Teddy Bear And His Friends

We're MOVING!!!

2010-07-18T15:28:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Such exciting news - we now have our very own Web site!! Please visit us at:

www.TeddyBearAndHisFriends.me

See you there!!

Emma and her new car!

2010-03-20T17:01:00.000-07:00

So, Emma turns 16 and her heart turns to.....a new car! She sees this one on the lot.

A BRAND NEW CONVERTIBLE!

"Oh Daddy, don't I look perfect in it??"

"Hmmm...well, yes but let's look at the important things. Good safety record, the price is right, well, I ....."

"YAY!!! Thank you Daddy!!!"

And look at that smile, folks!

"Bye, Daddy! I have to show all the girls! I promise I'll be safe!"

"Daddy, it's okay, you still have me!"

"You're right, son, I sure do!" he said with a smile on his face.

Kirby Visits Coronado, CA

2010-03-07T15:57:00.000-08:00

This is one of our favorite places in San Diego! The foot of First Street and Orange Avenue in Coronado.

A beautiful day for a picnic!

But the birds are my friends!

We are so blessed to live here!

LOOK!! A Navy cruiser going out to sea! WE're so proud of our military!!!

A picnic blanket...

...chips, water...

and a HUGE cookie! Sounds perfect to me!

Meet Woods!

2010-02-20T20:19:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! My name is Woods and Mr. Ryan adopted me and gave me to Molly for a Valentine's present....awwww!

See, here's my official adoption papers, er tag....

Today was super fun because the Tillamook "Loaf Of Love" tour came to San Diego (the La Mesa Ralph's, to be exact!) This is their Volkswagen bus - it is only 9 feet, 6 inches long!

I even got to sit on it (since I only weigh 5.25 ounces!)

This is way cool!

The Tillamook people said that this baby goes an amazing 45 miles an hour at top speed!

Wouldn't it be fun seeing this going down the freeway (in the slow lane, of course!)

The nice people gave us two buttons as souvenirs!

I LOVE their license plate! They have Yum1, Yum2 and Yum3.

They're located in Tillamook County Oregon. Maybe I'll go to their factory someday!

Since Miss Sarah was at her friend Julie's birthday party, Molly and Ryan went to dinner at her favorite restaurant Tartine's in Coronado. Here I am going along for the ride (and reminding Molly that it rained just enough to mess up her windows!)

This was our view after dinner. We walked over to the Ferry Landing Park. This is one of the most beautiful views in all of San Diego. The skyline looks lovely all lit up!

Molly let me play on the beach for a little while.

Then I decided I wanted to go somewhere so I thought it would be fun to climb in the mailbox to find a new adventure!

Molly didn't like that idea at all. She said she'd miss me terribly. That made me want to stay with her and the family!

We got back to our car and whew! I'm glad they stopped enforcing the parking meters at 6:00 p.m.!

The Teddy Bear Show 2010

2010-01-20T20:20:00.000-08:00

Today I got to go to the San Diego Teddy Bear Show! It was held in Mission Valley at the Sheraton Hotel. Molly got to see her dear friends Janis and Krys who traveled quite a distance to take part in the fun! There were three rooms filled with bears and dolls and so much more! Come along with me!

Here we are - oh goody, oh goody!

This bear was kind enough to offer us directions!

He was a big feller but such a nice and helpful bear!

After Molly paid my entrance fee, the kind man stamped my hand so I could go wherever I'd like!

He even gave me his microphone to make a few announcements. I wasn't nervous - well, not too much!

Oh my stars! Look at this big tiger!! He looks so fearsome but he was really just a giant pussycat!

He took even took me on a ride around the room!

There were some very lovely bears at this table. I stayed and talked with them for a while.

Such a strong resemblance, don't you think?

When I got tired of walking around, I took a break. Ryan let me use his iPod touch to check my e-mail.

Molly adopted some new friends! Oh I am so happy to bring them home to meet their new family!

This young feller was handmade with love by a bear company called "Whatabear". The man who set up the adoption was so very nice! He was glad that Molly was bringing him to such a lovely home!

This is Mozzarella! Isn't she a cutie patootie?

I even got something out of the deal - a brand new sweater!

And such a grand lady indeed! She even has shoes, something you only see on the more fancy bears!

This little guy is very, very little but he's got a big heart!

And I simply couldn't come home without something for Lancelot! I bought him this fun teddy bear vest!

We had such a lovely time. We can't wait for the show to return to San Diego in August and next January!

A Day In The Life.....

2009-12-29T15:38:00.000-08:00

...of my family! Kinder Bear reporting in today. Since my family is on vacation, we decided to make the day special with things that didn't cost too much as Christmas has pretty much put us on a very long-term, very tight budget!

We decided to take Chloe the Dog along and she said I could ride in her harness!

Our first stop was Chik-fil-A.

Now many of you know that my mom Molly is a vegetarian so why stop at Chik-fil-A? Well for the cow calendar of course! Mom LOVES cows and each year Chik-fil-A puts out a wonderful cow calendar - this year the subject is "Great Works of Cow Literature". Miss Molly used to only be able to get a calendar at the Chik-fil-A in Lansdale, PA when she would visit Mr. Ryan's parents. But since they have opened a location here in San Diego, she just has to swing by the one at the Sports Arena. While there, my family decided to have some lunch.

Mr. Ryan got a chocolate shake. It's almost as big as me!

Miss Molly got french fries.....

....and cole slaw too. :-) Miss Sarah feasted on the chicken sandwich and their legendary lemonade. Mmm....good!

Next stop was Petsmart......

...to get the kitties their food (I think my family's food looks a lot more tasty but....)

Our next stop was beautiful Balboa Park. The trees are all so wonderful and perfect for climbing and lounging...

There were some gorgeous clouds, but no sign of rain, unfortunately.

Look at this cool tree - it's bent at a 90 degree angle!

This tree will be filled with leaves as soon as Spring arrives.

And this ficus has the most wonderful, gnarly root system.

We took Miss Chloe to "Nate's Dog Park" which is just West of the big Cabrillo Bridge.

Chloe wasn't quite sure what to do first but she soon figured out her plan.

When we were walking back to the car, Miss Sarah took these pictures of Miss Molly and Mr. Ryan - still in love after 16 years of marriage!

This is a wonderful view of the Museum of Man.

And it's even a prettier view with Miss Sarah in the picture!

The sun was blocked by the clouds and trees.

We decided to take the scenic route back home so we could go looking for trains. We saw this engine from the Burlington Northern Santa Fe parked in front of Petco Park.

We drove further south and saw this BNSF waiting to be dispatched.

On the way back, we had to wait for the Coaster to cross our path.

Bye Mr. Coaster and bye for now everyone!

Love,
Kinder

Christmas Mail From The U.K.!

2009-12-18T18:13:00.000-08:00

"Special Delivery from the U.K.!" our letter carrier called out! Kinder was so excited that he ran out the door and jumped up to the mailbox.

I think I can get it mom!

Oh my goodness! Royal mail! We've never received royal mail before!

Kinder ran in and asked Lancelot if he could help him open and read the letter (Lancelot, being a bear with glasses, is often thought to be most intelligent.) Young Elmo bear, who was just spending the day rocking in his chair, was happy that he had a seat for the "Great Envelope Opening"! It seemed most appropriate to sit under the Christmas tree for this task.

Why it's not one but TWO beautiful cards from our friends on Flickr! It's from Five and all his friends and Gary and Vince too!! And what gorgeous hand made cards!! Elmo just loved the glittery poinsettias on the front of this one!

Someone is so very talented (we think perhaps it is Five - we must look for golden glitter all over him in his next picture on Flickr!)

Lancelot and Kinder read the sweet note inside: "To Molly and Family, Have a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Gary and Vince" Oh how thoughtful of these two wonderful friends! To take time out of their busy lives to send cards all the way from England to us! We're so very, very touched!

Look at this second card! Why it's Five and all of his friends on the front!

And inside it has all their names too!

Gary, Vince, Five, Jeremy and all the gang - on behalf of all the bears at Molly's house here in San Diego, we thank you so much for thinking of us and doing such a thoughtful thing! We shall keep the cards and think of you fondly!

Oh and after reading the cards, Elmo climbed the very tall ladder...

