Harry Potter Day at the Historical Museum!

Today we went to "Harry Potter Day" that the Historical Society hosted. The kids got to ride a carriage to "Hogwarts", go to a Potions class, play Quidditch, and of course, find the Horcruxes.

Nevaeh wearing the "Sorting Hat. She made it into Gryffindor!

Eli is also in Gryffindor!

Drinking "Butterbeer" in Azkaban

Eli throwing a quaffle to score a some points for his team

Eli trying to catch the Golden Snitch!

Professor Snape showing the class how to make a special potion

Of course after we came home the kids needed to have their own "Quidditch field" in the yard!

The kids (and grown ups!) had a lot of fun. It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Tomorrow Eli starts camp and will be gone from 8 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon. It will be a good way for Eli (and me!) to get used to him being gone all day before first grade starts.

On Thursday our documents are being dropped off at the Embassy and our appointment is the week after! As long as everything goes okay Merveille will be home in September!! I had a mini freak-out last night thinking everything will go wrong and our amazing caseworker called me at 10:30pm just to calm me down. She really has been wonderful and definately goes above and beyond her job description. So, thank you "J" for everything and I know it will all work out!

Eli's Harry Potter Obsession

Eli has recently become obsessed with Harry Potter. He has been listening to the books on CD and has seen all of the movies. On the playground he has been playing Harry Potter and assigns different characters to each of his friends (Eli is of course, Harry Potter). He has been saving his allowance to buy Harry Potter lego sets. He has been running around the house shouting "Flipendo!" while pointing his finger at things and making what I can only guess are wand noises. This was an extremely hot week with today being the hottest. Think 100 degrees with oppressive humidy. I knew we would be spending the day inside after their swimming lessons and with the way that the two of them have been arguing lately I wanted to find something different for the kids to do. I suggested making "the world's longest mural" and both kids were excited. Eli of course suggested making a Harry Potter mural. He talked Nevaeh into it and we began. The kids worked on it for an hour and a half! I was hoping that it would last thirty minutes, but they really got into it. I was the one that ended up having to stop them because we had to get ready to go somewhere.
Eli working on Hogwarts Castle while Nevaeh works on Hagrid's Hut

Eli and Nevaeh standing under "The Wold of Harry Potter" (Eli insisted that he could spell it himself)
Eli pointing out Voldemort and the Dementors that he made
It took up almost the entire length of the living room wall!

Every child deserves a bed...

Currently the kids at AFDECO (the orphanage where Merveille lives) do not have beds to sleep in. They sleep on concrete slabs. Another adoptive mom has started a fundraiser to be able to buy bunkbeds for the kids. Please check out her blog and help out in any way that you can-a donation (tax decutable) or by spreading the word about this fundraiser.
More information can be found at http://beds4cohensbuddies.blogspot.com/