dan madison

A Fond Farewell...

2007-05-31T00:34:31Z

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Thank you all for sharing in Harry and Dan's lives - it's been wonderful chronicling them. For those of you who want to know how the story goes from here on in, the rest of their tale can be found underneath the lj-cut below...

For those of you who might be interested in following the tale of another version of Draco Malfoy, and an entirely different Harry - there's a new roleplay project just beginning; information on that, and the names of the journals involved, can be found here.

And now, I present the rest of The Story of Dan Madison:

In the short term...

After furnishing their new house and settling in, and spending a week of fun in the sun in Tortola alongside Aunt Hermione and her beau, Beth, Brian and Arianna, the family will settle into a routine just in time for the girls to begin school at the Norcross School of Wizardry - Lisha in the fourth grade, Kim in the tenth.

Kim will have trouble, at first, settling into a routine of schoolwork and study, but eventually she'll get used to the idea that with a little effort, she can be good at school - she'll average high C's and low B's, with the occasional A. Her unusual, handmade earrings, which she'll wear daily with her school uniform, will garner much attention; she'll start taking orders, at a greatly reduced rate of $15/pair, and it will swiftly become a status symbol to be wearing a pair of Kim's earrings. This will help her gain a certain popularity - as will the party that Dan suggests she throw, in the beginning part of the school year, inviting her whole class to drop by for pizza and soda, video games and movies, and maybe a dip in the pool. They'll expect perhaps 30-50 kids at this party; they'll get, over the course of the night, a total of about 250 dropping in, leading Dan to call in emergency aid in chaperoning from Beth, Brian and Arianna. Kim herself will be rather bewildered by the hugeness of "her" party, socializing mainly with the same group of girls and boys who she's already become comfortable with - but for a long time afterward, she will be well-known around her school, and spoken of admiringly for having the type of parents who would allow a party like that.

Lisha will have a bit more trouble finding her place in her school's social structure. Quiet and shy, she'll make friends more slowly than Kim. One of the boys will tease her because she's quiet, but really, he just thinks she's pretty - and it will bother her until Harry explains it to her, at which point it won't trouble her anymore. Her social "settling point" is the party celebrating her birthday on December 4th, complete with bouncy castle and cotton candy machine, to which her entire class and ballet class are invited (she takes ballet and piano lessons). By that point, she'll have found friends, who come over regularly to do homework and for play dates.

Dan and Harry will be active in their girls' lives, getting to know their friends and encouraging them to have friends over, and keeping close ties with the parents of the girls' friends. Dan's standard modus operandi is to call and introduce himself, invite the parents over for dinner. The evening will begin with wine or drinks in the formal dining room, punctuated by the wafting aroma of Harry's heavenly cooking drifting in from the kitchen, during which Dan and Harry and the parents - children having been banished to the family room, rec room or playroom - will discuss matters of mutual interest, Dan turning on the patented Malfoy charm to put the parents at ease. Dinner will be next, and of Harry's usual exquisite quality (prompting many requests for recipes), followed by more playtime for the kids and conversation for the adults. Dan will be candid about his concerns for his girls, and quick to identify and try to allay the other parents' concerns - such as, for example, the appropriateness of a young girls' sleepover being hosted by two male parents with no female in attendance. In the end, the other parents will go away with a positive impression of Dan and Harry, and reassured that their own children are, when visiting Dan and Harry's home, in good hands.

Kim will continue with her tutoring for at least the first half of the school year, and will keep making jewelry in what spare time she has left - mostly for friends and parents of friends, but selling some on consignment at various shops to augment her healthy allowance. Pressured to take up an afterschool activity, as all the kids at school do, she'll drift into the Drama Club, and find a surprising aptitude for it. She'll be cast in two separate roles for the first production of the year, one with three lines in Act 1, the other with five lines in Act 2, and will wander around the house for weeks beforehand, practicing her lines to empty air. When the time comes, she'll do a splendid job. For the second play of the year, she'll have a more major role that lasts the duration of the play, and do equally well with that.

Dan, in the role of supportive parent, will spend a great deal of time helping to build scenery and doing backstage work to help in Kim's drama-club productions. He'll also fill the same role for Lisha's class plays, learning carpentry and painting and such as he goes along. Meanwhile, Harry will help chaperone class trips for the girls (except Kim's drama club's end-of-year overnight trip to see two plays on Broadway; Dan will chaperone that one) and become extremely well-known, and much lauded, for his role in bake sales and cake auctions, producing massive, artfully-decorated cakes and confections of incredible quality and flavor. Both of them will make a point of being home wherever humanly possible when the girls get home from school, to provide snacks and supervision and help with homework and just generally "be there". Sadly, their active parenting roles will leave no time to devote to the Portal - however, the Portal has much more funding and many more volunteers than it once did, thanks to their efforts; and they'll continue to donate liberally to the Portal, in perpetuity.

Eventually, the boys will adopt the girls - simple by wizarding law, more complex by Muggle law as Harry's still a British national. The girls take the boys' last names as middle names, keeping their own surname (Rosado) to avoid confusion and having to change records and the like.

As time goes on, Kim...

