Have read LOTR annually since the age of 8. I got up to Shelob’s cave last night.
The Silmarillion perhaps half a dozen times. I find the allegories of Creation in the beginning really fascinating.
I got up to Shelob's cave (and through) with my four youngest sons this afternoon. Nothing like a nice, gross bug-evisceration to keep young boys riveted! We started with "The Hobbit" in the summer of 2012. I'm sure you'll make it to the end before we do.
Since the movies came out I have reread The Hobbit two or three times. I have come to appreciate it a great deal. I especially recommend the Kindle version. It has the author’s original drawings and there is even an audio of him reading a section.