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Babies Come From Airports

My First Reading Library

Lift the Flap ABC

I Can Count

Look Inside Your Body

Engineer Academy

I'm a Hungry Dinosaur

Extreme Planet

Masked Fairy Tales

Fingerprint Activities

Ludwig the Space Dog

My First Xylophone Book

I say OOH, You say AAH

Bug Hotel

fav 6 — Cuddle Bear

Peek Inside Box Set

1000 Animals

Big Keyboard Book

At the Garage

fav 7 — Big Book of Colors

With over 2,000 books, find YOUR favorites with a click:

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            Date night looks different these days but is nonet
            	                    
        
    

    
        
            Pretty much all of 2020 has been hard. Every decis
            	                    
        
    

    
        
            Happy #nationalbookloversday grab you a stack and 
            	                    
        
    

    
        
            Not that this feels anywhere near normal, but at l
            	                    
        
    

    
        
            Where are all my construction 🔨 🚧 🧰 lover
            	                    
        
    

    
        
            What’s your FAV open ended toy?? 🌈 We love ou
            	                    
        
    

    
        
            "Fingertrail ABC" - one of our VERY favorite learn
            	                    
        
    

    
        
            Today is a day we've been praying for since Sophie

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brittanssketchbook

Date night looks different these days but is nonet

Date night looks different these days but is nonetheless vital... enjoying some Chinese takeout 🥡 and a live backyard IGTV concert with our fav band @johnnyswim 🎶
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How are y’all dating these days??? Also who else ❤️ LOVES ❤️ J-swim?!

Pretty much all of 2020 has been hard. Every decis

Pretty much all of 2020 has been hard. Every decision feels impossible. Every activity weighty. Every choice has no clear, easy answer. Friends... you are loved. In the mess. In the hard. In the impossible.
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Yesterday, the kids and I made a “CoronAttitude” list and spoke aloud all the good moments, things we are grateful for, and things that have happened for the better in 2020 that because life is different we’ve been able to enjoy... It included serious things like more time together but also things like a new outside trampoline, lazier mornings, getting to wear PJs all day every day, popsicles for no reason...
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And of course BOOKS! They have been on saving grace. Our escape. Our normal. Our adventure. Our school. Our fun. Our stress relief. Our art class.
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I would love to build you a wish list of ideas just for your family to help make the hard, less hard. Send me a DM and let’s chase the joy found in books.
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#raisingreaders #kidsbookstagram #kidsbookswelove #childrensbooks #welovetoread #homeschoollife #quaratinelife #positiveparenting #gratitudeattitude #raisingtinyhumans #readmorebooks #readingisfundamental

Happy #nationalbookloversday grab you a stack and

Happy #nationalbookloversday grab you a stack and celebrate.
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When we can’t go anywhere... books take us places.
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When we don’t understand... books show us the other perspective.
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When we need to laugh, or cry, or dream, or grieve... books help us feel.
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When we want to learn... books are always there, our steady teachers.
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#bookstagram #readersofinstagram #readmorebooks #raisingreaders #bookstack #booksforkids #booksarelife #usbornebooksandmore #usbornebooks

Not that this feels anywhere near normal, but at l

Not that this feels anywhere near normal, but at least we match and they’re soft and cute, right?!
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We’ve been talking so much this year about others - celebrating, respecting, embracing, advocating for, and now taking care of others.
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My prayer is that 2020 is a catalyst for active kindness. That our eyes are more open to how we can pursue love and selflessness in our everyday, even (maybe especially) when it’s uncomfortable.
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Hang in there friends... there is joy and good in all the hard ❤️

Where are all my construction 🔨 🚧 🧰 lover

Where are all my construction 🔨 🚧 🧰 lovers at??! Goodness me, my son loves all the diggers and building machines! Anyone else?? Check my stories to see inside these little engineer and architect’s new fav books!
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#raisingreaders #kidsbookstagram #childrensbooks #childrensbookillustration #kidswhoread #babybooks #usbornebooksandmore #usbornebooks #homeschoollife #readingisfundamental #readingisfun #bookishplay #learnthroughplay #motherhoodinspired #creativelearning

What’s your FAV open ended toy?? 🌈 We love ou

What’s your FAV open ended toy?? 🌈 We love our @grimmswoodentoys and @joguines_grapat toys along with the wooden shapes and figures we DIYd 🎨(I have a whole highlight where you can see how we did it with food coloring and supplies from @HobbyLobby
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#raisingreaders #openendedplay #openendedtoys #grapat #grimmsrainbow #grimmswoodentoys #creativekids

