Frumpled bunny, rumpled boy

We meant to take Noah to see the Easter Bunny this year. Last year we dressed him in finery, drove an hour to Polaris Mall, stood in line for 45 minutes while Peter Cottontail was "on break, be right back" and ultimately decided it wasn't worth the hassle.

But the days just slipped by this year and before we knew it, we'd missed out on our best chances of seeing Mr. Bunny, particularly since we live in no-man's land.

As luck would have it, the Easter Bunny came to us. When we were grocery shopping at Wal-Mart last Saturday, we were strolling by electronics when all of the sudden a shabby white rabbit appeared around the corner of a sad, cardboard floral background. Noah was immediately smitten.

We had to wait a few minutes for the Easter Bunny's helper to understand that the terrified infant twins were NOT going to sit on the lap of a giant furry thing with menacing ears, and then it was Noah's turn.

He dutifully posed for the camera (SMILE!), and Cottontail's helper told us we could pick up our free (!!!) 5x7 at the photo counter. Swell!

When I picked up the picture I literally laughed out loud. Though we'd managed to get Noah to the Easter Bunny, we did not manage to comb his hair that morning, wipe off his juice-stained-sticky face, or dress him in clothing that actually fits. In other words, it's the first "true" portrait he's ever taken. (On a side note, it was also another reason I decided it was time for a haircut.)

So here it is—the REAL Noah with the above-mentioned shabby, definitely-belongs-at-Wal-Mart Easter Bunny: