A new addition

But it's not a baby.

And it's not a dog.

It's a playhouse!

The girls received a new playhouse this weekend.  Mama and Daddy had hoped to time the playhouse's arrival to coincide with a brother, but the toy store had other ideas.  A sale on the playhouse ended Saturday, so we decided to get it while we could save a bit of money (and we got the last one, too!) and hide it in the garage for a while.  Unfortunately, the enormous box had to be opened to fit into the van, which made hiding the playhouse in the garage a bit more complicated.  We decided not to try -- and showed the girls the pieces right away!

Daddy started to put the house together on Sunday afternoon, after church.

  

Nan and Grandpa came to join in on the fun.  Grandpa assisted with some house assembly, of course.   The house has a lot going on -- a schoolhouse side, a gas station side, a store side, and a sports side (with a soccer goal and a basketball hoop) -- so Daddy and Grandpa had plenty to do.  (Mama and Nan helped, too, but only with the stickers!)  And when the house was finished, its little occupants were ecstatic!

Kathleen tests out the phone while Madeline crawls through the 

"tire" on the gas station side of the playhouse.

Madeline models Grandpa's ND beanie.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous.  Mama and Daddy and Nan and Grandpa lounged in the shade while the girls romped.  And when the afternoon became evening, we grilled some steaks and enjoyed a tasty dinner together.

How to top off a day with a new playhouse?  Ice cream cones after supper!

And we finished our night with something even sweeter -- storytime with Nan and Grandpa!

If only every addition were as quick and painless (and fun!) as a new, plastic playhouse!