It's official!

As of yesterday, we are officially on the waiting list for our new baby girl from Ethiopia!

Our new tent

What have I been up to, lately? Renovating my entire house (almost done, but the kitchen is still gutted), sewing (of course), and .... playing in our new tent. I was recently contacted by CSNstores.com and they sent me the Tee Pee playhouse from Pacific Play Tents. We have been loving it! Annie has so much fun with it, and I'm happy that she's so happy with it. She's been really into the idea of camping, lately, so this was perfect for her (and a great way to deflect the idea of actual camping ... yuck!!).



Here are some of its best features:
-It was super easy to put together. Maybe 5 minutes! That's a definite plus when there's a two-year-old (im)patiently waiting to play in her new tent.
-Once it's together, it's very sturdy. The poles are inset into each other so that they can't come apart easily and collapse. It has a wide base so it can't tip.
-It's a nice size to play in. Annie fits perfectly, and she has plenty of room to grow. I think the tent will be even more fun when her new sister will be able to join her in a few more years.
-Instead of the traditional one-door entry into the tent, there is main door and also a side door. Annie loves going in one and "surprising' me by coming out the other. Endless hours of entertainment.

The only drawback of the tent is that because it is so roomy, it does take up quite a bit of space. If we had a playroom, this wouldn't be an issue, of course, but we have a small, quaint house, so the tent is now the main feature of our living room. I knew this would be the case when I ordered the tent, though, and I was willing to sacrifice my floor space for Annie's enjoyment. I was happy to see how easy the tent is to assemble and un-assemble, so I can easily take it down when I need a break from it. And really, is my floor space really so important when I see how much Annie loves her own, private little nook? Take a look at this face and you'll see what the answer is!