....and sat amongst the ornaments and thought of all his blessings! Thank you again!

Meet Lily Mousie!!!

2009-12-14T17:45:00.001-08:00

Well, it all started out rather innocently. I asked Mom if we could buy a hat from Miss Christy at the Craggy Moor Store. I was rather concerned about the warmth of my head on those cold San Diego nights! We looked at her Web site....

...and I decided that the stocking cap with the jingle bell would be perfect! So as my mom was taking care of this purchase, she happened to see Miss Christy's beautiful Mousies that were up for adoption.

So....I got my stocking cap. Doesn't it look warm and toasty? And....

Miss Lily Mousie came to live with us! Isn't she the cutest darn thing????

Well, instantly we had a "Craggy Moor" reunion. Miss Betsy, Lily and I talked about how WONDERFUL it was to live in Ohio with Miss Christy and her family. We miss them all so very, very much but we also are happy to be living in sunny San Diego with Miss Molly and her family!

p.s. If you click on this picture, you can see how much Miss Norah Cat LOVES Miss Betsy! They sit next to each other all of the time and so Betsy has a bit more "fur" than usual! Guess Mom should have checked that out before taking this fun picture today! ;-)

My Latest Adventures!

2009-12-14T16:39:00.000-08:00

Kinder the bear reporting in! I have been one busy bear recently! Let's catch up with my family and our latest adventures!

Mr. Ryan works a second job with home-schooled families. One of his wonderful families helped coordinate a bowling night at MCRD (the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, in beautiful San Diego.) I had never bowled before so I asked to come along! Miss Molly thought it was a fine idea but was a bit concerned about how a bear of my little size would hold the ball. I said that it would be no problem at all, not having ever seen a bowling ball in my life before. How big could it be?

Well, first my name was added to the magical machine that keeps score for all the bowlers (I'm the generic "Teddy" though of course that's not offensive at all. We're all proud to bear (ahem) the name "Teddy"!

The bowling alley staff thought that my paws would be just fine on the floor so they didn't require me to wear bowling shoes (those nice Marines!)

Ummm...this ball is waaay bigger than me and much bigger than I expected!!

Maybe I'll just watch and be the cheerleader! Watching bowling can be just as fun as playing!

****
On my next excursion, I went with my family to "Souplantation" which is an "all you can eat" soup and salad bar! This was how I started his meal. MMmmm...good!

***
My next adventure was to go to the "Great Train Expo" at the Del Mar Fairgrounds! It's a huge display of model trains, as well as people selling trains and all that go along with them.

It was a cold and rainy day (SEE! San Diego does have weather...sometimes...) The fairgrounds are all decked out with holiday lights. Mr. Don Diego was the official greeter at the Del Mar Fair. Even his statue had the Christmas spirit!

The clouds looked pretty dark!

I sat in front of the "Train Show" sign but as you can see from the pictures, it really does look like the "Rain Show"!

There were big huge puddles everywhere! I wanted to stomp in them but mom said she didn't have an extra set of clothes for me. Rats!

I did get to ride on the shuttle, which was lots of fun (and helped me avoid the puddles!)

Mr. Ryan is a member of the "Society of N Scale" trains at the San Diego Model Railroad Museum in Balboa Park. The SONS as they are called, had an exhibit at the Expo so we were all able to get into the show for free!

I even got to wear this cool "Exhibitor" sticker!

There were trains of all sizes! Big ones...

And small ones....

And everything in between!

I look so big compared to these fun city streets.

Look how small these subway layouts are!

Everything looks so real!

There were lots of exhibits with trains running here and fro...

A very nice lady let me sit on the edge of her exhibit! I felt like King Kong compared to the little city!

It's fun to see all of the detail and hard work that these talented artists put into their display. Patience is definitely required!

Look at this amazing home decked out for Santa! I wish everyone could see it in bearson!

They had all sorts of tools to help with the hobby. One of my favorite items was the magnifying glasses!

Oh my, I'm huge!

Look at my big nose!

This would be a great Christmas present for Mr. Ryan!

After a while, I got tired of walking, so Miss Sarah agreed to give me a ride!

I had fun playing in the mirror!

Well, if you ever get to go to a train expo or even your local model railroad museum, I highly recommend it! You'll meet a lot of wonderful people committed to keeping the hobby going strong. Their commitment to the glory of the train days is something to be admired - and I do!

Christmas is coming to Balboa Park!

2009-12-01T20:21:00.000-08:00

Each year, Balboa Park hosts "Christmas On The Prado" where thousands and thousands of visitors come to see our city's crown jewel all decked out in Christmas lights, songs, food and just good Christmas cheer. Today, Kinder and Molly went on a walk through the park to see how the festivities are shaping up!

The Air And Space Museum has an exhibit with NASA AND Snoopy! What could be a better combination? We'll have to visit that soon!

Kinder enjoyed the gardens....

...and the fountains too!

This one daisy was growing all by itself in the hedge.

Playing on top of a huge blue vase - luckily Kinder didn't fall in! Mr. Park Ranger probably would not be too happy about that one!

"You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch!" The famous "Old Globe Theatre" puts on a production of "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" every year and every year, the Grinch himself peeks out over the theatre. Sarah HATED seeing him when she was a little girl!

Here's Kinder with members of Whoville!

Molly LOVES taking pictures of flags!

Kinder wanted to go for a swim but it was way too cold!

And here's the head elf himself....

...and Rudolph too!

It's hard to see but the reindeer are pulling Santa's sleigh!

There are Biblical scenes from the birth of Jesus on display at the park.

Each year, the Del Cerro Baptist Church creates and performs "The Living Christmas". It takes all the volunteers hours and hours to just get the huge tree ready!

Kinder loves sitting in trees and Balboa Park certainly has gorgeous ones!

Ta-ta for now!

A Trip To Julian, CA!

2009-11-24T21:16:00.000-08:00

We are blessed to have Julian, a mountain town about a one-hour drive from the city of San Diego. It offers a bit of country life, quaint shops, often cooler temperatures, falling leaves and delicious food, especially apple pie! Kinder was the lucky bear who was able to accompany the family on this wonderful trip! I'll let him take over as narrator!

Here I am anxiously waiting for someone to buckle me in.

I rode in the back with Sarah and her friend Danielle. Aren't they pretty girls?

Upon our arrival, we stopped at the Julian Cider Mill. They have a ton of local honey to choose from. I wanted to buy a smackeral of all of them but Mom said we should stick with a couple. We bought some blackbeary here and some wild hucklebeary at another store (hey is it my fault that there are berrs or bears in honey sometimes??)

I was stuck to this whole display of honey items! :-)

Of course honey is nature's perfect food!

We next went into a store with my mom's most favorite words - "Boyds Bears On Sale"!! 40% off! Mom was so excited and spent a few minutes picking out some friends to adopt. Here's who came home with us:

Jean T. Bearsley, who will join the rest of her family who already live here for the holidays:

Alden Harvestbeary with Giblet who happily joins his wife Mrs. Sarah Harvestbeary!

And Mr. Rutherford Bear, a very distinguished and handsome gentlebear!

We walked past the Julian Drug Store and Soda Fountain. Inside, they have a giant "Bob's Big Boy" statue. My mom is so excited because after a long absence from San Diego, Bob is coming back! They're opening one in Parkway Plaza in a few months. She has such fond memories of going to this restaurant when she was a little girl.

Downstairs, this store has a room full of candy for sale. My mom thought this was a funny sign - can you see the little duck hanging off to the left? :-)

I kinda fell into a barrel of taffy!

This lollipop is almost as big as me!

I met a new friend! At first he seemed a bit shy but then he said we could take his picture!

One of the stores had their windows full of Christmas scenes.

My mom LOVES Eeyore so we made sure that he was in the picture!

After walking around a bit, we decided to have lunch at the Julian Cafe. The food is so very, very good and they give you huge portions! It's the ultimate in homemade comfort foods!

The menu is so big that it's really hard to make a choice. You can't go wrong with anything here though. And if that wasn't enough to make you come here, the owners are Christians and they have Scriptures all over the menu and restaurant!

Bears seem to love Julian because I met another one just outside of the Julian Deli. He loves warming himself in the sun.

Our next stop is my mom's favorite place - the Julian Pie Company! They have absolutely DELICIOUS pies and pastries! My mom's favorite things are their apple cider donuts and cookies called "Apple Memories" which are made out of leftover pie crusts.