"Fingertrail ABC" - one of our VERY favorite learn

"Fingertrail ABC" - one of our VERY favorite learning books is back IN STOCK (but I don't know how long it will last, it flew off the shelves last time!!!). If you're the parent/teacher of a toddler or preschooler (really Kindergarten too!!) it's a MUST have and here's why...
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💙 It reaches those active kids giving them something to DO while working on their letters - kids trace the grooves on each page
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❤️ It can be paired with SO many learning activities and early prewriting practice
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💛 It focuses on lower case letters - which research shows kids are slower to learn than capitals
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💚 It's funny and has great vocabulary around each letter with phrases that all start with the same letter sound
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💜 It's durable with sturdy board book pages
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💙 Kids LOVE it - it's literally read every day by both my 4 and 6 year old
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PS. Swipe to see one way we love to use this book for letter writing practice - salt trays - - grab a shallow box or tray and pour a thin layer of salt, then have the kiddos practice their letters after first tracing them in the book - watch how adorable Keller is at it!
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🛒 Click the Shop Books tab under my bio link and search “fingertrail” to snag yours before they're gone (again)

Today is a day we've been praying for since Sophie

Today is a day we've been praying for since Sophie was born... We want our children to love Jesus and to live for Him - but we want it to be their choice, that they understand what they are doing and that they want to do it.
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Sophie ran down the stairs today and said ❤️ "Mommy, I want Jesus to be with me forever, I know he's real, and I believe in Him." ❤️ We talked about what that meant, we talked about how God never forces people to love Him, and then we FaceTimed Daddy and the 3 of us prayed together.
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Sophie is so emotionally mature - she is perceptive, she questions, she thinks through everything - she's quite the skeptic - which I love - cause I know she only makes decisions when she's ready (while it's sometimes SO frustrating as a parent, it's also wonderful!!!) and in this case - I LOVE it, I know that she means it.
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After a long talk, she then decided she wanted to call all her favorite people to tell them the good news - so we FaceTimed a ton of people to celebrate, then we had a "Jesus Birthday Party" with pancakes in the shape of a heart (her idea "since Jesus lives there now") and she made paper dolls of her and Jesus so she could "act out their friendship."
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I'm excited to see these tender and strong sides of her grow - as she learns to love God and all the people He created deeply. Celebrate with me, I cried a lot of happy tears today!
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And PS - to ALL of you who've loved her, taught her, prayed for her and more... thank you. We know it takes a whole crew to display and teach the character of God! We love you!!

Family fun science night! We love a good theme ove

Family fun science night! We love a good theme over here, so we’re doing these 3 experiments...
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🥚 Egg Carton Explosions
👃 Fizzy Smelly Jars
🥛 Milk Rainbows
(See the supplies and easy how to in my stories!)
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... and then we’re ending the night snuggled up watching The Magic School Bus (Ms. Frizz has always been a hero of mine- she makes learning SO fun!)
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#raisingreaders #kidsbookstagram #childrensbooks #childrensbookillustration #kidswhoread #babybooks #usbornebooksandmore #usbornebooks #homeschoollife #readingisfundamental #readingisfun #bookishplay #learnthroughplay #motherhoodinspired #creativelearning #simplescience #kidsscience #scienceisfun #scienceforkids #handsonlearning

Read the ABCs time... B is for 🐻 snuggle up cau

Read the ABCs time... B is for 🐻 snuggle up cause these two are THE cutest. Full of laughable moments, great descriptive language, and an essential lesson in the power of love for everyone in “Cuddle Bear” 💛and “Another book about bears.” 🐻 See a flip through in my stories. DM me or get yours from my “shop books” bio link.

If you’re stressed about school decisions… Kno

If you’re stressed about school decisions… Know that research shows that daily moments reading together is the biggest predictor of future academic success. More than fancy schools, more than expensive resources, more than rocking it at home school, more than anything. You’re doing great friends… This is hard… Books help.
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#raisingreaders #kidsbookstagram #childrensbooks #childrensbookillustration #kidswhoread #babybooks #usbornebooksandmore #usbornebooks #homeschoollife #readingisfundamental #readingisfun #bookishplay #learnthroughplay #motherhoodinspired #creativelearning

