The birthday bear

Yesterday was the Little Artist's fourth birthday party. She invited several little girls to Build-a-Bear at the mall. It was a lot of fun. They go out of their way to make it a good experience. A leader gathers them outside the store and they dance in together. Each child picks an unstuffed bear and names it. Jenna became shy at all the "birthday girl" attention and didn't name her bear. Next,there is a serious "heart ceremony," where the leader talks about love and they warm little red plastic hearts between their hands and put them into the birthday girl's bear. Then they warm little hearts and put them inside their own bears. The bear is stuffed by a machine as each child watches her bear fill out. It was fun to see the expressions on their faces. The leader asks them to give their bear a hug. Is it too hard? too soft? just right? Jenna's was just right and once her bear was stuffed, she was able to name her--Genevieve. There's a little grooming table where they can brush the bear before taking her shopping for an outfit. With the bears all dressed everyone gathers at the front of the store to receive hair bows and birth certificates with their bears' names on them and a house-shaped box with a handle to carry the bears home. The little girls pledged to take good care of their bears--oh, so serious were their faces.