Kim will continue through high school, getting decent but not outstanding grades, learning to drive and Apparate and driving Dan's old beat-up Corolla, hanging out with friends, having the occasional date - never getting serious with any boy; her earliest experiences with a boy left her leery of anything more than a casual date and a few chaste kisses. She'll go to her junior prom with a boy who likes her much more than she likes him; she'll go to her senior prom with a boy she considers a friend - and on both occasions, Harry and Dan will be misty-eyed as they watch their little girl walk to the ceremonial limousine. Her graduation will be an occasion of great celebration, and will be commemorated by a gift of a brand-new sporty convertible, which Kim will adore.

From there, Kim will go on to attend Georgia State's wizarding studies program - with no idea what she might like to study, but propelled by Dan's insistence that she go to college regardless, she'll aim for a "general studies" degree. She'll move into the dorms, live there for her first half year - then, at Christmas, present her fathers with a carefully reasoned series of arguments for why she wants to move back home again, culminating with the simple and indisputable, "I miss being here." Since Lisha is, by this time, using Kim's closet as her overflow space, and because Kim does want a measure of autonomy, the boys will remodel (with the aid of magic) the third garage and part of Lisha's old playroom and underlying rec room into a quirky little three-story studio apartment, with loft bedroom upstairs and bathroom downstairs. Kim will still hardly see her family on weekdays, being preoccupied with school and social activities - most of her high school friends are going to either Georgia State or nearby Georgia Tech - but she'll derive comfort from being close to home regardless.

In the beginning of her third year, a sciences class chosen out of curiosity will fuel an unexpected interest in Kim; she'll decide shortly thereafter to pursue a degree in wizarding biology and life sciences. She'll also meet a young man who provokes a similarly unexpected interest from her. Warren is older than she is, a serious, soft-spoken young man, light-skinned African-American, observant Southern Baptist, pre-law student and active volunteer for several causes about which he is most vocal - and a Muggle. They'll start dating casually, then more intently, then exclusively. After about a year of acquaintanceship, when things have gotten too serious between them for such things to be ignored any longer, Kim will break the news to him about her magical nature. He'll be startled, shocked - will tell her he needs time to think, and not talk to her for many weeks. In this time, Kim will cry buckets, and come to terms with how much Warren means to her, yet despair of ever seeing him again. But one day, he will show up at the front door of the house, bouquet of roses in hand, and ask to see her - and as Dan and Harry stand by, protective of their little girl, he will tell Kim, in simple yet emotional tones, how he has given thought to the matter, how he has come to terms with her magic even though it disturbed him greatly at first, how he realizes that it is an integral part of her and thus must be embrace, not merely endured - and that he loves her, deeply and sincerely, and wants to spend his life with her, if she'll have him. And Kim will throw her arms around his neck and cry in his arms, and sniffle, yes, yes...

They will not be married for many years, however. Warren refuses to be wed until he can properly support a wife and family (meaning, until he has finished his law degree, passed the bar exam and obtained a full-time job) and will not hear of being supported or aided financially by his fiancee's family, or even by his fiancee. Kim will finish up her own degree, and prompted by her fathers' urging, take an apartment of her very own while she begins working in a research position in the private sector, while Warren studies intensively and works part time as an intern at a law firm; the two see each other only on weekends, and only rarely, yet remain devoted to each other. Eventually, the two sets of parents meet - a meeting made awkward by their cultural differences, and the fact that Warren's parents' devout faith expressly prohibits the boys' male-male partnership. In the end, though, it'll all work out. Warren's father is an easygoing man who's inclined to accept the boys based on the fact that they've raised such a "good girl", and Warren's mother - more religious and hesitant - will eventually be won over by Harry's cooking. Harry will try to get them all together, parents and kids and all, for dinner at least once a month.

Eventually, Kim and Warren will be married, in the little Southern Baptist church in which he was raised... Kim's never been religious, but because it means so much to Warren, she's been reading the Bible, attending church with him when he goes. Some eyebrows will be raised when both Harry and Dan escort Kim down the aisle - but that was one point on which she would not budge, and Warren did not even try to argue. Lisha will sing at the wedding, a song so lovely it brings tears to people's eyes; and the reception will feature a mix of down-home Southern cooking, expensive nouveau cuisine (canapes AND chitlins) and Harry's homemade wedding cake, a thing of great beauty to behold.

As a wedding gift, Harry and Dan will buy the newlyweds a house - a home of their choosing, outside the Atlanta city perimeter, about an hour's drive from the boys' house. Warren will be adamant that it's too extravagent a gift, and will insist on making monthly "mortgage" payments to the boys, despite the fact that his salary as junior lawyer for a nonprofit firm is less than lavish. This will continue until the birth of Kim's first child, at which point she will quit working to be a stay-at-home mom (by mutual, prior agreement with her husband) and Dan will lobby intensively until Warren gives in and agrees to accept the house as a gift, "for our grandchildrens' sake". Kim will have three children in all; they will see their grandfathers a minimum of once every two weeks, and both boys will be active, eager grandparents.

Meanwhile, in Lisha's world...

