Our Easter Bunny

The story of Our Easter Bunny and his tradition here.

Wile the snow and yuckieness of a slow snow melt are not doing much to enhance the beauty of his surroundings I'm happy to say that our Easter Bunny turned 12 this year.  Time did take a bit of a toll on him over the years but considering all the weather he has withstood and lack of real care put into storage of him in his off seasons I have to say he is doing pretty good. We have had to reattach his arm and the cheap acrylic paint I used all those years ago is fading now but back when I made him I never would have guessed that he would become such an important tradition here.

Its hard to believe we have had this guy as long as we have lived here.  I remember being pregnant with the Oldest Daughter (who was born in May) and putting out the few small decorations I had for Easter thinking we had such a big house and I was finally able to put stuff out in my own yard and now I had no real decorations for Easter.  I was determined to make something I had no idea what but something.  We had just moved here in February and we really did not have a lot of "supplies" to work with like we do now but I went to the basement and searched till I found a few small pine boards and a four foot section of 2x12 that was left by the previous owners.  I really had not idea at that time I was making our Easter Bunny but after staring at the few materials I had for a bit making an Easter Bunny was all I could come up with.

His size is that of the actual piece of board I found.  All I did was cut his head and ears to shape at the end of it.  His arms are from a small piece of board that I just cut in half and rounded the ends.  His bow tie, pocket and the grass were all just pieces of smaller boards.  The pink, blue and yellow paint was actually the same paint that was left over from when I painted the nursery making him even more special to me.  That same paint is also the reason he has never gotten a touch up painting, I just cant bare to paint over it.
Each year Easter comes and goes and the kids love to see him out there welcoming in Easter.  At first to them he was just a decoration we put out each year but now after all these years he is part of a special tradition to have out for them as well.  Until this year I don't think any of us realized just how old or important of a decoration he had become to us.  I'm sure that the previous owner never thought these pieces of left behind wood would have every become the next owners cherished memories but they have.  Honestly, on the day I made him I really had no idea how much he would mean to us as the years went by either.  I can tell you now though that it's just not Easter without our Bunny out there.