when stars align

In my dream world we have "reading time" every afternoon.

You could also (justifiably) refer to this chunk of time as "would everyone please be quiet for seventeen seconds so Mommy can regain her sanity and push through til dinner" :)

But I have bigger dreams too.  Dreams of children who learn to love books early and memories of late nights propping my eyelids open so I could finish one more chapter and hours of read-aloud and all that good stuff.

So I've pushed this one, fought hard for this one for years.  Or at least since Julianna stopped napping :)

And there are days where it seems to bomb and I wonder how we can call it "reading time" when everyone has a potty trip and complaint to lodge and a bad attitude to deal with and who knows what else.

But honestly, a lot of days, this works for us.

And I am grateful.  For a house full of little people and a quiet home and open books and little hands.  

and John Paul, who starts out reading

and ends up sleeping - {cuteness}

And Luke... my reader-to-be.  One day.