If you look here, you can see a video that the Food Network made about the Julian Pie Company!

Mmmm...choices, choices! We decided to buy a Dutch Apple pie to bring to Grandma and Grandpa's for Thanksgiving dinner.

This one is my mom's favorites but we decided to stick with the traditional apple this time.

Don't the cookies look yummy?

Hmmm...can I have one of each one, please?

We went outside to enjoy our treats. There was a big rocking chair just waiting for me!

Miss Sarah and Miss Danielle decided on cinnamon ice cream. They let me have a taste and it was so good, even though it was quite cold and windy!

Hmmm...I wonder what's going on next door? Well, I really shouldn't be so nosy so back to the treats.

And the biggest treat is me! :-) Pies, cookies and bear - oh my!

Here's the bag with the Apple Memories Cookies inside!

I got my very own - and had cinnamon sugar all over me the rest of the day!

After we had our dessert we headed back down the mountain. I hope you enjoyed our trip to the beautiful town of Julian!

Welcome Home Kinder!

2009-11-20T15:40:00.000-08:00

Theodore M. Bear reporting in from BNN (Bear News Network):

Once again, my mom's heart was captured by a bear lovingly created by our friend Christy of The Craggy Moor Store. Mom saw Mr. Kinder on Christy's Web site and she just knew she had to adopt him. So Christy bought Kinder a first class ticket on USPS Airlines and off he went. He arrived by taxi at our house today and he immediately was welcomed into his new home!

Miss Christy made sure that Kinder had a lovely sleeping bag to keep him warm and toasty on his flight....

I untied the drawstrings and out he popped!

"Hello there! I'm Kinder!" he said in the brightest and happiest voice.

Teddy the Cat immediately came over and gave him sniffs and kisses.

Kinder gave Teddy a big hug in return!

He was so happy to be in his new home that he stood on his head!

That's one happy face, don't you think?
'

Teddy invited Kinder over to watch a bit of television.

Imagine Kinder's joy and surprise when his little sister Betsy ran into the room and gave him a big hug! Betsy was adopted by Molly about a month ago. Kinder told Betsy all about what had been going on back in Ohio with Miss Christy and the family. Betsy took Kinder out to meet all his new relatives (and there are quite a few!)

Norah the Cat also came over to introduce herself. Kinder said she has the softest fur he'd ever felt!

After his long flight, Kinder was pretty exhausted. So he joined Teddy Cat in the cat tree and soon fell fast asleep!

Scenes From Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T09:17:00.000-08:00

Hi I'm Kirby Bear and this is my friend Beatrice Bunny. This is our very firstest Halloween so we have so much to learn about all the fun and festivities!

Here is our family's pumpkin that we bought at Bates Nut Farm with our family. Beatrice thinks it's still alive so she's listening for a heartbeat. Silly ol' bunny!

Time to haul this baby inside!

Look at how hard we're working!

Up on the table and here we go!

It's a full moon tonight and that seems appropriate for the night before Halloween.

Here's Miss Sarah outlining the face that she's going to carve.

Grandpa's getting into the design too!

I'm watching over their shoulders to make sure that I don't miss a thing.

One more review of the design and here we go!

Well look who stopped by - Lancelot! He said that he's an expert pumpkin carver and he happily shared his thoughts with Mr. Ryan.

Yes! I believe that's exactly what you need to do Mr. Ryan!

Okay hold it steady...the first cut has to be just right....

And in Sarah goes! Now Lancelot's a bit squemish with the knife so he's going to wait until it's all done.

Oh my stars! Look at all the pumpkin guts that they're getting out of it! Miss Sarah made a baby pumpkin out of the carvings.

Viola!

Here's what it looks like with the lights on....

...and here's what it looks like without the lights!

Miss Molly says that it looks like Jack Skellington, from the Nightmare Before Christmas (one of her favorite movies!)

We're sitting in the front window waving to passersby!

Kirby and Beatrice want to get their picture taken with the pumpkin too!

Well! I went ahead and counted every single piece of candy that we'll be giving out for Halloween! I hope we have enough.

Lancelot and Beatrice counted with me (though I think they snuck a piece or two..or three for themselves!)

Miss Beatrice looks like a treat in the trick or treat container.

Lancelot fits perfectly in the "Great Pumpkin" bag.

We are all ready to hand out treats tonight!

A Give Away of Love

2009-10-31T14:11:00.000-07:00

Wow, look at this beautiful little girl bear! And the artist who brought her into being has some amazingly beautiful pictures on her Web site! And if that wasn't enough - she has cats! A wonderful person indeed! :-)

Excitement's In The Air!

2009-10-27T16:54:00.000-07:00

So does anyone want to tell Kirby Bear and Beatrice Bunny that Halloween isn't until Saturday? They've insisted on sitting outside to greet the first trick-or-treaters! Sigh...I think they'll have other visitors with this big container of candy - the two legged AND four-legged kind. Looks like it could rain so I better go pull them in. These young'uns. Leave it to the old wise bear to talk some sense into them!

But first, I need to find Miss Norah Cat. She's playing "hide and seek" and I can't seem to find her anywhere!

A Teddy Bear's Picnic

2009-10-25T20:21:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone out there in the World Wide Web! Tonight I, Lancelot Bear, had the distinct pleasure of having a picnic with my dear family!

Miss Sarah made delicious Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies (the recipe can be found here). We brought them along to have for dessert.

Since we're going to buy sandwiches at the deli, the picnic basket only was needed for the plates and utensil (and because Mickey Mouse is so darn cute that he should always be part of the fun!)

We brought our friend Miss Chloe. She was soooooo excited to go with us!

Miss Chloe, Sarah and I are all buckled in so let's hit the road!

We ended up going to Centennial Park in Coronado. It is my mom's most favorite place to go. We bought sandwiches at the Boney's Bayside Market. Here are the adorable Mickey plates just awaiting the sandwiches!

Here's Mr. Ryan and Miss Chloe.

Sarah is getting ready to give me some of her yummy sandwich!

And because Mom knows how much I LOVE barbeque chips, she picked some up just for me..er..I mean, for all of us!

I love to snuggle with Miss Sarah!

Aren't they a lovely family?

Look at the view of San Diego from here. You can see why it's my mom's favorite place!

Such a big bench for such a little bear!

But a great place to play "peek-a-boo"!

The sun is setting on our picnic.

But there's still enough light for a cookie!

I hope you enjoyed seeing our trip. I've got my blankie (all the way from Scotland - thanks Michelle!) and it's time to go home and go to bed!

From Ohio to San Diego!

2009-10-21T15:02:00.001-07:00

Theodore M. Bear here! Once again, as head of the bears, I'm honored to introduce the newest member of our family! Here's a little background story:

My mom LOVES the Internet! When used properly, it can bring tons of blessings to us. The bestest part of it is the friendships she's made with people literally all around the world!

One of my mom's favorite Web sites is Flickr.com. This is a site where people from all over the world post pictures they've taken. The best part about this site is that she's met so many wonderful people who LOVE to take pictures of their bears and other stuffy friends (that's stuffy in a good way, of course!)

One of the photographers on the site actually makes and sells teddy bears. Her name is Christy and she lives all the way in Ohio! My mom and she have been corresponding and my mom has told me what an amazing lady she is! Every time they write back and forth, it's as though they've been friends for a long time. Christy's Web site is called "Craggy Moor". You can see pictures of all her wonderful creations. My mom fell in love with all of the babies but most especially Betsy! She decided that we would adopt her! How wonderful is that? So dear Christy put Betsy in a lovely, handmade sleeping bag with plenty of honey and sent her on a plane ride to San Diego!

When my mom saw Betsy, she was just thrilled! Christy is amazingly talented and you can tell that a lot of love went into Betsy. I have the feeling that Betsy won't be the last bear that my mom adopts from Christy! (wink!)

Today, my mom took Miss Betsy on her walk to Coronado (a lovely place to live but way out of our little family's price range!) Here are pictures of Betsy enjoying her new home in San Diego (please click on the pictures for a better view - the thumbnails aren't really able to do the beautiful day justice!)

Mom said that it was quite windy by the water today so Betsy's dress got a little blown.