Lisha takes a year of ballet before becoming bored with it, recognizing that with her late start, there's only so much she'll ever be able to do - next year, she drops ballet in favor of modern dance. The boys convert the third garage into a dance studio, complete with mirrored walls, for her use; she practices diligently every night. (Later, when Kim moves out, Lisha will take over Kim's old room as a studio instead.) She'll also start singing lessons as well, over Harry and Dan's protests that she's doing too much and will overstrain herself - to counter their claims, she continues to get A's and B's in school, and is her normal happy, smiling self throughout.

At the age of 13, in the eighth grade, Lisha forms a "girl group" with two of her friends, with herself as "front man", singing and dancing along to, first pop songs, then songs of her own invention. As a companion to the singing group, she organizes a backup band, guitar and keyboards and drums, also comprised of her classmates. Lisha's influence is sharply visible in the band's music and videos, which feature not only shades of pop, rock and soul, but also streaks of big band and jazz influence. The group practices regularly in the converted garage, culminating finally in a performance at Lisha's school talent show that garners a standing ovation from the kids and parents there. Harry and Dan are, naturally, exceptionally proud; and Dan will tell people later that he knew, from that performance, that Lisha would go on to great things.

As well she does. The singing group and backup band stay together, driven by Lisha's determination and focus, rehearsing and performing intermittent shows at other schools, wizarding and Muggle alike, even a few colleges and other venues. When Lisha is 15, the group performs at a Muggle private school's fundraising variety show, which contains in its audience a talent coordinator from the Cartoon Network. He is smitten by the group, and arranges for them to film a series of clips to be shown as "bumpers" around their Adult Swim lineup at night and during the day.

Immediately, Lisha and the group are catapulted into stardom, appearing on talk shows and magazine covers. They are courted by major record labels, finally signing a deal that - while apparently modest in scope - allows them to retain creative control of their material and a greater than average percentage of royalties. Their first album is a massive popular success, spawning several radio hits; their second album, hard on the heels of the first, is just as successful. Hollywood comes calling, with offers of television and movie roles. Lisha is quickly rich in her own right, and famous.

Throughout it all, Lisha remains remarkably level-headed and practical, relying on her fathers for advice and guidance. Despite the pressure to "go Hollywood", she insists on finishing out her school years at her old school, recording and doing television appearances scheduled to fit around her classes. While her bandmates are seen in the hippest and hottest places, cavorting with young stars and starlets, Lisha goes on dates only with her father Harry along as chaperone. Similarly, she's always accompanied by one or both of her fathers in the recording studio, and on the sets of the television shows and movies from which she accepts small but meaty parts. She builds a reputation as being hard-working and exacting, but also pleasant and even-tempered - no "diva" dramatics here! Very few people realize how determined Lisha is, how driven - the personality she projects is one of openness, honesty, a wholesome "good girl", and she's embraced as being a rare good influence for the young people who flock to buy her records, see her concerts, and occasionally, camp out on Harry and Dan's front lawn in hopes of seeing her.

But there's resentment from, especially, the other two girls in the group, who become tired of eternally being "backup" to Lisha's stardom. The band breaks up when Lisha is 20, after recording their fourth album. Lisha doesn't waste time mourning the group; she's ready for new things by this time, anyway. She takes on more acting work, slowly but steadily building a reputation for herself as an actress of worth beyond her name and fame - traveling to Hollywood from Atlanta, where she still lives in her old bedroom with the family, accompanied still by one or more of her dads. She also continues recording music, with studio musicians for backup. Her first solo album features mainly pop tunes, what the fans are familiar with - her second is an album of children's songs, with proceeds donated to charity. During this time, she also takes on a role in a PBS children's show, the only human in a cast of Muppet-style puppets, dancing and singing and storytelling. This role, which she keeps for three years, will eventually garner her more attention than any other: the show is rerun for years, to scores of young children.

By the time Lisha is 24, she's ready to take a break. For awhile, she spends her time relaxing at home, playing aunt to her sister's (then) two children, and vacationing with her fathers in Tortola while she considers what the next great challenge might be. She finds it in an offer from an off-Broadway company, wondering if she might be interested in auditioning for a role in their newest production... she goes to New York to do so, surprising the company greatly (they didn't think she'd actually accept!) and winning the part hands-down. The decision causes her some anguish, though - there's no way for her to commute via Floo or Portkey without it looking strange to Muggles, and she's never lived alone before, and is really in no rush to do so. Dan and Harry solve the dilemma for her by moving to New York with her, taking an apartment some ten blocks away so as to be at hand when needed. Thus, Lisha moves into her first apartment, begins a grueling schedule of rehearsals and, later, shows almost every night with a matinee on Saturday. Despite the demanding schedule, she comes to love acting before a live audience immediately, and is exhausted but happy.

It is during this time that Lisha first meets Jason, stagehand and part-time artist prone to wearing all-black, skinny and long-haired and intense; the two strike up a friendship, as he takes her around the city, showing her the tourist spots and the sites known only to a native, and teaching her to appreciate them all. Jason is protective of Lisha, and over time their friendship becomes a romance - Lisha's first true love affair.

