Who Knew THIS Would Happen?

We've read to Nory since she was a baby and have experienced a variety of reading phases along the way.  Our tiny audience member started out as a quiet listener (three cheers for newborns!), but soon grew into a chatty wee thing, sharing her thoughts and opinions on our nighttime books.  Not long after, she worked tirelessly to convince us that books were actually teething toys in disguise and some of our personal library was thrown out as a result of Kuwait heat PLUS lots of drool (Nory teethed, St. Bernard style).  Eventually she became a page-turning guru and dictated which page came first and, also, how many times each page was meant to be read aloud.  The stories took on a whole new flare, being different each and every time.  Of course, page-turning can only maintain interest for so long and we entered the "HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO SIT THIS STILL FOR SO LONG, MOM?" phase.  We had to abbreviate our readings, choose shorter books, or engage her by having her find different objects in the pictures. 

BUT NOW.

NOW!

Nory will sneak away on her own to do this:    

Our wiggleworm has become a BOOKWORM!!!!!!

Nory has learned to love reading and, if she's not off reading by herself, she's asking us to read with her.  It's THE BEST!  (Even though we have to read the same book several times in a row, with the same level of enthusiasm and expression used in round one.  HA!) 

I wonder what comes after the phase of repetition.....I'm guessing it's the phase of "I WANT NEW BOOKS!"

I confess!

THIS was the book I read on Friday and I fully support ALL 4.6 stars awarded to it on Amazon.com.  I'm really not sure how I went from "Wonder" to this one, but the language shift was rather refreshing and her writing is HILARIOUS.  I vote you read it too! 

Dear Eleanor

Right now I am reading a book called "Wonder" written by R. J. Palacio.  It is really good so far, although the storyline is not the happiest tale that's ever been told.  It's about a young boy named August who is attending school for the very first time as a fifth grader.  Being a new kid at school is really tough (I have some experience in this department), but being a new kid at school with a facial deformity is even tougher.  That's something that August has.  A facial deformity.  It means that his face looks differently than most faces, although he is just as much of a person as you or Daddy or I.  Unfortunately, the reality is that people can be cruel and August has a difficult time being accepted by all of the students at his school.  There are kids that make him feel bad about himself - calling him names or whispering hurtful things as he walks by.  As a teacher, as a mom, and as a person who tries their best to be kind, it is really difficult to read.  I have found myself in tears more than once, heartbroken that others would treat somebody so terribly.  But yet I keep reading August's story and through it all we learn about something else that August has - COURAGE.  This means that he goes to school every day even though he is afraid to.  It's an admirable quality in a person and your Daddy and I will do everything we can to arm you with this trait as you grow older. 

I'm only about 1/3 of the way through the book, but it has really got me thinking about the things that I want your Daddy and I to teach you.......

The biggest one is to BE KIND.  TO EVERYONE.  No matter what they look like, where they live, where they come from or what they wear.  You're special, my darling, but you're not better than anyone else.  You're not too important to say hello and smile, to hold open a door, to give a compliment or to help out with the dishes.  We'll teach you to remember people's names (because that matters) and to give back wherever you can (even in small ways).  We don't expect you to like everyone, My Girl, but we sure as heck expect you to be kind to everyone.     

Something else I want to teach you?  To BE YOURSELF.  No matter what anyone else tells you, the best person you can possibly be is YOU.  As you grow up, you will learn to appreciate people who are genuine.  Whether they are genuinely bossy or blunt or unbelievably negative.....so long as they are genuine, you will come to appreciate them.  So long as YOU are genuine, people will love and appreciate you too!  

One last thing, My Darling.  I want to teach you to STAND UP FOR WHAT IS RIGHT.  If you see someone being mistreated, I want you to SAY SOMETHING.  Whether you say it to me, your Daddy, your grandparents, your Aunties, your Uncles, your teacher, or to the bully himself.....please oh please speak up!  This takes courage.  Remember I was telling you about courage earlier?  It's not as easy as it sounds, but I hope that in teaching you kindness, the strength to defend others comes more naturally to you.  

I know these are some BIG LESSONS and I know they aren't as simple as I make them seem.  Even your Daddy and I still struggle with them from time to time.  However, as long as you start each day with the intention to BE BETTER, the goodness in your soul will shine through! 

