The Talens' Tales

What do you do with the big pieces of styrofoam that come in the box with your new printer? Make them into cars of course.  Gideon even got to test it out. He was pretty impressed.

I was asked by FishFlix.com , a web site that sells Christian DVDs , if I would be willing watch and review a DVD they carry. I of course said sure. I mean who doesn't want a free movie? I asked for kids video and just a few days ago Owlegories Vol 2 DVD arrived in our mailbox. I had my kids (age 5 and 3) watch it with me. The DVD started with a catchy opening song and cute owls. This dvd has three short episodes that follow the same formula. The owls arrive at school and their teacher gives them a mission to accomplish at the place they are visiting for the day. The mission always have something physical they need to find and something they need to learn about God or what it means to be a follower of Christ. There is also a "bad guy" who tries to stop the kids from accomplishing their mission. But he is never successful. At the end of each episode there is a quick little recap and a teaching moment from a well known author or pastor to really bring the lesson home. ...

M(om): Why hello, Gideon! Your are one month old! G(ideon): Really? I have been around for a long time! M: We are certainly enjoying having your in our family. What do you think about life so far? G: It seems pretty good. I like look all around and I am exploring how my voice works. But most of the time I like to eat and then take a good rest. Growing is hard work. M: I know. I am very thankful that you are such a good sleeper. That really helps mom out. What else have you been up too? G: I have been meeting different family members and friends. I have also been tagging along to many different places with you mom. Most of the time I really like riding in the car. M: You are pretty easy to take places, so it is no problem to take you along. Have you done anything else interesting? G: I went outside the other day and Joash and Mataya showed me everything on the farm. I even went to see the cows. They are really big. M: I am so glad the weather is getting nice so it is...

Summer appears to arrived today from out of nowhere. The kids decided that since it was summer they needed to put on their swimsuits and play in the sprinkler. Last night we had a campfire with all of the in-laws who are on the Island. The big kids had so much fun, so we are going to have to do that more this summer. Yahoo for summer!

We have a three year old in the house! Since we also have a three week old, we kept things pretty low key for this birthday.  Here is the birthday girl trying to show how many fingers she is. Three is a tricky number to do! Her request for her cake was a Hello Kitty cake. This mom was pretty excited that Hello Kitty is mostly white!  Oma and Opa came over for coffee time and cake. Mataya blew her candles out all by herself this year.  Presents! The day before her birthday, Mataya didn't remember or know that birthday's included presents. Today, the day after her birthday, she asked to open more presents. Happy Birthday, Mataya!

What is your favorite color? Pink What is your favorite toy? Books What is your favorite food? Cantalope What is your favorite TV show? Paw Patrol What is your favorite outfit? Hello Kitty shirt and pink pants What is your favorite game? Farmyard Tales Number Chains What is your favorite animal? Dog What is your favorite song? The Owl and the Pussy Cat What is your favorite book? I don't know (and that is the truth, she changes books every day.) Who is your best friend? Joash What is your favorite thing to do outside? Jump in puddles What is your favorite drink?   Chocolate Milk What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Lots of books and stuffed animals What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Macaroni and Cheese What do you want to be when you grow up? A teacher (she talks all the time about when she gets to go to school.)

 Everyone I had talked to said that the third baby is kind of the wild card, especially when it came to labour and delivery. And for me, they were right. In fact this whole pregnancy has been a bit different from my other two. I am not sure if it was because I am older or I was just paying more attention, but it was not as easy as my first two. My first two kids were both 10 days early. So, I sort of figured this one would be early too. But, 10 days early came and went and no baby. But I had been having contractions on and off for a week already, so I was pretty sure my body was getting ready. So, on Tuesday morning, April 26th, I woke up for the day and noticed I did not feel rested at all. I just pushed through the morning things, got the kids ready and then just took it easy. When Wilbert came in for coffee time, I told him I really needed a nap and I was having contractions about every 10 minutes. So Wilbert took the kids outside with him after coffee time and I had a lov...

Secrets and lies. Danger that will never go away. Sins of the Past is a collection of three novellas by well known authors where the past will not stay buried. The first novella is Missing by Dee Henderson, A Wyoming sheriff is called to Chicago when his elderly mother goes missing from her retirement community. Paired with a savvy Chicago cop, the two soon launch into a race against the clock when they realize something dark may lie at the heart of the disappearance. In Shadowed by Dani Pettrey, a dventure, romance, and danger collide when a young Alaskan fisherman nets the body of a Russian open water swimming competitor. Another swimmer, who'd been the dead woman's roommate years ago, is pulled into the search for answers as it grows more and more clear that something sinister is at play. The final novella is Blackout by Lynette Eason. A young woman once implicated in a robbery gone wrong finds herself at risk years later when the real culprit is up for parole. The...

My one request for Mother's Day was a pictures of me and my three blessings. They make my heart full to overflowing.  And Joash had some lovely gifts from school for me. "Blowing kisses your way." Joash also drew this picture of me, wearing an orange shirt. Gideon is the little person and he is crying. I love being a mom to my kids!

Gideon Michael - Born on April 26th at 11:33 pm. 9 lbs 6 oz and 20.5 inches long. It is hard to believe that he is one week old already! We are all doing well and just love this little guy. His siblings can't get enough of him, especially his big brother.  More to come later!