READ A BOOK!

Everyone that knows us knows we are a family of avid readers. I even managed to read three books over the summer. Normally I would have read two or three times that many.... but, I was just a little busy this summer!


I've never seen anything like the boys. Parker and Noah have been known to read while walking through Wal-Mart and the mall! They take their books just about everywhere and I have to pry them out of their hands at bedtime. At least it keeps them out of trouble....most of the time! Isabel is on her way. She doesn't do chapter books yet, but we have high hopes for this year.

You know when kids are at that age, around 2 years, that they decided they like a book soooooo much that they want you to read that book to them over and over again until you think you will recite it in your sleep? Well, my kids did! I literally have hundreds of children's books in my house, so we certainly could have variety in our lives. But no! Every night, for what seemed like years, we had to read Nicky Visits the Fire Station by Harriet Ziefert to Parker and Miss Spider's Tea Party by David Kirk to Noah! Isabel was a little different...she picked two books that you HAD to read to her, Peek-A-Boo! by Janet & Allan Ahlberg and The Golden Egg Book by Margaret Wise Brown. As much as it drove me crazy back then, I treasure those memories!

Now we have another little mind to form, so every night before bed we start reading books. One of the first phrases Claire learned to say in English was "more book", which has transformed over time to "read a book"! Because it is so cute to hear her ask for more books, she often gets out of going to bed on time!

The other night she was in the boys room with the other kids while I was straightening up. She kept pointing to the books on the lower shelf of their bookshelf so the boys gave them to her. They were not books for small kids, but that didn't seem to matter to them or her. A few minutes later she got bored with them and scattered them around the room while playing "cars". Hot Wheels are a new favorite for her! I came in the room to get her for bed and walked over to pick her up. As I leaned down to get her, I said, "time to go night-night, Claire". She quickly grabbed up a book about the human body and began turning the pages, looking intently at the pictures. I repeated myself and then held out my hands for her. She did not look up, but loudly proclaimed, "I read a book!"

Don't forget to turn the music off!