Build-a-Bear

Today was the day we finally told the kids that Daddy has to leave soon for another deployment. We drove almost an hour to go to Build-a-Bear so they could each make a special new animal friend to snuggle when they are missing Daddy. He also included a special recorded message for each one; I hope it will provide a little comfort in the months to come.

Cali went straight for a horse and Diego picked up a panda bear right away. Once they had chosen those animals they weren't interested in looking at any others so that's what we went with. They got to take turns pressing the pedal to fill their new pet with fluff, did a sweet little ritual with the heart where they closed their eyes and made a wish before putting it in the animal, gave them a "bath", then got to choose their outfits. Cali liked a lot of the clothes but finally picked a pink Disney Princesses shirt and white skirt with pink cowgirl boots to match. Diego didn't care about the clothes much but he did like the camo boxer shorts we found for his panda.

It was a fun experience and I'm sure we'll listen to Daddy's messages many many times in the near future. As much as I dreaded telling the kids the news, they took it well. I'm sure they don't really understand it all at this point, but for now they are happy and know their Daddy loves them very very much even if he can't be here with us.