Bravery

Today we had to go to the Dr. for Leo and ended up getting flu shots for both kids. I am not one to keep things from Amelia, so when she asked if she was getting a shot, I told her the truth. We had to wait awhile in the waiting room and Amelia continued to tell me that she did not want to get a shot. My first thought was to reassure her that it would not hurt, but I realized that once she realized that it *did* hurt, she would not trust me in those kinds of situations. Once we were called in, she wanted "Leo first", but the nurse thought it would be better for her to go. I can't describe the genuine fear that came over her at that moment. Thankfully, she has never had to experience that emotion before and it was extremely difficult for me to witness. The only thing I could reassure her of was that it would be quick and would make her feel better in the long run. The saddest point for me was when Leo - who was playing on the floor quite contently - noticed that Amelia was crying and started crying too. When we got home, Amelia and I had a long talk about what it meant to be brave. For the rest of the night, Amelia kept muttering stuff to herself about being brave. Amelia is such a sponge and wont forget that shot for a very long time, but I also know that she wont forget how good it feels to be brave either.

Lost In Translation

I guess when I told Amelia that it was naptime, she thought I said it was time to take every toy she could find, put it on her bed and play until she fell flat asleep. As long as I don't hear from her for 2 hours, I really don't care what she does in her room.

Oh, Kohl Children's Museum...We have not forgotten you

It has been a couple of months since we visited Kohl Museum, but we did our best to make up for lost time. The coolest part about going now is watching Leo enjoying it more and more. That is partially why there are so few pictures of him - he was always on the move. I can only imagine what our next visit will be like!

Amelia, the baker!



Zadie would call these "sneaky eyes"



Face Painting Fun!




This was our first time in the outdoor courtyard. Amelia had a great time with the sandbox, the box of pumkins and gourds and the funny statues.



Leo had a great time exploring the Music room and banging on the drums with a new little friend.

Resident Beader

Yesterday, I got Amelia a pack of beads ($1 section at Target!) and a package of sparkly pipe cleaners to use as strings. In the past 24 hours, I cannot count the number of times I have heard the words "I am working on my bead project". I love how focused and creative this little girl is. I am happy to say that I do know where she gets it. The exposed belly button, however, I am not so sure.

Breakfast at Chez Veinberger

Leo is at a turning point in his eating habits. He is supposed to be eating whatever we eat, but I never know what to give him for breakfast. I have started giving him hard boiled egg yolks and he seems to like them...most of the time. This morning, Leo had an egg yolk, a fig newton, some life cereal and yogurt. Amelia eats breakfast in (our) bed and then has a "snack" when the rest of us eat.

Best Cousins

You know you are with your best cousin when one minute, you are jumping all around the room and the next minute, you are on the floor "going to sleep". Cousenly love is a deep one.

Fearless

People are probably dying from the fact that I am taking this picture, rather than standing behind him, sheltering him from a big fall. I try to let Leo explore and have fun, as I did with Amelia. The truth is, he hasn't fallen yet and if we were to, he would get right back up and do it again.

Chompers

Zadie Pics

I guess they didn't listen when I told them not to have any fun when I am gone. Good thing, eh?

They were taken by Zadie's camera phone - kinda blurry, but too cute to care.

Lazy Day

In the last week of so, I have heard Amelia telling her dollies that, "we are in a rush." I wonder where she got that from? So, this morning, I decided to not rush out anywhere, but stay in and clean up one room while the kids were messing up another. It's a trade off, I guess.

Yom Huledet Sameach

Today is my 30th birthday. I thought alot about it and as much as I would have loved to spend a night out with Danny, celebrating and enjoying myself and getting home too late, I am glad that I have two very good reasons why that just isn't possible. As the day progressed, it seemed that I wasn't going to be doing much celebrating at all - due to the fact that, this year, I share my birthday with the Holiest of Holy days for the Jewish people. Luckily, I came to my senses and asked my whole family to go to dinner and ice cream as a break-fast/birthday celebration. I figured that I had from sundown till midnight to celebrate and thats what we did. I have two delicious children, a wonderful husband, a beautiful home, and a family that is willing to do anything for one another. Aside from my new Professional 6qt Kitchenaid Stand Mixer - I know that the true gifts in life don't need wrapping paper and ribbons to be the most meaningful.