Her first production finishes its run, after receiving great critical acclaim; she auditions for and wins another role, a lesser part but on Broadway this time, and receives critical acclaim for that as well. About a year after her initial move to New York City, during a luncheon date with her fathers, Lisha breaks the news to them very gently that, while their presence is always wanted, she doesn't *need* them there anymore, and they're free to move back to Atlanta if they want. This is a bit of a blow for both men, who've become quite accustomed to being there for their "baby" - Harry more so than Dan. They agree, however, to return to Atlanta, leaving Lisha on her own in the city, where she flourishes and thrives... for about six weeks, until an on-stage accident results in a broken ankle, ending her run with the Broadway production and sending her back to Atlanta to be cared for by her fathers until she heals. Jason follows her, Portkeying back to New York to his job as needed, staying by her side as much as possible. Harry, in particular, is a bit jealous - but copes.

Eventually, Lisha heals and moves back to New York City, where she picks up a part in a third production, again winning critical acclaim - this time in a role that requires no dancing. She shifts her interest toward choreography instead, taking classes on the few days she isn't on stage. When her latest role ends, she starts collaborating with a playwright of her acquaintance on a musical production, contributing dialogue as well as choreography... a year and a half later, the production debuts, to moderate critical acclaim but without much financial success, closing a month after its opening. The show will have more success as a traveling production, some years later. In the meantime, she's recorded another album, which reaches #14 on the charts, and has taken up cohabitation with Jason in an apartment that serves as both residence and painting studio for him - after much consideration, and believing in his talent, Lisha has opted to take over the household finances, offering him the opportunity to paint exclusively. Jason's style undergoes many changes and much maturation during this time; he eventually gains quite a following. They also take in a foster child, a male toddler named Nicholas, who they end up adopting shortly thereafter, and start proceedings to adopt a girl from Nicaragua.

After a span of years, Lisha and Jason will decide to step back from the hectic pace of New York, and will move back to the Atlanta area with their son so as to be closer to the family - who will welcome them back with open arms and much joy. The adoption proceedings finally come to an end, bringing them their little girl. They're eventually married in a simple civil ceremony, with their families close at hand. Lisha will continue to choreograph and collaborate with various playwrights, occasionally recording music, or traveling to Hollywood or New York for a few weeks to take on a TV or movie role, even participating in a reunion of her group and managing a few simple dance steps.

In the end, Harry and Dan...

After being parents for so many years, the nest is far too empty after Lisha's gone, especially after her return home with broken ankle and second departure. Harry and Dan spend time traveling, spend extensive time in Tortola, but still it seems lonely without kids around. Harry, especially, is missing being a daddy, and even visits from their beloved grandchildren can't quite fill the gap.

Shortly after Lisha's ankle finishes healing and she's back in New York again, there's a tragedy, publicized across both wizarding and Muggle news: a wizarding family of six children aged 3 to 14 left orphaned and penniless after a house fire. Harry and Dan discuss the matter briefly, then apply to take them in and are accepted. This keeps them happily occupied for the next twenty-five years or so, after which there's another group of kids... and another... and another... They build expansions onto the house as needed, adding more bedrooms, more recreation space, occasionally remodeling to fit the needs of their growing and shrinking family, learning how to parent children of all ages and both sexes, and having a merry time of it all.

On Harry and Dan's 100th anniversary (they marry, eventually, once Georgia adopts same-sex marriage laws, but they always count their anniversary as the day they pledged their love to each other in that San Francisco hotel) the kids get together to throw a giant party for all of the family - five sets of "children" in all, plus their kids, and grandkids, and so on... A picture will be taken, of their great-great-great-grandchild via Kim playing happily in a playpen with their current infant foster-child. Another will be taken, at a ridiculously large resolution, of the entire family - all 100+ of them. The latter photograph will be blown up to massive size, framed, enchanted, and hung on the living room wall, whereupon every time Harry or Dan enters the room they'll be greeted by a massive chorus of "Hello, Dad/Granddad/Pop/Papa". And they'll look up at the photo and wave. And the photo's occupants will wave back. And Harry and Dan will smile.

They'll go on to a ripe old age, loving each other and surrounded by the love of their family, fostering and adopting children for as long as they can parent them successfully, so that the love just grows and grows and grows.

And they'll live happily ever after.

Thank you all, again, for your attention and your support.

ms_semicolon and nessime_lisen

dan_madison @ 2007-05-30T20:28:00

2007-05-31T00:28:31Z

Well, we had a blissful, if exhausting, couple of days at Disneyworld. The girls were enthralled! And Hermione came away understanding, I think, how much of a family we are already. All around, a good time. Now we're busy-busy, shopping for things for the new house, getting everything ready...

I've been doing some thinking, and looking back over old journal entries, and I realize that there seems to be less and less for me to say every day, even as my life gets busier and busier. Life with my beloved and our girls (and Scotchy) is wonderful and fulfilling, but when it comes down to journaling, there's little left for me to say - and less time left to say it in. So I think... god, it's become such a habit these past months, it's hard to say it... but I think my journaling is coming to an end.

It's been wonderful sharing my world with all of you - thank you all for taking such an interest - and to everyone who's commented at various times, thank you for being a friend. Harry and I will always think of you fondly. Wish us luck! 'cause it's going to be one hell of a trip. :)

dan_madison @ 2007-05-26T19:42:00

2007-05-26T23:42:14Z

The sleepover at the house was a grand success. We ordered pizza, toasted marshmallows and had S'Mores for dessert, made popcorn, all the while talking about the house and what we'd do with it, how it was going to be once we were all moved in and settled. Woke up and went to IHOP for a hearty breakfast, then spent the day splashing around in the pool and the jacuzzi and soaking up the sunshine. Wonderful!

