Thank you to Westfarms for providing us with this complimentary experience for the purpose of writing this post. All opinions expressed by this blogger are 100% her own.
I am SO excited to be back on the blog today – It has been a really long time! I am sure you won’t even recognize my crew… last time I was on here we had three little boys… now we have three much bigger boys and have also added a little girl to the crew! It is so much fun to have a little one again, and of course to experience all of the sparkles and bows that have come along with her! Don’t let her smile fool you though – she keeps us on our toes!
The older boys have such busy schedules with sports and activities – the little two often are just along for the ride. I was really excited to have a special afternoon with just the two littles at Westfarms. For the sake of the blog we affectionally refer my youngest son as “Muffin” and since my daughter hasn’t been on the blog before, I guess we need a name for her too…. so let’s call her “Sweetie”. 🙂
I am not exactly sure why, but I always seem to forget about visiting the Easter Bunny! Last Friday I picked the little guy up early – even let him skip rest time at school… As if that wasn’t exciting enough – we headed over to Westfarms where we were invited to come by for some Easter fun.
We headed right for Bunnyville to meet up with the Easter Bunny. It was so cute – the colors, the set, the whole thing was so great for these two.
The kids really enjoyed the space in Bunnyville. They had a lot of fun things to look at and play with! Tic-tac-toe, the big beads, and the big spinning wheel – Muffin loved doing it all! Sweetie had a ball too – she is always on the move so Bunnyville being a contained space made it a lot more fun for her since I could let her down to check it all out. The staff was all super friendly and engaging with the kids. Kudos to whoever thought to put all that fun stuff in the waiting areas! I almost had to drag them away and remind them we got to see the Easter Bunny next!
Sweetie was star struck when she first spotted the Bunny – it was all waves and high fives. Then she got a little nervous – the staff and the Easter Bunny were super patient and pulled out all the stops to make sure we got smiles out of everyone! I mean – playing Peek-a-boo with the bunny – how much cuter does it get? It was a great experience – more than just photos with the Easter Bunny.
We ended up with an adorable photo that was quickly printed off and also emailed to me. I was able to download and send the picture to my husband within minutes!
When we visited it was not a busy time being early afternoon on a weekday, so we did not have a line to wait in. I anticipate with Easter quickly approaching and lots of schools on break next week it will probably be a lot busier than when we visited. You are able to go online ahead of time and make a reservation which could be really helpful (especially with the younger ones) to avoid any potential lines. I do want to mention though that reservations are NOT required – you can absolutely just stop in! There is a separate line for reservations and another for walk up visitors.
After we finished up our photos, we couldn’t wait to head off to Build-a-Bear Workshop. They have so many options – and lots of the kids favorite characters – it really is a lot more than just teddy bears. Muffin saw a Sonic the Hedgehog he couldn’t take his eyes off of. I think the hardest part is just getting the kiddos to pick just one! But in the spirit of the season we HAD to go with the Peeps!
Muffin decided he wanted an orange one and given the choice between pink and purple, Sweetie grabbed and ran away with the pink Peep – so we took that as her selection. 🙂
If you’ve been to Build-a-Bear before you know its more than just filling a stuffed animal up with fluff. We had been several times with our older boys when they were younger, but this was Muffin’s first memorable time going and he just loved every bit of it. From picking a sound for his friend to have, to deciding if it will be a little squishy or if he thought it should be stuffed a little extra, picking special hearts for their friends – completely adorable from start to finish.
It is really incredible all the options they have for all the stuffed friends you can make! And the options don’t end there – the outfits, accessories – I saw girl scout and super hero outfits, shoes, pajamas – they had it all! And all of it was at perfect shopping height for these two…
If you are looking for some at home Easter fun or basket stuffers – I spotted a little Build-a-Bear Easter egg hunt set. The eggs are already filled with clothes and accessories. Such a cute idea and great alternative to candy!
When we were checking out the staff also mentioned they have started doing birthday parties there again. There are all sorts of party packages and they also shared that Westfarms has a private party room perfect for pizza and cake. It is available for any kind of party – not just with Build-a-Bear. I could see that being a really fun option for some older kids parties at the mall too. A great idea to keep in mind if you’re thinking about creative birthday ideas!
With our Peeps in tow, we made one last stop – there is always enough room for a little ice cream, right? Muffin’s afternoon was really made with a delicious cup of homemade strawberry ice cream from Gusnova Gelato. So many flavors to pick from, but he is a pretty loyal strawberry guy these days – and this did not disappoint! I did make the mistake of letting Sweetie out of her stroller while we stopped – and that explains the lack of photos of the actual ice cream or any better photos of Gusnova’s. But trust me when I say it was worth the stop!
It was a wonderful afternoon with just these two, spending time together and doing things that brought smiles to their faces. Having older kids, I finally can appreciate all the warnings I got about how fast time really goes. I am sure in the blink of an eye I’ll be looking at our photos with the Easter Bunny wondering where time went. For now, I am very grateful for the afternoon I got to share with my littlest ones – sharing smiles, making memories and the photos we have to remember it all! If you have the chance, stop by Bunnyville and check out all the other fun things to do at Westfarms with your family!
Westfarms
1500 New Britain Avenue, West Hartford, Connecticut
Phone: (860) 561-3024
Email: shopwestfarms@taubman.com
Hours (2022):
Mall Hours:
Monday-Saturday 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Sunday 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
http://www.shopwestfarms.com/hours
Bunnyville Hours:
Monday-Friday: 11 am-7 pm
Saturday: 10 am-7 pm
Sunday: 12 pm-6 pm
Details:
Stroller Friendly: YES
Coffee Mug Friendly: Yes – But if you forget yours there’s also lots of places to grab a cup of coffee while you’re there!
Restroom: YES – there’s lots! There’s also a great family restroom on the lower level right near Cotton On Kids.
Baby Changing Station: YES
Parking: YES – Lots of free parking.
Food for Sale: YES – Lots of quick stuff and sit down restaurants
Outside Food Allowed: I don’t see why not.
Cash Required: NO, I think just about every store and restaurant would take cards.
Age recommendation: All ages!
Evening/Weekend Hours: YES
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