saturday happenings

kalei had another soccer game today, but this time i did my mom thing and brought an umbrella for shade, sunscreen, bubbles, and chilled drinks. i also brought a 12-year-old! this is lici with the boys and a little girl who adopted us during the game. she was such a help!!!

to reward the kids for being such great helpers while james has been gone, we went down to nashville to the build-a-bear store! the kids had fun picking out their bears (anything from the cheaper half of the display - except some ugly puppy that i didn't want in the house), but kalei was the only one that would push the pedal for the stuffing machine to fill her bear. koa watched with his hands over his ears the whole time. things were actually going really well until they announced that it was bearemy's birthday and marched out a grown-up in a giant bear costume. koa promptly flipped out and was crying and saying that he didn't want to go near the "big bear." so, i was calm and reassuring and we did everything possible to stay away from the gigantic bear. we even waited extra time to be at the cashier that was the furthest away from the humongous bear. then, as we were leaving the circuitous route around the extreme edge of the store to avoid the hormone-imbalanced bear, it was time for bearemy's break and an employee was leading him to the back of the store - by way of our sheltered aisle. at this time, koa is borderline hysterical and convinced that this deranged bear is coming to get him. with my cat-like reflexes, i attempt to grab koa and steer the stroller out of the way, and end up with koa melting onto the floor and the stroller ramming into a display rack. yes, wonder-mom to the rescue! the employee guiding bearemy somehow picked up a on our distress signal and waited to the side while i herded our group out of the store to safety. the kids were easily calmed with treats from the food court. good times.

p.s. everyone has sufficiently recovered from the sensory near-overload of the build-a-bear store - and the kids still love their bears. it's a win-win situation!