Time for an Afternoon Picnic

Lunch Time!

 This afternoon the Erb children decided to have a picnic in the background underneath the new swing/play set.  It's easier for them to sit about and make a mess as they know either the birds or the bunnies will get their stray vegetables.  While Baby Jack didn't have anything to eat (he still only eats once a day... peas... yum!), he participated by crawling underneath the large apparatus.

At the end of the feeding frenzy, the girls decided to flop for a mini-rest.  Jack's head, still up and about, wanted none of it.  Neither did the girls... they got up 30 seconds later to play on the slide.

My name is Jack, how may I help you?

Kids Not at Play

Everyone Inside!

Ruby Jane tried her best but was unable to get inside the back screen door this weekend.  Betsy Jo watched on as Ruby Jane tried a few times and failed.  Never give up, Betsy Jo.  Then again it's hard to sneak inside when you're strapped in a stroller.

Family Visit for MJ and the Bunnies

Mary Jane was visited by Aunt Pat, Uncle Brent, Grampa, and her cousins Garrett and Trevor this evening. Nothing quite like the giggling bundle of energy that Mary Jane has become. She is soooo close to crawling. Right now it's more of a slow scoot followed by fits and starts to get in a particular direction. She's also close to sitting up by herself but she still needs a bit of help as the picture on the right can attest. Not to worry, Mary Jane will be quite strong soon enough to do all the sitting up and crawling that she needs. Of course that means that Mommy and Daddy will have to be on major alert for all of that.

The bunnies were also visited as Chip was quickly collected in the back yard and brought in for pictures. Garrett is holding Chip while Daddy (aka Mister John) holds Mary Jane. She was a tad bit grumpy but after the whole family took a walk around the block -- people must have thought we were a religious group -- Mary Jane calmed down a bit and was her typically cheery self. While MJ has seen Aunt Pat many times, it has been a while and that precious little girl is quite leery of anyone other than Mommy, Daddy, or the nanny Maggie from holding her.

Later on the family celebrated the evening with Tito's Tacos. Later on Garrett and Trevor fought over the hammock. Quite a typical occurrence as they seem to fight over everything. Alas, neither of them did their share in rounding up the rabbits this evening. Cherry Bugg was not amused by them. Then again not much amuses Cherry Bugg so that will be left alone.

Finally, Daddy aka Mister John had a picture taken with his father. It was a good head shot of the two of them and thus makes the blog post. Mary Jane fell asleep by 7pm and it's onto the next day.

Rabbits Thump at Fireworks

More info later but bunnies, like dogs, cannot stand all this idiotic popping.

Computer Still Great, Chip Ever Unsure

As soon as we put the pictures onto this computer, I can show you the confused little man/bunny. For now I'll leave him in the cage so he can adjust.

Meanwhile Cherry Bugg was out all by herself today in the backyard. She hopped around like she owned the place. Well, she is the longest tenured female in the back yard.

The hammock has also thrown the bunnies for a loss. Like I said previously about Chip, change is something they don't handle well.

The Never-Ending Dilemma of Chip

Poor Chip. Every since he came to Chez Erb over two years ago, he has been trying to find a way to fit in with everyone. Phillip, the elder statesman of the rabbits, chases him away even when Chip tries to say Hi. Cherry Bugg is his closest friend but she more tolerates him than anything else. They can exist in the same back yard or even the same room but she commands the territory and then he must run away. Even his sisters, Ruby Jane and Root Beer Float, don't command him the respect he desires. Root Beer Float, who used to be at the bottom of the rabbit pecking order, found a new rabbit to antagonize in the oft-innocent Chip. So she would chase him all around the back yard to remind him of that. Ruby Jane is much more understanding of him but she still doesn't talk to Chip when the other rabbits are around. It just isn't cool. And that's the problem with Chip. He's the rabbit who thinks he's a man but is really a boy. And he's just not that cool according to the other rabbits.

Oddly enough, Chip would remind the well-read person of the narrator in James Joyce's short story "Araby." The narrator reminisces about his youth and this girl he thought he loved. He once thought he was a man but realized at the very end of the story that he truly was still a child. Oh, what a slap that epiphany was for that Irish lad and how it must feel for Chip as well.

Chip does serve one important purpose in the Erb family though that the other rabbits do not: he is Mary Jane's body guard. When she cries, Chip will come hopping in to see what's the matter. And in the middle of the night, he sneaks into Mary Jane's room and will sit about two feet away from her crib and keep watch. It's great for Mary Jane to have a guardian because he will chase away all the bad monsters. She can sleep more easily at night with that valiant duty of his. Never mind that sometimes she awakens in the night and Mister John or Miss Jill accidentally kick him as they stagger through the darkness to get to Mary Jane's crib.

For his service to Mary Jane, that might make Chip a real man. Just don't tell the other rabbits that; they might get jealous.

Incarcerated!

Poor little Mary Jane was locked up with Root Beer Float. Why? Supposedly the cute little 5 month old girl was drooling too much. Conversely, Root Beer Float was penned up due to eating too many of Mister John's flowers in the back yard. They both claimed innocence but were locked up anyway.

Somewhere in the back yard Cherry Bugg is smiling...

Another Example of Cherry Bugg's Vote

She wears her sticker with pride. God bless America. God bless Cherry Bugg.

Big Smile for the Camera!

Mary Jane was having a very happy afternoon in the back yard. Sometimes it's quite difficult to get her to smile for the camera. Check that It's almost impossible to get her to smile for the camera. As soon as either Mister John or Miss Jill bust out their trusty blue camera, she goes more stoic than a Roman statue. But every once in while -- if you hide the camera just right -- Mary Jane lets loose with a monumentally big smile.

