Veronica has started asking the tough questions. Like where is Pita, and what does it mean she died? Is she in another house? Is she on another planet? Listening to Regina Spektor and wondering why she keeps saying "it breaks my heart". Asking why she may never have the baby brother she wants. And so on, and so forth.

But the worst has to be her recent re-viewings of the movie "Ice Age." Now, when she sees the cave drawings that show what happened to Manny's family, she cries, great big tears falling down her cheeks and her lower lip trembling as she says "I miss his family! Why they gone?" And I try to explain how people used these animals for food and used their fur to keep themselves warm, but in the context of what's on the screen, it seems so trite compared to the sadness surrounding their deaths and Manny being unable to stop it.

Sometimes the answers, at least for now, are "I don't know." Because a lot of times, I don't.

On Saturday Veronica and I headed to the local community center, as Jason had told me there would be free fingerprinting and DNA kits for the first 100 kids there. Morbid to think about, but I definitely wanted to take advantage of the offer.

It turns out it was part of a big Easter festival there, with games for the kids and a few food and raffle booths. And one large room with four Easter Bunnies for the kids to meet.

As I hadn't been prepared for this, my camera was at home. Fortunately a father with a digital camera was kind enough to snap a few pics for us and e-mail them to me. Which I am grateful for, and for which Veronica thanked him, adding, "I like bunny rabbits, I think they're cute!"









So sweet. :-)

Never underestimate a preschooler's memory...

A few days ago, Jason took Veronica to Barnes & Noble. While they were walking past the books Veronica stopped, looked at the cover of one, and said "Mommy likes that. She read it on the plane. She says it's a good book."

The book she was pointing at? "Dreams from My Father" by Barack Obama...which I was, indeed, reading on the planes to and from Arizona, two and a half months ago, and had commented to Veronica that Mommy thought it was a very good book.

Huh.