Stuffed Animals

Despite the fact that they are one of my most hated objects in my house, I am drawn to them. Who can resist the adorable hippo with it's puffy cheeks? So over the past few days as I've been cleaning my house, I have discovered an interesting fact.

My oldest four love stuffed animals.

Mikalah has a laundry hamper full of the ones she can not bear to part with. We've tried.

Judson has much fewer, but most of his have the fur "loved off". Each of his animals have special names.

Jarrett sleeps with at least twenty that he arranges in a "picture" before going to sleep - most of them are less than six inches in size. His animal's names are special, but descriptive, like: "White", "Coco", "Snowball", "Cave Lion", "Little Black Bear", "Coyote". He's been known to melt-down if he can not find one of those small animals. He accounts for each one before going to sleep. Here is a small sample of his animals. He took this picture.

Meredith also sleeps with a ton, although her count is usually less than 15. Her names are less creative: "Pink Bunny", "White Bunny", "Green Bear", "Hot Pink Bear", "Light Pink Bear", "Light-up Doll". But you know who she is talking about. She does have one creative one: "Princess Brownie". Here is part of Meredith's clan...taken by her.

Now the younger two don't care for stuffed animals. In fact they seem to loathe them.

I have tried to get Jeffrey to sleep with his bunny, his bear, and even Bob the Tomato. But to no avail. Usually the second the animal touches the bed, he tosses it across the room with a resounding, "NO!"

Morgan loves baby dolls, and stuffed animals, but not to sleep with. She likes hers either on the floor next to her crib or at the bottom of her crib, but not touching her.

Mike also has a few sacred animals. Eeyore, that Aunt Louise made for him when he was a baby & a large brown bear that has no name. Mike thinks he called him "Pooh", but he says that really he doesn't believe in naming them. But they are stored in a box in the basement.

As for myself, I also have a box of stuffed animals in the basement, that I too can not part with. Despite the fact that I have not opened the box in at least five years! My animals & dolls had REAL names, like "Jenny" and "Sally".

Here is a picture of me sleeping, that my loving husband took of me. While I'm not snugglin' with a stuffed animal, those little toes are not mine...they're Jeffrey's.

He has decided that he likes our bed better than his. I guess I've become his stuffed animal. Last night we took him back to his own bed twice - 1:38am & 2:46am.

So this year as Easter approaches, I did what every other sane person did...bought tiny beanie babies for the baskets. It just makes the baskets look cute!