the Hipps family...: I feel so proud of myself!

Owen's birthday week is on! We kicked it off yesterday with a long awaited trip to The Making of Harry Potter. Jer is in Vegas with his dad & brothers, so the boys and I headed to the station Saturday morning for our own adventure. On the train journey up, we read Harry Potter, and on the journey home, we read Harry Potter. When I'd take a break from reading, we'd talk about Harry Potter, and when we stopped to eat, we'd talk about Harry Potter.. The boys have been saving their allowance for this for quite some time and had 90 & 80 GBP each saved up. After the tour, we conveniently ended up in the gift shop where the shopping and temptation kicked in. In the end, Owen bought a wand (Professor Slughorn's), a chocolate frog, a key ring and an extendable ear. Walter surprised us and decided to not buy one thing! (This is a boy who walks into a grocery store and if he has a pound on him, will spend it.) As were leaving the shop, he looked up at me and said "I feel so proud of myself!"

The tour was pretty amazing. We walked through the dining hall, saw all sorts of costumes and props, saw how they sculpted the various creatures and made them move. We all rode a Nimbus 2000 (photos of that to come...), drank Butter Beer in front of 4 Privet Drive, got on the Knight Bus, saw so many drawings and plans - it was really humbling. Strange but true, humbling realizing how much goes into a movie. I have a new appreciation for the artistry and talent it takes to make film. My favorite was seeing the details on the made up books, newspapers and wizarding products. What fun.