Children Book Favorites

I'm linking up with Kelly's Korner today for Show Us Your Life: Children's Books.

Which is funny because just yesterday, I was thinking how I needed to blog about our current favorite books since Brady has recently really started to love books.

As a former elementary teacher, I'm a bit obsessed with children's books.  Brady has quite the little library built up but there is always room for more books.  Even though he gravitates to the same ones each and every day.

Here are currently are favorites:

This is by far his favorite.  We read it every night before bed, several times.

Loves all the flaps!

We have several Duck & Goose books but this one is his favorite.

Great for early counting.  He likes copy me by pointing each thing as I count them.

My personal favorite.  Great book about helping others but in boy terms :)

He loves anything with tractors.  He will look at this book several times a day!

We LOVE Peek-a-WHO?   Brady just giggles when I read it.

He's recently taken an interest in the classic "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle.

We also love any & all Sandra Boyton books and Goodnight Aggieland.

Other personal favorites from my teaching days are

The Texas version of Cinderella.

Any and every book by Patricia Polacco are wonderful!  Most are based on her true life experiences with great life lessons.  Can't go wrong with any of her books!

Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas Card 2012

Linking up with Faith & Kelly's Korner today, sharing our Christmas card.

We have received some beautiful cards this year!  One of my favorite things of the season, going to the mailbox and seeing our sweet family & friends sending us their love.

I have to admit we have yet to send our Christmas cards.  We ordered them a while back but they have yet to arrive.  Kind of like B's Santa gift, but that's a whole other post.
 

So here's a virtual copy for you all.

 

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!  

Oh how He loves us!!

And to our family/friends...as soon as they arrive I'll address them & ship them out.  As of now they are schedule to arrive Christmas eve :( better late than never so they say???

Show Us Your Life: Bible verses

This week at Show Us Your Life, it is all about your favorite Bible verses.

I think it is so awesome how a verse can mean one thing during a certain season of your life and another during a different season. I am so thankful for this last year because it has really taught me to study the word and I have a new found love for it, a love I never had before. So I am excited to share with you the verses the Lord has laid on my heart over this last year.

Here are a few of my "cling to" verses:

"But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."
Jeremiah 17:7-8

The verse above is such a gentle remainder for what happens when we trust in the Lord & have confidence in him. And makes me only want to strive to continue to bear fruit even when I feel I'm in a drought.

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9

"In due time..." is often my motto when I'm waiting upon the Lord. And this verse definitely been on that cling to when I feel like giving up.

And then there are SO many verses the book of Romans that I just love. At this point in my life, Romans is where I go to seek comfort, hope, and peace. I read these verses on a daily basis!

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." Romans 8:18

"But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." Romans 8:25

"...and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hopes does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." Romans 5:2-5

Do you have a favorite Bible verses? Link up over at Kelly's Korner!

All About Books!

This week over at Kelly's Korner's Show Us Your Life...it's all about books!

I love books! Especially children's books. My most favorite thing to do in the classroom is read books to the kids and I always look forward to the book fair each fall & spring. Here are a few of my favorite children books...

The Trumpet of the Swan was my most favorite childhood book. I remember my 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Cody reading it to us like it was yesterday.

Good ol' classics


The Napping House is a super fun read aloud.

I really like Fancy Nancy because well I am Nancy & I am Fancy! ;)


And for grown up books...which is very rare I actually ever finish a book that I start. I guess I lose interest or A.D.D. sets in or maybe it is both. Ha!

Last summer I got hooked on these books & I actually read 3 in a row. Like couldn't put them down. I would even take them to the gym & read while on the treadmill. And stay up all hours of the night trying to see what would happen next. But my favorite spot to read was out by the pool. My mom is the one who told me about these books & she thinks they are hilarious.

Who knows...maybe I'll start reading them again this summer.

And Max Lucado is an amazing author. I did a Bible study last fall at his church & picked up this book at their bookstore. Fear has always been something I harbor and this book opened my eyes to so many things. It genuinely allowed me to let go of some of that fear & I keep it by my night stand and read it over & over. Often I just read a chapter here & there to help remind myself of God's promises - that fear is not of Him & why should I be fearful? Such a great book!

Show Us Your Life - Christmas Trees

This week over at Kelly's Korner: Show Us Your Life - it's all about Christmas Trees!



If I could only have ONE Christmas decoration it would have to be my Christmas tree. Since I was a kid, I loved helping mom decorate the Christmas tree. Mom always made sure our Christmas tree looked beautiful, as well as meaningful. As a child our tree was decorated with ornaments that mom specially picked out for each of us kids. Mom has been giving us 4 kids an ornament each year for Christmas that reflects us as a person for as long as I can remember. It is so neat to go home and see all of the ornaments from our childhood and what they each represent. She always write our name on them with the year so we never forget. Now that we are all have a home & tree of our own she gives us the ornaments to take home to put on our own tree. It's such a neat tradition and one I plan to carry on with my family.

One day I hope to have several Christmas tree (when we live in a bigger house). I love decorating the Christmas tree and I love how it glows in our home. I don't have a "theme" for our Christmas tree....I just decorate it in all things I like! One day I'll have a themed tree but for now, here she is...

I love snowmen!

This year I added the big red, glittery picks.

Our Christmas tree 2008
I added feather picks (which I love) and lots of B's for our my new last name.

My ornament for this year. Mom knows I love to bake & I love cupcakes! Especially her homemade carrot cake ones, yum!

One of my mom's Christmas tree - it's a theme of Jesus! Stars, angels, the wise-men, animals, all things from the birth of Jesus, trimmed in sliver & gold. It's beautiful!

Everything I learned about decorating a tree I learned from my momma...and we believe you can never have too much on a Christmas! The more, the better!!