Now we're all back at the apartment, the girls and Hermione and Harry and me - and we've had the idea, as yet hidden from the girls, that tomorrow we're going to do something special for the holiday weekend. Namely, Floo down to Orlando and spend Sunday and Monday at Disneyworld. Sure, it'll be a madhouse, packed with vacationers, but so what? None of us have ever been there and it'll be a blast, I'm sure. And SOME hotel somewhere has to have a room we can rent for Sunday night. And spur-of-the-moment is sometimes the best type of fun there is.

By common agreement, we're going to watch Shrek again. Kim's putting it on the DVD player now. Harry's putting together a plate of snacks for us - though we're mostly still full from dinner - and it'll be a happy night of family togetherness. Feels good. :)

dan_madison @ 2007-05-25T17:44:00

2007-05-25T21:44:54Z

Shrek 3 was good, not as first as the first two though. Same for Pirates of the Caribbean 3. Had two lovely nights out with the various segments of my family - if I never eat "buttered" popcorn again, though, it'll be too soon!

The house is OURS. We signed the papers this morning and got the keys, went immediately to Walmart to buy the air mattresses and pool toys, marshmallows and Jiffy Pop which we'll be using for tonight's living-room sleepover. We'll have to go back, though, because guess who showed up without warning to pay us a visit? Hermione! So there'll be five of us sleeping on the floor instead of four. It's nice to have her here to share this with us - should be fun!

Gotta run - gotta finish packing the car for tonight. I just know we're gonna forget something we need. Strange how one simple night away can become so complicated, but there ya go! I'll tell you tomorrow how it all went.

dan_madison @ 2007-05-23T17:33:00

2007-05-23T21:33:16Z

Therapy today went well, I think. I went over some of the things on my mind, my concerns about raising two girls, stuff like that, and the doc was very receptive and helped me work a few things through. As for Kim, when I asked her how it went, she shrugged and said, "It was okay," which beats the hell out of It sucked or any such thing... so I count that as a resounding success.

Dinner shortly, and then to a showing of Shrek 3, all four of us. It'll make for a late night on a schoolnight - but tomorrow is the penultimate day of school anyway, so I think some leniency is in order. Anyway, it'll be a ton of fun. Lisha's all excited, bouncing in her seat; Kim, more relaxed, is still all smiles. And it makes me happy to see them so happy.

And there's Harry, putting dinner on the table. Time to go!

dan_madison @ 2007-05-22T21:08:00

2007-05-23T01:08:35Z

We have now all seen both Shrek movies. Good stuff! I'm looking forward to going to see the third one, now...

dan_madison @ 2007-05-21T21:40:00

2007-05-22T01:40:36Z

Harry and Lisha's therapy appointment was today. Neither said much about it, but I gather it went all right. Harry left me with potpies ready to be popped in the oven for dinner, so I had that ready when they got back. Spent the rest of the evening just relaxing with the family. Good stuff.

Got a call from the realtor today. The title search came back clean - so the paperwork's being prepared, and it's looking pretty definite that we'll be closing on Friday. I've already taken care of the financial end of things, so it's just a matter of formalities, now. Whee!

Spent the day mostly pensieve-shopping with Harry for furnishings for the new place. We're coming to a common accord on things remarkably quickly - we've picked out a suite for the master bedroom, and settled on most of the stuff for the formal living room, and have at least an idea what we want for the family room. Hopefully, getting the place ready for move-in will be a quicker task than we think!

Strange, that we're so busy now all day, yet I find I have hardly anything to write. I guess that's how it works sometimes...

dan_madison @ 2007-05-20T20:12:00

2007-05-21T00:12:54Z

So this weekend we've played in the park together, watched Shrek together, had swimming lessons with Harry, eaten his fresh baked bread, and gone to Ted's Montana Grill for yummy bison burgers and meatloaf and filet. Overall, a good family weekend, and relaxing. And a good thing, too: next week will be hectic. Monday after school is Harry and Lisha's first therapy appointment; Tuesday, Harry goes to coach Quidditch and I have to make dinner; Wednesday is me and Kim's first therapy appointment, and in the evening, Shrek 3; Thursday, see Tuesday, with Pirates of the Caribbean 3 afterwards; and Friday, if all goes as planned and we sign the papers to close on the house that day, we're planning to have a sleepover in the empty house - air mattresses in the living room, roast Jiffy Pop popcorn in the fireplace, and thus christen our new home. Busy busy busy.

But there are still a few precious hours left in the weekend, and I've got my family gathered around me, and all is well. I'm happy.

dan_madison @ 2007-05-18T21:46:00

2007-05-19T01:46:48Z

Well, it's official - Pirates of the Caribbean is too intense for our little one. We got as far as Elizabeth's scene on the pirate ship (with Barbossa and his apple) and the moonlight transformation of the Black Pearl's cursed crew, and she jumped and hid her face against Harry's shirt, saying, tell me when they're gone. So I shut off the DVD and we talked with her about how it's okay if something's too grown up for her right now, that she can always see it later, and that the four of us can always go see Shrek instead... and come Thursday night, Lisha can stay here with Beth (she already offered) while the rest of us go off to see PotC3.

