Last week, we went to Build-A-Bear with lots of friends for a promotion they were doing for free bears!  As you can imagine, it was wild and crazy, and I braved the crowd alone with my 3 girls, which would be fine and dandy, except that one of them is 2 years old!  As moms, we so quickly forget the challenges of that age, lol!  The Preston and Pond girls decided to stay in the store where the four walls contained our kiddos and wait until the end of the line to build our bears.  Turned out to be a great idea the store hostess suggested, because by the time it was our turn, we had the store to ourselves, and the girls played their little hearts out!  Here’s Anna Kate, Ave, Noelle, Eden and Rose racing their new bears!  Eden got a little head start this time, lol!

 

This was Rose the riot (just thought that up, haha) having fun right before her first melt-down and consequently, her first time-out (which wouldn’t be her last of the day).  Mia and Georgia were our first friends to build their bears, and we had fun seeing which ones they picked out!  It was so exciting when Ava and Noelle discovered they had picked the same bear as Georgia (I did plan ahead and let the girls pick out their bears the day before, so we wouldn’t have to shop in the store, but it was still so crowded, you can’t even imagine)!  I just kept counting heads, 1-2-3, the whole time we were in there!

 

Jaalisa grabbed my camera and took this adorable picture of her two big boys; she was smart and left her two year old at home, lol!  Although the girls didn’t get to play with Brayden and Braxton this time, it was fun saying hi to them in line!  And then, there was the birthday boy!!!  Emily’s little brother, Vaden (who is Anna Kate’s age), got to be the center of attention while the whole store sang “Happy Birthday” to him (it was beginning to clear out)!  I love how his siblings, Emily and Carter, in the right picture, are clapping and cheering for their brother… too sweet!

 

After wishing Vaden a happy birthday, it was the Pond girls turn to build our bears!  Rose picked the big pink kitty because it’s head was already fluffed, and she just couldn’t understand why their animals weren’t stuffed yet.  It really got a bee in her bonnet, and she just couldn’t understand why she had to wait to have an animal that was stuffed (which caused her second melt-down of the day).  This was her first Build-A-Bear experience, so she didn’t get it until she got to press the foot pedal to fill her bear with stuffing, and then the world was at peace again… for the moment!  Noelle named her bear “Harmony” to match Georgia’s bear’s name, and Anna Kate picked out “Rainbow” for her bear but then said her real name is “Vanessa” so we’ll see what sticks, lol!  Rose’s is “Kola Kitty!”

 

Rose and Anna Kate had a blast giving their animals a bath, fluffing them with air from the foot pump the kids get to use, and brushing them out before they got them dressed.  In the picture to the right, sisters Eden and Ava were as tickled as they could be about their new stuffed animals!

 

The Preston girls’ dad, Kyle, and I let our girls play their little hearts out since they had so patiently waited for their turn.  Since we had the store all to ourselves, it made the whole experience so much more fun and relaxed.  I hate feeling rushed, especially in crowds.  We made the most of it though, and did what was best for our kids, and they were so happy for the extra play time we got by waiting. 

After lots of racing and playing with the accessories, we cleaned up, and headed to get our animals dressed.  All five girls chose to dress their animals in what Georgia had picked out for her peace sign bear!  It was a rainbow tutu with sparkles and sequins!  We ended up having a lot of fun when all was said and done, but it will be many a weeks (months or years sounds more like it, lol) before I take all 3 girls to the mall by myself again!