Three of a kind ...

When Julie and I got married, I was surprised with a gift when I got to Grand Oaks. I had been working all day getting the flowers done for the wedding and had about an hour to relax before the ceremony. There was a beautiful box waiting for me. Inside was a special treat. Julie had gone to the mall and made me a Build-a-Bear, complete with a UGA outfit. She had left me a special message inside the bear that simply said she loved me and couldn't wait to spend the rest of her life with me.

Fast-forward to our one-year anniversary. I was searching for a little extra gift to make the occasion even more special. I decided a Build-a-Bear would be perfect. So I picked out the softest one, rubbed the little heart in my hands, made a wish and boxed it up. I had also recorded a message, reminding her of one of our favorite children's books, simply saying I'd love her to the moon and back. It was special for her.

So when we decided that we wanted to come up with a special gift for Turner, Julie suggested a Build-a-Bear. It's not like he doesn't have everything he could possibly need or want. Our friends, family and colleagues have given us fantastic showers and gifts, but we both felt the need to have something special from us. So I took a long lunch today and we went to the mall. We picked out the softest bear and recorded a message ... a blend of the messages we had already recorded for each other in our earlier gifts. We stuffed him and he looked perfect. We each added a heart, a symbol that this child is made from a piece of each of our hearts and perfected in one body. We picked out a cute baby boy outfit. Today we made our little man his first Teddy Bear. His bear and our bears make three of a kind ... a beary perfect family :)