Lately there has been so much noise. So many voice

Lately there has been so much noise. So many voices. So much pain. So many decisions. It is all around us. And some days it can feel like huge waves crashing in. This is not a political post. This isn’t telling you want to do or how to do it. But I found myself this week in desperate need of something I call the “Good & True List.”
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I write these Lists when I need to anchor myself because life is swirling and chaos is around or pain is real or I feel alone. They are lists of ten things that are true no matter what is around me. They are the bigger picture. Not that we don’t dig in on the details, seek information, and pray for wisdom in our decisions. We do!
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But sometimes before we can get to that place... We need to still the storm and sit at the feet of Jesus. To remember who He is and who He says we are.
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Here is my current “Good and True List” May it be a blessing to you.
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1. God is good. Period.
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2. God is faithful. Always.
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3. Nothing surprises God.
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4. God uses all things and works them out for our good and His glory.
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5. This world is broken, fallen, hurting, and in need of redemption.
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6. It is in heaven where they will be no pain and no tears.
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7. The only voice to truly cling to is God’s.
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8. God tells us to love God and love people – not to live in fear – to seek mercy, walk humbly – to trust Him, live wisely, choose hope, put our value in him.
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9. God wants me to work in the land, the season, and the communities where He has me now - to serve others and do ministry
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10. He will be with me in the hard. I am never alone.

A part of our family’s story is celebrating and

A part of our family’s story is celebrating and embracing life with a medically complex kiddo. I don’t talk a lot about Keller’s special needs cause that’s his story not mine and the details are for him to disclose - or not - as he grows. But I want to take a minute and celebrate his resilience, courage, and grit.
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He’s had 6 surgeries in the first 3 years of his life. He’s gone through more than most of us ever will. Daily he lives with accommodations and processes that aren’t easy or convenient for him.
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This doesn’t mean he’s “broken,” has “issues,” or “needs to be fixed” (all words that have been spoken over him while this mama bear came unglued!!!) 🚨 Side note: Be careful with your words, they can hurt even if you don’t mean them to.
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But this month, we’ve been doing some new daily processes that are really hard on all of us - but mostly him and he’s done AMAZING!!!!! Each day his strength and joy shine through in something that to put quite frankly is not fun at all!
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We asked him what toy he’d like to celebrate being awesome and he said a soccer ball and goal ⚽️ cause he’s “going to win a gold medal!”
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And sweet boy you are already our champion!!! ❤️ Kicking down the every challenge brought your way! Keller’s name literally means “brave little champion” - and man, has he ever lived up to that!!!
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Mommy and Daddy love you and are SO proud of you!!!
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#adoptivemom #adoptivefamily #adoptionrocks #chinaadoption #adoption #adoptionisbeautiful #adoptionawareness #adoptionbuiltus #iadopted #adopttogether #adoptionjourney #adoptionawareness #adoptionstories #medicallycomplex #specialneedsmama #specialneedsawareness #specialneedsfamily #holt #holtinternational

Monday morning fun with gravity building. Swapped

Monday morning fun with gravity building. Swapped out the bins in our @ikeausa sensory table for cookie trays (held in place with painters tape) then let the kids build upside down with @magnatiles They’ve been going at it for about an hour!
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Right now we’re currently building pictures that tell a story and singing songs! Fun learning and creative play doesn’t have to be complicated, expensive, or take a lot of prep time.
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#RaisingReaders #CreativeChildhood #LearnThroughPlay #CreativeLearning #bookishplay #sensoryplay #handsonlearning #magnatiles #homeschoolmom #invitationtoplay #motherhoodinspired #adoptionjourney #playfullearning #mamamakes #craftymom #kidscrafts

Something new starts today... #ReadtheABCs - every

Something new starts today... #ReadtheABCs - every few days I’ll be featuring a few of our family’s favorite books about that day’s letter. I’ll show an inside peek into the pages in my stories and have everything saved to an “ABC Read” highlight. Today, we’re starting with my favorite thing... Art 🎨 and this delightful picture book by @josephcoelhoauthor - (You can grab these books & more from my bio link or just send me a DM and I’ll help)

Today is this amazing man’s (Jungle J as we all

Today is this amazing man’s (Jungle J as we all call him) birthday. He doesn’t have social media, but I still like to publicly claim my obsession, gratitude, and overwhelming love for him.
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He truly is the greatest human there is. He does all the hard, yucky, adulty jobs with a smile - never asking for thanks. He lives his life in service to others - from his career helping to lead a nonprofit focused on kids who’ve aged out of foster care - to the church where he serves, to our daily family life.
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He’s like ridiculously funny. He plays the drums LIKE A BOSS (swipe to see video). Our children absolutely adore him and squeal every time they start playing with daddy (which is a million times a day).
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He loves Jesus, something fierce. In ways that bring change. In ways that affect lives. In ways that don’t just keep the gospel in a book or pew.
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He not only puts up with my crazy, thematic, over the top self but he goes all in and makes everything more fun. (swipe for a photo of this year’s Halloween) - I could spend all day laughing, dreaming, and just being by his side. Those are the best days!!!
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He amazes me daily. I can’t believe we are the ones he calls family. I’m daily humbled by his heart and so in love. Happy birthday, My Love.

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