Pics of TJ

We heard from TJ today, September 27, and he is doing well.  He even assured me he is brushing is teeth :o)  He is busy teaching an English class and trying to perfect his French.  His new companion, Elder Marani is from Tahiti and only speaks French and Tahitian, so TJ had the opportunity to sink or swim and so far he feels like he is swimming. YEAH!!!  At one point, he felt like he could ony understand some people, but that is improving.

Guess who found a machete?....He tells he climbed a coconut tree ( wonder what his tummy looked like)

TJ and a few of his fellow missionaries.  I think the Elder standing next to him is his companion Elder Marani from Tahiti ( pray for him :o) he does have to live with TJ !

Zone conference - this means all the missionaries met with the Mission President from Fiji - President and Siter Ostler.  The older couple on the ens are the Mautz' see the link above to their blog.  They are the assistants to President Ostler and have to make sure all the missionaries are....being....responsible :o)

TJ is temporarily serving as District leader  and has his first big meeting on Tuesday....he is nervous so please keep him in your prayers.
Here is an excerpt from his latest email home:

"Had an awesome exchange and have been trying to step further out of my shell and talk thats pretty hard.

Other than that the week has been ok. The Releif society had a fireside the
other night it was a musical talent show/ kareoke? thing. It was pretty cool

People we are teaching our progressing investigator is the grandson of the 2nd

consulor in the branch presidency so its pretty good. We have another

investigator with a baptismal date. He's right on however, he is supposedly moving

to another branch right before the baptismal date the 18th of oct...."

Work is slow for them, but he sounds good.

Work, medals and puppets

Drum roll please....after months of sleepless nights Tom's new company has landed its first big contract.

Here's the story...one night I drove Amelia home and decided to drive down and turn around in the culdesac and noticed about 8 brand new houses that looked empty.  I stopped and asked Amelia's mom, Millie, what the story was with the "ghost town", and she said they had been that way for YEARS!!! and happened to know which bank owned them.  So, being a pushy wife I came home and suggested ( read as insisted Tom may say commanded) Tom call the bank and propose finishing them.  HE did and after weeks of NOTHING (except for a follow up call which told him that they were getting a bid from another builder who was a customer argh!!) he met with the Board of Directors and formally presented his proposal and walked through the homes on Tuesday.  Wednesday morning they called with questions and at this point we are hoping they want ot proceed with just 1 of them.  Thursday evening about 5:00 they called and gave him the go ahead to finish all 5 as soon as possible!!!  Needless to say, we have been working like crazy people.  Tom got a dumpster delivered Friday, the lawns were mowed by the city ( thank goodness) and so we had to go pick up junk, pull weeds out of the driveway joints and clean the houses of constructon debris so work can start Monday.  Here are a couple pics so you can get an idea... we also started a blog http://www.tomthebuilder.blospot.com/ to allow the bank that owns them and other potential banks who may have similiar assets see the progress.

House without even siding - Poor slave Trevor

The house in the best condition - only needs flooring and countertops...not sure why it wasn't already on the market

Trace and his puppet he made this week

Trevor earned a medal this week at the Creston meet - time 18:34, but everyone sadi the course was longer than usual

Who's is cuter?

It was a fun week and we are so grateful that a job came through!  I am still smiling.

Running, shocking suprise, broken bones...

Watching a cross country meet can be exhausting :o)

Yes, he is SOUND asleep. You know I love it! I am 5 for 5 with book lovers!

Poor Squirt's new hideout.....actually poor Kela

Sorry not a lot of pics, but we weren't short on weird-ness!

Monday- picture us sitting on the couch trying to gt Ty through his Science reading. There is a loud, high pitched chirp. I yell at Trevor to stop playing with the bird call thing and go on reading. It continues- to which being a even tempered mother- I threaten to make Trevor my personal slave if he doesn't knock it off. Again with the chirping. I get up, planning to really lay into Trev and instead see the cat intently staring at the little bookcase at the end of the stairs. I get down and look and there is the fatest cipmunk I have ever seen huddled in the corner. By now Trev is taking a look, Ty and Kassie are both laying on their bellies trying to catch a peek. I grab the colander, Tom a wooden spoon and Trev, the only smart one, a blanket. We start to formualte a plan and out the little chipmunk runs over the top of Kassie, into the kitchen, through the dining room and back to the front entry. We looked like the group chasing the gingerbread man. Trev finally throws the blanket over the top of him and I seal the trap with the colander. After a little running under the blanket, okay I missed the first time, he was safely returned outside. Needless to say, Ty never did finish his Science....

That evening Trev had a meet in Ballard. He ran well 18:28 - but place 28th. He was disappointed, but this meet had the 6 top runners in the state. I was impressed!

Tuesday - We are outside eating on the beautiful new deck when we here the strangest yelpy-bark from Kela inside. ( She was put in to finish her breakfast in peace) I jump up and, of course, everyone follows. Kela is in the kitchen standing guilty faced in front of the garbage. I peak in and at the bottom of the bucket is the new kitten. Poor Kela figured while everyone was otside she could be naughty and eat a little trah, instead she got a furry, hissing surprise :o)

Wednesday - was just normal chaos

Thursday - Trev was trying to defend his honor. All week he had been working on Rosetta Stone Language program and he said something to Ty - and said that's Spanish for "get on the airplane" and Ty looks at him and says very lovingly,

"No dummy, that's Chinese." As you can imagine a sweet, brotherly exchange began. I asked Trevor to repeat what he said and confirmed it was Chinese. Trev was fit to be tied. He flew ino the library to grab the language cds to show us how stupid we were and instead realized, he had been practicing Chinese all week, when he thought he was studying Spanish ( I know, I too am a lot worried about his language skills...) In the meantime, Trace is climbing on the back of the computer chair with his arms behind Trev's back and hitting him with his head. Trev leans back and tells him to knock it off, when we hear a pop/crack noise and Trace starts screaming. I am worried his arm is broken, trev is upset because he know he was rough because he was angry that we were teasing him..anyway after several hours of hand wringing ( there is no swelling etc) I finally decide we should see a docor. ( I didn't want to rush into anything..) 5 x-rays later we discover Trace has "nurse maids elbow" ( the elbow is or of the socket) . Our WONDERFUL pediatrician - twists and bends his arm and pop- wallah he is instantly cured It was awesome.