And Lisha's fine with that. But it makes me realize how much I have to rethink things I've always taken for granted: what I read, what I watch on TV, the movies I see. That I have to be aware of what is and isn't appropriate for Lisha, of what I might not blink at but that might give her nightmares. I guess it's easier when you have them from infancy onward - you get accustomed very early to the idea of age-appropriate and what is not - whereas I have to struggle to remind myself that no, Lisha is not Kim's age, and is not going to react well to animate corpses and the like.

I guess this means Lord of the Rings is out for at least the next couple years - the orcs and ringwraiths and such. Damn.

dan_madison @ 2007-05-18T21:09:00

2007-05-19T01:09:40Z

Kim's just popped out of the pensieve and dragged me in with her to look at her choice. It's an entire showroom selection, already done up with curtains and linens and wallpaper to match the furniture. The basic look is ruffly and romantic and very feminine, creamy off-white base color with florals and stripes done in dusty roses and light minty-greens. There's a canopy bed, nightstands, a dresser, a vanity with three-way mirror, a writing desk, an armoire that can house a TV or stereo system (stereo it will be - we've decided that there will be no TVs in bedrooms, not even our own), a desk lamp and floor lamp with petal-like, fringed shades. All the furniture is delicately hand-painted with floral designs and accent stripes. The whole thing looks like something out of a romance novel - I can see why Kim fell in love with it. She tugged at my arm and begged me, pleeease can I have this? and I said, Of course you can, and she hugged me, elated and forgetting all about her earlier upset at the repeating-tenth-grade thing. Gotta love teenagers. :) And we can do her bathroom to match, wallpapering the upper un-tiled portion of the walls and magically changing the tile and fixture colors to coordinate with the overall look. It'll be a lovely suite, I'm certain.

Lisha, having already decided on her bedroom suite (white furniture, purple and lavender everything-else) is watching PotC 1 at Harry's side. She seems to be enjoying it so far. But then, the scariest stuff comes later in the movie, when the corpses start swordfighting. We've told her that if she finds anything scary, she's to tell us and we'll stop the movie, for a little while or for good. So we'll see how she does with it.

dan_madison @ 2007-05-18T20:47:00

2007-05-19T00:47:41Z

PS: I have also fallen in love with these floor lamps: Lamp 1 and Lamp 2. More updates as I keep browsing this pensieve...

dan_madison @ 2007-05-18T20:38:00

2007-05-19T00:38:30Z

"Saucer-eyed" would be a good word to describe the girls as they looked at the floor plans and artist's conception (sadly, no photographs) of the house that will become ours. Kim summed it up nicely: "That room you're giving me looks to be the size of our old apartment!" Well, not quite that big, but certainly luxurious in comparison. Both girls seemed pleased by the connecting door between their suites - they've slept in the same bed all their lives, and I'm sure it'll be reassuring for both of them to know the other isn't more than a closed door away. As for their reactions to the pool and so forth... well. You can imagine.

Harry's designers have sent over some pensieves for our initial perusal, one with bedroom sets for the girls to look at, and one with office furniture for me. The girls are still whittling down their choices - aside from ducking in with them to make sure they both knew how to get into and out of a pensieve by themselves, we've left them to it. Meanwhile, I've settled on an office suite of furniture - the DMI Rue de Lyon collection, only with a more ergonomic leather desk chair in place of the one that comes with the set, with the Diamond Sky Berber rug over the hardwood floors and, possibly, this wallpaper. And a couple of leather rocker-recliners, like this only in a darker color, for reading or conversations. I haven't seen all three of these together yet, but the designers will put together a "sample room" in a pensieve for me, so I can see how it all looks together. I think it'll work, but not sure yet. Especially not sure of the wallpaper - I'd like something a bit more interesting, even though (or perhaps because) most of the walls will be covered by hutch, bookcases and art. But we shall see.

"Shrek 3" is out, and as there are so few age-appropriate movies out for girls her age, we shall certainly take Lisha (and Kim) to see it - but it might be wise to rent the first two first, so they can see them. So we'll do that this weekend. Also on the agenda is showing the girls the first two Pirates of the Caribbean movies - I'm anxious to see the first showing of the third movie when it opens next week! But we're a little concerned that the movies might be too intense for our littlest angel. Viewed in a well-lit room with her daddies and her sister close at hand, we think it'll probably be okay. The third one, in the theater, though... well. We shall see.

Kim's been redoing her web page on my desktop PC in her spare time, and I think it looks pretty amazing... almost all of the coding is her work, stuff found on the net and adapted for her page. Go have a look, and leave her some love in the guestbook if you feel so inclined - the URL is http://portal.7-d.org/~kimberleigh/.

