How Blue Came To Life

AJ thought that Abby should get a Build-A-Bear for her birthday.

This worked out great since I was kinda at a loss for gift ideas
as they were only recently spoiled with Christmas.

Taking these two anywhere is always entertaining.

First, there was a serious selection process.

We all weighed in our opinions heavily,
but Girlfriend is one independent chick & had nothing to do with our desires.

She looked at each animal with an over-stimulated gleam in her eye...

Upon where an immediate connection was formed...

with bright blue bear donned with multi-colored peace signs all over its body.
The most spastic animal there.
(But...somehow this bear just fits her personality perfectly,
so I just smiled & went with it.)

The choice was made.

Girlfriend had made up her mind.

There really was no going back.

The kids eagerly awaited the stuffing stage of Blue's creation...

with a slight hint of fear and concern in their eyes.

Abby clung to Blue, tightly reassuring him...her...it...that everything would be alright.

She reached in the bucket and grabbed a heart...
still not exactly sure what was going on with the loud machine...

AJ stepped on the pedal, thus giving Blue flesh...stuffing...fullness...
whatever...

Girlfriend gave the lady her nastiest sink face when she told her to kiss the heart (seriously...you would have thought the lady just took food away from her or something severe).

So mommy kissed Blue's heart.

Blue was stitched together.

And naturally Girlfriend had to get her new BFF some sequence shoes before we left...

no dress...no shirt...no skirt...just shoes...
just how Abby likes to roll.

(Let's not talk about how Girlfriend likes the shoes more than the bear.
I am sure over time a bond will be rediscovered, and they will be inseparable.)