I can't wait to finish the rest of the book.  It's a little grown up for you just yet, but perhaps one day we can read it together.  For now, we will stick to "Penguin Says Please" and "Bear Says Thank You" - both of which will teach the same lessons I've told you about right here ;)

We love you, Eleanor.
XOXO

Talk about PERFECT TIMING!

One thing I definitely miss from Canada is my lazy, could-spend-all-day-long visits to Chapters bookstore. There really is nothing like it. Getting a chai latte, reading the headlines in the magazine section, then browsing throughout the rest of the store.......it's relaxation at its finest!  The children's area has always been a particularly long stop for me, and now that we have Nory, I think my love for entertainment gossip (People, Us Weekly, In Touch) will be 100% overshadowed by this section for littles (and BIGS!). (GASP!  THIS IS A BIG DEAL, PEOPLE!)

Finding storybooks in English can be a bit of a challenge here.  I've lucked out at the kindergarten book fair and I've also lucked out with Amazon-imports that have been given to us as gifts (thanks EVERYONE!).  It's a real treat to receive a book, especially when you've rotated through the same few books so many times that you've not only MEMORIZED the words, but you've had to rely on making up your own to maintain any interest in the "teach your child to love literature" process.  And that's a FACT!  Phil and I do an incredible rendition of "Daddy Cuddles" and would love to present it to you in the future.  We'd have to rehearse it a few more times though.  That is until our personal lines become less hilarious and we can read with greater fluency.  Then we will be STAGE-READY!

Today was our first day back at school and we arrived to a mud pit of a parking lot (they are doing construction), along with a lack of anything technological.  Phil's gym had puddles and report cards (which are due tomorrow) couldn't be completed by anyone on staff.  BUMMER.  But all of these stresses magically disappeared upon the arrival of these book sets courtesy of "Uncle Steve":     

YIPPEE-YA-HOO!!!!  SEVEN NEW BOOKS brought back from New York!  SEVEN NEW BOOKS to jazz up our well-established rotation of good reads!  SEVEN NEW BOOKS waiting to be enjoyed and memorized within the upcoming weeks!  SEVEN NEW BOOKS!!!!! 

Thank you Uncle Steve for this wonderful, much-needed, sanity-saving present.  We were jamming to "Barnyard Dance" and talking about antonyms in "Opposites" this evening.  You're a SAVIOUR!!!

The Tradition LIVES ON!!!!!

In the Hoit house it is tradition to have a "Polar Express" read-aloud the night before Christmas.  However with us staying in Kuwait for this year's holiday season, I was worried that the tradition would fall through and we'd be stuck dreaming of the story time an ocean away.

Well, sweet friends, FEAR NOT!!!!

Alex just gave us the best gift OF ALL!!!!  Our very own copy of The Polar Express - all the way from Canada!!!!!  He's eased my Christmas Eve blues and I can't wait until December 24th when we can read the story nice and loudly for Baby P to hear!!! 

Thank you ALEX!!!!!  You're a CHRISTMAS-MIRACLE-MAKER!!!!!!!

On this very jolly note, I am heading to bed.  Alex must leave for the airport at 5 a.m., which means a 4:30 a.m. wake-up for the three of us!  I will share our weekend adventures early this week!

XOXO

A Real Life Fairytale???

This is a picture of our LATEST storybook. It was given to us by Emily who felt that Phil and I deserved a role in the spotlight. Yep - we're the main characters in this one, which so appropriately ends in a "happily ever after"!

Thank you for turning our wedding album into a portable treasure, Em! We are excited to put it on our bookshelf in Kuwait....and then share it with EVERYONE!

Made Possible By Kindle!

It's like MAGIC! One minute I'm on Amazon searching books, the next I'm reading my book of choice on the couch. Add a blanky, a long-sleeve, and some TEA and this may be the best Thursday afternoon EVER! :)

My New Book!

I've finished taking marriage lessons from the Rancic's and had a nice browse for some new books on Amazon this morning. (Sidenote: It turns out that this at-home shopping experience is equally as fun as a visit to Chapters. Spicy chai tea delivered by handsome husband, pajamas, cozy bed, no lines, quick checkout.....HEAVEN.)

My final purchase, "Great Races, Incredible Places", has been successfully loaded onto my Kindle and I am happily reading about the first race in the book: "The Antarctic Ice Marathon". Not sure if this run is for me, but it sure is captivating to read about an adventure race like this one!!! I am excited to read on :)