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.
Goodnight Moon (coincidentally, one of his momma's favorites also)
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...
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.
We recently finished Mr. Popper's Penguins (another book from my youth).
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.
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.
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3 comments:
Dealing with Dragons!!! Very similar to my own bookshelf (shelves?) Yours look much more neat and organized than mine though! I don't know what to do with them all!
Yes! Me too!! Ditto to ALL of it!! Our one HUGE bookshelf is full to the brim, double rows of chapter books, and so many hardcover picture books, the shelves are sagging! We have books strewn e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e. And we max out my library card each time we go to the library (I pay for the QC one). I need to do individual bookshelves in the kids' rooms. Fun post. I might have to do one similar. :)
They only look clean because I spent an hour organizing then before I took the pictures! They have already returned to their natural state. And, yes! I was hoping you would notice Dealing With Dragons!
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