should ever have to face. But the biggest headlines came when her Amish neighbors did the unimaginable, reaching out to the family of the shooter with comfort and forgiveness. Today Terri lives in harmony with the Amish and has built lasting relationships beyond what anyone could have thought possible. From the grace that the Amish showed Te...

I find it very interesting how your kids can be so different from such an early age. For example, when Joash was very small, even before he was one year old, he loved to sit and read books with me. He would bring books to me all the time, knowing, I think, that I couldn't say no to him when he wanted to read a book. Mataya on the other had has always been on the move. Even when she was young she would only sit still for a few minutes when Joash and I would sit down to read book. But, just in the last few months we have seen a real change in her and we often find her like this... Not always in a crate, mind you, but sitting somewhere with a stack of books around her, paging through each one. She even "reads" quietly to herself mentioning some of the things in pictures. It is super cute. Joash also continues to build things. This was his project today... A tractor of course. The only help he asked for was cutting out round pieces of paper for the wheels. You can...