The things you want to remember

One of those things I dreamed about before I had kids that turned out to be even BETTER than I had thought (unlike brushing my daughter's hair which I have already said is the most over-rated mommy-to-be dream) is reading books with my kids. I love to have them snuggled on my lap for book time pointing out things that they love and talking about what we are reading. We read religiously before nap time and bedtime and usually a couple of random times in the day when I just need to get my kids for a quick squeeze. We don't have a lot of toys in our house, but we've got the book and a few over-sized drawers littered with books. I like the one with life lessons and great pictures. The kids like the ones with Disney characters and funny enough they scary old classics like Hansel and Gretel and Rumpelstiltskin, much to my chagrin. We both meet somewhere in the middle for our favorites. My mom has some of our favorites books on her shelves that she keeps for when her grand kids come. I remember being read these books and learning to read on some of these books and I want my kids to remember the best books of our house too and maybe someday have them in their library to read to their kids. So here are my Top Ten in no particular order, but just books we love. I Love It When You Smile: All about a mom trying to cheer up her grumpy child, let me just say I can relate these days. Claire copied the front cover. What can I say? I think it is amazing for a five-year-old.

Knuffle Bunny: My co-worker, when I was pregnant with Claire, waited in line at the National Book Fair for over an hour to have this signed for me. It had me at Trixie going "boneless", not to mention all of the black and white photos of New York. Knuffle Bunny Too: We love the cameos from Mo Willems' other books, plus it is so fun to follow Trixie's adventures with her favorite plush toy. Cookies & Christmas Cookies: Two books about character with adorable images of children and animals making cookies. I swear just opening these books make your house smell more homey.

Barnyard Prayers: The pics alone make this a classic book, but it is so fun to explore what different animals think about and what their relationship with God would look like. You Are My I Love You: I dare you to read this without getting tears in your eyes and a smile on your face. It is us and them to a tee, moms. Chicken In The Kitchen: Every time I read this, I think that my grandma could have written this. Plus, it is dedicate to Lael, who never met a chicken she didn't love. With our own flock of chickens growing up in our backyard, we are feeling that these days. The Cow that Laid an Egg: Every pre-adoptive mother needs to read this. My kids don't understand it, but I love that I get to teach them over and over that a Mother is made by what she does, not because she is able to bear a child.

Good as Goldie: It is oh, so funny and because every word drips truth.

Koala Lou: A really astute mother gave me this book when I was pregnant with David. I am learning every day how wise this book is and how much my kids can relate to Koala Lou and how much I can relate to the mom being pulled in every direction.