Let me first say that the little ones are fine. We have been busy, all of us, doing fun things like learning how to read (Caroline) drawing on the floors/walls/furniture with marker (Isaac) and cruising around the furniture (Anna). Seriously though, Isaac has a knack for coloring. He loves markers and most importantly loves to connect them end to end into long poles. When he's not making light sabers, he's coloring on the walls! Boy he is quick! I leave to change Anna's diaper (which has been extremely unpleasant this week, by the way) and he's turning our wall into Picasso's canvas. How do you get marker off walls? I have no idea. Anyway, things really have been going well.
Caroline is starting to read the Bob Books (volume 1) and she is really excited to be able to sound out small words. She knows how to spell her name now too. One morning, she said to me Caroline C-A-R-O-L-I-N-E spells Caroline. I have no idea where she learned that. She can spell some smaller words to, like Cat and Sam. Since she is turning 4 in December, I'm starting to think more about homeschooling and what specific things I want to teach her this year. Reading and counting/math are at the top of my list. Caroline can add and subtract small sets of objects if it is in front of her.
Isaac is learning the periodic table of elements and trying to keep up with his sister (who, by the way knows the first 54) and he knows all the planets in our solar system (Pluto included), shapes, colors, animals but his favorite thing now is trucks and cars. When we walk to the playground, he identifies everything. Yesterday he saw a concrete mixer and a tow truck and a taxi cab. The other day it was a crane, a bus, and a helicopter. Sometimes he will be looking out the window and he will be able to point out "the Staten Island Ferry" and "cruise ship."
Anna Sophia is going to be walking soon. She is cruising around furniture now, but she has her sights set on being more independent. Anna weighs about 16 lbs now, so she is still small, but she is starting to get chubby cheeks and fill out into more toddlerish proportions.
She is starting to wean, which sort of makes me sad. I really want her to breastfeed for at least a year. She is comfort nursing at nights mostly, but there is too much action going on during the day for her to nurse. She simply doesn't want to. Oh well. She is healthy and growing and I really shouldn't complain about it.
It has been a lot of fun these last few weeks. All the kids in our neighborhood are in school, the tourists are not around as much, and the weather is gorgeous, so we are really taking advantage of the empty playgrounds.
This year was the first year I actually cooked turkey. It was not a whole turkey or anything, but it was a 5.5 lb bone-in turkey breast. I was a little nervous about cooking it, because I know nothing about cooking turkeys, so I decided to try cooking it in the crockpot. I rubbed a package of dry onion soup mix over the bird and placed it in the slow cooker. I poured a can of whole-berry cranberry sauce over the top and spread it around evenly. I cooked it on high for 3 hours and then low for about 4 hours. It was juicy and delicious in a way turkey cooked in the oven is not. I really enjoyed it, even.
