Indoor fun

What with having spent the past six months either 17 months pregnant or caring for a newborn, we have spent more than our fair of time indoors.  On the few occasions it's become clear that we're not leaving the house, I get out toys to promote a little more activity.

I saw this little igloo tent at Ikea for $10 while we lived a reasonable distance from one in Chicago and have not regretted bringing it home with us...

Okay, so that's actually a lousy shot of the tent, but you get the idea.  When I was a kid, I had a little play tent at my Grandma's house and it was just the coolest thing ever and I love giving my kids a similar experience.  They have a ball when I bring this puppy out.

The very cool collapsible tunnel Kendra got from Poppa for her last birthday has also seen a lot of playtime in the past few months.

It's a lifesaver to have stuff like this around for those we-are-WAY-too-cooped-up-here days.  Especially because once they've had an afternoon of fun, we can just fold it up until the next time we feel the need (or until Elliot finds the tunnel package and brings it to me and begs me to open it, which happens on a fairly regular basis as we store it on the floor next to the wardrobe in their room).

It's also SO nice that the older two are old enough to be playing together and keeping each other entertained for such long stretches of time.  They seem to have a lot of fun together, and we love watching it.