The Joy of New

So, we've been in simplification mode for a while now, and we got to see the true benefit the other night. After we cut the toys down to well less than half of the original amount, the boys rediscovered the fun of playing with Little People. The Little People collection had been in the basement for a while, in kind of a holding pattern. Do we donate, do we keep? I had decided to bring them back upstairs because I thought it would be nice to mix things up.

Once they were back upstairs, I decided it was a good time to bust out a toy Eli had received for CHRISTMAS that was still in the original packaging. We have several toys from Christmas that are still in their original packages because Cole and I like to phase them in slowly to insure everything is played with and explored and truly appreciated, not just tossed aside and forgotten.

Here is the "new" toy.....

Eli received this Little People Car Wash set from his Aunt Heather. When I brought it into the living room the boys started crawling all over me as I opened it in order to get a better look. They were SO, SO, SO excited for their new toy! They were totally engrossed in their play, and when Cole and I finally called bedtime over an hour later, they still weren't ready to move on to something else. It absolutely warmed my heart to see the boys so excited and in love with their new toy. I was so glad that they truly appreciated the gift and didn't just toss it aside to see "what's next?!" as they would have if we opened it on Christmas day.

Thank you, Aunt Heather! The boys love their new toys, and they love you, too!!!