Rachel's a Crimson fan!

Tonight I was reading Rachel "Knuffle Bunny Free," and I started crying (as I usually do) at the part when Trixie gives her Knuffle Bunny to a wailing baby on the plane, then gets a thank-you note from the baby's parents, and then her daddy writes her a letter to be opened in the future, about how he hopes he lives long enough to see her get married, start her own family...and then one day get a package (Knuffle Bunny) from an "old friend." I'm tearing up as I write this.

Anyway, while I was reading and crying, Rachel said, "does this book make you sad?"
"Yes, Rachel," I sniffled.
"It makes me sad, too," she said, getting visibly distressed.

I explained to her that most parents are sad when their kids grow up.

"You can come to college with me!" she said cheerfully.
"Where are you going to go?" I asked.
"Harvard College!" she answered, and I burst out laughing.
"What are you going to study?" I asked.
"Chocolate!" she said, grinning.

***

Perhaps she really will go Ivy League: While I was cleaning up from dinner and making my salad for lunch this week, I heard a strange little noise from her room. In the course of trying to open her door to investigate it, I bumped up against her body. I assumed she was trying to open the door to the bathroom.

Imagine my surprise when I saw the pages of her Fairy Tales book open next to her night light! "Are you trying to read by the night light?" I said. "Yes," she answered meekly.

At first I told her she really couldn't read this late at night and asked her if she wanted to take the book to bed. "It's too heavy," she sniffled, and got into bed and started crying. Of course, I gave in right there.

"It's OK, sweetie," I said. "You can read a little while. But don't stay up all night, OK?"

"OK, she said cheerfully through her little tear-stained face. The last thing I said before shutting the door? "I'm so proud to have a little girl who likes to read!"