I Want Candy.....

I know a girl who's tough but sweet

She's so fine, she can't be beat

She's got everything that I desire

Sets the summer sun on fire...

I want candy

I want candy

I want candy

I want candy...

I Want Candy~ Aaron Carter

The Easter Bunny or Easter Hare (sometimes Spring Bunny in the U.S.) is a character depicted as a rabbit bringing Easter eggs, who sometimes is depicted with clothes. In legend, the creature brings baskets filled with colored eggs, candy and sometimes also toys to the homes of children on the night before Easter. The Easter Bunny will either put the baskets in a designated place or hide them somewhere in the house or garden for the children to find when they wake up in the morning.

As we raised our children we never had them believe in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. While they were little they only knew about Jesus' birth and death as the meanings for the holidays. As they grew older and could understand we "played" about Santa and The Easter Bunny. 

BUT...the girls always had Easter dresses and Easter baskets. Yes, they had eggs, candy and usually a stuffed bunny rabbit. Heather was almost 4 months old for her 1st Easter. I made matching dresses for all three of us girls. Heather got her very 1st bunny. I am not sure if this began her love of bunnies, or if she was just born with it. The little white bunny named SNUGGLETTE was a favorite for many years. It managed to get on the hot stove and I had to sew "bandaids" on the boo boos. The white bunny has turned grey due to love and the years it has seen. It was still one every now and then I could catch Heather sleeping with even as a big girl.

Heather's 1st Easter 1988-4 months

Heather, Momy, Jenny and dog Champion-1988

Dady, Heather and Champion-1988

 Once Heather was old enough to understand the candy part of Easter, her favorites were PEEPS and Jelly Beans. As candies improved over the years she loved the fruit flavored tootsie rolls.(Every parents knows those are from Peter Piper Pizza-5 for a ticket) Then came the bunny mallows...you know marshmallows only in the shape of bunnies. Heather never met an Easter candy she didn't like. When she was doing chemo she always took a huge bag of candy to the hospital with her. It helped the taste of the chemo in her mouth.

 Heather also never met a bunny she didn't have to have. She loved Easter with all the bunnies. Clearance  Easter 1988 found me getting a huge white soft bunny. I saved it for her birthday. "Big Giant Bunny" was a huge hit. She could be seen laying and dragging "Big Giant Bunny" all over the house for years. I know on many occasions this bunny could be seen in a pink tutu as well.  Easter 1993 or 1994 we were shopping at Kmart. They had a bunny that was multicolored and had jelly beans on the feet. Heather begged and begged for "jelly bean bunny" for weeks. Her face was one of sheer delight when "jelly bean bunny" was in the basket for Easter.

Heather and Jelly Bean Bunny-2 cool cats

When Heather was little she had a big girl friend named Shawnee. For Heather's 2nd birthday she gave her a pink floppy bunny. Heather named it Shawnee bunny. This was not a new bunny as Shawnee had it for years before she gave it to Heather. It was a gift from the heart. It had dresses and all kinds of clothes. It is very loved and prized. Another special bunny came from Diane. After Awana events all us girls (Diane, Jenn, Heather, Wendy and me) would go to Glendale to have lunch and go shopping. On one such trip, Heather found "Snickelfritz". She was probably 13 or 14 years old. She loved that bunny to death. "Snickelfritz" was so dirty and loved that we called him "Armie Pits".

Jenny and Heather~Easter 1989

Bill, Heather and Jenny~Easter 1989

Heather went shopping at the mall right before Easter 2008. She walked by the Easter Bunny photo area and there was no one there. They asked if she wanted a free picture with the Easter Bunny~business appeared to be very slow that day. She said she felt like she looked good and said what the heck. She came home with 2 photos. She looked stunning for just an impromptu photo. I loved the photo so much...

Easter 2008~BC~before cancer

 The very first time I let to girls be part of Trick or Treating for Halloween, Heather was a bunny. It was a very last minute idea and she had all the parts to be a bunny. Which is so her to have a set of bunny ears just laying around. What else would a bunny lover be for Halloween but a bunny rabbit.

Halloween Bunny??

The last photo that us 4 girls took before our world enter the nightmare called cancer was Easter 2008 in the backyard. It was the last time that things would be "normal". We knew the biopsy was coming in a few days, but still the whole world of cancer and chemo had not officially entered our world. In a few short days my entire universe would be turned upside down and inside out. Who knew???

Sherry, Wendy, Heather and Jenn~Easter 2008

The new movie HOP would have been a Heather favorite. Is it an award winning movie, probably not. But it has very cute bunnies and lots of candy. The son of the Easter Bunny named EB is not sure he wants to be the Easter Bunny. He runs away to Hollywood and nearly gets run over by Fred O'Hare. The 2 form a bond and Fred realizes that he was born to be The Easter Bunny. There are cute girl bunnies called the pink berets that come to Hollywood to find EB. These are no little break a nail pink girl bunnies...they are tough. The 2nd in command at the candy factory-a fuzzy, yellow chick named Carlos, decided he will take over and be the Easter Chick. Fred and EB save the day and become co Easter Bunnies together. It is a very sweet movie. I highly recommend this movie. I have seen it 3 times in a week. Thanks Stacey for seeing a kiddo movie with me for on one of our late night movies. I love you. Also took Pea to see it and she loved it. She loves EB and sings I want candy and plays the drums like EB.

Jenn, Wendy and Heather~Easter 1992

 

 

 

 

Wendy, Heather and Jenn~Easter 1995 ~Trinity Baptist