Fireman Kitty

Joel struggles with anxiety and was going through a phase (hopefully) of being scared at night.  After one extremely exhausting night of dealing with us, I had the novel idea of getting him something that could comfort him.  I thought of Build-a-Bear.
We let Joel and Caleb each pick out their animal - Caleb chose a black bear and Joel picked a cat.  They even got fireman outfits for their animals (hence the name "Fireman Kitty").  Tim and I recorded our voices telling them that God was with them and would protect them and that we loved them.
This ended up being a great idea for both of them.... particularly Joel.  He dresses "Kitty" up in jammies and sleeps with him every night.  I have even heard our voices coming from their room late at night!
Yesterday, Kitty got laryngitis and couldn't talk anymore.  It was devastating, and we had to immediately take him back to the store to get fixed.  They fixed him for free, and Joel (and me!) were very relieved.

Joel with Kitty (after he was fixed)

Josiah is a big fan of stealing Kitty when Joel isn't looking

We had to put some of Josiah's diapers on their animals....and the boys are both saying "cheeeeese!"