Crayola crayons, the love of reading and the kindness of strangers

I finally declared a week off from school and it has been heavenly.

Swimming, bowling, sleepovers, and more.

Then I stepped into Target...

and got caught in the back to school shopping frenzy.

Cuz who doesn't love new crayons, especially when there's a theme involved like Pixie Dust?

I couldn't think of a valid reason to buy one of these, oh but I wanted to.  I think Ideas Grow Here is my favorite, but look at the sweet birdie on Follow Your Heart.

Precious.

Speaking of precious, love these two.  They share a passion for reading, shopping and One Direction. I have to brag a bit here and tell you that my little one read for over 50 hours this summer.  Between the two of us we could open a library or organize a support group.;)

Another thing we have in common is the tendency to be a bit cautious (unlike my older daughter who is a thrill seeker extraordinaire!).  But look what happened the other day!  I was so proud of her- the diving board is a big step!  It's amazing what you can do when a sweet friend and your big sister are encouraging you.  My heart was absolutely full watching the story unfold.

Then big sister climbed on the high dive!  Everyone in line clapped when she jumped and my heart soared once again.  It was almost too much!  The kindness of strangers is powerful, dear friends.  Be sure to do it at least once a week and I'll do the same.:)

I think we'll take school off this week, too.

We can break in those crayons later.