Welcome to the family, Betsy! We are so happy to have you with us!

Lancelot Gets Glasses!

2009-10-17T16:08:00.000-07:00

We were concerned about Lancelot's vision. He seemed to be squinting a lot as he read the chalkboard at school and as he read his books at home. Mom decided it was time to go to the eye doctor for an exam. Lancelot will explain what happened next.

We met with the eye doctor (an opthamologist is what he's called but that's a big word for a young teddy!) He sat me down in a big chair and looked way into my eyes.

Next he had me cover my eye and read the letters off an eye chart.

He said the letters were in no particular order and didn't make words but they seemed to speak to me!

I covered my left eye and tried to read the letters. I didn't do too well.

So the doctor wrote me a (another big word, let me see if I get it right...) prescription, yes, that's it! He said that the people who make glasses would understand all the numbers and scribbles. I tried on several pairs of glasses and ended up liking these ones! What do you all think?

And now I can read my favorite books without having to work so hard to see the letters. I LOVE my new glasses!

A Story of Bunny Love!

2009-10-13T15:43:00.000-07:00

My name is Beatrice Bunny and I have a story to share with you!

My mom had wanted a bunny like me for quite some time. She found someone who had put me up for adoption at this special place called eBay. Well, Mom knew I was the one so she processed all the paperwork with my previous family and soon I was on my way.

Well, imagine my mom's surprise when I arrived on her doorstep, popped out of my suitcase (cleverly disguised as a USPS Priority Mail Box) and lo and behold I had this lovely Halloween outfit on! My mom was sooooo happy! Isn't that kind of my previous family to do this? A note was included with me that said, "Hi ~ I enclosed a set of new clothes for Bunny (my former name) - it didn't want to travel 'bare'!" Teehee, I'm still laughing over that one!

Honestly, people who love us stuffed friends are such kind and generous people, aren't they?

Here I am writing to let my previous family know that I made it safely to my new home.

But sometimes my fingers don't work so well on the keyboard so I use "ear power"!

I'm so happy to be part of this forever family and I look forward to sharing my adventures with you too!

((((BUNNYHUGS)))))

A Beary Quiet Saturday....A Blog By Sebastian

2009-10-10T14:59:00.000-07:00

So my mommy was home alone today while Miss Sarah and Mr. Ryan worked on building sets for Miss Sarah's Drama class. I could see that she missed them both very much so I decided to keep her busy (and on her toes!)

Hmmm...let's go raid the refrigerator!

AHA! Just what I wanted - leftover Double Chocolate Bread Pudding from last night's "Mommy & Daddy Date Night"!

Mommy went to Costco and bought this just for me! Well, okay not exactly but..
Jeepers! It's almost as tall as me!

I love my honey!!

Mommy had a bountiful harvest from our garden so she decided to make salsa. Tomorrow we're going on a picnic with Mr. Ryan's homeschooled families so we're going to bring this along....

....that is, if there's any left after I get finished with it!

Mommy decided to go to Starbucks and it's a good thing she did! Look who she brought home!

I gave him a tour of the house and introduced him to our other friends here. While he loved having an endless supply of Frappuccinos where he lived before, he's VERY happy to now have a warm and loving home!

Off to see what more mischief I can cause - just to keep Mommy from not being lonely, of course!

Kirby Goes To The Pumpkin Patch!

2009-10-05T18:54:00.000-07:00

Kirby here....I was so honored to be chosen to go on the annual trip to the pumpkin patch! Each year, my family goes to Bates Nut Farm with their dear friends the Closes. We had such a wonderful time and I'd like to share some of our adventures with you!

All buckled in and ready to go!

It's a bit of a drive so I'm going to relax and enjoy the ride!

Yay! We're here!

This is my friend Emily. She took very good care of me!

First, we stopped off to look at the animals. Here are the geese....

And this particular feller really liked my mom's camera!

My mom LOVES taking pictures of the American flag!

Ooooh...we got to go inside the store. Let's see, I'll take some of this....

and this.....

and this....

and this....

and DEFINITELY this! Mmmm....honey!

The store had a saddle for me but sadly no horse for me to ride.

Emily and I met a new friend...he's a bit of a pirate though...

Here I am with my family and the Closes too! My mom and dad have known them for over 15 years!

Here I am with Miss Emily and Miss Sarah and two big bags of kettle korn. That looks like a dangerous combination if you ask me! We were able to snag a wheelbarrow to bring in our pumpkins!

Me and Miss Sarah...

Ooohh so many pumpkins to choose from!

I think I'll take all of these! Sadly, mom said we're on a budget so we had to limit it to one pumpkin.

Look at me way up in the corn maze!

Which one do you think should I pick?

This one should do! What? $ .48 per pound? Well, maybe a smaller one would be better.

This is my new Halloween shirt. The ghost glows in the dark!

So we have a pumpkin for us and the Closes are buying three plus a butternut squash. Looks like we're all set!

After we go to the pumpkin patch, it's our tradition that we go to the Old Spaghetti Factory for lunch. Of course I go right for the sweets!

Hmmm...decisions, decisions....

Here I am snuggling with Miss Megan.

I told her a joke and she laughed and laughed!

I hope you enjoyed our pictures! We're so honored that you would take time to visit our Web site. ((((HUGS))))) to you all and I'll see you soon!

Sebastian Visits Balboa Park

2009-10-01T19:22:00.001-07:00

Today we visited one of my mom's most favoritest places in San Diego - beautiful Balboa Park!

And we're off!

Another gorgeous day in San Diego - though my mom is soooo excited that it might rain this weekend. We haven't had measurable rain (that being at least 1/16 of an inch) in over four months and with our severe drought and threats of firestorms, we gladly welcome any rain we receive!

Here I am relaxing under a tree...

This is a Niki de Saint Phalle display outside the San Diego Hall of Champions building.

What's that I see?

It's LUIGI from one of my most favorite movies "Cars"!

This truck is waaay older than me!

Oooh I gotta watch where I sit!

This looks much safer!

Unfortunately, none of the houses in the House of Pacific Relations were open but that didn't stop me from checking out Scotland!

Our beautiful flag in front of the United Nations Building.

I met a new friend - say "hello" to Mr. Lion. He's been lying around here for a long, long time! (just a little bear humor (as bare as possible .. I crack myself up!)

Whew...need to take a little break. This is a lot of walking for a bear that's only 14" tall!

Maybe I'll hop aboard the park tram!

Appropriately enough, the San Diego Air and Space Museum sits right under the flight pattern for the San Diego International Airport. The planes drop down quite quickly as they prepare to land and the sight can be pretty amazing as they do so.

Look! Even more places to visit...but perhaps another day. I'm beary tired and need to go home and hibernate for a bit!

We're so honored!!

2009-09-10T20:18:00.001-07:00

I just received notification through my mom's Flickr account that one of her bear pictures just won an award! Here's the picture:

and here's the link. You can see that Miss Emma is now the icon for this wonderful group! And click here to see all the other wonderful bear pictures! Miss Emma and Mom, we are all so very proud of you!!

Big Harry Is In The House!!!

2009-09-09T19:17:00.000-07:00

Theodore M. Bear reporting on the exciting news in our home!

Big Harry's mom, Patty, said that she was moving into a smaller house. She knew that Harry would need lots of room to roam and play and run and was very concerned about him. Now our house is not that big but we decided that we have just enough room to adopt Big Harry.

Patty was so good about packing Harry with plenty of honey and other supplies for the journey. He had a marvelous time flying from Texas to California. When he was brought out of his traveling box, he saw all the bears looking at him. He was a bit nervous at first. In seconds, they all started cheering and greeting him and hugging him and welcoming him to his new home!! I think I saw a tear or two from Harry as they all were jumping up and down with excitement. He smiled the biggest grin, climbed out of his box and hugged each and every bear, hare and assorted other friends. By the time he was done, it was dinner time.

