This is for you, Rachel!

I first remember reading about the Twilight series on my childhood friend Rachel's blog, quite a long time ago. I quickly said, "well, that's not for me," and that was that. Never even gave it a second thought, until probably a year or two later when I found out that many friends were either reading the series or had finished it. I still didn't think it was for me, but then I would read about it on a favorite blog or hear about it some other way and I began to give it some thought. One day I opened the mail and found $20 that an aunt had sent me with instructions to buy myself something. So, I ran to WalMart and bought the first two books in the series:

I was immediately drawn from page 1 of the first book and was hooked! I couldn't put the book down and finished both books within a matter of days (reading while putting Melina down for a nap and after the girls were in bed). During the day, I was drawn to the books, wanting to abandon motherhood and just read. Somehow I made it through my days though, and read, read, read at night (thankfully this was in the first couple weeks of my pregnancy, so fatigue and nausea hadn't hit yet).

I borrowed book #3 from my friend, Sher, and finished that one also in a couple of days.

I still have #4 to read. It's the last one though--I do WANT to desperately read it; however, I know I'll race through it and be done in a couple of days again, and then it's over...no more. I guess I could do what lots of my friends have done and just read the series over and over, but that doesn't appeal to me at this point.

I have not seen the movie. It is in our Netflix queue, but I tend to be disappointed by movies after I've read the book. Still not sure if I want to watch it yet or not.

So, there you go. If you're looking for something new and exciting to read--this is it! Go get the Twilight series--you won't be sorry!

Little House on the Prairie

I grew up reading all of the Little House series multiple times as well as watching the TV show--still do as a matter of fact. I've always dreamt of having my children grow up doing the same thing. For a couple of years Isabelle has already enjoyed watching Little House, and at about the beginning of this year I started to read aloud the first book of the series, "Little House in the Big Woods." However, she was going through a "scared of wolves" phase, so when we got to the part about "wolves eating little girls," she didn't want to read anymore. Well, about a month or so ago, we picked up the book again and this time she absolutely devoured it, insisting on me and Jeff to read her a few chapters a night. We moved so fast through it that we finished it in no time and just finished "Little House on the Prairie" last night. We just started "On the Banks of Plum Creek" tonight and read the first five chapters already. She loves these stories so much that she begs for just one chapter more. I am so excited that she is loving these books as much as I do.