Dear Gibson,

Today I am very proud of you.  Each Tuesday morning, I go to your school and volunteer in the library, switching out the books you take home to read each night.  When I got to your folder, Mrs. Walker had written a note that said, "Please move to 1b."  You skipped two levels!  Over the Christmas break, the reading thing finally clicked with you, and you started trying to read everything you saw.  Sounding out words, trying to write words down...it was fun to see.  And now, all of your hard work is paying off! 

I hope you always love to read, and that it will always be something that is important to you.  Reading has always been something that I love, and it's funny but I have a little image in my mind of sitting on my bed with my kids and my dog and we're all quietly reading books, all snuggled up together, but each lost in our own story.  Of course, the dog isn't reading...hehe!  Reading is a powerful tool for learning, imagining, and escaping.  And the more you read, the better you get at it.  Even when you're old, like me.  So we'll keep reading together until you can read on your own, ok?

On a different note, here is something that made me smile today.  This morning, you couldn't find your white hamster (guinea pig, sorry).  You were mad, and wanted me to come upstairs and help you find it.  You yelled through the vent, "Mom, come up here and help me find it NOW!"  Oops.  Bad idea.  I was about to get mad at you, but you yelled again - "Sorry mom.  Let me try again.  Can you PLEASE come up and help me find my guinea pig?"  Aaaahhh.  I love it when things click.

But that's not the end of that story.  When I was tucking you in, you whispered the same question you whisper every night about me making you a bed next to mine for you to come down to in the night.  Then you hugged me and said, "Thanks mom for helping me find my white guinea pig."

You're welcome, baby.  Good night.