Their Favorite Time of the Week

There's nothing the kiddos and I love more than sharing an amazing book together. We have countless favorites and sweet memories wrapped up in each one, it's too hard to choose which we've liked the best. I love, love, love reading aloud to them and I love even more how much they enjoy it. And when they ask "Plllllleeeeease Mama, read to us?" I never can say no! 

But, there is something a little more special than Mama reading, cause they get to hear that everyday,

 and that's when DADDY reads. :)

When Daddy is home, he reads often to them before bed when his schedule allows. But since being deployed the children have really missed it...Daddy does all the cool voices for each character... 

(WAY better than Mommy does! LOL!)

So their awesome Daddy decided to start recording himself reading aloud and is 

sending us a chapter at a time to listen to. The kids are THRILLED!

Their sweet Daddy snapped a picture for me to use while he was recording a chapter for them. :)

He sends them to me using Dropbox and I can open them up and play them through the Jambox. 

The incredible technology of this day and age and this amazing little speaker brings Daddy's voice into our home from the other side of the world and allows us to share stories together, 

something we Adams' treasure. 

I waited until he had recorded several chapters before I surprised the kids with it. 

I knew it would be torture for them if I only had one chapter and then we had to stop.

Sure enough, that first chapter ended and there were wails of sadness!...

"Oh no! Is there more? Please let there be more than one to listen to tonight!" 

It was pretty awesome for these kiddos to be able to connect and share something with their Daddy while he's so far away. We are thankful for the phone calls, mail and Face-Time too, but this is extra special for them. We have finished all the chapters we have so far and eagerly await more! 

When we read aloud they often like to draw or crochet or build, so that's what they did for awhile, while they were snuggled down enjoying every word and then one by one they stopped being busy with their hands and just listened. What a comfort to a military kid to get to regularly be read to by Daddy while he's deployed. Hearing his voice makes him feel not so far away. I'm so thankful for Peter for taking the time to do this! The kids have said many times how this is their very favorite thing and they hope he never stops sending new chapters! (So Honey, there's no foreseeable end to this or you are going to have some disappointed kiddos! Better plan ahead for that next book!)

The Love of Reading

Most days I try my hardest to get up before the kids...that is to say, before the trumpets blare on post at 6:30am, because if the kids haven't gotten up before that, they sure will when they hear them. Our house gets going much earlier than the trumpets on most days though. Every once in awhile my older two will rise even before me....if it was the younger two, I'd know the second they were awake! But Joy and Joshua occasionally rise before I do and entertain themselves until I join them. I took a few pictures of them one morning because I felt so much joy as I thought about how most mornings that they wake before me, this is how I find them.... reading books.  :)

I LOVE that they love reading! It makes my heart so happy to see them choose to read on their own, even first thing in the morning. And I laughed when I saw Joy had chosen the laundry basket as her reading spot, I love to find comfy places to curl up with a good book too, though I don't think I'd fit in the laundry basket anymore! :)  If there is one thing that I hope all my children will 'catch' from me and Peter, besides our beliefs and faith, it's the love of reading and it's so sweet to see that these little ones are already doing it so often.  :)