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Over the last 6 or so months, we've slowly been working out way through the Harry Potter series, reading a chapter or two out loud every before bed.

These two can often be found outside playing Harry Potter. I've seen them play quidditch while riding on rake handles, watched them fight the dragons in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, seen them sneak Snape some poisonous something or other, found them pouring over a Maurader's Map, and caught them pretending they had turn Draco into a White Ferret and were bouncing him all around the back yard a la Mad-Eye Moody.

It's been fun to see their imaginations at work and how they have brought the story to life through their own eyes.

Plus I have fun reading the stories and giving each of the characters voices. I think I do a pretty good impression of Hagrid and a fairly passable Alan Rickman inspired Snape. I just wish I could someone get a little more disdain in my voice. Where does Mr. Rickman hide it all??

My mother is an avid cross stitcher. To her dismay, the hobby held zero appeal for me as a child and even less as an adult.

She gave Bug a small cross stitch kit for christmas. She seems to be enjoying sewing the small frog. I don't know if it's because she's enjoying the project or if it's because she's enjoying the undivided attention from grammie, but either way, both of them are ecstatic.

Every other Wednesday morning, I volunteer to help in Elijah's classroom doing general filing and copying sorts of things. As a former teacher, I know how much an extra set of hands can help. And it makes me feel like I am somehow paying this lovely woman back for the amount of time she spends molding my boy child into a respectable 4th grader.

I have 5 large trees in my yard. Three are chilean mesquite trees which have the world's tiniest leaves that they lose every spring and fall in what appears to be a blizzard of tiny yellow leaves. Another is an African Sumac that sort of sheds leaves when ever it feels like it, much like humans and hair. And then there is one ginormous Arizona Ash. It is my favorite tree (don't tell the others!). And every fall*, its leaves change color AS THEY SHOULD and then drop and coat my driveway and front yard in a thick layer that screams "This is What the Rest of the World Calls 'Autumn'."

The tree stays bare for about a month around January/February. And then it spouts its tiny green buds to remind me once again that some parts of the country have this thing called "spring".

It is my "seasons exist" tree. and I love it.

*haha! fall! as if we have seasons! by "fall" I mean, the 8 months of the year that are awesome and make it worth putting up with Arizona Summers.

He has started insisting that he looks cooler if he spikes up the front bits of his hair. What am I to say what looks cool and what doesn't? Live it Proud, Buddy!