Gone Too Soon

I normally discuss the antics of my girls but today I thought I would just say a few words about a man who influenced many people in the world, including me. Michael Jackson was an artist. I am not one to get too sappy over the death of someone famous but he was a genius when it came to entertaining. I remember watching him on MTV back in the days when they aired only videos and I was captivated and inspired. I wanted to sing like him, dance like him, and perform like him. I remember getting the Thriller album back when an album was an album and you needed a record player to enjoy the music. I believe BAD was the first tape cassette I ever got and I still have it. Today as I download more of his music off of a CD and onto my Ipod, I watched my girls dance about to sounds that I once danced too as a child. They were enjoying the music just as much as I did when I was their age and it's music with lyrics that I'm not afraid of them hearing. Michael Jackson and his music was a part of my life growing up and now a part of me feels empty. His music will live on by those who continue to play it for their kids and the future generations to come.

"Like a sunset, dying with the rising of the moon......gone too soon."

The New Adventures of Fluffy, Snuggle, and Mr. Ted E Bear

So today was like any ordinary day. Got up, had some coffee, fed the girls breakfast, and decided we needed to go to the store for a few things. Now the night before Cocoa was very adamant about mommy taking Mr. Ted E Bear with her to bed. She's known for awhile now that I have had that bear for a very long time and that he lost his right eye in the snow in Minnesota. I'm not sure why she wanted me to take the bear but then she asked for Fluffy. My other trusty bear that has been with me for almost just as long as Mr. Ted E Bear. She also lost her left eye at some point. Apparently I was really rough with my teddy bears eyes. Anyways, she said she couldn't go to sleep without her. She asked about a bear patch of fur on Fluffy's head. I told her that I loved Fluffy so much and gave her lots of hugs, that her fur just got very worn.
So the next morning as I'm down stairs enjoying my cup of coffee, Cocoa wakes up and stumbles down the stairs with Blue, her big blue bunny that Lola and Lolo sent her. She gives it a hug and then leaves only to return with Mr. Ted E Bear. Of course all of this just makes me smile. As we get ready to go to the store, Cocoa says, "Wait. I need Snuggle." She comes back with Fluffy and Snuggle (Snuggle happens my sister's bear. She got it the same time I got Fluffy.) Sweet Pea gets to hold Snuggle in the car while Cocoa has Fluffy and Mr. Ted E Bear. We get to the store and the girls want to bring the animals with them. Here I am thinking, "My children will look silly carrying these ratty old teddy bears missing their eyes into the store." So I told them that they wanted to stay with the car and protect it. They of course didn't buy that excuse and all the bears came along. So there we are in Target, Cocoa in the seat of the shopping cart with Mr. Ted E Bear on one side of her and Fluffy on the other while Sweet Pea trots along side the cart with Snuggle safely in her grasp. I smiled the entire time we were in the store. I didn't care about the looks they got and trust me they got some looks.
When we got home it was nap time and Sweet Pea had Fluffy and Snuggle and Cocoa only had Mr. Ted E Bear. Cocoa was sad and said she couldn't go to sleep without Fluffy. So I went and got her and Sweet Pea was alright sleeping with just Snuggle. It just made me smile again. I started to think of the Velveteen Rabbit and how it became "real". My girls have given Fluffy, Snuggle, and Mr. Ted E Bear a second life of new adventures. Hopefully no one else looses an eye.