Everyone wanted Harry to sit next to them at the table. You can see below how they all piled on top of him (even I'm right there with him right in the front.) I told them all that Harry needed a bit of a break to relax from his long trip here. They understood perfectly, of course. Harry told everyone a bit about himself and how much he missed Patty in Texas but how happy she'd be knowing he was so loved by so many bearsons and Mom, Dad, Sarah and even Chloe the dog, Teddy Bear and Norah Cat. I told Harry that Mom would be sure to let Patty know that he arrived safe and sound and is very happy. In fact, he pulled me aside later in the evening to say how happy he is to be living here and how he is looking forward to many wonderful memories to come! I told him that we do holidays pretty big in our household and Mom thinks he'd be the perfect Santa Claus at Christmastime. His eyes widened and I could tell that he was already planning what presents he would give to each one of his new friends!

Still wrapped up in his travel blanket....

All free!

Harry wants to e-mail Miss Patty to let her know he's arrived safe and sound.

Oh my goodness - bear pile on Harry!

Even Teddy Bear Cat is excited about greeting Harry.

Harry has a light snack before dinner!

You can be sure that there will be many more adventures of Harry and all our friends!

A Strange Happening.....

2009-09-08T21:09:00.001-07:00

What's all the commotion? Why are you all looking outside?

Is the UPS driver stopping at our house??

Yes he is! And he's leaving a very large box on our doorstep!

Chloe's giving it the sniff test in search of clues...

Teddy Bear is giving his two "scents" worth...

Whatever can it be?? Tune in tomorrow, same bear time, same bear station!

A New Friend .... With a Pedigree! :-)

2009-09-02T20:01:00.000-07:00

Kirby Bear reporting in here. Today, Mom heard a knock at the door. Whoever could that be? Why, it was our letter carrier dropping off a box. Oooh...my curiosity arose. What or WHO could be inside?

Look at this box...

Mom, I've got the scissors! Ummm...maybe I should take over, Kirby, mom said....

Why, it's a little brown suitcase with travel and bear stickers on it! I wonder if there's something inside?

Oh my gosh!! There's a bear inside! And from the looks of things, he's been traveling for quite a while!

Come on out little feller!

He's tied to the suitcase. Mom! I need the scissors again!

Thank you so much for releasing me! My name is Fynn and I'm a Steiff Bear!

I'm Kirby and I'd like to welcome you to our family!

There are a lot of bears here who would love to meet you, Fynn! Oh and there are a couple of cats too, like Teddy Bear here....

I know I will love it here!

Please meet our newest friend, Kirby!

2009-08-27T16:24:00.000-07:00

Theodore M. Bear here. It gives me great pride and pleasure to welcome the newest member of our family! We adopted another friend last night, Kirby B. Bear. He is soooo excited to be living with us. Now it's going to take some time to meet all the bears that live here (there are quite a few of us!) but it looks like Kirby's off to a great start!

Kirby rode home in a special box that would keep him safe.

He was a little nervous at first but leave it to Miss Emma to welcome him with open paws!

Awww...fast friends already!

A light snack after a long trip!

As the official head of our bear family, it is my pleasure to personally welcome Kirby.

This is your new home, Kirby and we're happy to have you!

Miss Jennifer welcomes Kirby with a paw bump!

He even met our resident cats, Norah....

...and Teddy Bear Cat.

Our largest friend, Buddy said Kirby could sit with him any time he'd like!

And Mr. Dickens is always such a friend!

What's that Kirby? You'd like to share a few words? Well of course!

I really think I'm going to love it here and I look forward to sharing my adventures with YOU!

It's Back To School Time, Bears!

2009-08-25T19:45:00.000-07:00

Well, summer is official over for the bear children in our home. Off to school! As you can see, young and older bears alike join together to receive their education.

We actually have two teachers - Miss Macintosh and Charlotte B. Beezley, which is good because we have so many students!

Everyone seems to have their eyes on the board!

Kira is the lucky one who gets the desk today (budget cuts and all, you know!)

Have you seen a more eager student than Kendall B. Learnin'?

Ummm... Kira is a little distracted by the paparazzi!

Gala Applesmith is paying close attention to the lesson.

Bailey has brought in her ladybug for show and tell.

All the moms have lined up outside the classroom to drop their children off.

Momma Bearsworth always makes sure that Mary-Margaret and Stuart look their beary best!

Little Miss Abigail Bramblebeary is not ready to leave her mom yet. Maybe next year!

The Norwood Mouse Family & Their New Kitchen

2009-08-22T21:11:00.000-07:00

The Norwood Family simply needed a new kitchen. The appliances were old and dated. So we went to Geppetto's and bought them a whole new kitchen.

Colby and Nibbles enjoying a snack.

Mother Brie is making lunch.

Father Chester is making some toast.

Such a nice kitchen.

And a well stocked refrigerator.

Nibbles reaching up to the chair...

And she made it!

Doesn't the food look yummy?

Some cheese for lunch

And of course, always dishes to be done!

A new obsession....

2009-08-19T18:50:00.000-07:00

Oh my stars - ain't these the cutest things??

They're called Calico Critters or Sylvanian Family. I have friends who post pictures of them on my Flickr site and I have fallen in love with them. The only thing better will be when I get my new macro lens (someday) so I can take nice close up shots. But don't worry - teddy bears will always be my love!

Our Trip To Disneyland!

2009-08-16T13:56:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! My name is Benjamin Franklin Neal Bear and I had the privilege of accompanying my mom Molly and her dear family to Disneyland to celebrate her 43rd birthday (don't worry - she said I could say how old she is!) We had such a fabulous time! Molly took about 240 pictures but don't worry, they're not all here! :-) She did post some more on her other blog so your welcome to take a gander. The ones here are pretty much from my perspective, since I had never been to Disneyland before. Let me tell you - I want to go back!!!

We had a lovely day - not too hot and not too crowded, if you can believe that! We started our day with a 1.5 hour drive (and no traffic either!)

We stopped at our hotel first to drop off our car. Here is my friend Snoopy. He's encouraging people to visit Camp Snoopy at Knott's Beary, I mean Knott's Berry Farm! Maybe our next trip, Snoopers!

This is a statue of the head honcho of Disneyland. I really hope I get to meet him!

Since it was my mom's birthday, she got into Disneyland for free. They're letting people in for free on their birthday throughout 2009. They gave my mom a cool button that says "Happy Birthday Molly" and the staff and visitors throughout the park wished her a "happy birthday" all day! This is the cool ticket she received too.

Here I am at the entrance. Above me is the Disneyland Railroad Depot at Main Street.

We rode down Main Street in a double-decker bus! It was so fun to see everything from way up high!

Look at all those people!

My mom's tradition is to stop by the Nestle Tollhouse Bakery on Main Street for an iced mocha and two chocolate chip cookies without nuts (the first cookie is snacked on throughout the day and the second is saved for the next day....well until Mr. Ryan decided to eat the cookie! But that's okay, she doesn't mind sharing!)

Look at these fun Mickey Mouse cookies!

And the Mickey Mouse Rice Krispy treat - my that fella is everywhere!

We stopped by the Penny Arcade. I wanted to see an old fashioned movie!

Here is Molly and her beautiful daughter Sarah!

Our first ride was the Matterhorn! They had to post a warning about it. Should I be afraid??

We're getting ready to ride the bobsleds. I hear that there's an Abominable Snowman who lives inside the mountain. I'll just keep my eyes shut!

Whew! Here I am and I MADE IT through the Matterhorn! Now we're off to a much more calm and fun ride - "It's a Small World"!

Here I am in the boat waiting to go in.

That's the clock tower for "It's A Small World".

Here I am looking at all the wonderful scenes inside. The song is fun to sing too!

Next we went on "Storybook Land" canal boats. I am a little bit nervous about going through Monstro's tummy!

Yay, we made it through to the other side! Everything in Storybook Land is miniature - well, except for the ducks that live there!

Here's the home of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Their names are on the sign out front.

Here's the magical land of Aladdin and Princess Jasmine.

Next Mr. Ryan and Miss Sarah rode the "Alice in Wonderland Tea Cups". My mom does not like that ride as being dizzy is not her idea of fun. I decided to go along to see what I thought. Whoops! I almost fell out!

Here I am riding with Ryan and Sarah - it's not so bad and it's kinda fun to go in circles!

Mr. Toad graciously allowed Molly and I to sit in his special automobile!

Here's my beautiful family in front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle! I think that owl behind us is watching over us.

And my word - here's Cinderella's fairy godmother! How kind of her to pose for us. Heaven knows she must have so much to do!

Next we went on one of my mom's favorite rides - the Jungle Cruise. The pilots of the boats are so silly! They always have the funniest jokes to tell.

