Tent-fort

 It turns out that tent-forts are just as fun as I remembered them. I helped the girls build their first one today, and they were completely transported by it. I totally remember that feeling from when I was little, that inside the fort was like a complete other place, like my own house in my own world. We built a lot of forts in the Malone household. And the other thing that I vaguely remembered about forts that turned out to be right was that they create a giant mess entirely disproportional to their small size. The thing is, since being in a tent-fort makes everything special and fun, you have to bring absolutely everything you normally play with into the fort to play with, and make it special and magical too. We had babies, blankies, a picnic from the play kitchen, plastic animals, stuffed animals, furniture (besides the furniture supporting the tent) and legos, among other things, in there. What a mess, but totally worth it. (The mess was only just beginning when these photos were taken.)