On my (virtual) bookshelf

I love when bloggers/friends/anyone shares what they are reading. Reading is one of my favorite hobbies. I love reading to the point I avoid all household/mothering duties, so I try to choose good low key weeks to read.  With summer and VBS this week, it's a prime reading week! 

Earlier this year I finished the Harry Potter series. I really loved it. The first two books were very childish, and then the book themes mature (and become dark) as Harry does. I think if I hadn't loved the characters so much, I may not have been able to handle the dark themes. Chris and I worked our way through the movies after I finished the books, and I look forward to rereading them with the boys in the future.

I like to vary the heaviness of my reading, so following up the dark Harry Potter series I read The Royal We, which my cousin recommended. It was the perfect light read and such a fun book. 

Good Grief was more of an assignment book and it was helpful. It talks about the different stages of grief and the relationship between grief and Christianity. It was short, easy to get through, but honestly left me wanting more explanations.

Currently I'm working my way through these four books -

I'm really enjoying this book and it has helped quite a bit with T. It used to be my carpool reading, but without carpool I need to find another time to delve into it. 

My circle at church just studied this book. I missed every meeting thanks to a baby who refuses to leave her momma's side (so I read the email updates and snuggled my girl). I didn't get a chance to read along, but I'm looking forward to reading it this summer. I honestly think I have a lot to gain from this book.

I wrote on instagram that I'm #191 on the waitlist for this book, which means it's probably really good and I should purchase it - so I did. I am the worst when it comes to clutter. There are piles everywhere. I dream of a day when at least one room doesn't have a pile of something! We are also hoping to put our house on the market next spring so maybe this will help with that too!

 I checked this out from the library last week and while it's not something I'd usually pick, I am enjoying it. I'm so moody when it comes to books, but there's something that's captured me with this one.

I'm looking forward to reading What Alice Forgot either this summer or fall. I've heard so many good things about it. I'd picked up The Husband's Secret from the library and after three chapters returned it. I just couldn't get into it. Hopefully this one is better.

The kids are obsessed the these books currently:

KC's go to book before naps and bedtimes (although rarely do we make it through it). I prefer Tumble Bumble, but she loves this one.

This book was a gift to the boys from my cousin (who also recommended The Royal We, and has the best taste in children's books). We read this pretty much nightly. It's really cute.

 Neland started reading this series this summer. He's gone through 3. He reads them in a day and thinks they are hilarious. It's not exactly my taste in children's lit, but I think it's awesome he's loving reading when he doesn't have to!

Have any recommendations for me? I love getting new recommendations! 

Five on Friday: Hello Summer!

Wow! It's been awhile. It's been so hard to make it to the computer these days (not to mention our desk is covered in papers from lack of filing time). My coffee is sitting on a nice stack of post-its currently, yet I know there are two coasters here somewhere. 

Playing catch up with Five on Friday seemed like a good idea, so I'm linking up and sharing!

1. My sweet peanut turned 1 two weeks ago! It's so hard to believe. I want her to be my baby forever (although I wouldn't mind sleeping through the night at some point). We took our traditional last pics with our baby the night before her big day. 

Her birthday was fun and low key. N had a class party, we picked strawberries for her cake, and played at home.

 (Her name is Kenan Caroline, but we call her KC)

2. Last weekend we threw an ice cream social for her. We had four families come to celebrate and make ice cream sundaes. We picked up the ice cream from our favorite ice cream shop - Kilwins. Chris made fresh squeezed lemonade, our favorite summer drink. It was the first thing to go. It was hot, but I think everyone had fun.

 The party was almost over before we realized KC didn't actually get any ice cream. Strawberry was a hit!

 I hung 14" lanterns in our patio tree (and had a slight cafe light hanging disaster). The lanterns were a huge hit - KC kept saying ball and watching them blow in the breeze. I've left them up all week she's loved them so much.

We didn't actually get KC a present but she was not deprived in any way.

3. Baseball is finally over, and N's team won the tournament. It has been a looooong season. We finished up the season with three games in four days (because 7 year olds need a double elimination tournament...). It was an intense week, but they won! Our team was a lot of fun, half the time they had no clue if they won, they just played to play. This team was also very very sweet. If players were discouraged, they encouraged. I saw this first hand when Neland couldn't get on base after a hit, every kid in the dugout talked to him and gave him a pat on the back. 

KC is obsessed with balls. She spent a lot of time around the dugout. The boys would entertain her and talk to her. One player even yelled, "Can someone else come play with the baby? I'm up to bat." That made me laugh.

4. N finished 1st grade! The teacher ended the year with a play of The Giving Tree, songs, poems, and a twenty minute slideshow of the year. Not a dry eye in the room. We start summer officially with snocones, and have been at the pool almost daily.

5. Chris and I celebrated 10 years of marriage last week. Chris took the day off and we took all the kids to dinner at our favorite spot. I wouldn't call it a romantic dinner, but it was definitely "us." We'll have a dinner date out this weekend without the crazies. If you'd asked me ten years ago how we'd celebrate our 10 year anniversary, I would have answered a return trip to Italy where we honeymooned (for 5 years we would have gone to Hawaii). Instead at 5 and 10 years we've had little ones that we haven't felt comfortable leaving (another thing I would have never predicted about myself). Maybe in another five years we'll have a big trip (or another baby - ha!).

Happy Happy Friday! I hope your summer has been going well and you are looking forward to a fun weekend (or a relaxing one, whichever you need).