She's a reader and writer!

Cate, 5, was excited to read these books BY HERSELF last night.

The first-grade boy we carpool with wasn't all that cheerful about going back to school this morning after five days off, thanks to Fall Break. When Cate, my kindergartener, heard her friend wasn't thrilled about being back in his school routine, I hear "I am excited to go to school!" from the back seat of the mini van.

Yep. That's my girl.

Admittedly, she has dad who remembers tons of trivial facts and excelled on the quick recall team while playing various sports and a mom who has forever listed reading and writing as hobbies. We'll do our best to pass along our nerdy tendencies. Still, I was a little slow going this morning when my alarm went off at 6:30 a.m. It's not that I slept in much later the past week, but something about being awoken from a solid sleep and having to get moving wasn't exactly what I wanted this morning.

Her class started Pizza Hut's Book-It program this month, so she's all about recording reading time each day. Thing is, she'd be all about reading without that chart. For this momma who grew up to a be a writer, I'm thrilled my girl likes books, but the best part is this: She can read some of them now. All. By. Herself.

I'm not the kind of mom who pushed her to read, but I am the kind of mom who is rejoicing that I've already heard my daughter tell her little brother she'd like to read him a book.

Granted, she's just started reading, but she's excited to read and wants to learn more words. She keeps a notebook handy {I'm telling you, this thrills me and the news reporter tendencies that will never leave me!} and often copies words out of books. She says she's writing stories. And she is. There are so many stories out there worth retelling. It's common for her to ask me while we're driving along how to spell certain words. She's recognizing words on signs. And this weekend she handed me a note on a small, pink Post-It that said, "I love you Mommy and Daddy."

I'm thinking the best is yet to come. Soon she'll be reading more stories and writing her own. Until then, she'll just ride to school with a notebook in her lap, some sort of writing utensil in her hand, and excitement to be going to school in her heart.
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