One of my fondest memories from growing up were the trips my Mom and I would take to the library. I still remember how she would let me pick out as many books as I wanted. Often times my stack of picture books, and later on, chapter books would be massive. (Anyone remember The Babysitters Club? I couldn't get enough of that series.) My Mom never told me to put any books back. It seemed too good to be true. To be able to have as many books as I wanted was unbelievable to me, and I'm sure that's probably one of the reasons that made library trips so special.
As I got older, even into my early twenties, my Mom and I would sometimes go over to the children's section and pick out one or two picture books to take home and read. Two grown women reading together as a mother and daughter. We carried that tradition onto the next generation when I went back home to Minnesota with Aliyah.
Last week, after hearing some good things about a library nearby Aliyah's daycare in Scottsdale, I decided to take her and see if it was what I was looking for, and it was. Soon after I researched other nearby libraries and we went to another one about a mile away from our house. Basically, I've come to the conclusion that the Scottsdale library system is ah-ma-zing. They have so many toddler and kids classes, a huge selection of new books and movies for both children and adults, great play areas and even free tickets to local attractions. Last Saturday Sebastian took Aliyah to a Daddy and Me class where they read two books and sang songs as a group and he said she loved it.
She and I had some time to ourselves since Sebastian was working late, so we stopped by this evening. It's so much fun to watch her enjoy her time there. She has no hesitation trying to figure out how things work.
She especially loves to play with these abacus-type toys. I keep thinking I should buy her one since I see them often in stores, but then I realize that the moment I buy one for her is probably when she'll decide she's over them. Besides, if she doesn't have one at home, it just makes it that more exciting when she gets to play with one at the library, right?
She discovered a cute, wooden turtle that she fell in love with so much that she offered him some of her cheerios. When she figured out that the turtle wasn't going to eat it, she gave up and just ate the cheerio instead.
So many neat little learning opportunities in the children's play section.
They even had a little coloring station. Complete with fresh crayons and a roll of paper. I'll admit, I was pretty excited about this area. I took the opportunity to draw Aliyah some balloons and work on colors with her.
Last stop was the audio station. She looks pretty concerned here, but in reality it was more fascination since it was the first time she has ever worn headphones. Unsure at first, she realized it was pretty neat once I put a headset on and we listened together.
Can't wait to make many more memories with her throughout the years at the library! And I'm even more excited to be able to have her show "Bamma" the library next time my Mom and Dad are out in Arizona.
Can't wait to make many more memories with her throughout the years at the library! And I'm even more excited to be able to have her show "Bamma" the library next time my Mom and Dad are out in Arizona.
