The Talens' Tales

Joash turned 6 last week and he had a great birthday. He requested a Paw Patrol cake this year, so Wilbert and I worked together to make Chase's rig. He was super excited when he saw it for the first time. To school we sent some jello aquariums for his class to enjoy. I think they were a hit. We celebrated with the whole family after school, including both sets of grand parents. My parents arrived from Michigan earlier in the afternoon. The combination of dark blue and black frosting on the cake lefts its mark on us.  Joash also opened his gifts, all of which were greatly appreciated and have since been well used. One of his favorites was a magnetic floor sweeper. "A real tool!" he said.  He also got a Lego set, a subscription to a magazine, a paw patrol toy and a model plane that Wilbert helped him put together. Happy 6th Birthday, Joash!

 G(ideon): Hey Mom, where is everyone? M(om): Well, Daddy is in barn and Joash and Mataya are on a fun outing with Grandma and Grandpa.  And you turned 6 months old earlier this week. G:I know. I feel like a lot has happened this month. M: I think you are right. You have done a lot things this month. What has been the best thing? G: Well, I think the most fun thing has been trying new foods. I love eating in my chair like a big boy. M: What foods have you tried? G: I like rice and oat cereal and so far I have had carrots, sweet potatoes, bananas, peaches and pears. I have tried some bread and Mum-mums as well. It is all really good! M: You are very excited to eat most of the time and that is great. And I think you must be growing because you have been wanting to see me again during the night. G: I just love you so much, mom, and I want to see you. M: What else have you been doing that is new? G: I can move around too! I like to be on my tummy and pull m...

 What is your favorite color? Red and green What is your favorite toy? My Paw Patrol things and Lego What is your favorite food? tomato soup What is your favorite tv show? Paw Patrol What is your favorite outfit? My Paw Patrol shirt What is your favorite game? The marble maze What is your favorite animal? cow What is your favorite song? "God is With Me" from VBS What is your favorite book? How Thing Work Who is your best friend? Ben What is your favorite thing to do outside? Help Dad What is your favorite drink?   Chocolate Milk and Juice (but not together) What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Chase and Zuma What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon What do you want to be when you grow up? A farmer

Today was Storybook Character Day at Joash's school. I tried to make it easy on myself and encouraged Joash to use one of the costumes we have on hand. So, he picked the chef costume and took the book Sam the Chef .  Notice anything about his face? I didn't have time to take a picture before school and we got a call right around lunch time that Joash had a pretty bad fall on the asphalt at school during recess. He was pretty shook up about, so I went to pick him up early today. He seems pretty much his normal self now, so we are not too worried. And of course, school pictures are on the 31st, so we will have to see how well he has healed by then.

Monday was Canadian Thanksgiving. It always seems a little weird to me mainly because it is on a Monday and there is no church service. And, since it is in October, we never know where we will be in harvest, so we can't plan too much. We had a nice meal with Wilbert's parents on Sunday. Monday we went got to experience the leftovers of Hurricane Matthew, so it was an indoor day for us. Here are a few things from the weekend. Joash really wanted to make a jack-o-lanturn, so we made a small one with a pumpkin from our garden.  Since no one wanted to go outside on Monday due the wind and rain, and that Joash can read now, I made a little scavenger hunt for him and Mataya.  The kids all have fun playing in the blankets and cushions.  Joash wrote this lovely list of things he is thankful for at school. We just love the grade 1 spelling and I love that "Mom" made the list. We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Evie Blackwell loves her life as an Illinois State Police detective . . . mostly. She's very skilled at investigations and has steadily moved up through the ranks. She would like to find Mr. Right, but she has a hard time imagining how marriage could work, considering the demands of her job. Gabriel Thane grew up in Carin County and is now its sheriff, a job he loves. Gabe is committed to upholding the law and cares deeply for the residents he's sworn to protect. He too would like to find a lifetime companion, a marriage like his parents have. . . . When Evie arrives in Carin, Illinois, it's to help launch a new task force focused on unsolved crimes across the state. She will work with the sheriff's department on a couple of its most troubling missing-persons cases. As she studies old evidence to pull out a few tenuous new leads, she unearths surprising connections. One way or another, she knows Gabriel Thane and his family will be key to the answers she seeks. ...

Mataya got to go with her daddy to check on the corn. It will be ready to harvest soon! They decided to take some pictures. Mataya was so excited, she forgot to let daddy be in the picture. There we go. I thought this was sweet picture of a girl and her daddy.