The Bookshelf - Halloween

We love Halloween around here. The minute Target transitions from Back-to-School to Halloween, I grab myself a salted caramel mocha and start wishing for the day when we can make our first visit to the pumpkin patch.  This year, Fall has been, well, hot. And it's super hard to feel totally festive when you're sweating (which is one of the reasons I'm happy we don't live in Florida anymore). We've also had a lot going on, so I'm a little behind with all of my decorating and costume planning.

But with all that being said, we busted out our Fall/Halloween books a month ago, got a couple of new ones, and have been reading them all non-stop. (You can see last year's list here.) Festive books are the best way to help get ya in the mood for the season!

A few of our favorites this year...

Room on the Broom | Ghosts in the House

Vampirina Ballerina | How to Make Friends with a Ghost | The Spider & the Fly

Mostly Monsterly | B is for Boo

We've been watching Room on the Broom almost daily, with It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown thrown in for good measure, and I think I might try to sneak in a little Hocus Pocus (my favorite favorite!) with Zoey this year, I just hope it's not too scary for her. And my little dancer has been just a little obsessed with the book Vampirina, which just came out as a Disney Jr series earlier this month. It's so cute, you guys!

Any favorite Halloween books or movies around your house this year?

The First, First Day of School

Today was a very big day at our house. Zoey's very first, first day of school! Today she started Pre-K at a sweet preschool near our house. The program is half-day, which is a perfect way to get used to all this school business without getting overwhelmed. (In VB, Kindergarten is also half-day, so it should make for an easy transition next year.) 

dress

As a Labor Day/End of Summer treat, Zoey requested Key lime pie - her favorite, which I was more than happy to make. I think it marks the start of a new family tradition. We wore her out yesterday, with lots of running around in the backyard, so she thankfully slept very well and woke up happy, but a little nervous. She was super worried that we'd be late and miss the first day.

When we got there, Zoey hung her bag on her little hook, greeted her teacher, and went straight to the book nook. She gave a sweet smile and a little wave that made my heart just melt. My sweet girl is so big and brave. I couldn't be more proud of her. 

Zoey's teacher sent home a little questionnaire to help her get to know each student. So I thought I'd share a few. It'll be fun to see how this changes by the last day of school. 

How old are you? Four and half

What is your favorite color? Purple!

What is your favorite movie? Frozen and Moana

What do you want to be when you grow up? A ballerina, and an art maker, and a builder.

What is your favorite thing to play with? My legos and Beck and my animals

What do you love most? Reading' my books with momma and daddy.

What do you want to learn about in school this year? I want to learn how to read, But really, I want to learn everything.

When Beck and I picked her up, Zoey said, "I loved everything!" I guess that means she had a great first day! She made new friends, pretended to be a lion, played on a airplane, and drew a picture. Sounds like a pretty full morning. 

I was so proud of Damon and I. We totally kept it together - I thought for sure one of us (him) would be a teary-eyed mess. I think because drop-off was a little chaotic, with kids and parents crammed into the narrow hallway, and we were eager to get back home so Damon could get to work and Beck (who woke up at 5am) could get down for a nap, we didn't have a chance for emotions. For me, I'm certain the blubbering will come next year when Zoey starts kindergarten. 

Hope everyone has a wonderful school year!!! 

The Bookshelf - Summer Reading

Recently, the world marked a super important milestone in my life...the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter. I was in college when this book came out and picked it up at the suggestion of my Children's Lit professor. She was one of my favorite professors and she wasn't wrong. The book was amazing. Harry Potter turned me into a reader. Before Harry came along, I only read when I had to for school, never for pleasure, and I couldn't wait to share the stories with my future students.

Flash forward many...many years, and now I'm patiently waiting for my kids to get a little bit older so I can share the series with Zoey and Beck. For now, we love finding new books at the library and bookstore...we're pretty much book hoarders around here!

dot garland | make believe print 

Here's what we've been reading this summer.

Cats Night Out -- Dancing and counting, two of Zoey's favorite things!  

Love is a Tutu -- A sweet book for any ballerina/tutu-lover.

Iggy Peck, Architect -- We also love Rosie's and Ada's books, but lately, Zoey has been obsessed with Iggy Peck. She's a bit of a builder herself, so I think that's what draws her in. Plus the illustrations are incredible.

The Dark -- Lemony Snicket for the preschooler set. Perfect for your little 'fraidy cat. 

Where the Wild Things Are -- One of my childhood favorites, I love that both my kids pick this one often. Beck is super into the wild things and laughs every time they gnash their terrible teeth and roll their terrible eyes...
Shh! We Have a Plan -- This one is so much fun to read aloud! Zoey knows it by heart at this point, and can read it to Beck from memory.
Should I Share My Ice Cream -- I hope we can all agree that Mo Willems is pretty great. Probably my second favorite children's author (second only to Chris Van Allsburg), and the Elephant and Piggie series...well, I'll just say that every time we see one of these that isn't already in our collection, it mysteriously ends up in our cart. The kids just can't get enough. (And they're fun for the reader, too) This one is perfect for summer and has been on repeat lately.

Like most moms, I don't get to read as often as I'd like, but some nights, I get about 30 minutes after the kids are in bed to chill before it's Netflix time. (We just finished Glow and started Ozark. Have you seen it? So good!) The last book I read, The Kind Worth Killing, was a serious page turner.  It switches narrators, similar to Gone Girl and Girl on a Train (two of my favorites), and is full of twists and turns. Just when I thought I had things figured out, they'd drop a bomb on me. I love books like that!

Right now, I'm about halfway through The Woman in Cabin 10. I've reached the part of the book where I want to just keep reading. It's sitting on the table right now, calling me. I have NO IDEA how this story is gonna play out and I love it! 

What are you reading this summer? I'd love some ideas for my next book!

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