We have a Playmobil store upstairs in the playroom. I have mentioned it before. It just keeps growing, even though they have so much already, because Playmobil keeps coming out with new stuff that my kids just have to have. I wouldn’t normally give in. I won’t buy the girls any more Barbie’s, for example, no matter how much they beg. They have plenty, who needs more?
But Playmobil is a different story. Why? Because they play with it. For HOURS. All.the.time. Even Nicholas will still spend half a Saturday up there with them, building scenes, acting out stories, using their imaginations and just having fun.
One example of this happened on Erste August. To pass the time until they could set off fireworks, the kids all went upstairs and played with their Playmobil. They called it the Thornag Battle, and there was apparently an entire story that went along with it.
It took them most of the morning to set it up. Everything had to be just right. They used up every single Playmobil weapon we had, which was surprisingly quite a few. 
There were also beasts of burden involved.
Then the battle commenced. But it was not a crazy free-for-all. It was a well choreagraphed undertaking. There were only ever two people battling at a time, and the winner was not pre-determined. 
They have played this before, and each time Thornag always wins. He’s the leader of the bad guys, by the way. But this time, to the smaller, underdog army of good guys delight and astonishment, they won! There was much celebrating and rejoicing, and Nicholas couldn’t believe it for a few days afterward. He is the master of Thornag, you see, and was beginning to think he was invincible. 
I hope they will always be able to look back on these days of innocent playing with happiness and joy. And of course, I will save all the Playmobil they want me to for their own children. 🙂