how to spend $70 on a stuffed animal

just in case you're wondering, my subject title DOES in fact include instructions on how to spend an obscene amount of money on a stuffed animal, which will be thrown in brooke's room when she gets home. and it will probably not be played with very often.

but for the post's sake, let's start from the beginning, in which we had a character breakfast at our hotel


headed to d-land, where it looks like i am racing to get to some ride

oops, have to stop for a photo opp first

ahh, made it to small world. no lines. perfecto.

lots o' waiting in lines

more waiting

and here's what we waited for. no tinkerbell, but a fairy by the name of VIDIA, of whom we had never heard of before.

fun at toon town

ran into pluto-boy (what brooke lovingly calls him)

aaand onto the good part. it is customary (in Japan-- and Hawaii, I suppose) to give money to those going on a trip. a lot of relatives gave brooke money and specified that she spend it on something for herself. so we let her pick what she wanted to buy and it boiled down to spending $25 on a pluto-boy animal, or build-a-bear. here are the instructions:

step 1: let child pick build-a-bear to create their amazing stuffed animal

step 2: allow child to spent FOREVER picking the "right" animal

step 3: select heart to 'stuff' into animal

step 4: dress animal in whatever the child picks-- in our case, ridiculous sparkly sneakers AND rollerskates

step 5: see child's grin when they present you with 'lulu' -- the amazing $70 stuffed dog, complete with mickey mouse ears, sparkly shoes and roller skates



step 6: child leaves lulu with parents while wandering off to play on something else


step 7: tadaaaaaa!