play house (or hice as Arlo calls it)

When I realised Arlo would need some more complex toys I could barely contain my excitement to find out what the new Fisher Price stuff was like. The garage, the house, the record player, the till, the school desk - all that stuff when I was a kid was just amazing so in the year 2009 it had to be beyond amazing, right?

WRONG.

I was gutted. The play house I had when I was little was one of my favourite toys (even though, for some inexplicable reason I wrote on the garage door 'Kevin Keegan') and I couldn't believe the difference in quality. Admittedly, if the modern day play house got thrown off the table, it would mark the floor but that bad boy would be staying together. Along with the cockroaches these beasts will survive a nuclear holocaust.

In the end, I thought I'd have a look on ebay to see if, by any amazing chance, someone was selling the play house I used to have. Lo and behold a new obsession was born. Vintage Fisherprice is all over ebay and I spend hours looking at all the toys I used to have (or covet).

Anyway. Hooray - I managed to get an old play house with some furniture and people for the bargain price of £8 and even better than that - he absolutely LOVES it. I thought he'd just post people through the windows and drive me mental by ringing the bell, but he puts the people to bed (after kissing them and saying 'night night' in exactly the same tone that I say it to him at bedtime), or he puts them in their chairs and pops them in front of the telly in the livingroom.

When we play together, I wonder if he realises I'm not actually getting involved in the game, but staring at him with wonder as he transforms before my eyes into a lovely, funny, clever wee boy.

Once again, I would bottle him at this stage if I could.