SPRING BREAK

This is what my kids and their friends do during Spring Break. Awesome!!!

NOLA

Robert is in New Orleans this week with a school group helping with Hurricane Katrina relief. I am sure he is thinking about me just as much as I am thinking about him! Hahahaa! There are 20 kids in the group and 4 chaperone's. They have spent the days planting trees, gutting houses, making composts and collecting critters along the shoreline. The evenings include Ghost tours and visits to the Aquarium and good Southern food. They are staying in a hotel right on Canal Street in the middle of the French Quarter. What a great experience!

ANNIE JR.

Molly was fortunate enough to land a role in her school's production of Annie Jr. She was cast as Miss Hannigan. In the company of Carol Burnett and Kathy Bates, we agreed she was a perfect fit for this character. As the mean, yelling, whistle blowing matron of the orphanage, this 6th grader took on the part as only our Moll Doll could. In the first scene she wears curlers in her hair and a bathrobe. She gets to hit Annie with a newspaper and yell a lot. Molly was in her glory!








Pictured below with Lily and Rooster, Molly and this threesome sings Easy Street. A real crowd pleas er!

Molly was really looking forward to the cast party after the final show. Dancing, Singing, hanging out with friends -it just doesn't get any better than that!



Cousin Hannah was in Music Man the same weekend. We were sure to sneak in a matinee so we could see her! Congrats to both Stars!

A video of Easy Street

PEEP-O-RAMA

I loathe coloring Easter eggs. I think it has something to do with the permanent dye and my fingers turning purple no matter how hard I try to use the little wire spoon that comes in the boxed kits I buy every year at Walmart. I hate dying eggs so much that I try very, very hard not to do it with my four kids. I hope and pray that they forget and don't ask me to do this activity, and since there are three different egg coloring kits in my pantry, I guess I have been successful in getting away with NOT doing this dreaded tradition for a long time. However, don't get me wrong, I am perfectly okay with big messes! In fact, this year for Easter during the past week my dining room table has looked like this:


Recently I came across a very cool article in the Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2010/03/29/GA2010032903934.html?hpid=skybox


that inspired me to insist my family all try this for our annual Easter Egg Hunt/Brunch. So out came the shoe boxes and dozens of different kinds of peeps. We dug into the glitter and ribbon and of course brought out the ever popular, and very handy, glue gun and got right to work.


Jack knew exactly what his Peep Diorama would be since he is a big fan of Michael Jackson. His tribute to the King of Pop (or should I say "King of Peep") was very detailed including the silver glove on one hand. If you click on the photo below it will enlarge and you can see this very fancy accessory on Michael Peepson!

Molly, too, knew exactly what her Diorama would be about. As a recent star in the middle school production of Annie Jr. Our own Miss Hannigan needed to feature the Peep version in a scene from this show. Miss Hannigan is sitting at her desk and all the orphans, including Annie, are poised and ready. Miss Hannigan is even wearing the pearls she wore on stage when she sang "Little Girls".

Just when you think Tim isn't much of a crafter, he surprises us all and doesn't hesitate to get into the action. His Peep-O-Rama is of the Syracuse Peepman winning one of their games. Even the referee is included in his project.

Mom usually likes to have a hand in all the kids projects, but for a change they all did their own without my help or input. This meant I had to fulfil my need and make my own. It was a lot of fun to dress my little peeps as the Cat in the Hat and Thing 1 and Thing 2. Since laundry and cleaning can always wait, I even went so far as to include personalized pictures on the walls in my diorama!

Projects were completed days before the Egg Hunt, which only means one thing in our house... plenty of time to make another, of course! Molly and Jack decided to make Charlie and the Peepofactory with Augustus Gloop falling into the chocolate river.

Molly even made a third diorama of High School Peepsical. Aren't Troy and Gabriella just dreamy?!

Aunt Linda was very creative and made a tropical paradise for her Peeps sporting skirts made of cupcake papers liners!

Aunt Lisa was very inspired and spent time making a Survivor themed diorama of peeps at tribal council. One lucky peep is wearing the immunity necklace and the fire even lights up. Now how did she do that? Impressive!

Mimi would not be left out of the action, and was very creative dressing her Hula Peeps in grass skirts. Nice job Mimi!

The first annual Peep-O-Rama was a success! Next year I'm sure there will be even more!

It is tradition to take a picture of all the kids with the Easter bunny at this party. Can you guess who the bunny is this year?

And yes Katie was awarded a ribbon for clearly having the best Peep Show! How many times can one girl drop her napkin and reach down for it in an afternoon? Show off!!!

RABBITS, RABBITS!

RABBITS, RABBITS!

On the first of the month if you utter the words "rabbits, rabbits" before you say anything else, legend says you will have good luck for the entire month. This folklore has been in my family for as long as I can remember. I recall doing this as a very young child and getting frustrated if I asked what was for breakfast before I said those magical words, or if my siblings remembered and I didn't. Today is April 1st and I said "rabbits, rabbits" before I said anything else! My children did the same. I hope someday their children will as well. I know my sisters, Sue and Katie do this the first of every month and my brother John too. My nieces and nephews all strive to make sure they say it. This family tradition came from my Daddy, Robert Dunn, who died when I was only 5 years old. However, I will always think of him on the first of every month when I wake in the morning to say these two words. My children will pass this silly, but meaningful custom down to their children and my father's heritage will continue.

Robert E. Dunn -----John, Betsy, Sue & Katie------ Betsy age 7

SCIENCE SOCIAL STUDIES FAIR

Our elementary school hosts a Science Social Studies Fair every year and the kids love to participate in this event. Well, truth be told I used to make poor Robbie do it every year whether he wanted to or not. However, now that Molly is no longer in elementary school, she was bummed she couldn't do a project this year. Jack decided to do something about electricity and Timothy and his friend Madison decided to do a project about solar energy.

Jack's project focused on parallel versus series circuits. This was a perfect project for him since he will soon be studying this in the third grade. We bought some cheap flashlights from the dollar store and Jack wired a parallel circuit and a series circuit and then compared the two. He really did a super job with his Dad's help. He was able to draw it out and explain the project to anyone who came by his display and asked questions.

Timothy and Madison got solar powered cars and did their project about solar energy. Every one at the fair really enjoyed this display. There was always a group gathered to try it out. Tim and Madison spent many days researching and testing the cars and how solar power works. It was impressive.

The Dad's really helped a lot this year as well. We joke that the Fair is really about how creative and talented the parents are... but this year the kids were just as, if not more involved then the adults!

ST. PATRICK'S DAY

'Twas the night before St. Patrick's Day, not a creature was stirring.. except maybe Rusty!

Jack had decked out the living room with shamrocks and glitter galore,

carefully setting a trap on the living room floor.

The milk was put out on the table with care,

with the hopes that the wee Irishman would leave his mark there.

Then off to bed went Jack, Molly and Tim,

visions of golden coins and a possible sighting of "him".

But in the dark of the night there arose such a clatter,

Rusty was afoot, that must be the matter!

The dog must have snuck in and startled the lad,

ate all the chocolate...oh how very, very sad!

But what was was left in the clever trap Jack had set?

Oh my, a wee little hat and one coin Jack could get.

The chocolate the Leprechaun left was all gone

Rusty was surely going to leave a mess on our lawn!