Hopping, hopping, never stopping

March 27, 2008 by Barbara.

It’s been a bunny-filled week or so for our family. Last Wednesday, the Easter Bunny was at Reid’s daycare. “But not the real one,” Reid assured me. “It was really C’s sister.” I guess when your sister teaches at daycare the favours she asks are different. Reid was unwilling to go near the Easter Bunny to get her carrot. One of the teachers got one for Reid and then whispered that it was a person in a costume. Reid still wouldn’t approach her but was less concerned about the 5.5 foot rabbit after that.

On Thursday, Reid wore *her* bunny costume to daycare, the one that Grandma Joyce made her a couple of Halloween’s ago when it looked like Reid wasn’t going to wear the costume that I had purchased. Reid’s classmates were impressed with the outfit and one said, “Hey, Reid, you look like the Easter Bunny.” (Talk about stating the obvious.) Reid grinned at the attention but didn’t say much. The kids were getting their outdoor gear on when we brought Reid in and so we had no trouble getting her out of her bunny suit. After they played outside, a woman from the Life of Riley Petting Zoo to show them some animals. Reid reported that she had seen a “hugandous” rabbit, a fox, hedgehog and some other animal that we’ve both since forgotten. One of the teachers said that the rabbit was the biggest she’d ever seen. I thought of how the turkeys need to be big at Thanksgiving and that the bunny is lucky that its role in Easter is not the same.

Reid let Dylan wear her bunny suit for the egg hunt in Grandma Joyce’s backyard. There were some who suggested that, when he was a teenager, Dylan would question who had permitted him to be dressed in a lavender-with-sparkles bunny suit but Dylan is a tough little guy who can carry off a bunny suit. The kids ran from point to point finding many treats. We were lucky to have chosen Friday early afternoon for the egg hunt because there was a snowstorm late afternoon. It was an odd one - an hour north and there was no snow but in Canada’s Sun Parlour, there was a storm.

On Saturday night Reid mentioned that Easter hadn’t really happened yet because the Easter Bunny hadn’t come. I had decided that she would be satisfied with the game I’d brought, in addition to Friday’s egg hunt, and was surprised at her statement and scrambled to put together a basket. Fortunately for me, Grandma Joyce had forgotten to put out a fan-powered bubble gun and Auntie M was willing to share a chocolate bunny her girls had received. Once I tossed in a few chocolate eggs, it was an acceptable offering from the Easter Bunny. When Reid discovered the basket, she was pleased. Later that day I heard her tell Aunt Karin or Aunt Lisa that the Easter Bunny hadn’t come. I reminded her that she had received a basket and Reid told me that she hadn’t *seen* the bunny. I explained that the Easter Bunny is like Santa and isn’t seen on the big night. Reid looked dubious but let it go.

Reid and I travelled to Stouffville for Shea’s hockey game. It’s not every day that your nephew/cousin plays in the OMHA championships and what else would a girl who is 3 and a half wear to such an event held on Easter Sunday but a bunny suit? That’s right, there was no choice, Reid wore the bunny suit. When Uncle Dave saw her, he quipped “You’re not sitting with us.” At least, I’m pretty sure he was joking. He sat in the same section as us in any case. The other people at the game all smiled when they saw Reid and a fellow who worked at the arena gave her a candy kabob. By the time we left the arena, Reid was a dirty little bunny; since the suit goes in the washing machine and dryer I didn’t have to worry at all.

Yesterday, Reid’s daycare had a “Hop for Muscular Dystrophy“. I resisted the urge to send her in the bunny suit - hopping is hot work - but did offer her “Snuggle Bunny” shirt. At daycare, the kids each wore the paper bunny ears that they had decorated and, boy, did they hop. I’m not sure how much money they raised but if anyone had pledged by the hop, it would have been costly. The Hop is usually for 2 minutes and the kids hop as many times as they can in that time. The teachers had set aside 30 minutes for the activity and they kids hopped and danced for most of that time. Reid took off her bunny ears before the time was up. I guess 8 days of all bunnies, all the time had caught up with her. I’ll have to wait a bit before putting on our Raffi disc - Singable Songs Collection - with the “hopping, hopping, never stopping” song (Knees Up Mother Brown).

Hope you had a good bunny celebration, too.

Posted in Holidays, Dylan, Barbara's family, Daycare | Print | 1 Comment »