Our Potter Party was Magical!

 On Sunday night a strange visitor came to our home.  It was Hedwig, Harry Potter's pet owl.  He looked a little bloated from his journey - suspiciously as bloated as a balloon, but we let him in anyway.  It was a good thing because his personality was very bouncy and airy!  He floated right over to Wyatt, who untied the note Hedwig had carried all the way from Hogwarts.

 The note told Wyatt how proud his parents are that he had taken on reading such a grand book as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, that he stuck with it and finished it like a real reading champ!  To celebrate this act of wizardry and accomplishment, Wyatt was invited to a Potter Party!

As we are mere Muggles, we first had to hop aboard 

the Hogwarts Express from Platform 9 3/4.  

Here are the kids "passing through" the brick wall from the Muggle (non-wizard) world to the platform:

On the other side, they found Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry's dining hall.

Hedwig was our centerpiece (thanks, Deb, for the owl-loaner!) 

along with the treats we would eat during the movie.

They were all a big hit!

Acid Pops (suckers dipped in Pop Rocks)

Cockroach Clusters (chocolate covered almonds)

Licorice Wands (black licorice whips 

dipped in white chocolate and sprinkles)

Muggle Chocolate-dipped Pretzels

Cauldron Cakes (Hostess Cakes with Licorice Handles)

The Dinner Menu:

Hogwart's Castle's famous Meat Pies (beef empanadas) - received luke-warmly

Hagrid's Favorite Jelly Slugs - a favorite

Dumbledore Soft Rolls - who doesn't love rolls?

McGonagall Pasta Salad - passed by all the kids

Snape's favorite Butter Beer - like a root beer float but with sprite 

and instead of just vanilla ice cream you drizzle 

some butterscotch syrup in there.  Delish!

Lockhart's Favorite Pumpkin Pasties (pumpkin empanadas) - super yummy, super easy!

 Before we sat down to eat, the sorting hat told us 

which side of the table to sit on: Gryffindor or Slytherin

 Everyone had potter glasses, so of course 

we had to snap some pictures of each of us 

wearing our Harry-spectacles.  

Even Charli!

 After our Potter Feast, we headed outside for House Games

 Quidditch Broom Races

 Pin the Wand on Harry

Harry Potter Character Memory Game

 In the end, Gryffindor was defeated by 

Slytherin in 2 out of the 3 House Games.

***

We watched the movie then the kids had 

one final treat of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Jelly Beans.

Barf, Booger, and Dog Food were favorites.  

No one had the guts to try Skunk Spray.

The Very Hungry First-Grade Class! Hungry for learning, that is!

For Teacher Appreciation week at LPA, I volunteered to decorate Wyatt's teacher's door.  The theme this year was "Thank you for teaching us to spread our wings and fly".  I decided to go with one of our home's favorite stories: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.  Then on a day they didn't have school, Wyatt helped me put the entire thing up on her door.  I hope she liked it - we sure like her!  Getting good teachers is a wonderful blessing we try not to take for granted! Wyatt's had a great year in school and I've been very impressed with his 1st-grade teacher.  

 A few days before I needed to have the door completed, I went to Wyatt's class and had the kids write their name on a caterpillar segment.  Then we made a list of the things we liked most about their teacher and the teacher's assistant (they're called instructors).  

 (Wyatt's favorite part was the butterfly and the cocoon)

you just can't top this:

Every three hours,

this is what I get to see

for twenty minutes:

This beautiful baby girl's

giant eyes looking up at me

and the occasional milky smile

peeking out from behind the bottle.

* * *

Big brother reading her

story after story.

* * *

From where I sit,

the view couldn't be

any better.

"Richer than I, you never can be..."

Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book. ~Author Unknown

A good book has no ending. ~R.D. Cumming

You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend. ~Paul Sweeney

TV. If kids are entertained by two letters, imagine the fun they'll have with twenty-six. Open your child's imagination. Open a book. ~Author Unknown
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I love books.

I love to read.

And we love, love,

love

to visit the library!

-

One of my favorite books of ALL TIME

with my favorite way to read:

drinking a cup of hot cocoa,

wrapping myself inside a soft, warm blanket,

and listening to soft music in the background.

- - -

- -

-

Here's what we've all

been currently reading:

Me

-

Brett

-

Halle

-

and here's the

"book" Wyatt wrote

You may have tangible wealth untold;
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer than I

you can never be -
I had a mother

who read to me.
~Strickland Gillilan

a kind act of service.

I've been very touched to know Mr. Robert Barrus, an elderly gentleman who volunteers his time every Wednesday in my daughter's classroom to help children learn to read. The children love him! They actually wait in line to read with him! You can tell he has become a pseudo-grandfather to many, to one blonde boy in particular who obviously feels comfortable with Mr. Barrus and will only read with him. This man is tender and loving towards these children, making them laugh with the silly jokes he makes or boosting their self-esteem by complimenting them on their "pretty pigtails" or improvement in reading. At first I thought he might have a grandchild in the class, but through our conversations I have since learned that in his ward an announcement was made that local elementary schools did not have enough parents volunteering to assist in classrooms during reading time. Although he must have other things he could be doing with his time, he has chosen to serve his community and a future generation in this dedicated way. I feel privileged to have worked with him over the past school year (I volunteer every other Wednesday) and because I know he'll never read this, I'm hoping to come up with some small token I can give him to express my gratitude for his kind and selfless service. Any ideas?