Only one week left before school's out; our girls are both psyched about that. The week after Memorial Day, I've made appointments to visit some of the other schools we might be sending the girls to next year: Alpharetta Wizarding Academy, which is very exclusive and expensive (and Kim is completely against the idea of going there - says she'll never fit in - but I figured we might as well check it out), Norcross School of Wizardry (the #2 ranked wizarding school, academically - noted for having a diverse student body and encouraging extra-curricular activity among its student body), and Vinings School of Magic (the #3 rated school in the Atlanta area). I think it'll end up being Norcross - but we've nothing to lose but a little time by scoping them all out to see what they offer. Meanwhile, I've had to broach with Kim the matter of her possibly repeating the 10th grade, to make up for her scholastic deficiencies and the differential between public-school curriculum and the higher standards of private schools. Needless to say, she was NOT pleased. I think she'll get used to the idea, though. Put it this way: she'd better, because she won't get a choice in the matter - we're not about to leave her in her current substandard, unsafe school just so she can graduate with her class "on time".

Lisha will probably be okay - her grades so far are excellent, and at her age she won't be expected to know any magic yet. Still, we'll be having both girls tutored through the summer. Blake and I are thinking, maybe Tuesday afternoons, an hour with each girl to go over the basics (with Kim) and learn new things (with Lisha). Maybe even an hour with me after that - I'm still gaining confidence, after five years of no magic, and now using a wand-ring instead of a wand. I've been lax with my tutoring of late, but I should change that - set a good example for the girls, for one thing.

Aside from the movies, we have no concrete plans so far for the weekend. Family time, and playtime for the girls - and I have vague thoughts of drifting past a Toyota dealership and investigating that new-car idea of mine. We shall see. In the meantime, we're having a quiet night at home, following a special Friday night dinner of waffles with whipped cream and strawberries and bacon and sausage... maybe I'll put on the first Pirates DVD in a bit and we'll watch it together. We'll see.

dan_madison @ 2007-05-16T14:43:00

2007-05-16T18:43:53Z

So this morning after the girls had left for school, Harry and I filled travel mugs with coffee and set off to look at yet another house. We traveled up local roads toward the northeast, then turned off Lavista Road and made four turns through a peaceful, quiet little neighborhood into a cul-de-sac, where we beheld...

Our house.

It's big, but not fancy - it looks like just a "regular" house, and homey. Big lot, trees on both sides to provide privacy from the neighbors. Nice front lawn, flowering trees and bushes, flowerbeds; massive backyard, privacy-fenced, with a huge pool, jacuzzi and sauna, and green space down past the pool providing room for a swing set, a hammock, a playhouse for Lisha, with climbable trees and blackberry bushes. The lot slopes, so while the main floor is level with the street, at the back of the house the lower floor is level with the backyard. Three cars' worth of garage, one double and one single - the single garage might make a good workshop space, or perhaps rehearsal room for Lisha once she starts the ballet lessons we've been talking about. The whole place looks friendly, welcoming.

On the inside, the house is perfect:

(click through for larger floor plan)

There's a formal dining room and a family room, informal dining nook off the huge kitchen as well as a proper dining room. Two pantries, one big enough for a second fridge and chest freezer, and a wine cellar. There's an office for me, with a fireplace, and a room we can use as a library. Decks off the kitchen and the dining room - the deck off the dining room sports a gorgeous grill that I know Harry will adore using. And that's just the main floor. On the second floor is a master bedroom with a fireplace and the most luxurious bathroom I've ever seen: two-person whirlpool tub, massive multi-headed shower, two separate toilet stalls, even a tiny two-man sauna! There are two bedroom suites, each with its own bath; the larger suite features a little sitting room and a massive closet that'll be perfect for our teenager. Besides that, there are two more bedrooms, perfect for guest rooms, and a long, low-ceilinged room with eaved windows that will make a perfect playroom for Lisha. On the lower floor is a rec room that'll be just right for a teenaged girl's "hang-out" space, with two adjoining rooms, one of which can be her jewelry workshop. It's everything we wanted and needed, it's perfect...

And it feels right. It felt right the moment we drove up and stood there, side by side, gazing at it - and with every room we toured, it felt more and more right, so that by the time we were finished, we were both sure we'd found our home. I asked the realtor what the asking price was. He said, $875K, but he thought the owner could be talked down to $825K. I said, tell the owner we'll pay $925K if we can close on the property on or before Memorial Day weekend. So he talked to the owner, who accepted the offer verbally on the spot. Now, there's a title search in process (with a hefty fee to expedite matters) and papers are being drawn up; assuming the title search comes back clean, the realtor tells me we could be closing as early as Tuesday morning. The sooner, the better, as far as I'm concerned!

Harry's called his designers, the ones with the pensieve catalogue, and arranged for our first appointment tomorrow, so we can start shopping for things. I'm so excited by this! It's not ours quite yet, but... it will be. It will be. I can't wait for the girls to come home so that we can tell them, and show them the floor plans so they can "see" what their new rooms will be like...

