Her favorite thing in the world is a stuffed animal, but she cannot lay claim to a single one of the 50 plus that exist in our home. Anytime she demonstrates a preference for a particular pet, the sister who happens to own the animal coincidentally decides it's her favorite. Right then.
Solution: A birthday visit to Build-A-Bear.
I went armed with a coupon, a gift card, and an iron will to resist the temptation of giving in to my daughters' pleas to walk out of the store with every outfit, accessory, and sound effect known to man for the most expensive plush toy the establishment sells. Even then, I walked away wondering how on earth I let myself get suckered into paying an arm and a leg for four stupid stuffed animals that are going to get their fur trimmed, bodies dragged through the mud, then washed, then covered with loving sticky fingers, then washed again... you know the drill... and then end up in the D.I. pile (or trash) within the year. It's the only way my kids know how to love, apparently. Which is why we've never gone to Build-a-Bear before. Nevertheless, Eve has her token stuffed animal, with her name on it and the older girls can check Build-a-Bear off their bucket list.
As a side note, Anna couldn't decide on just one "extra" (the allotment for each child as per my instructions) so she used her own money to buy a matching puppy for her new dog. Still, as she handed over the cash when we got home, I could see the buyer's remorse set in as she asked me whether or not I had any chores she could get paid to do and requested that I sock away ten additional dollars into her online savings account. Funny, how that puppy had seemed so important just an hour before when we were surrounded by materialism at its best but as soon as we got home it took back seat to her college fund. I love that girl. She just might make it after all.
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