Snoodle

Birthweek

Happy Birthday to my beloved husband! 

Eleanor's birthday was Thursday, and it has really felt like birthweek.  The first sailing race of the year was also on Thursday, and to avoid losing daddy to the bay, we tagged along with him.  After an evening of sitting on cleats, rope burn, and white knuckles, I've decided I'm going to stick to pleasure cruises.  Eleanor, however, was hip to every tack and jibe.  She scrambled to the high side like a pro.  After the race, she got to steer and hang out on the foredeck with dad. 

There was no cake.  Heck, dinner was Pringles.  But by the silly grin on her face, I don't think she noticed.

We had a family celebration on Monday for the first BBQ of the year and birthday cake.  I forgot the sailboat toy so I made an impromptu decoration for my Mac Geek... who also likes dinosaurs.  The rest of the credit, of course, goes to my mother. 

Eleanor's first request for a gift has become quite clear lately.  Naturally, it would have to be a toy that is no longer available in stores!  Through the generosity of a dear coworker, however, Nora's dream came true.  "Pinch me!" she kept saying.  I wonder where she gets her sense of drama?!  More about Felicity in a later post.  There's surprisingly much to say! 

Right before we left grandma and grandpa's house, as if it knew it were her celebration, a rabbit came out of the woods.  Apparently, it will sit watching while my father mows the lawn, but we're letting Nora feel like she is the rabbit-whisperer.  After all, birthdays are full of wonder.

Introducing Hawkins

... we're pretty sure that's the name that's sticking.

On Christmas morning, Nora found a little something under the tree that couldn't be wrapped.  His name is Hawkins.  The auditions of names was pretty extensive:  Marshmallow and Cocoa were a couple of the first to be tried... then, Gabriel, because she was trying to be Christmas-y.  But after hanging out with this adventurous rabbit, he was dubbed Hawkins after Jim Hawkins in Treasure Island.  It's hard to believe that Nora would be excited about Treasure Island being so very sensitive, but watching the Muppet version softened the story a little- though, she quaked with fear and squished daddy's hand while watching it. She learned the story and started acting it out (and oh, the singing!)  She's been pretending to be Jim ever since and finally started putting her hair up in a ponytail to look more like the cabin boy!

 

So, Hawkins he is and what a fun rabbit!  He's got a fun personality and is fast- almost too fast to snap a photo as he lippity-lops from place to place.  He also seems to like the camera and hops right up to the photographer leading to many photos of just his twitchy little triangular nose!

He's been thoroughly enjoying his "bunny castle" made out of a cardboard box which he has been treating as a gingerbread house.  He likes chasing Nora around while she hops around on her knees pretending to be a bunny.  We even caught him doing a "binky," the rabbit happy dance.  He also likes nibbling on pine cones, timothy hay, the broom, celery leaves, pants jeans, chino, or jammies), kale, a leg of the kitchen counter, toilet paper tubes, and a little strawberry for dessert.  We think he might be part beaver.  But there's also a little evidence to the contrary.