Be Creative @ Your Library

If your toddler "read" 10 books this summer, he/she could earn a board book at the local Dekalb County Public Library, compliments of Target. They also had this program last year, but we were so busy vacationing that I forgot to redeem the list of books read for her board book by the deadline.

This year, however, she earned her "Doggies" board book by Sandra Boynton! You cannot beat a Sandra Boynton book. Those have been my favorite to read to her since she was born. And, fortunately, we did not yet have the "Doggies" book. We did have the "ABC" Sandra Boynton book that the librarian originally offered.

Apparently, most parents are not as anal as I am. I wrote down a total of 21 books that we've read in the past month and a half. Of course, that doesn't count the twenty times that we probably read almost each and every book. Okay, I'm over exaggerating a little bit, but you get the picture. The librarian said, "Oh, wow," when she saw the long list and "Nice handwriting by the way." Yes, I write much like a typewriter.

Of course our trip to the library to redeem her board book AND read books consisted of Annabelle running around, whispering and then talking rather loudly, pulling books off the shelves, beginning to read four books, but yet, only completing one all the way through because she was so busy running from one table and/or chair at the library to another.

Fortunately, I am able to somewhat control her at this age (at the library) as she's only supposed to pull two books off the shelf at a time. She'll pull more, but together, we replace the one she doesn't want any more so that all times she only has two. It wasn't this easy a year ago!!! She didn't understand two books only then.

So, above, is a picture of Annabelle this evening in her brand new pajamas that I've put off her wearing all summer because I wanted to get a picture of her in them before they got really dirty (now that summer is almost over) with her new Sandra Boynton book.

And, is this not the cutest little bottom?