Readathons, the Merrill way

There is something about me that you really should know: I have a thing for books.  Well, really, I love them.  I passionately seek after my tightly bound friends, I gather them into my nest and savor their perfectly punctuated sentences.

Really, it is all so very nerdy of me.

I even decorate with bookies :)

And yes, this is a post all about my wonderful obsession.  Please feel free to exit the screen at any time.

Since my Adi-Baby was in fact a baby, I have yearned to share my literary addiction with my kiddos.  I began collecting books for her own personal library.  It grew and it grew, and with every child that was added to the crazy Merrill family of ours, the amount of literature housed within our bookshelves multiplied.  Truly, nothing thrilled me more than finding a Scholastic book order tucked innocently inside Adi and Piper's homework folders.  It was an early Christmas!

Slowly, I discovered the beauty of 50 cent books at the DI, the awesomeness of Kohls Cares $5 classic children's books, the wonder of finding just the right garage sale where the people had no idea how much wealth of knowledge that they were selling for next to nothing...

And then, oh then, Amazon entered my life.  The Prime membership that gave me free two day shipping (and more often than not it comes within 24 hours)?  The amazement of having any book that I could ever wish to own right there, waiting for me to hit the tantalizing "Buy Now" button.  I believe that Orrin has grown to hate that website.  But really, $3 new books with to-my-door delivery?  My life was complete.

In each of my children's room, there is a humble little bookshelf that I have striven to fill with books that will ignite their imaginations, take them to far away, impossible lands, and give them a true bosom friend that is tucked away in bound pages.

Shall we take the journey through the wonderful world of books that exist in Courtney's house?  Lucky you!

As a side note: taking pictures of books is very hard.  Please pretend they are all in focus :)

Wyatt's mini bookcase (a superb D.I. find) holds his collection of hand-me-down and the wonderful books that were carefully matched to his personality.

His favorites?

Goodnight Moon (coincidentally, one of his momma's favorites also)

Roaring Rockets and Terrific Trains

 Slide and Find: Trucks

Some other of my favorites?  The Llama Llama books,  Bear and Friends books, and, the classic, Guess How Much I Love You.

We have spent so many hours, toddler in bed, Mom on the floor next to him, reading them.  He isn't a child that likes to be cuddled very often.  But as long as he is given his personal space, he is perfectly content to listen to me read for as long as I am willing to do so.

Onto Porter's room...

Porter's shelves are full of Dr. Seuss silliness and I Can Read Books... and the formidable Tonka books *shudder*.

There are his favorite National Geographic books,

and his science books.

But now, he's discovering the wide world of chapter books, much to the joy of his mother.  Seeing as how PG isn't quite at the reading fluency to make it through these alone, I get the privilege of reading them aloud to him.

Mouse and the Motorcycle books

The Indian in the Cupboard books

We recently finished Mr. Popper's Penguins (another book from my youth).

Just last night we read the last page of Old Yeller together.

Oh, how Porter-Pot fell in love with that yellow, tattered-ear dog.  He planned on owning a yellow dog just like him one day, that way he could yell, "Get him Yeller!"

And then we got to the end of the second to last chapter.  His eyes were as big as saucers (perhaps I had tears streaming out of my own), and his blankets were pulled up under his nose.  "Mom?  He didn't kill Old Yeller, did he?"

Heart.  Broken.

But, oh, how it made my mother-heart soar to see that my son was so connected with a story that he was emotionally drained after finishing it.  It worked!  All the hours of reading aloud to that child has worked!

My daughter's shelf was an ugly little garage find by their Nana, that I sanded and painted and carried up the stairs to their room (boy-oh-boy was that thing heavy).  I finally unpacked the boxes of books that had been reverently put up on a shelf awaiting the day that they would get a home.  What a hodge-podge of books they are!  So many from my own little girl collection (here's looking at you, Nancy Drew and Anne of Green Gables).  

 The girls are at the fun age where they are choosing such wonderful books that they want to read... and some books that make me roll my eyes.  Loudly (yes, I am very capable of loudly rolling my eyes).  Confectionately Yours? not my favorite.

 I am able to convince them to read books of my choosing still, thank goodness.

The girls and I are also reading Harry Potter together.  We're on The Goblet of Fire, and the girls spend  most of the reading with their faces half-hidden under their blankets.  How I love to see them so involved in books!

We've also recently discovered our "local" library (can you call something that is 13 miles away local?).  And boy, have we been bringing home heavy bags.

