Build A Bear

I just wanted to blog about this because I don't want to forget it. Two weeks before Christmas, Rob and I took Nick and Em up to Build-a-Bear to get their Christmas presents. Build a Bear is a toy shop where you get to choose from loads of different cuddly toys which type of skin you want and you choose if you want a sound inside it when you squeeze it and then stuff it in front of you and put a heart in to bring it to life. You can pick all sorts of different outfits to dress them too, it's a child's dream to be honest. The kids have wanted to do this for a long time, we talked about it last year but didn't manage to get a free weekend when we could go.

Rob and I were thrilled to take them as it was the first time we'd taken them out on our own - we felt very grown up and responsible! It's fab shopping with young people they see such a different view of the world. Nick was happy 'poo poo' shooting the various coloured baubles hanging from the ceilings and Em was just happy to be out and about with us.

It was so sweet in the shop, Nick made up his mind almost immediately to have a shaggy pup toy but Em? Oh boy, it's a good job they were busy and there was a queue as it took all the queuing time for her to make up her mind. We went back and forwards along the shop wall looking at all the options before she finally decided to go for a reindeer.

When the toys were stuffed, each child had to pick a heart and rub it on their tummies to feed it, rub it on their hearts to give it love and then finally to kiss it, close their eyes and make a wish. Nick was quite perfunctory about it but Em took it so seriously and when she was standing with her eyes closed ernestly making her wish it brought tears to my eyes, it was SO sweet. It really was a joy to share this part of Christmas with them and I feel so lucky to have had this couple of hours with Nick and Em.

And what price as we were walking back to the car with Rob carrying the boxes with the bears in, Em chirped up with "Is it just me or is my box bigger than Nicks?" ha ha, we had to quickly assure them that the boxes were in fact identical. Kids!