we are snuggled on the couch

sandwiched together, more like.  Little Lady leaning into me;  Littlest Lady, on my other side, resting her head on my shoulder, her arm linked with mine, and Little Man, well, he is on my lap, squirming about, looking up at me, laughing, chattering, easing his way off my lap and then coming back to settle with me again…

we are reading… this has been our normal.  Ever since they were babes, we have been reading, reading, reading… lugging our pile of books from the library, stuffing them in every part of the stroller when the children were so young…  laughing our way home as we anticipate the treasures that await us…  and this is still our story…  except, we don’t need a stroller anymore – a bittersweet reality – as we jam our delights into old book bags and struggle to carry them home.

“Mama, we are a book loving family!”  Littlest Lady sings on one such journey home from the library.  Oh, what an awesome proclamation!  My heart leaps for joy.

I love books.  I have loved books and reading and imagining and dreaming ever since I was a little one myself… that love for words on paper and for characters that become a part of me and for magic in my mind – that passion has never disappeared… and my heart’s desire has been to pass on this love to my Little Ones, my gifts of grace.

We are reading Olivier Dunrea’s books again today… We loved these delightful stories when the girls were babes and we would read them over and over.   And now, they are Little Man’s favourites too.  Oh, these silly animals…these hilarious storylines and perfectly engaging illustrations…we are giggling, belly laughing here.  Enjoying every minute of these creatures’ adventures.

These stories were Little Man’s picks today and the girls don’t mind at all.  They remember their first time with Mr. Dunrea’s creations.  I look in their eyes, these Little Ones of mine.

“Oh, yavrigners (my loves),” I tell them in Armenian, “when you are older can I still read these silly stories to you?”

“Oh, yes, Mama!”  My Little Lady exclaims.

“I mean, you will be older and all…But oh, Ollie and Jasper & Joop and Gossie and Gideon and BooBoo!  We will want to visit them again?”

“Of course, Mama!”  All three earnestly exclaim.  And they mean it;  I know they do.  And my heart is glad.

I blink back tears (as I usually do…), and I smile deep.

We are a book-loving family, Oh my Soul.  Did you hear that?

All these years of reading and reading and reading and delighting their hearts and mine and knitting us together in such beautiful ways and growing, oh, all. this. growing…and we are a book loving family, they tell me.  We are.

Tags: Armenian, BooBoo, books, children, Gideon, Gossie, grace, homeschooling, learning, Olivier Dunrea, Ollie, parenting, read aloud, reading, singing, storytime