Here Comes Peter Cottontail

So.  We have this brush pile in our yard.  I don't like it.  Marc was supposed to burn it two years ago and it hasn't happened yet.  It will happen this spring.  Since it's been there for so long the rabbits have made a home in it.  I've noticed this, but I've never mentioned it to the kids since I thought that might make burning it a little tricky.

Anyway...today Calvin hit a baseball over there and noticed the tunnel where the rabbits go in and out.  He got really excited and quickly got his brother and sister to go investigate with him.  His purpose was to get his baseball back, but he was a little nervous. 

The three of them grabbed sticks and started poking around.  Nothing exciting happened, but it was so much fun to watch them together....investigating the brush pile.  I was secretly hoping a rabbit would run out.  Does that make me a bad mom?

This was when Calvin turned around and hollered, "Mom...do rabbits bite?"

 I assured him he'd be fine.  Although I really wasn't sure what a rabbit would do when someone was poking a stick in their home.  At least it gave them something to do for awhile.  He did get his ball back, and the Twins game resumed.

Another funny rabbit story happened today with this little girl.

This morning I was helping Calvin get his things ready to go to school.  Jillian walked in the dining room and grabbed her bag.  It's a bag she got from Nana.  It had a diaper, a couple babies and her blankie in it.  She walked away carrying her bag.  Not a minute later she came back into the dining room with no bag and a bit of a panicked look on her face.

Jilly: "Der wabbit in my bag"
Me:  "There's a rabbit in your bag?  I really doubt that honey."

After realizing she wouldn't touch her bag, I picked it up and said, "Is there something in here you don't like?"  I started taking things out one by one.  When I pulled the diaper out a spider fell out of the bag and started running.........right toward Jilly.  She started screaming and pointing.  At this point I felt really bad because, while I don't typically react quite that way, she definitely got this new found fear from me.  I quickly grabbed a shoe and squished the spider.  I wasn't sure what to address first.  I decided to go with, "Jilly...that's a spider, not a rabbit."  I then followed with what I felt was my duty as a parent and explained that she doesn't need to be afraid of spiders.  They are tiny and she can always use a shoe to squish them.  I told her Papa uses his finger to squish them, but I'm REALLY hoping she doesn't try that!  I get the shivers just thinking about it.