The Playhouse

This year we decided to give the girls a playhouse.  To add to the drama (it really could not be a surprise because it is so big and we built it in the backyard and they couldn't not see it), we decided to wrap up keys to the playhouse.  After they opened all of the other gifts and their stockings, they figured out that the small box containing the playhouse keys was on the mantle:

 We let Catherine remove the paper:

 And Sabrina open the box:

 Then they put on some sweat pants, a jacket and headed out to see if the keys worked:

We did a "ribbon cutting:"

Which was harder than it looked because the child's scissors I gave the girls were not strong enough for the big ribbon:

But the kids loved exploring the completed, furnished play house!  They have a reading loft with old comforters, big pillows, and a desk:

The staircase now has a pink handrail on it so the girls don't get splinters:

The kitchen area has a small dishwasher (behind Catherine) and some great shelves my Dad built:

The small table for tea parties fits well under the staircase.  We even hung curtains up on all the windows (these once hung in my parents' bedroom many years ago).