Turn the Page

I will never forget last night! If I'm ever having a bad day, I want to remember what last night felt like... I wish you could bottle emotions like that, to save some of the feel-good times for blah days. Not that any day is blah around here...

Anyway - last night! Samuel turned the page! I am so happy for him, but I can't lie, I so needed this. I think I thanked God about 100 times in the five minutes after it really happened :)

What is turning the page? We read lots of books with the kids, and after each page we say "turn the page" to indicate it's time for one of them to turn the page. Samuel and I started a new nighttime routine a few weeks ago, which includes his own story time in the rocking chair. Last night, when I said "turn the page," he stuck his hands out, fumbled with the page for a second, then deliberately turned it! And then, he continued to turn the page for the rest of the book. Joy! He even showed off and did it again today in front of other people just to prove I wasn't making it up :)

Why is turning the page such a big deal? This is the first instruction that Samuel has followed! He can do a few things, like copy a couple facial expressions, but this is totally different. He hears me! He gets me. He is learning from us. We might just be doing something right ;) I so needed this... and I am so happy for our baby boy. Go Samuel!

I actually have a ton of reading pictures I've been meaning to post... not sure why it hasn't happened yet... some of them date back to March, oops. George and Olivia both love books! They have since they were tiny things. They actually play at their bookshelf for hours... I have the taped-back-together books to prove it. They seem to get fixated on a few books at a time and read them to death. George can spend forever looking at each page, studying each page, and Olivia generally plows from one book to the next. Can't wait to see what Samuel does. We love our little readers!

Hmmm... these words don't seem to make much sense! Um, Olivia, it's upside down dear... seems to be a common trend :)

I don't know Olivia, but I think it might be a goat...

It IS a goat, George! Look, it says it right here...

Sorry about the mess mom, I was looking for this book right here.

Pause in the playing for a quick story.

Here we go again! George, turn the book around dear.

Lost in a good story... book right side up and everything :)

A nice way to spend some peaceful time.

Plus, reading is just so cute!

Dad and Samuel - and yes, DB's favorite book is called The Playful Little Fairy :) But our kids will probably be confused one day because in his version the fairy is a cowboy.

Here mom, read this one... for the 100th time :)

Samuel starts to get in on the reading action. Looks like he likes it!

Olivia, check this out!

No, George, check this out!

Mom! Where did you come from?!

Getting ready for bedtime.

Um, Olivia, I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself!
The craziest part about this photo - she got on the couch by herself!!!! That's a whole separate story, but wow are we in trouble!