The Dunn's

Meeting Santa

2008-12-09T20:49:00.005-05:00

We had a Christmas Party this weekend and Santa visited. He called each child on stage one by one so they could sit on his lap and he gave them each a gift.

Avery was so excited, but star-struck. She was at a loss for words and almost nervous when visiting with Santa.

Nora was very apprehensive when she first saw him, but when he called her name, she marched up on stage without any hesitation. It was so funny...it was like she was on a mission.

Nora Turns 2!

2008-12-09T20:35:00.003-05:00

We celebrated Nora's 2nd Birthday last weekend. Nora LOVES ducks, so her cake naturally had ducks on it.

Our family tradition is to bake and decorate the cake together....it's a lot of FUN! As you can see, Nora dug right into her slice of the cake!!!

Monkey See, Monkey Do!

2008-12-09T20:29:00.003-05:00

Nora isn't officially potty training, but she understands the general concept. Plus, her competitiveness tends to make her want to go potty like everyone else.

A few days ago, I heard the girls in the bathroom together and when I peeked in, this is what I saw....Nora going potty like Avery, and Avery reading her a book like me.

Caramel Corn

2008-11-21T22:09:00.006-05:00

Now that it's getting cold, I'm trying to get creative and keep the girls entertained. So, we made a big batch of Caramel Corn. It was quick and easy and FUN too!

I have great memories of making Caramel Corn with Grandma Berry when staying overnight with her as a kid.

Here's the recipe of you want to try it!

5 Quarts of Popped Corn - Keep Warm in Oven

3/4 cup Margarine
2 cups Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Corn Syrup

Bring to a rolling boil and allow to boil for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, remove from heat and add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. Pour warm popcorn into a brown paper bag, then pour the caramel mixture into the brown paper bag and stir to cover the popcorn. Place the brown paper bag in the microwave and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove and stir. Repeat this 2 more times. Pour over wax paper to cool.

Indoor Soccer

2008-11-21T21:54:00.004-05:00

Avery started an indoor soccer class. We took Nora with us the first night...needless to say, Nora was the first one on the court ready to play.

Avery loves it! She even scored a goal during the game portion of the class.

Fall Leaves

2008-11-18T22:22:00.005-05:00

Even though it's sad to see the leaves fall to the ground, they provide good entertainment for the kids and some great photo ops!

Planting Bulbs

2008-11-18T22:17:00.002-05:00

We planted some bulbs the other day...hopefully we'll have some beautiful flowers in the Spring!

Trick or Treat - An Angel and a Princess

2008-11-18T21:59:00.004-05:00

Months ago I bought two angel costumes on clearance thinking I would be way ahead of the game for trick or treat. Well, low and behold, when asked what she was going to be for trick or treat, she always replied, "A Blue Cat." Even after me trying to convince her that I had a really cool angel outfit, she could not be coerced. So, I went to bought the supplies to make her Blue Cat costume, and wouldn't you know it as we are getting dressed for trick or treat, she says she wants to be a princess!! So, I went to the closet and used the dress Avery wore in Mom's wedding this summer. At least one of the angel outfits got used. Regardless, we had a great time and beautiful weather - it was in the 60's that day!

A Day at the Park

2008-11-09T07:39:00.004-05:00

We had really great weather this Fall. The kids and I took full advantage of the beautiful sunshine and spent many afternoons at the park...these pictures were taken about 4 weeks ago on a Saturday afternoon when we went to the elementary school playground. We packed a lunch and ate right there. It is so nice to have such beautiful new playground!

Learning to Ride a Bike

2008-10-14T22:26:00.006-04:00

We have been having fun teaching Avery to ride a bike with training wheels. It's amazing how quickly she is catching on. At first, Nora was satisfied kicking the soccer ball around, but then she decided she wanted to try out a bike too! She is very competitive and wants to keep up with everything Avery does. Sibling rivalry at it's finest!

Daddy's Little Helpers

2008-10-14T21:40:00.004-04:00

Scott is building a retaining wall along our driveway, and he has had LOTS of help...sometimes more than he knows what to do with. Avery and Nora love playing outside and digging in the dirt. They also love riding on Daddy's Kubota.

The Best Birthday Gift EVER!

2008-10-07T20:33:00.007-04:00

Today I had the best birthday gift anyone could ever ask for....a Nephew!

When Erica found out she was pregnant 9 months ago we figured out her due date was October 7 - my birthday. I never imagined Baby Boose would actually be born on that day!!!

