Happy Hanukkah

Leah had an extremely busy weekend! Most importantly, she got to visit with V.V. and Grumpa. They came all the way from North Carolina to help Leah kick off the celebration of Hanukkah. First, they took Leah to enjoy an Atlanta classic - the Pink Pig. Leah loved looking at the pig, and she ended up enjoying the ride too. However, the process of getting strapped in did not go so smoothly. After the ride she kept saying "Ride. Train", so I really do believe that she had a nice time. After the Pink Pig, we went to Eclipse de Luna for dinner. Not only did Leah taste some exotic tapas, but she also was charming the whole restaurant as she danced in her high chair. She even had the gruff-looking waiter smiling & waving by the time we left!




Saturday morning was the Zaban family Hanukkah party. V.V. and Grumpa were treated to fresh latkes, Aunt Sara's homemade challah, and lots of other yummy treats as we celebrated. Leah got to sample her first real latke at the party, because she was too little to eat them last year. She definitely liked the latkes (what isn't to like?) with homemade applesauce, but her favorite was chocolate half of her black-and-white cookie. In a first time effort, I made the black-and-whites from scratch. They were not as pretty as the ones we get at Goldberg's, but were pretty darn yummy! Here Leah shows her ability to multi-task: opening a present with one hand, while stuffing challah in her face with the other. =)



Sunday morning, we all got up and rolled out to see the Learning Groove perform a Hanukkah concert. We hung out with the Parness family. Leah ate some donuts, and grooved to the music with Micah. I think everyone had fun, and we're looking forward to taking a music class with Mr. Eric & Mr. Michael from the Learning Groove in the new year.





The final event in our weekend was a real treat for Leah. We had a little Hanukkah celebration with Bubbe & Honey, and V.V. and Grumpa. Leah rarely gets to have all 4 grandparents to herself, and she took full advantage of the situation. She helped light the menorah(s), opened lots of presents, and entertained us all. Leah's special gift from V.V. and Grumpa was a super-cool kitchen. Once she "opened" the kitchen and the bowls and spoons that go with it, she then went about cooking oatmeal and soup for all of us. She also was very meticulous about "washing" all of her dishes and cookware in the sink. Leah then impressed us all by eating an extremely grown-up dinner. She ate some mustard-crusted lamb, wild rice with balsamic mushrooms, LOTS of steamed broccoli, and of course she finished it all off with one of those black-and-white cookies! I still can't believe that we're only one night into this holiday - I hope Leah isn't let down if the rest of the week is a bit quieter!!