Rest assured that a new camera has been ordered and is on the way. I know this was keeping some up at night. Okay, maybe just me. I am chomping at the bit for the camera to show up on our doorstep. In the meantime, let me cover the events that have failed to be recorded photographically.

On Monday, we had some yucky weather so we thought it best to remain at home. On Tuesday, we met my sister and her girls at The Magic House. Lily had so much fun with her cousins. We were sad to see them go back to St. Joe. On Wednesday, we attended a holiday party hosted by one of the WUMCHA playgroup members. It was very nice with a cookie decorating station, ornament making station and plenty of toys and books for all the kiddos. Lily had a really good time but on the way home, she stated that she did not want to go back there again because it was too long to drive and there were too many people. What she was actually referring to was the number cars on the lengthy trip home. Because the party ended just in time for rush hour, we had to navigate through the city in some fairly heavy traffic. Lily was not a fan. For the duration of the ride, she discussed all the things that she was going to do when we finally got home. Her plans entertained us both.

Today we went to a Parents as Teachers playgroup. I was really impressed all around. The teacher in the room told me that The Magic House, located nearby, provided consultation on the design of their room, so it is not surprising that it was so well-organized and well-equipped. I really admired the way that they used every available space to include learning opportunities at every turn, not unlike the Magic House.

As for our "school", we started delving into other cultures starting with cuisine. We have an international cookbook for kids that we have used to prepare meals this week. We started with Mexico and some simple tacos. Then we moved on to Italy with pesto pasta. Today was a Swedish smorgasbord with meatballs, sliced cucumbers, stuffed tomatoes and Fontina cheese with crackers. Tomorrow, we will prepare an Indian feast with curried chicken and chapatis. We are kind of drifting toward more of a culinary theme right now. Lily has rediscovered the book "Jamberry". After reading it, she suggested going to the grocery store to stock up on berries. So we did, even though they are out of season. We also read "Lily's Garden" tonight, and it had many recipes throughout, so we will probably tackle some of them soon.

This weekend we will celebrate Christmas with Carl's mom and sister. I've taken some liberties with the holiday menu, but I think his family is used to me doing this by now. We are excited for some more merriment during this cold and rainy/snowy time. And, Carl only has three more days of this rotation! I'm not sure who is more excited, me or him.