He was born today via C-Section at 2:58 pm. He was 7 lbs 2 oz and 20 inches long. He has a lot of blondish hair, and he is cute as a button.

Here are some pictures of my precious new nephew...He is so sweet and precious. Erica and Dave are doing great...they are floating in the clouds.

We are not sure of this little bundle's name yet, but I will keep you posted.

What an awesome birthday gift!

A Princess Tea Party

2008-09-21T08:30:00.004-04:00

Friday afternoon Aunt Sylvia called to tell us about the Princess Tea Party being held at the Muskingum County Welcome Center on Saturday. It was part of the Mommy&Me Expo. Thanks Syl for reserving our tickets!

So, we got dressed up in our prettiest dresses and went!

Avery and Nora had so much fun! We sat and ate cookies and drank tea (pink lemonade). The Disney Princesses each came on the stage one by one and sang a song from their movie.

After the Tea Party, we went outside and enjoyed the rest of the Expo....played in the bounce houses and took a Pony Ride.

Outdoor Painting

2008-09-21T08:15:00.005-04:00

We are trying to make the best of this beautiful weather. Before too long, we will be couped up in the four walls of our house with nothing to do.

I keep the kid's paint and art supplies stored in the garage...painting outside is a lot less stressful for Mom!

Here's some shots of the girls expressing themselves through art!

Check out Nora's outfit. She insisted on wearing boots!

Nora got more on her body than on the paper!

Lights Out!

2008-09-21T07:52:00.005-04:00

We have been very busy lately. The day after Labor Day the kids and I had the flu. Luckily, their bug was mild...mine on the other hand lasted over a week.

Last week we, like every one else in the community, lost our electricity due to a wind storm Hurricane Ike brought to Ohio. I had never seen such storm. The winds were so strong! We lost our power around 3:00 pm on Sunday. As the house grew dark, we decided to out on the front porch and watch the storm.

The girls had fun playing with flashlights!

They also hung over the side of the porch looking for bugs!

Paw-Paw Mike was visiting on Sunday when the storm hit. They decided they wanted to wear Daddy's head-lamp, and Paw-Paw Mike helped them get it fitted.

All in all, it was a crazy & frustrating week with our power being off and on, and back off and on again. But, it was an adventure and we survived. It really made us stop and think about the folks in Texas and other areas who suffer the effects of a REAL hurricane.

Playing in the Rain!

2008-09-01T22:04:00.004-04:00

We had a few days of rain this week. Avery and Nora decided it would be fun to put on their galoshes, get out their umbrellas and play in the rain!

It was a lot of fun!

Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-01T20:58:00.010-04:00

I can't believe summer is almost over. It's sort of bittersweet for me. In one respect, I will miss going to the pool and eating Popsicles; but I am also looking forward to wiener roasts and playing in a huge pile of leaves.

We had an extremely busy (but extremely FUN) weekend. The first order of business was Erica's Baby Shower. For those of you who don't know, Erica is expecting her first baby. We don't know what she is having, but her due date is October 7 - My Birthday! Now I know the chances of sharing a birthday with my niece/nephew is very slim, but I am still hoping it may happen! Mom and I hosted a Baby Brunch on Saturday. It was so fun and great to see Erica get some really fun Baby Gear. Baby Showers are also a lot of fun because it allows mom's to reminiscence in their own pregnancy and birthing experiences. I am sure Erica is more anxious than ever for motherhood and labor and delivery at this point!

Some pictures from the shower...Erica looks so great!!!

Erica met a really great friend when she lived in New Jersey...Emily. Emily and her family live in Indiana now, and they came into town for the Baby Brunch.

Saturday evening Scott and I took Avery and Nora to the Dillon Family Festival at the Park. Despite the heat, we had a great time. The girls had the most fun at the Petting Zoo and taking a Pony Ride.

Sunday we had lunch at Scott's mom and dad's and caught up on housework and yard work. Avery and Nora played on the swing set and dug in the dirt looking for worms.

Today we celebrated my mom's birthday with a cook-out and chocolate cake with blue icing (Avery helped make the cake and insisted on the icing being blue!). Happy Birthday Mom!

This week Scott and I will be preparing for our annual camping trip. Every September we I (along with about 20 other friends) travel to Mohican for a 2 night, 3 day camping and canoe trip. It is so much fun and a great group of friends. We look forward to it every year.

A good reason to start a blog!

2008-08-21T21:08:00.001-04:00

I have considered blogging ever since I had Avery - 3 years ago - but I never took the time do it.

