Delightful

"Blog" has been on my to-do list for many days and I just don't seem to get to it.  Tonight is the night.

Last night I experienced one of my highlights of being a parent.  God has given so very many, but I won't ever forget this one.  A few months ago we began to read chapter books to the oldest ducks at night.  They share a room and it worked so great to tuck them in and then read a chapter or two.  We've enjoyed "Pippi and the South Seas" as well as a Romana book.  Romana was a bit disappointing because when we turned the last page we realized that there were many pages missing.  Oops.  I need to be checking these things before we begin a book.

Last week we began "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory".  My kids don't have any idea about what happens other than I will randomly sing the Oompa Loompa song.  They are enchanted.  So am I.

Last night I read a little extra because I KNEW that Charlie was going to discover the golden ticket.  The chapter before is all about how Charlie is starving and things are just dire in the Bucket household.  Then I got to the moment.  The moment when Charlie decides to buy a second candy bar after inhaling the first one.  The moment when he seems a glimmer of gold.  I'm not even sure if I can adequately describe what happened to my ducks.

Simon's face disappeared because his smile was so huge.  Noel sat up in bed and began to shout and clap.  Garrison was bouncing and cheering.  The best part was that it didn't stop.  There was so much happiness in the bedroom. . . so much excitement. . . because of a book.  

And I was allowed to be there.

I know that as my kids get older they will read on their own.  I'm glad.  I know that they may choose to share wonderful things that they read in books.  I doubt though that in future years I will see them cheering and clapping and bouncing because they got lost in a book.

So I took it all in.  I enjoyed and smiled and celebrated with them.  I even got a little teary eyed because my kids got caught up in the magic of the story.  And it was so very beautiful.