I thought I'd try on Indiana Jones' hat. I think I look pretty cool!

Finally - lunch! We went to the Mexican restaurant in Frontierland. The food is so yummy!

And the soda is so refreshing!

Yummy rice!

Next we rode the Mark Twain Riverboat.

Just in case - it's always good to be near the life preserver!

Here is am resting after our boat ride.

Our next ride was another roller coaster - our family's favorite - Big Thunder Railroad. Here I am getting all settled in.

Molly and Sarah are in front and Ryan and I are in the back.

I think it's safer for me to ride here. This one goes really fast!

Next we went in the Haunted Mansion. This is how I was most of the time!

From scary to fun - we took a tour of the land of Winnie The Pooh

Afterward, we checked out the candy store...

And there was Pooh himself...er rather himselves....

I decided to mail a postcard to my bear friends back home.

Here we are with the big guy himself! Us bears really do bring a lot of joy to the world!

Oh my stars - look at all this honey! I don't think I'm going to leave here for the rest of the day!

But then Tigger called and asked if we could all take a picture with him. Who can resist that face?

And Rabbit too! WOW the gang was all right there!

This feller looked like he could use a snuggle!

Here I am celebrating Molly's birthday with her. That's her mom-in-love, Kathy with them. She was kind enough to book a hotel room for us so we could stay really late at Disneyland! She's so very wonderful!!

Next we went to "Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters". Our mission was to defeat the evil Emperor Zurg.

Hey we did get a pretty high score so I guess our mission was accomplished!

Here we are waiting to drive our very own car in Autopia!

Because I wasn't tall enough, I had to ride with Molly and Sarah. I was okay with that because I couldn't even see over the steering wheel!

Here's my driver's license!!

I received an important call from my bear friends at home. They wanted to find out how I was doing and to let me know they missed me!

Oh my goodness - this job looks right up my alley! The commute would be pretty rough every day though.

This fella wanted to say goodnight to me. He thanked me for visiting and told me that I'm welcome back anytime! You can bet we'll be back!

Ah the hotel room bed! I'm exhasted! I'll see you soon!

So Beary, Beary Cool!!

2009-08-12T18:42:00.000-07:00

So our dear friends were going on a cross country car trip. Molly asked if I, Benjamin Franklin Neal Bear, could accompany them and they agreed! Many, many more pictures will be coming soon but this was so way cool that I couldn't wait to show you!

Our friends were in Arkansas, visiting their State Treasury Department. The Secretary of the Treasury, Martha Shoffner, was so excited to see me that she asked to have a picture taken with me! Well, truly the honor was all mine and I was just tickled brown at the request! Here I am with our friends and Madam Secretary:

And both I and our friend Christopher are holding $100,000!!!! My word that is so much money. But don't worry - none of it ended up in my pockets!

More fun to come!

The New Corvette Diner!

2009-08-05T21:23:00.000-07:00

Today, our esteemed reporter is.....Oliver the Rabbit! Ummm...where are you Oliver??

"Down here...waaay down here! Hi!"

Ah there you are! You are a small rabbit, aren't you! But largely adorable, that's for sure!

Our family's adventure today takes us to a local favorite, the Corvette Diner! It's a fun 50s style diner with a crazy waitstaff (they throw straws and gum and napkins at you!) who perform fun dances right in the aisles in front of you! It used to be located in another part of San Diego but they just moved to Point Loma in an area called "Liberty Station". This property used to be the "Naval Training Center" where thousands and thousands of military traveled through. My mom said the place still gives her goosebumps and brings tears to her eyes as she thinks about all of our amazing military members! You can click on the link above and then the history tab to learn more. Well, the military decided they didn't need the space any more (luckily we still have the Marine Corp Recruit Depot, North Island Naval Air Station, 32nd Street Naval Station and Miramar Naval Air Station so San Diego is still Navy proud!) The area was redeveloped in quite a lovely way, especially as it borders the San Diego Bay and is located a mile or two away from the end of the runway for Lindburgh Field International Airport. Since parking and space was at a premium in their old location, the Corvette Diner decided to move here and we think it's a great idea!

We went down for lunch and we weren't disappointed. The old diner is back and even better than before!

The whole place has so much neon lighting that it seems to glow!

Above the tables, they have TVs built into the wall and a video loop of all the great 50s shows and movies and concerts, like Elvis, "Ozzie and Harriet", Buddy Holly, "The Andy Griffith Show", "I Love Lucy"....

and "To Catch A Thief" one of my mom's favorite movies - she LOVES Grace Kelly and Cary Grant too.

Sarah ordered the Philly Cheesesteak...wow!

Ryan chose the Sloppy Joes - quite sloppy indeed!

And Molly ordered the veggie burger. Can you see me behind the pile o' food?

Here I am!

They even gave me a flag for my very own!

Oh my stars! What is that coming our way???

WOW! That's a HUGE banana split!! That's a pint of strawBEARY ice cream alone!

Maybe I should just have a cherry....

NAH! I got my spoon and I'm ready to dive in!

Gotta drink some water after alllll that ice cream! Whew!

Uggg....I can't move!

As we were crawling out of our booth, mom saw this sign....it's very cute!

This is the view outside the window. Such a lovely place!

Well, I found a bit of strength to go place some skeeball!

Lookie! One of our favorites from the Food Network, Guy Fieri came by! (Please forgive the neon light...as I said before the place practically glows!)

It's funny because they've kept the buildings pretty much looking as they were when they housed the Navy. Hard to believe that Navy personnel barracked in a place that would someday become the Corvette Diner!

This is the view a few feet away from the entrance.

Mom had to pull over and take this picture! The flag is so beautiful against the gorgeous blue sky!

That about covers it! Thank you everybunny for joining us!

Alexander Goes To The Zoo!

2009-08-04T20:49:00.000-07:00

Hello! My name is Alexander Bearington and I will be your official guide for our trip to the World Famous San Diego Zoo! Now Molly posted a lot of pictures (and took even more!) but the day was so much fun that we didn't want to leave anything out. Some of the pictures are much better if you click on them to enlarge. While it was an extremely hot day, the sky was so blue and full of puffy clouds! So here we go!

You can bearly see me in front of this welcoming sign...

This is where we buy tickets....

...oh that's right - we're members so I already have my card!

This is a picture of me with a koala. Well, not a real one. They were being stinkers and had their backs turned most of the time. We're blessed that we go to the Zoo quite often so we have some fun close up shots of them already.

This is just the thing a bear needs after walking long distances!

Here I am at one of our favorite exhibits - the penny smasher! :-)

Just gotta twist it around...

And wait for the penny to drop down!

Here are the camels. My mom thinks the camel's hump sagging is a funny thing. She said that happens to all of us after a certain age! :-)

It was quite hot at the Zoo and this meerkat had the best idea of all. Spread out and don't move!

We didn't get a good picture of this bird but my mom thought that the name was way too cute! He was quite vocal and we found out why he's named this!

I'm peeking in to see....

Camp Timbuktu! This is where people can spend the night at the Zoo. Sarah's a volunteer at the Zoo so she'll be doing this soon though it will be more work for her than fun but I'm sure she'll still have a blast.

This is the entrance to the brand new Elephant Odyssey!

I'm playing on a tractor!

Here, I look just like Carl the construction worker!

The pole I'm sitting on is texturized to feel just like an elephant's skin.

Ahhh llamas!

Look at the elephant play!

This seems to be the theme of our day - animal behinds!

Molly says this looks like Buckbeak from Harry Potter but Sarah said he's the artist's idea of what a prehistoric bird might look like.

I love this picture - it's half an elephant - but hey, no behind! :-)

Here I am with the elephant - well he's a bit farther away but....

This little guy is rolling in the dust to keep cool.

This picture is more lovely if you click on it. The sky, clouds and elephants look so nice together.

This is a sleeping lion! He was only separated by a (hopefully) thick pane of glass! WoW!

And here's a lioness! Look at how big her feet are!

This is all we could see of the polar bear - once again, his bottom!

The San Diego Zoo borders the 163 freeway. The bridge above is part of our beautiful Balboa Park!

Again, zebra behinds! :-)

This is another Balboa Park landmark - the Museum of Man clocktower.