This week I have some very exciting news that I think a lot of you are wondering about...so I decided to take a leap and start a blog!

I just returned home from a trip to Leadville, Colorado (about 2 hours from Denver). Gavin has been living in Leadville for a little over a year attending college and enjoying all that living in the Colorado Rockies has to offer - hiking, mountain biking, camping, skiing...you name it!

About 8-10 months ago Gavin informed us that he was training and preparing for a well-known Leadville Race...The Leadville Trail 100. This historic event is held annually and includes racing and hiking through forests & hiking up and down mountains (the highest is 12,600 feet!). Their is no sleeping, no resting, no stopping, because if you don't make it in 30 hours or less, you lose. As a matter of fact, if you don't make it to certain check-points throughout the race within the allotted time, they pull you out of the race and you are done competing.

Well, I am pleased to inform you that despite some very unforgiving weather (we encountered everything form of precipitation - snow, rain, sleet, freezing rain, hail, plus thunder & lightning!) Gavin made it to the finish line in 29 hours!!! We are so proud! Only 42% of the racers that started running at 4 am on Saturday were able to cross the finish line by Sunday morning, and Gavin was one of them.

If you want to read more about the Leadville 100, go to http://www.leadvilletrail100.com/

I am going to try to tell the story of Gavin's 100 Mile Race with the photos I took and some short explanations. However, these photos will never be able to capture the true heart and soul that went into the months and months of physical and mental training or the act of completing this race.

Thank you for giving me such a wonderful experience, Gavin. It was an honor following you and being part of your "Crew" for 29 Hours. Your diligence and perseverance is an inspiration to us all, and we can all learn from you.

Congratulations Gavin!!! We are so proud of you!!!

Gavin arrives at the first check-point at 6:30 a.m. He completed the first 13.5 miles of the race without breaking a sweat!

This is the second check-point...23.5 miles. Gavin asked us to make him a Turkey & Avocado Wrap for energy and protein...he ate it on the run. It was storming very badly at this point. It was 8:30 a.m.

Gavin arrives at his third check-point right on time - his pace is excellent despite the grueling weather. It has stopped raining, so he changes some gear, grabs some drinks, eats some cooked sweet potatoes and takes off running again. It's 10:30 a.m. and he has completed 26.5 miles!

Racers enter the 39.5 mile check-point by running down a wet, muddy mountain. Despite freezing rain and hail Gavin arrives in great spirits. He is wet and very cold, but he is 30 minutes ahead of the pace he has set for the day.

It's 4:30 p.m. and this is the half-way mark...50 miles down, 50 miles to go! Gavin is starting to look a little tired and he is dealing with nausea. In order to get to this check-point, Gavin had to cross a river, climb up a 12,600 ft mountain and back down. Mind you, when he leaves this check-point, he has to turn around and go back the same way he got here...climb back up and back down the same 12,600 ft mountain and cross the same river...only this time, it will be getting dark!

It is 8:40 p.m. and it is dark. Gavin finally arrives...we were getting nervous. It is the 60.5 mile check-point, and despite a full-moon, clouds are moving in very quickly. Gavin eats some hot Ramen Noodles, changes into some dry shoes and socks, puts on his head lamp and heads up the mountain into the cold dark night.

Gavin has now ran 76.5 miles! He acts like he is numb. He barely speaks and we are worried about him. It has been pouring down rain since we last saw him - it is now 2:00 a.m. He changes gear, grabs some hand warmers and some drinks, and keeps running.

We stand in the rain at the last check-point and watch numerous head lamps round the corner of the trail. Gavin emerges at 5:15 a.m. We get emotional at the sight of him. He is exhausted. He has ran 86.5 miles and he has 13.5 remaining. His energy is spent, and he is mentally exhausted. If he is going to cross the finish line by 10:00 a.m., he has got to really push. He is back on the trail by 5:30 a.m.

We were anxiously waiting for Gavin at the Finish Line that morning not knowing if he was going to make it or not. We were so excited when we saw him at the top of the hill.

Racers emerge from the trail in a subdued fashion. This is Gavin less than 5 minutes away from the Finish Line. It was 9:15 a.m. and the end of his 100 Mile Race was minutes away.

At the end of every race, Gavin likes to save a little energy to sprint to the Finish Line. This is where he began his 100 yard sprint to the end. I can't believe he could muster up the energy to do it this time! Very impressive!

Here's Gavin crossing the Finish Line in Leadville after racing for 29 hours. Way to go!