Playhouse

Emily has a new house! (Really it belongs to her and Leah, but Leah's a bit too young for it at the moment.) We bought it back in April (yes, from Costco), but poor Stephen wasn't able to build it until Thanksgiving weekend. We're grateful! [We were thinking of waiting to build it for Christmas, but Stephen's thinking of putting in new floors at that time (yes!!), so we didn't want to cram this in, too.]


Here's Em, posing in the side patio with Hannah.












She was eager to get her kitchen things in the house. She put her cups, toaster and coffee maker in there and was ready to serve!








I love the flower pots, the window with shutters, and the "deck" area to the side, where Emily has her little outdoor chairs. Stephen did such a great job with the flooring. (The house itself has this really awesome snapping-tile wooden flooring that we ordered from Costco; there's a red brick in the side patio; a lighter-colored brick at the front porch; and the wooden flooring extends to the side "deck" area.) I never realized how creative he is!



Here's Em checking her mail...











... making coffee...













... and watering her flowers.












We all love the playhouse! Isn't it a little girl's dream?

The Man in the Pole

It's funny how little kids view things sometimes...

Once in a while when I'm driving (or a passenger) and I pass through an intersection, I recall how when I was a kid, I thought that a little man controlled the traffic lights. I remember thinking to myself, "He must be inside the pole, sitting at his tiny desk, equipped with control switches."

I truly thought that this was how traffic lights worked! Even more incredible, I think I was under this impression for many years (maybe until I was 11 or so?). I don't remember exactly how long I thought that a small man controlled traffic lights, but I do know it was for a very long time.

FYI: Here's the real scoop on how traffic lights work. Too bad I didn't visit this site when I was 11! (Oh wait, the Internet wasn't around then. Oh, well.)

I wonder what kind of things Em's little imagination will conjure up in the years to come!