Hissyfits Photography Blog

I am not really sure when it happened, but it did. Huntler went from sounding out words to flat out reading. As in entire books and stories. Reading. Really, really well I might add. He only turned five at the end of September. Is he even old enough to be reading?

Before you all start thinking it is something we did, it isn’t. I wish I could say that I worked with him every day on sounding out words and sentences, but I didn’t. I didn’t do anything in fact. It is 100% him.

Recognizing how well he was reading, we told our family that books would be a great gift for him this year. They delivered. The little man got oodles of books! He reads to us daily. But he’ll also sit in his room or sprawl out on the floor of the playroom and read for what seems like forever to himself. Before he was born I used to read all the time. I could devour a book in just a couple of days! And although I miss getting lost in the world of fiction, I know that there will be plenty of time for reading when my sweet babes are grown and gone. For now, I’ll continue to read board books and let Huntler read to me.

Out of all the books we hauled home, his favorite is hands down The Big Blue Book of Beginner Books by Dr. Seuss. My parents bought it for him and he absolutely loves it. The stories are long, I mean really long, but the words are big and there are only a few on each page! Tonight he chose two stories from it to read to us. He was reading along so perfectly and happily that I just had to get up and grab my camera. {I was snuggled in right beside Chris with Gentry on my lap!}

I love this photo of my three favorite peeps! Huntler was reading about a bunny named P.J. and it was cracking him up! When he first started reading to himself we weren’t sure if he was actually comprehending what he was reading, but after he came into our room more times than I can count in hysterics the other night telling us about all the different animals P.J. wanted to live with, we knew he was retaining what he was reading! He even seems to understand exclamation points! And in one of the stories there was a short little song and he somehow knew to sing it?

This is a milestone I guess I just wasn’t quite ready for. We are obviously beyond proud of him and accomplishing something like reading is amazing. But it is also bittersweet. It is just one more step he is taking on the road to independence.

Huntler,

Mommy and Daddy are so, so proud of the little man you are becoming. Even though it makes me sad to watch you grow up before my very eyes, I wouldn’t have it any other way. You are getting so big and so smart and we couldn’t ask for a better little guy to call ours. I love that you love to learn. I see so much of myself in you…and there is also probably a whole lot of Daddy in there too since he is pretty darn smart himself! I hope your love for learning only continues to grow with you. You have such an amazing future ahead of you and I know you are going to do great things with your life one of these days!

Love you to the moon and back sweet boy,

Mommy

Filed under my-lil-lollies, by Bethany