Two years ago

I'm one of those obsessed Harry Potter fans, and today is the day! Every time I think about going to the new movie, I almost tremble with excitement. Sharon and I have been remembering two years ago, when the Harry Potter 5 movie came out right around the same time as the final book in the series. For fun Friday on the day book 7 came out, we did a whole Harry Potter day. The boys started with a Harry Potter day camp at Hutchings Museum. Then Sharon and my mom helped me put on a Harry Potter party for my boys and their Orgill cousins. Only a few pics survived Sharon's hard drive crash (waaaah). It was so much fun:

We turned the house into Hogwarts. We started at Diagon Alley and Ollivander's wand shop, where their wands chose them. Then we took the Hogwarts Express to Hogwarts. They were all sorted into Gryffindor. We had a whole day of wizarding classes - Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Care of Magical Creatures, and Divination. It was quite the elaborate production. I still have all the info saved if anyone is interested in the details.

After the Hogwarts party, we headed to a couple of bookstore parties at Barnes and Noble and f.y.e. The boys got sorted, had broomstick races, played Quidditch, had their futures divined, drank some scary-looking potion, and saw a lot of great costumes.

If you have never seen absolute, sheer, genuine jubilation, this is it. When Seth found out he was sorted into Gryffindor, he leaped out of the chair and I happened to snap this pic at exactly the right moment. Love it!

And here I am, ready for the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Yes, I actually went to the movie like this, with cape, wand, glasses, and scar. And yes, we WILL be re-creating this look for the movie today. :)