One of the earliest toys i can ever remember owning was a soft white bunny with a blue tummy and beans in the bum, he was only small but then again so was i. I think it was a birth present and i remember it being with me in many of the newborn photo's that my mom had around the house. Sadly i haven't spoken to my mom for many years, i would have loved to have been able to add one of the photo's to the post. There's something really magical about cuddly toys, their your night time protectors watching over you when your at your most Vulnerable and during your most intimate times.
Yesterday we took the boys to our local Build-a-bear workshop to make a bear each, we had told them a few days before so they were very excited. Opeie's a bit to young to understand fully but the word 'Bear' gets him pretty excited none the less. If you remember my posts earlier in the year about buying the 'Hulk bear' and then 'Losing the Hulk bear' then you'll know we have been there before but Opeie's a little older now and more inclined to make his own choices.
The boys had a great experience and i was excited about writing the post but Seth made it quite clear that he was going to write about his experience and if I'm honest i love hearing Seth's take on things.
First though we had to put on our name badges (In great Pauly style i lost mine though, typical)
So here's Seth in his own words...
"Yesterday we went to build-a-bear, i was really excited when i came out of school . I wanted to make a bear with fun trousers. So when we went, there was a very nice man his name was Chris...
he had glasses and a beard. He told us what to do. Erm.... First i had to help Laura...
...to put the fluff in the machine it was good, it was like... I'll show you (Seth then proceeded to stand against the wall acting out what he did which was funny because i was there and saw it anyway, whenever Seth is dictating a post its like he's telling you guys directly, hence the theatrical demonstration). There's like a vaccuum on the side and it just sucks it up.
We chose a bear each, mine had stars on, i picked that one because i really liked it. Opeie picked a rainbow bear. Then we looked at the sounds, i liked the laughing one but i chose to record my own because you can do that. So then i recorded my own, my bear says 'i wish you a merry Christmas'. Opeie didn't have a voice in his he had a beating heart instead.
Then we filled our bears with fluff, i put my foot on the pedal to make the fluff come out. Opeie didn't like the noise the machine made and he was crying.
Then we picked a heart, mine was red and Chris told me to make a wish. What did you wish for Seth? I'm not telling you because it wont come true. Then we stitched him up and i went to the fluffer to make my bear really soft. (I really wish at the time i had filmed seth doing this, he really got in to it and was very loving making his bear extra fluffy) What was the man's name that helped you Seth? Sam, his names Samuel but he doesn't like being called that, he just likes Sam. I wanted to make my bear really really fluffy. (I must point out that being the old timer that i am by the time i had got home i had forgotten both Laura' and Sam's names, my memory isn't what it used to be but luckily i have Seth at hand to fill in the gaps).
Then we picked some clothes, i picked Obi-Wan Kenobi, they did have Batman but i wanted to take a little break from Batman. Chris dressed the bear and put Jedi boots on him and a light saber. My bear looked really cool. Opeie chose a Spider-man costume, i wasn't shocked because he always chooses spider-man for everything.
Then we made the birth certificate, i had to sit on a giant spring to use the computer and it wobbled. I called the bear 'furry-one kenobi' and i called Opeie's 'the amazing spider-bear' it only just fit on the certificate. Then when we finished it came out of the printer.
Furry-one was put into a box that looked like a gingerbread house and it was designed to colour in (i love how he remembered Chris saying that) which i will do with Opeie tomorrow.
I had lots of fun at build a bear. When we got home and i went to bed i tucked my bear in and cuddled him then i went to sleep. He got hot in the night and i had to take his hood down and give him a drink of water but then he slept ok. But his cape fell off, i think he took it off in the night while i was sleeping. When i woke up i found out that the lightsaber makes a noise. I wish i could take my bear to school and show William but i will show him when i go to Tae kwon do next."
Very well put by Seth i think. We did have a great time apart from Opeie getting a bit upset but he's not been to well the past few days so it was understandable. The boys came home in high spirits and both boys were being very cute with their bears. Seth, as he said earlier took time making sure his bear was comfortable in bed and Opeie had some vapour rub on his chest as he is poorly and decided that his bear needed some too....
And tonight Opeie fell asleep on the sofa giving him a nice big cuddle...
The thing i found most interesting about the trip is that each bear can in theory be tracked. If you were to lose the bear and it be handed in they can bring up your details from the bear and get it returned back to you (if only that had happened to Hulk bear). I think its nice to know that there are kind people out there that would return a child's toy.
The build-a-bear experience was great, Everything was explained clearly by the staff and they were 3 lovely people, friendly, smiley and eager to put a smile on a child's face. We all really enjoyed it, although i think Seth is secretly kicking himself after he noticed that the bear Tae kwon do costume comes with a selection of different coloured belts i think if he had realised that when picking an outfit Obi-Wan wouldn't have got a look in. A trip to build-a-bear isn't just shopping for a cuddly toy it's an experience, a chance to bring your new friend to life and it's very exciting, If you haven't taken your children yet then i would strongly recommend it. Seth has really connected with his bear which he hasnt done with a toy for a while, its very cute to watch him taking care of Obi-one.
Thanks Chris, Laura and Sam for a fun hour or so it certainly entertained the boys and they love their new friends and clearly they will be well protected at night.
Now it's time for this furry bear to get himself to sleep. Goodnight.
