The Tale of Three Bunny Rabbits

If you know Collin, you know that he was an early talker and hasn't stopped for a second since. My parents call him Gabby Gabberson and for good reason! He's the narrator of the family and the kind of kid who can hear a fact once and remember it forever. Well, today he got in touch with his creative side and "wrote" his first short story (which means he told and I typed every word verbatim).

"The Tale of Three Bunny Rabbits" by Collin Jennings, Age 3                                    April 11, 2012

      Once there were three bunnies. One bunny had a cupcake, one had a popsicle, and one had a jelly bean. They jumped off to find some carrots. They digged for some. Then they came to a giant polar bear and hopped off. Another bunny came and said, “How are you?” Then she hopped off to find some eggs to eat.

      She hopped on a trampoline. Then she bounced and bounced and bounced. The three bunny rabbits headed on the trampoline and poked her with their tails. Then they tied a beautiful car to her house. The biggest car EVER! Then they hopped on a cloud and ran over to the sun. But they were hit by a giant catalog.

      The one bunny was looking for tissue paper to blow her nose. The little bunny was looking for some water to drink, corn to eat, and tomatoes to dig up. Then the three bunny rabbits came back, and they all went into the pit where there were lots and lots and lots of rabbits. Then there were more than four bunny rabbits who turned out to be their friends. And THAT is the story of three bunny rabbits.

Playdate with Mila...at Our House!

Aunt Kathleen brought Cousin Mila over to play (okay, sleep in a stroller while we went for a walk/bike ride/plastic car push) for the first time. Collin must have wanted to impress her because he threw caution to the wind and rode his bike all over the neighborhood faster than we could keep up, including down hills, which he was deathly afraid of just the day before. I'm not sure how much longer the whole Collin-rides-while-I-walk-and-push-Olivia arrangement is going to work. I may need a bike trailer for O so that I can keep up with C on my own set of wheels! Mila woke just in time to eat when we arrived at the playground. Collin made friends right away with some older kids who didn't mind keeping him busy and entertained with races and monkeying around. Olivia was content to play with the straps on C's helmet and M's stroller (shocker...not really). When we got home, Collin couldn't wait to hold his baby cousin and was very sad when she had to leave. He's so good and gentle with her. :)

Easter Weekend

Saturday
-I took Collin to the Ringling Bros. Circus with the Kniskerns - so much fun! Collin couldn't stop talking about the strong men, elephants, and his first ever snow cone; I was in awe of the tigers and how tame yet wild they were, not to mention gorgeous! We had a nice lunch at Red Robin after (Collin ate 15 shrimp, a cup of broccoli, and a cup of oranges).
-Olivia spent some quality time playing ball and buckles (her two obsessions) with GamB, Grandpa, Aunt Karen, Pat, and Chris while Mike went on a long overdue bike ride, the first of the season for him.
-We played outside in the afternoon while Mike made dinner (salmon, more shrimp, green beans, couscous, and bunny cookies for dessert).

Sunday (Easter)
-The kids had a quick cereal breakfast before heading outside to search for eggs and baskets left by the Easter Bunny. Both kids love their new bedtime friends (Collin named his rabbit Hoppit, and Olivia named her lamb Babaa).
-I made brunch consisting of strawberry pancakes, homefries, and breakfast burritos....mmmm!
-While Olivia napped, Collin and I went to the Leesburg Animal Park to pet and hold baby animals (bunnies, goats, lambs, and ducklings), feed adult animals, play in an over-sized sandbox, meet the Easter Bunny, and go on an egg hunt. Collin found 15 eggs!
-After a quick change, we were off to GamB and Grandpa's for Easter dinner and birthday dessert (it was Grandpa's bday on Easter) with Aunt Karen, Matt, Kathleen, and Mila (her first Easter and holiday get-together). In between meals, we fit in a little Skype with GrampyShaSha. I just had to show them Olivia's ensemble - another Polly Flinders number from my old wardrobe. :)

Enjoy the photos!!