Friday- was the homecoming parade around the sqaure - it was fun. The cross country team did not run the ball this year since they played ATlantic- so that was disappointing. We got an offer our biggest and best lot...bummer it is for 1/2 of wat we are asking. In other words we paid more for the vacant ground. At least there was an offer...right?

Saturday - we had a wild homecoming party (not) We spent the evening with some family friends and Ty is hoping his eye will turn black from the "pear war" he kids had outside after the parents went in. Luckily, trevor threw the pear and hit his own brother...

Sunday - we enjoyed church and naps and waiting for your email TJ

I think that sums up a usual week at the Turners. Trace has been enjoying picking and choosing whom he loves and doesn't...reminds me of Ty and his "love levels", Tian is Tian. She loved ballet again. She followed directions for the entire class. She informed JAke Thomas, as only a mouthy four year old can," YOu have a BAD haircut..." NO mercy from the littel raven haired beauty., keep in mind Jake is recovering from brain surgery last month.

Running, birthday and ballet

Jefferson Meet - Winterset took 2nd
Winterset line up

TOm is old!

Look at Trev #1 - Winterset Meet
His number in the first slot

That's Trev behind Montross in the cart ( he isn't riding he is the runner in the back) with noone in sight. ( He is in first place) :o)

pre run huddle
Trev - Jefferson Meet running Varsity

Tian...thinking about listening

It is true - her teacher, Miss Holly, is 8 months pregnant, let's hope Tian doesn't maul her as she feels more comfortable in class...This picture was before Tian warmed up. BY the end she was actually listening, following directions and was...GRACEFUL!!!
Playing with the hoop
One of the few who could sha-shay ( No mom she did NOT get the skill from me! It is true I still cannot skip,so sha-shaying is even further out of the question)

Busy week at the Turners. School is fully underway as well as, cross country, ballet and everything else :o)

Trev's meet - he was AWESOME! He took first in Winterset (team took 2nd) then went on to compete in Jefferson on the Varsity tem. He took 9th overall with time of 18:28 in the 5K. His team, Winterset , took second overall.

Tian had her first ballet class Saturday. She was the tallest ( the first Iowa Turner to claim that notariety) and the roundest(an Iowa Turner tradition at 4!)

Running fun

Trev accepting his medal for 2nd place!
Trace singing away on Tom's shouders ( note the old man glasses!!! Last year he discovered that his arms were shrinking - he couldn't hold things far enough away to read them :o) He had 1 pair of glasses he could rarely find ( guess he couldn't see them) so thanks to Sarah we bought another pair for $8 on zennioptical.com. Maybe we will spurge and buy him a neck chain next!

Mid race - Trev in the middle

Trace having fun at the meet

Ty thought it was good and surprised himself with how much he remebered from Chinese class

Trace had fun too, but mainly stirring and making the ink. We bought a smll kit in China. You have a dry stick of ink you add a little water and rub on a stone. It was his favorite part

Tian LOVED writing in Chinese...still thinks it is "funny talk" but loved writing her name ( it is the character a little up and to the right of her shoulder) - most of the others she made up ( then again for all I know she wrote something profound:o)

Fun at school

Ty is mowing!!!!!

Trev was fantastic at his first meet this season - he beat his time on the same course last year by 1 minute 1 second - and it is the same time he finshed the season with for the 5k last year. It is going to be a great year! He came in 3rd for Winterset and 2nd for all Sophmore competeing at the DCG meet - there were over 200+ boys participating. He was in the top 25 - wahoo.!!

We played a little school this past week and will hit hard after Labor day. Tian is looking forward to learning how to read. I thnk she will find it easy. Trace acts like he isn't paying attention, but e is smarter than he lets on...typical boy :o) and I wouldn't be surprised if he picks up a lot too.

It is an exciting week for us...Tom turning 40!!! and we will be celebrating our 3rd anniversary of Tian joining our family. I will do a post just about her shortly... I will leave it with her latest Tianism. Her favorite book/movie is now "Snow White and the Seven doiks".....maybe we will add a speech class to school...then again it would spoil A LOT of fun

Trace's moment of the week...actually his moment was every waking monet he is in LOVE with Zola aka squirt aka itty bitty kitty - he can't leave her alone. HE absolutely loves our new littlekitty. Remeer in China his foster mother ( also known as China Grandma) used to sing him a song about how the cats would eat him and she told us he was afraid of cats ( no wonder.) Anyway, Trace is the biggest cat lover of the house

We also participated in Meals fromthe heartland and in 2 days ( 4 hours) we packaged over 1000+ food packages - enough for 6000+ meals! Tian and Trace helped too. Luckily we weren't going for efficiency :o) It was fun and the Germaines were VERY good sports and joined us Sunday afternoon for the fun.