Look at that not yet toothy grin. It makes her mom and dad smile as well. Oh, to have such unmitigated happiness. I love childhood. Big smiles... and the only worry is when will you be fed next.

Wait a minute. I'm kind of a hungry too. And so is Cherry Bugg.

Bruins Win, Mister John Happy

It wasn't easy... but UCLA is actually 3-2. Connie is a happy wrestling bear as well.

Meanwhile Cherry Bugg and Chip are both cohabiting in the den right now. The Chee hasn't gone uber-angry at Chip yet.

The Couple Who Sleeps Similarly...

There's an odd familiarity between Miss Jill and Mister John's sleeping habits. On the left hand side is a picture of Mister John sleeping oh so comfortably with a pillow over his face. Don't laugh, he actually picked that up from his mother who used to sleep with a pillow over her face as well. Miss Jill thought that was an odd habit. (Instead of bunnyonthehead, it's pillowontheforehead.)

But there you have it, on the right hand side you can see Miss Jill going all veiled on a plane. Something about sleeping with more darkness methinks.

So the question is: do you sleep with a pillow or a veil on your face?

Oddly enough, Jill had a bunny on the head last night in bed. As Miss Jill lied asleep in bed last night while Mister John watched poker for about an hour (hey, it's the 2010 addition of the World Series of Poker, yo), Cherry Bugg was asleep behind her head. But as Mister John turned off the TV and went to bed, Cherry Bugg grew restless and bit Miss Jill on the skull. Ouch. Bunnybiteonthehead?

Do note that Cherry Bugg never bites Mister John. She knows who feeds her. And she also fears he who has the power to give her a bunny bath. Nothing like having the power to bathe being one of your powerful weapons.

LeBron Eve: Which Rabbit Will Be His Fan?

It's June 30 so everybody who follows the NBA knows three things: the Celtics are getting too old, the Clippers suck, and LeBron James is declaring his rabbit free agency tonight. Since he was drafted straight out of high school, he has allowed a rabbit in Akron by the name of Scruffy Andy to be his sole rabbit fan. Alas, that rabbit has since jumped onto the soccer bandwagon and picked some potty-named Kaka from Brazil. Really? Isn't that what bathroom bins are for?

Anyway, Cherry Bugg, Chip, and Root Beer Float are all still a part of the LeBron James sweepstakes. Chip might have the young cute thing going for him but LeBron wants a rabbit who will help root him to a title. Cherry Bugg definitely has more compunction for such an endeavor but she gets a little testy on road trips. Besides, most NBA players get to bed around 2 a.m. and that's when Cherry Bugg starts awaking from her daily slumber. I'm sure that King James would not approve of her hopping on his chest at 5 a.m. for a carrot. As for Root Beer Float, that's a wild card. It's true that RBF has plenty of money to throw around. She does afterall sell pictures of herself for up to $5 at most restaurants. If you ever go to a place who has a discount on Root Beer Floats, it's probably faked pics of hers. You can usually tell; in those pictures she has two full ears.

Oddly enough Ruby Jane, who did not join into the LeBron James sweepstakes, is a really big friend of Jay-Z, a good friend of LeBron. Ruby Jane has said that she will not use this friendship to influence him in any way, shape, or fur.

As for Mister John, he remains neutral as he is a Laker fan and roots for them just in time to start looting every June (every English teacher needs new shoes and video equipment). His friend, Scott Spencer, busts out Laker flags from April through June. He should have sold Laker vuvuzelas. Then again that might have been a war crime. But as we know, war crimes only get you two years of probation and 30 lost scholarships but am I bitter? (Actually, I feel vindicated.) Where was I anyway?

Oh yeah, ESPN. Anyway, Mister John and Connie have been watching ESPN since 9 p.m. (which is just past midnight on the East Coast) and they are awaiting the key phone call from LeBron as to if any of the three bunnies will be joining his entourage this season.

Rabbits do like a basketball player with mad hops, don't ya know.

Dirty Chip Gets Another Bath

Chip has been up to no good as has a dirty bottom once again. He has the typical Bugg trait of sitting in his potty bin for much too long. So back into the sink goes he! He fought it initially. "I'm not a stinky butt!" he exclaimed. (This is of course a direct reference to Cherry Bugg who is the archetypal "Stinky Butt") Alas, Mister John gave him another bath so for the rest of this calm Saturday, Chippers will dry off and ponder why Mister John and Miss Jill were "so cruel" to him. Meanwhile his aunt Cherry Bugg hops about in the back yard because it is Saturday, her day. On Sunday, what was traditionally the royal day for Princess Jane (RIP), Prince Phillip will be out with the Root Beer Float and Ruby Jane. None of them currently need baths.

Commute Bunny Styling in Lisbon

No one has heard from Miss Jill in a while. But I have received an e-mail from Commute Bunny who is happy and hoppy in Lisbon, Portugal. She's been up all night dancing and wreaking havoc on the local culture. Rumour has it that she'll be home in the next day or so. I hop so. I miss my Commute Bunny.

Cherry Bugg on the other hand does not want anyone home. She loses bed space.

Commute Bunny better have bought some gifts for Prince Phillip as he does hail from Iberia after all. Then again CB might not know her Iberia from her Siberia.

Cherry Bugg Bitten by Dodger Kissie Bugs

Cherry Bugg has been happy the last few days because she's been able to sleep on the other side of the bed. But today she complained that she was attacked by the most heinous insect of all: the Dodger kissie bugg. I believe she was attacked 14 times today. Very thumpable. So she did what she could: she ran into the living room and bit Chip on the butt. And so it goes in the Erb family.