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It has been a while since we had reading time before bed.  The kids share Add's bed most nights.  She asks Kade every night if he will sleep in her bed.  It is sweet.  When it is time to read I cozy in between them and we read and read.  Usually Kade will follow along and then chime in for a few pages.  They snuggle up and ask for more chapters.  I can hardly resist reading them more chapters b/c I'm so happy they like books.

Let me back up.  It was a long afternoon.  Add was in tears pretty much ever since she stepped off the bus.  She wanted to play with a friend but I couldn't get a hold of the Mom.  She wanted someone to play at our house so bad.  She was a mess.  Finally after dinner it was 7 PM.  Let's go read.  Just what she needed, snuggle time.  We read 3 chapters to finish up book 3 of Ivy and Bean.  Then half a chapter of Ramona the Brave (jeez the chapters are long in Ramona books!) and then 6 or 7 Shel Silverstein poems.  They love the Shel books.  

My heart is so full.  So happy that I finally listened to what they needed...ME.  We spent nearly an hour reading and laughing and just being with each other.  Kade asks every night if I will sleep with them too.  (Maybe he would be into the "family bed"?)  Since Ethan wasn't home yet, I said I would stay with them while they fell asleep.  It was like they were little babies all over again.  Like they just needed the warmth of their mama as much as I needed them to need me.  

I am grateful for small moments that make the crappy days better.

and yes, I was grateful to have my remote to click away while reading....

hello.

   

Kade has been reading like crazy lately.  I love it.

Not only books, but just words in general.

Signs, food labels, text messages (while peering over my shoulder), notes sent in his lunchbox.  

It's like a whole new world has opened up for him.  

The other day Addi had a birthday party to go to so we went to the library.  

We sat and read for a little while before he got bored and it was time to go.  

Right now I am reading The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.

I am really enjoying it.  

page 57: 

As I stood outside in Cow Lane, it occurred to me that Heaven must be a place where the library is open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.  No...eight days a week. 

more library

I am kind of obsessed with our new library here in Springville.

It is a great hang out spot.  All they need to do is open up a cafe area and I'd be set.

The kids and I went on a tour of our new library the other day.  It was really cool.  They even let us into the sorting room, which was probably my favorite part.  It is all automatic and streamlined.  The books move down a conveyor belt and are placed in their correct bins.  They are automatically checked in as they are scanned. The kids thought it was really cool.  

We spent a long time picking books and hanging out.  

I love that I can show Kade the military section and he can choose books that look interesting.  

Add loves that we have bins in our kids section instead of shelves so she can see what she is looking for.  The tour guide said that currently 80% of the kids' books were checked out.  

It makes me so happy that people are utilizing our new library.  

I also love that they have cool hanging art installations in this huge atrium. 

 They look like shapes hanging up until you get to the right view and then you can see what they make.  This one is a star when you are directly underneath it.  

It was an excellent way to spend a dreary Saturday morning.

OH...

And this what your table looks like when your son picks out 14 books to check out: