Easter Family Fun

Leaving the house with four kids isn’t easy. So back in March, when I insisted on venturing out for Easter bunny photos, Jarmon was less than thrilled. It was only our second time leaving the house all together, but after missing Teddy’s first Easter bunny photos during the early days of the pandemic last year I was not going to be deterred.

We spent more time than I’m going to admit getting the kids dressed. I hadn’t planned any Easter outfits so this was an exercise in scrounging around to see what I could come up with that looked nicer than everyday attire and at least somewhat matched. I packed a diaper bag— stuffed with bottles, sippy cups, goldfish, bunny grahams and extra outfits in the event of a mishap. Jarmon and I, who knew we would be in the photo since the bunny can’t hold kids during the pandemic, spent about 30 seconds getting ourselves ready. It showed.

We made it to the car relatively easily. It’s amazing how doing something for the second time can make it seem so routine. Arabella sits in the middle row, middle seat— the twins on either side of her. Teddy sits in the third row. And because there are three car seats in the middle row, he crawls in through the hatch (a brilliant solution devised by me to put off getting a minivan— Jarmon is horrified that Teddy thinks getting in through the hatch back is normal).

I don’t think any of the kids realized where we were going, but there were no protests on the drive out. We had decided on Yorktown Center for our bunny visit— a decision based solely on proximity. When we arrived, we put the twins in the Uppababy stroller and Teddy in the $7 umbrella stroller we bought for my Georgetown graduation. We convinced Arabella to walk by telling her we needed her to push Teddy. She thought this was cool and (surprisingly) was a willing participant.

We had never been to Yorktown and had to maneuver quite a ways through the mall to find the bunny. We made a reservation on the drive out and were a few minutes early when we arrived. We decided to feed the twins before texting the bunny to announce our arrival (the way it’s done during a pandemic). When we were ready, the bunny was on a “carrot break” so we had to wait a bit longer. This was a good thing because it gave Arabella time to warm up. It also gave us a chance to introduce her to the practice of throwing pennies into the mall fountain and making a wish. She was fascinated by this and would have bankrupted us if we had let her.

When it was our turn, Arabella was terrified and wanted to go nowhere near the bunny. So, we did the best we could. I held the twins while jarmon wrangled Arabella and Teddy. God bless the wonderful crew taking the photos who broke out in an enthusiastic rendition of baby shark— a heroic (and successful) attempt to get everyone looking at the camera.

After getting our family photo, they asked if we wanted one of just Arabella and Teddy. We of course did, but Arabella wasn’t having it. She ran away leaving Teddy all alone on the bench in front of the bunny. He wasn’t smiling, but we got the photo.

After paying for our (heinously expensive, yet worth every penny) photos, we moved off to the side to regroup. Arabella was suddenly fascinated by the bunny and kept trying to sneak back into the staging area to get a better look. Teddy started snacking on some bunny grahams. Arabella- amid running back and forth to spy on the bunny- discovered the kid sized Adirondack chairs that had been placed around the fountain. She pulled one up close, got herself some water and goldfish from the diaper bag and made herself right at home. She truly couldn’t have been happier at Disney world. Jarmon was anxious to leave, but the kids were having such a good time that I convinced him to hang out and let everyone enjoy the moment. It was simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking to see how a simple trip to the mall could spark so much joy after a year locked in the house.

While we were hanging out, we ran into one of my coworkers! It was a small miracle that I recognized him given that we were all wearing masks, but it was great to catch up. We chatted for a bit and of course took a photo.

Jarmon and I eventually decided we should probably head out and get the kids some dinner beyond the goldfish and bunny grahams. On the way out, Arabella spotted the quarter vending machines and asked her signature question, “What’s this?” I gave her 50 cents to buy a bracelet (yes, prices have increased tremendously since I was a kid) and you would have thought she just got a diamond. She was SO happy.

The kids were having the best night ever, so we wanted to take them out to eat and keep it going. But sadly, we couldn’t find a single restaurant that could accommodate a party of six. After all, it was a Saturday. At 7pm. During a pandemic. And we, sadly, had no reservation.

We decided to order burgers from Small Cheval to pick up on the way home. We were just getting off the highway when we heard a horrible sound coming from somewhere in the back. I turned around in a panic to see Teddy covered in vomit. Luckily, it was bunny graham vomit and not something more smelly. We briefly discussed swinging by the house to drop off me and the kids, but unloading the car is no small task, so we continued on. Because Teddy was all the way in the back I literally couldn’t even wipe off his face. So he sat, covered in a bunny graham vomit for ten more minutes while we we picked up dinner.

We obviously aren’t winning any parents of the year award based on this one, but if you saw the kids eating their burgers and happily dipping their fries in garlic aioli— I think you’d agree they were oblivious to our parenting faux pas.

Oh- and remember how Arabella wouldn’t go near the bunny? She asked to go see him again every day for a week. I’m pretty sure she was more interested in the fountain and vending machine, but either way I’m hoping her enthusiasm lasts until next year.