Reading Rainbow

Sometimes I am amazed at how much of a mini-me Shae is, in ways that both impress and mortify me. She is many of the same things that I am -- stubborn, independent, funny, smart, with a hot temper -- which is both a blessing and a curse. The good news is, we know what we're going to need to work on as she gets older.

One of the things we don't mind, not at all, is that she is a reader, just like me. She loves being read to -- in fact, we can actually get her to go to bed early if we promise an extra story. And she won't settle down for the night unless she has a book in her hands when we tuck her under her covers.

My Aunt Bet got Shae some new books for Christmas, and right now the favorite is "Imogene's Antlers" by David Small. Already we know the story by heart, so Shae can read it with us instead of us just reading it to her. She gets so engrossed in the story that we sometimes need to stop and talk about what is happening in the pictures.

I love this kid.