I will not show you my own bookshelf (that I am forced to share with the Hubs).  It is scandalously over-filled and spilling over with dog-eared and bent paperbacks... as well as a few high-quality hardbacks.  But really?  Why pay for one hardback when I can get three paperbacks for the same price?  I am all about economy.


And my personal reading stash that resides on my nightstand.  Why read one book at a time when you can juggle five... one to fit each of my moods?

Orrin has a never-ending love of all things Louis Lamoure, which he owns every one of his western books.  Yes, I checked.  Every single one.  But, because he drives over two hours to and from work, he also has a very active Audible account.   

I snapped some totally not staged pics of the kids reading... and pretend that they're in focus too ;)

Wyatt was totally into getting his picture taken, as you can tell.

The way that I see it, I am giving my children the world through these piles of books.  Oh yes, I am quite dramatic today.  I mean, how else does one discuss so many books without any drama in one's tone?

One day I hope to see my children snuggled up with their own kiddos, reading Old Yeller and Harry Potter with them.  Oh, how full my heart will be that day.

From a sister's perspective.

It is always a terrifying experience, having a baby.

From my first down to my fourth I was scared out of my mind each and every time.  Given, each situation was very unique, yet the same.  And I was out-of-my-mind worried every time I made that final drive to the hospital.

I must admit that watching the miracle of life happen is much more worrisome and awe-inspiring then being the one in the center of the performance.

I was blessed enough to be invited into my dear little sister's labor room, and lucky enough to be asked to document the thing through pictures.  Well, I was terrified about that point: what if every picture was blurry?  Or I missed all of the really good moments?  Or my battery died?

Now, my sister: You know her.  I have spoken a lot about her.  I even once wrote about her struggle to hopefully one day carry a child.  That part is not my story to tell, but I will tell you that the day we found out that not only was she pregnant, but that there were two sweet little bodies growing in her womb... well, I rank that day in the top ten of my life.  Oh, how we prayed.  How we mourned.  How we yearned for her.  I don't think a single person in the family truly stopped holding our breath until the moment that we heard those sweet babies cry. 

First, my poor Whitney discovered that she had a rare skin condition called PUPPS.  Poor, itchy girl.  Then she was in pre-term labor.  One whole week in the hospital hooked up to one million machines that sent us all to our knees in prayer that those innocent babies would stay inside longer.  She was released under orders of strict bed-rest.  Next came the itchy palms and bottoms of her feet.  Hello, cholestasis. And, as the icing on the cake: preeclampsia. 

Now, in a world where most people take to publicly announcing every woe and malady via social networks, she was a rock.  Whitney never once breathed a word of complaint, not in person and not on facebook.  I believe that most people didn't even know half of the problems she was facing.  Her strength, her endurance: wow.  She handled her pregnancy with a grace that deserves the praises of the heavens.  Oh, how much I loved her!


On July 8th, at 8 o'clock, it all finally came to a nail-biting finale.  But all through the ups and the downs, Whitney's strength was beyond admirable.

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll save myself the time and let them do the talking.

 

 

 

 

 

**I am going to break in here to explain that at this point: after she pushed for a solid thirty minutes (or more- I really cannot be held responsible for remembering such details), they wheeled her into the OR to finish pushing just in case one of those beautiful little babies decided to switch positions and they had to do an emergency c-section**

Momma and Baby A or, shall we now and forever refer to her as Presley RaNae?

 

**Another interruption: Whit came down with a high fever after delivery.  She was not doing well**

At this point you must be wondering where is Baby B.... shall we name her Hadley Ruth?

Poor Miss Hadley had a bit of  a struggle with her breathing, which we came to find out was due to a pnumoethorax... or something like that.  I understood it to be an under-developed lung.

Scariest moment of my life, seeing this sweet little girl laying there in the NICU.

Thankfully, our little Hadley is a fighter- like her mommy.  She fought the odds and was out of the scary NICU within two days.  Two days!  Amazing, amazing little girl!


Sadly, because I am the greatest idiot there ever was, I forgot to bring my camera back to the hospital when I came to visit the beautiful little Lish family.   Thank goodness for camera phones!  I snapped this with my trusty iPhone within minutes of her release from the NICU.

Thank you, dear sister, for allowing me to experience this awesome time with you and yours.  You absolutely shined that day, Whitney.  And I am so remarkably proud and in awe of you.