"Peep peep peep" says Thomas as he.....

My favorite time of day is when we snuggle into our bed with our kids around 7:30 and read as a family. We have done this for a few years now, since we moved into this house actually. The four of us climb into Mommy and Daddy's bed and lay down to listen to a couple of good stories then it's off to brush teeth and go to bed. The past few weeks John has decided he doesn't want to do the family read anymore, he wants Daddy all to himself in his room. I was sad at first that we wouldn't be reading as a family anymore, it's a fun time and a nice cuddle time. However, it has meant that I get some alone time with Morgan. She and I cuddle together in her bed and pick out two or three stories and have our girlie bonding time.
Interestingly Morgan has memorized a number of the stories we read. It amazes me, the number of books she knows word for word. It's not that we read the same ten books either, we have TONS of books and there are only a few favorites that are repeated within a week. Over the past week Morgan has been asking if she could "read" (recite) one page and I read the other. So we've been doing that, it's fun to see how many pages she remembers. She's also been sounding out some words at my request. We play eye spy the sound version in the car so she knows the sounds a lot of letters make. Half the time she already knows the word and is just humouring me by saying it slowly...but it's fun to get her to try.
This all leads us to last night and our Thomas the train lift the flap book. We were doing the you read a page I recite a page thing and it was her turn. She started the page with "Thomas was on the mountain.." a good guess as to what was written on the page since Thomas IS on a mountain but not really what it says. I'd have to say I was surprised since this book is one we read often. So I suggested she sound out the first word.
"Puh...Puh...p...eee...peep" she said.
"Good, "peep" what's next?" of course it's peep, but she sounded it out two more times.
"Peep peep peep" she said looking at me proudly. At this point I figured she would remember the rest of the words and continue on reciting the story but no...
she continued and read...REALLY READ the words ' "Peep peep peep" says Thomas as he'! You could see how proud she was, and surprised too I think. I was amazed and so proud of her. She stumbled over the Y thinking it made the K sound and wasn't sure about the H in Thomas, "T huh omas"?? But READ...really READ those words all by herself! I was amazed that she remembered all the sounds the letters make and that she could combine them once she sounded them out, like she'd been doing it forever.....my girl is learning to READ!
It was so like those first few steps they take, wobbling, slowly lifting one foot in front of the other, pausing to catch their balance...and you want to reach out a steady them, hold out a hand to give them help but you don't. You just watch amazed and proud, cheering them on knowing that you have to let them do it on their own. Elated that they are reaching a milestone but knowing that it's going to be different after today and not knowing if you're ready for them to be growing up quite so fast.