Make room for cookie.

We have a new addition to the family.  Meet "Cookie, the bear".

Apparently Sam had secret conversations with my mom and told her what she wanted for her birthday.  A stuffed animal bear.  A really BIG stuffed animal bear. One that was bigger than her.  Of course my mom will never say no to the kids and did everything in her power to make this happen.  Here is what arrived at our house last Tuesday.  It came in a box that was busting open. Inside the box was a big ziploc bag that had a vacuum-packed bear inside.  Once you opened the bag even a little bit and let air in, the bear came to life.  He kept growing and growing and growing.

Sam couldn't believe it and was incredibly excited to see her birthday present.  We had Mom-mom on skype so she could witness Sam opening the gift.  Sam was screaming with glee and jumping around like a crazy person.

If you take the total square footage of our house and compare it to the size of this bear, we are vastly out of proportion.  In fact, it was a very good thing that this bear arrived after Lori, Ben and Rachel left to go back to Florida.  I am not sure there would've been room for everyone. 

Hahahaha!  Have you ever seen Jeff look so small??

So this how Cookie and Sam sleep at night.  Good thing Sam has a queen size bed. :)

Cookie makes a great pillow.

Don't even get me started that Ian wants one now too.  Mom-mom said for him to think about it and if he still wants one by the time Hanukkah rolls around, she will get him one of his own.  Ian's room is a 1/3rd of the size of Sam's.  If Ian gets a bear this big, Ian will have to sleep in the bathroom.  Fingers crossed he realizes this is not practical and decides he is too old to get a stuffed animal.