These are lovingly referred to as buckets in our family. Unfortunately, Ryan who hates heights calls them "no way Jose!"

Here's a lovely pond full of exotic birds and....

....freeloading ducks! There are dozens of ducks and who can blame them? Fresh food, nice water, shady trees. All the better to have babies!

This is Hippo Beach and there's a giant sandcast hippo at the entrance.

Let's take the Hippo Trail:

Introducing Funani!

Aww...isn't she sweet!

Again, hippo behind!

Even though she looks like she's innocent and smiling, she's one of the most dangerous animals around!

Time for a break on this very, very warm day!

My friend has been an ambassador to the Zoo since Molly was a little girl!

Whew! I'm exhausted!

Now some cool treats to end the day!

Mmm...iced mocha with a fun Zoo straw! I hope you had fun visiting the Zoo with me!

A Bear Goes Bowling!

2009-08-03T19:39:00.000-07:00

This is Lancelot Bear reporting in. Today is Molly's first day of vacation and she and her family decided to bowl a couple of games! Now out of respect for the other bowlers, Molly did not use her flash indoors. Some of the pictures are not the bestest in her opinion but I LOVE them because they're my favorite subject - me and my family!

The first thing we had to do is get the right size shoes. As you can see, I needed to find a smaller size!

Next, we decided to get some lunch. Ahh...nothing like bowling alley food! ;-) Umm...waitress, may I place my order?

Love my Diet Pepsi!

Mmmmmm.grilled cheese.....

and french fries!

Watch out Mr. Ryan, I may steal your fries!

Next, we need to add our names to the monitor.

L-a-n-c-e....

Hey, that's me!

Now to find the right ball. Good weight is important but pretty color is a big concern too!

Stretch those arms and get ready to play!

Woohoo! Yay Sarah!!

Oh wow! Molly just got a strike!

Yay Molly!!

We're the cheer squad!

Well, we played two games and won't say who won but I think we all won because we were having fun and making memories as a family!

Teddy Bear Show - August 2009!

2009-08-02T19:26:00.000-07:00

Homer Bear reporting in!

I just came home from a WONDERFUL day at the "Dolls4All" Doll and Bear show (though in my humble opinion it should be "Bear and Doll" but I digress!

It was held in Mission Valley at the Sheraton Hotel. Molly, Ryan, Sarah and Ryan's parents came with me and there we met up with Molly's FOBs (Friends of Boyds) Janis and Krys and their lovely families!

The ladies sure loved to see all the bears and a few even came home with me! I'd like to introduce the newest members of our family!

This is an artist bear, though sadly we don't know which artist - anyone? Anyone? If you know, please give me a holler! But isn't she beautiful? The pictures do not do her justice! She's so soft and her fur is lovely. We've decided to call her Rose as she has these lovely roses on her and well, a girl's gotta have a name!

This next young gentleman was quite a rescue story! Miss Molly had been through the hall several times and was getting ready to leave. She decided to make one more loop through and saw a big container with bears. She looked down further and found this sweet boy all the way at the bottom of the box! Well, that's no place for a bear to live, that's for sure! So she bought...er rescued him and brought him into our home! His name is Harry and he is sooo happy to be here!

As you can see, Rose and Harry now fast friends and have even met Cow!

Each person (sadly not bears!) was given a ticket to enter a drawing. Ryan was busy so Molly filled it out on his behalf. Later, as Molly was walking past the ticket table, she looked down and recognized her handwriting. It was on the ticket that she had filled out for Ryan! She asked the kind gentleman what the ticket meant and he said we won a doll and could pick out one from the three on the table. Let me tell you, it was quite difficult! Molly called all her family over to help with the choice. We ended up choosing this beautiful lady! Her name is Sydney and she's a Tyler Wentworth doll! She is simply stunning with pearl earrings and a pearl necklace (naturally!) Molly said she reminds her of Grace Kelly!

The last thing Molly bought may not show up well on this blog. It's a really fun hologram type postcard. If you come over to my house, I'll be happy to show it to you. It's really neat!

As if all this wasn't enough, the three families went to one of Molly's favorite restaurants, Mama Testa! This is the one owned by Cesar Gonzalez who beat Bobby Flay on a Throwdown on the Food Network! We came as a big group (13 plus me, though I only shared one of Molly's tacos!) I think everyone enjoyed the food!

Well it's been a long day and it's way past my bedtime. Stay tuned for more stories from me and all my friends!

Dear Brandi ~

2009-07-29T15:42:00.001-07:00

As Head Bear it is my deep honor to write this post to you. How in the world can we bears thank you enough for sending along your special friends to live with Miss Molly and the rest of us? My word these new friends are wonderful (and none of them are twins to ones that already live here!) It was such an amazing but very welcome surprise when they showed up on our doorstep with the kind note you sent. They fit right in with our family - from the moment they popped out of the box and jumped into our hearts! We have already promised them a delicious dinner and cozy bed to sleep in after their long trip from Texas!

Miss Molly here - Brandi, thank you so much for doing such a kind and generous thing! The note you enclosed was adorable and funny and I shall keep it always! I am truly blessed by your friendship and I thank you again for sending along your dear friends. They will be cherished ALWAYS! Hmmm? What's that Theodore? Oh, of course, let's introduce the newest members of our family!

They all popped right out as soon as the box was open! Umm bears, over here for the picture please!

There, that's much better. We can see your sweet faces now! And look at the lovely quilts that kept you cozy on your journey! Now on to the introductions....

First, we have Miss Bailey dressed in her finest ladybug outfit!

Look, she even has her special box with which to hold her ladybug friends (she'll of course let them fly away whenever they wish!)

Next, we have Bailey's dear friend Darby who also wants to meet some ladybugs! He has one on his sweater!

Let's go outside and see what we can find, Darby!

Well, no ladybugs yet but look, it's little Mr. Oliver, enjoying the afternoon sun!

And he's joined by Miss Lois S. Bearhug!

Aww...such good friends!

And here is a handsome young gentleman enjoying the company of the ladies on a fine summer day!

And in her finest green bow and dress, we have another Bailey (not the same bearson, of course!)

Ah, the joys of shade....

And who are these two adorable friends flying by to greet us? It's brothers Winkle and Dinkle B. Bumbles!

Bailey is looking in the tall grass for ladybugs.

She has her box ready to welcome any ladybug visitors who would like to talk with her.

She and Darby are looking everywhere....

Maybe these kangaroo paw plants will attract them.

Well, Bailey will keep trying and let you know how everything turns out. In the meantime, thank you Brandi once again! (((SUPERGIANTBEARHUGS))))

My Sentiments Exactly.....

2009-07-26T15:48:00.000-07:00

...well, because I made this whole thing up! Gotta LOVE photo editing programs! Click on the picture to see it up close and personal! :-)

Emma Makes Pancakes!

2009-07-20T17:59:00.000-07:00

So we decided to think outside the box - the pancake box that is, and see if we could make pancakes from a real recipe and not just "add water and stir"! With my trusty sous chef Emma, we found this recipe and got to work.

Emma first consulted with Chef Norah

She carefully read the recipe...

Then gathered her ingredients.

Sugar and spice and everything nice!

She sifted the flour....

....and it kinda went everywhere!

That's too hot for you to touch Emma. Better let me use the griddle!

Mmm...the pancakes look good!

Some fresh bluebearries (I mean blueberries) and syrup and brinner (aka breakfast for dinner) is served!

I give these two thumbs up but I don't have any thumbs!

Bear in the Big Backyard

2009-07-18T18:48:00.000-07:00

Good day! My name is Buzz and really our backyard is not that big, but when you look at little ol me....ummm yeah, it's me...down here...waaay down by your feet! Well, the backyard is big to me! Come along and see what I see!

My wish to everyone is written over my heart:

Look at these beautiful flowers!

I picked them just for YOU!

This is my friend Cow and he takes me on a ride throughout the backyard!

I love Cow!

And this is my friend Cat. She has a pretty shiny blue ball that she loves to play with!

"Give them a big smile, Cat!"

If you look really hard, you can see my reflection!

"You're a good friend, Cat!"

Umm...Mr. Ryan, you might need to mow soon!

A bear could get lost in this forrest!

We have even more tomatoes and cucumbers! If anyone has any good recipes, send them over to my mom!

