unconditional love

For as long as I can remember, Elizabeth has had her lovey bunny. She absolutely adores this bunny. It is never more than a few feet from her and although she will take it with us in the car on outings, she never takes it out of the car, because she's so afraid that she'll lose it. And to lose something as precious - and irreplaceable - as bunny is unfathomable.

Bunny really is irreplaceable.

In 2006 thanks to the sleuth investigative skills of some awesome blog readers, we were able to track down a duplicate bunny. But since that time, the company that made Bunny Squeakles stopped making them. And although we once owned two bunnies, we lost our duplicate on a trip to Palm Springs in 2008. So now we're down to one. The original bunny that is, without a doubt, the most beloved possession in my little daughter's life.

As you might imagine, something as beloved as a small stuffed animal can get MIGHTY stinky and unfortunately, Elizabeth has a real hang up about bunny going in to the washing machine. So unless I can remember to pry bunny out of her tightly clutched hands when she's in bed sleeping {which I never do} the only time bunny gets washed is when I can convince Elizabeth to give him? her? it a bath.



Thankfully, Elizabeth loves playing with water so it doesn't take too much convincing.



Let's add a little soap...



And scrub behind those awesome ears.



Oh yeah. That's the ticket!



As we well know, bath time is a lot more fun with a friend.

Welcome to the party ducky!



Let's take a moment and review some ground rules of bathing with a buddy.



First and foremost, there must be a sufficient quantity of bubbles.

Preferably, up to at least the neckline.



Although we run a tight ship around here and if we catch your eyes wandering...



You might be forced to drink soapy water...



And get an ice cold rinse.



Bunny, you're an endangered species.



As far as we know, you are the last of your kind.



And because you bring so much joy to my daughter, I sure do like you a whole heckuva lot. Especially when you don't smell like an old moldy sock that has been soaked in sauerkraut before being dragged by a skunk through a pigpen and abandoned in a gym locker next to a chunk of Vieux Boulogne.



Funny enough, Elizabeth could really care less how you smell. Whether you have the scent of pungent french cheese or floral french soap, she has loved you with her entire heart her entire life. In fact, she feels the same way about you - that I feel about her.

And that's just about the sweetest thing I've ever witnessed.