Building the Bears

I was anxious to get out of the house with the kids, so we went to Build-a-Bear Workshop. I know a playground would have cost a lot less, but it is really quite hot outside. Allen warned me that it was a bad idea, trying to control four kids indoors, keeping them from touching everything, staying patient as they pleaded for me to buy everything, all that. Although was likely right, I set my mind to prove I could do it, and, in the end, I am really glad we went because all five of us had a great time.

First the kids chose their animal. Although Build-a-Bear has other animals, all four picked bears.

Next they each picked a heart for the bear. There was a cute little saying that the lady went through with them -- something about rubbing the heart on their hearts for love, rubbing it on their knee so the bear needs them, rubbing it on their head to make the bear smart, and a few other things too.

After she helped the kids put the hearts in the bear, each of the kids got to stand on the pedal to fill the bears with fluff. The lady did all the hard work, but did a great job making the kids think they were doing it all. After the bear was filled, she finished the stitches and tied the strings.

I happened to snap the shot when Jon, in his own cuddly world, stopped and just hugged his new stuffed bear. It was such a sweet moment . . . until Will shoved him out of the way.

The next step was to clean the bears. Although it was made to look like a sudsy bathtub, the washing station was another foot-controlled machine. The kids push the pedal to turn on a blower. The blower, well, blows as the kids brush the bears. It was loud, but it did seem to fluff up the critters.

 Maddie hated the noise, but she couldn't figure out how to cover her ears AND brush her bear. Jon came to her rescue and stood behind her with his hands over her ears so she could do the brushing. It was quite silly, but I didn't get a picture.

After the cleaning, the kids each chose an outfit for their bears. My kids were predictable: Maddie chose a pink princess outfit with glittery shoes, Jon picked a cowboy costume like Woody from Toy Story has, Ben chose the Buzz Lightyear costume, and Will selected a clone trooper outfit like on Star Wars. The only "surprise" was that Jon wanted combat boots instead of cowboy boots. (Sometimes, Mama just has to shrug and say, "Whatever?")

The last step for the kids was to name the bears and get little "birth certificates." So, now you get to meet the newest buddies. Will named his Star Wars bear Pickle. This is a black and white panda that looks a bit like our black and white kitty, Pickles. He said it wasn't the same name, but I'm thinking the cat inspired him to choose that name.

Ben got real creative and named his bear Buzz.

 Jon's bear is named Woody.

And Maddie named hers Sleeping Blutie. When the lady corrected her and said, "Do you mean Sleeping Beauty?" Maddie replied, "No, not Beauty. It's BLLLLLUUUtie." So she has a very pink bear, wearing a very pink dress, with a very BLUE name.

The kids really had fun. There were just a few challenges I'll have to remember in case I ever decide to do this again (but, it is not likely.)

Challenge #1: it was hard for me to listen to what the lady and kids were saying (so I could write about it,) while I was keeping the kids on task, and while I was trying to take pictures. It would be worth having another adult just so I could get better pictures and remember the little moments.

Challenge #2: the bears get packed into tall boxes to carry home. The boxes were hard for the little kids to carry without dragging. I'm sure some people got a few giggles watching me try to hold all four kids' hands while they dragged the big boxes as we crossed the parking lot. 

At the end of the day, the kids are still playing with the bears. There is a trail of bear-costumes through the playroom, the boxes have been climbed in, colored on, and torn. I have put bear shoes back on the bears too many times to count, and I'm considering letting the shoes "disappear" during the night. I don't know how long the fun will last, so I'm writing about it to make it last a little longer.