Well I better go in before it gets dark! See you soon! (((BEARHUGS))) to all our friends and family!

Whittington Goes To The Beach

2009-07-18T11:06:00.001-07:00

Miss Sarah is part of the Saint Martins Youth Group and each Wednesday they go to La Jolla Shores for a barbecue and bonfire. This past Wednesday, we were able to join the fun! Sarah brought her friend Georgette, a senior at the same high school she attends. I was the lucky bear who was invited to tag along!

Wow! Look at this beautiful sunset!

Sitting on the beach and taking it all in!

Look Mom! Can I play with this Boogie Board?

"Whittington, that's not ours and I don't think they'd appreciate a bear using their board!"

Miss Sarah and Georgette!

Now this is a silly but pretty angle!

This looks like God is shining down on the water.

We had a delicious barbecue but what I really love are Cheetos! Mom had to stop me from hogging the whole bag!

Oh yeah, how can I forget - Chloe came with us too. She's a silly dog who loves the camera!

Well I hope you enjoyed our quick trip to the beach! Stay tuned for more stories with me and all my teddy bear friends!

A Bear In The Garden!

2009-07-12T15:42:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! My name is Walter Woolsey and I'd like to show you Miss Molly's garden! She's asked for my help in harvesting a few items so why don't you come along and let's see what's out there!

Look Mom! I think I see avocados that are ready for some yummy guacamole!

Yep, there's one...

And here are some more! The avocado trees were supposed to be my mom's favorite - Haas, but unfortunately the man who helped fix up our backyard got one Haas and one Fuerte. We'll make it yummy no matter what though!

Ooooh I see some tomatoes peeking through!

And look at this cucumber!

Here's a baby one! We'll watch that one grow.

Look at this batch of tomatoes!

Opps, gotta take a minute to refill the bird feeder or all my feathered friends will not be happy with me!

Mmmm...jalapeños! My mom's goal for the garden is to have her two most favorite foods - guacamole and salsa readily available so she has avocados, jalepenos, cilantro, limes, lemons and tomatoes. We just need to get some onions and we'll be set!

Holy zucchini Batman! This is bigger than I am! This one is only a few ounces lighter than the 3.7 pound zucchini we found in the garden a couple of weeks ago. We made this DELICIOUS zucchini cake and frosting!

Lookie who's joined our family!

2009-07-08T18:52:00.000-07:00

So Sarah and I decided to peruse a local thrift shop. Imagine my surprise and delight when I came across this (not so) little fella!

"Please ma'am, the people here are quite nice but I'd love a real home!" he pleaded with me. I wanted to buy him but he was so very large (obviously quite well fed by his previous family) that I thought for sure he would be much more than the money I had in my purse. After all, in height alone he was over four feet! I didn't want to ask his weight as I think that can be quite rude. "My sales tag is right there" he pointed, apparently reading my mind. Oh my word! He was marked at only $9.99!! "YES!", I cried! I will be happy to bring you home!" His face lit up with joy! "A real home?" he asked. "Do you have other bears?" "Ummm...well yes, a few", I said. (wink)

"Do you have a name?" I asked. "I don't really remember, unfortunately" he said. "Well, what about Buddy? Do you like that name?" "Oh yes, that's a wonderful name!" he said. And a real Buddy, he is!

Riding to my new home!

Miss Molly and Miss Sarah are showing me the sights along the way

My new friend, Chloe!

This is something I can get used to!

This is what it says on my paw.

And here's the tag on my bottom.

Such a deal! And I think the 7-3-09 is when they first put me out on the sales floor. That means that I must have been meant for Miss Molly as I was only out for five days!

Sebastian's Trip To Seaport Village

2009-07-07T19:54:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! My name is Sebastian Bear. I am a Boyds Bear who actually was designed by the Head Bean himself with travels in mind! In fact, back in 2003, Boyds had a program where members (Friends of Boyds or FOBs for short) could receive me in the mail, take me around their hometown and then post pictures and stories of my travels on the Boyds Web site. In fact, you can read more about it on page five of the Boyds Bear Newsletter!

This evening, I had the pleasure of visiting Seaport Village with my family and loved every minute of it! Here are pictures as proof!

We started our visit with a YUMMY pizza!

As you can see, I'm quite a fan of pizza!

I'm very patiently waiting my piece!

Mmm...delish!

Oh my! We could go here next and that would be fine by me! :-)

Here's a friend I met along the way.

Look at what you can see for only a quarter!

A beautiful sunset!

This is as close to the water as I want to get!

My dear Sarah....

What a beautiful sky!

You can see (barely..or bearly!) the Coronado Bridge in the background.

My sweet family (and Chloe the Wonderdog!)

This nice friend hung out so I could take his picture!

After our walk, we went to Upstart Crow, a fun coffeehouse in Seaport Village.

Here's the story of the original "Upstart Crow":

The Original Upstart Crow

Many people inquire about the derivation of our unusual name. Here’s the story.

Coffeehouses were popular gathering places for literacy Londoners in the 16th center England. It was said that contemporaries of William Shakespeare grew jealous of his success and popularity. Robert Greene, a minor playwright at the time, was one such individual.

Green accused Shakespeare of stealing his material. However, since libel laws were enforced with cudgel and sword in those days, he did not name Shakespeare directly. Instead, Greene labeled Shakespeare “...an upstart crow, beautified with our feathers, that with his tiger’s heart wrapped in a player’s hide, supposes he is well able to bombast out a blank verse as the best of you...”

Today we strive to carry on the tradition of those vibrant Elizabethan coffee houses and to honor the original “Upstart Crow” who has inspired countless generations.
Enjoy yourself!

Well, I hope you enjoyed our visit to Seaport Village. Here's to more travels to come!

A Bear's View Of The 4th Of July!

2009-07-05T18:58:00.000-07:00

This is Dolly M. Bearsevelt reporting to you live (except on the East and West Coast, and pretty much everywhere else!) with our family's 4th of July celebration!

I'm buckled in an on my way!

We started our day by visiting our dear friends. They cooked an amazing meal of ribs, chicken and...veggie burgers (for Miss Molly). We had corn on the cob, potato salad and tomato and mozzarella salad. We followed this meal with a fun round of Wii games, including High School Musical and Wii Fit. We laughed and cheered on the Wii Fit fitters!

This is me and baby M! She'll be one in a few weeks! We had a great time hanging out together.

Following dinner, we went over to the Petersons' home. Mr. Peterson parked his pick up truck down by the lake earlier in the day. After having a delicious dessert of: Key Lime Pie, Chocolate Cream Pie, Carmel Cariboo and/or Chocolate Moose Tracks, we walked down (albeit a bit slowly!) to the Lake. Mr. Peterson was wonderful and brought down the patio furniture cushions so it made the truck a cozy place to sit!

OOoooohh....I had never seen fireworks before. I now LOVE fireworks!

This is me waiving my flag in excitement. If you look closely, you can see the fireworks behind me!

This is me sitting on top of Mr. Peterson's truck for a better view. Even the moon is out to see the show!

Well, I am certainly proud to be an American Bear! God bless this great nation!

Randomness...

2009-07-03T19:57:00.000-07:00

Theodore M. Bear reporting in - here are some photos of my friends:

Chestnut Bear goes for a bike ride!

You, I like! :-)

Mr. Beezley and his friend Norah the Cat.

Norah watches over Alexander Bearington.

Norah and Lancelot look out onto the backyard.

Teddy's not so sure about Boo the Bear!

Lancelot wants to go outside.

He peers inside Ryan's Railroad Room.

Well, I hope you've enjoyed meeting some of my friends. Keep checking back for more fun to come!

Say Hello to Homer Bearsley

2009-07-03T19:36:00.001-07:00

Homer looks longingly out the window of Ryan's Railroad Room. "I want to go on an excursion", he said. Perhaps a train ride. "Well," I said, "I don't have a train available but do you want to go with me to pick up Sarah at Kelsey's house? We'd go by car but it could be fun." "Yippee!" said Homer. "Let's go!"

Chloe wanted to go with us so she could see her friend Butterscotch but she couldn't go this time.

Homer waived goodbye to Chloe.

"Put my seatbelt on and I'm ready to go!"

It sure was fun to get out for a quick jaunt. I'll have more stories to tell soon, I promise!