We've found our home. Our home! We have, we have, we have!

dan_madison @ 2007-05-15T15:45:00

2007-05-15T19:45:00Z

Harry's at the Portal, doing Quidditch. I've given the girls some cut-up veggies and ranch dip as an afterschool snack, and am now working on defrosting pasta and sauce for dinner. We looked at two houses today - one was in Buckhead and was TOO big and fancy, TOO mansion-like, with an elevator and a gated entrance - the other is a possibility, but we didn't instantly fall in love with it or anything. Still more on the list for tomorrow. The girls are doing homework, and I'm chatting online with Brian and being thankful that I quit my job when I did so I could go have a life - I don't have TIME for work now, being a full-time daddy and all. And that's about it for now, I guess.

dan_madison @ 2007-05-14T21:02:00

2007-05-15T01:02:47Z

PS: That Mother's Day card Lisha had made? Harry found it in the kitchen trash this morning, all crumpled up. I don't know if it's a good sign or a bad sign - if Lisha's getting past her hurt feelings, or nurturing resentment, or maybe a little of both. But it made me sad. The card had been glued and drawn and decorated with such care. All for a mother who rejected its maker utterly. How could she? How could anyone be so cruel to such wonderful girls as ours?

Well, the girls will have therapy, and hopefully that will help them put things in perspective and go on with their lives and be healthy and happy. And we will love them and love them and love them and give them all the safety and security we can, and hopefully that will do the same. And that's really all we can do.

Speaking of safety and security. When the girls came home from school today, before homework commenced, we performed tracking charms on them. We've all talked about this in the past; it's a standard precaution for parents to take with children, both during the War and in today's modern (dangerous) society. Basically, it works from both directions, sort of. If we need to, either Harry or myself can do a spell that will enable us to tell where either or both of the girls are, and be able to Apparate to them. And they can signal us in times of need, either verbally (by saying our name three times followed by the words "I need you") or with a hand gesture - touching the thumb to the tip of each of the first three fingers, three times in succession - and if either girl is rendered unconscious by ANY means other than natural sleep, the charm triggers automatically. Not only will the charms signal us, they'll raise a sort of magical flag that any wizarding law enforcement officer will be able to detect and track. That way, if anything ever happens - if they're ever, God forbid, in danger or have been abducted or any such thing, they can alert us and the authorities and get help.

Lisha was anxious and eager for the charms to be placed on her. Kim seemed a little less certain - well, she's a teenager, after all, and she's used to doing what she wants, without any rules or restrictions - and how easy it would be, after all, for us to track her and "spy on her" with charms like that? But I reassured her that if the charms were activated from our side, she'd know it - no way for us to keep tabs on her without her knowledge - and that we WOULDN'T do that, that the charms were for emergencies only. And she relented, in the end, without ever really protesting - I think it comforts her too, as well as Lisha, to know that in this uncertain world, she's just a little bit safer from some of the big bad dangers out there.

We can't protect them from everything. We can't wrap them in magical bubble-wrap wards to keep them safe from ALL the dangers they could encounter. If it were possible to do that for a person, there never would have been a War. But we can protect them from some of the dangers, and breathe just a tiny bit easier for it. And that will have to be enough.

dan_madison @ 2007-05-14T20:41:00

2007-05-15T00:41:16Z

We looked at two houses today. One was over on the west side of Atlanta, instead of being northeastern where I want to be - nice enough neighborhood, but I'm totally unfamiliar with that part of Atlanta, my travels have always taken me north and northeast - and even if I got over the region issue, it was that bit too small, and on a lot that wasn't conducive to expansion. The other was in the right area, and would've been close to perfect... but it was right off a busy street, another definite no-no. So, tomorrow's another day, we'll see what the next set of houses look like.

Ate a late lunch of funky sandwiches (turkey artichoke panini) and chai at Panera, then did some grocery shopping at the farmer's market out Clarkston-way and came home, where I made appointments for all of us at the North Atlanta Wizarding Psychiatric Center. Me and Kim will be seeing therapists on Wednesdays at 3:45, starting a week from this Wednesday; Harry and Lisha will be going at 4 pm Mondays, starting next week. Dr. Caren Reynolds for the girls - Daniela specially mentioned her as having a reputation for being excellent - and I'm seeing a Dr. Melissa Cortez, and Harry is seeing a Dr. Nicholas Park. It'll make for busy weekdays, as Harry's going to be doing Quidditch at the Portal on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the next couple weeks. But once school is out and Quidditch season over, things should calm down... Of course, we'll hopefully be furnishing a new house and moving by then. So "calm down" is a relative term.

I've been thinking

ACK! Kitty paws. Resting on my leg, claws just barely out. Soft little kitty paws and a Scotchy nose. Way to derail a train of thought!

Anyway, I've been thinking of getting a new car. Not just a different one, but a new one, factory-showroom type. Something sensible and fairly gas-efficient - I'm thinking a Toyota Camry or Corolla, or maybe an Avalon; just a four-seater to transport the family around town in. The Camry Solara comes in a convertible model, which sounds tempting... except thinking about it gives me visions of a crash, and one of my "precious cargo" flying out. Yeah, there's wards to prevent that, but STILL... I'm paranoid about my family, that's all there is to it. Besides, convertibles just muss up your hair anyway. So, a Camry - I could get it in "sky blue pearl" which is similar to my car color now, or maybe "titanium metallic" which is fancy talk for silver. I'd want a light color, for maximum visibility at night... but not white, which never ever looks quite clean. Fabric interiors, I think, because leather gets too hot in the summertime and sticks to skin - and all the safety-making options, on top of the fifty wards I'd have Blake and Harry help me put on the car as soon as I got it home, to cushion against collision and such. I'm still a skittish driver, and though I can get on a highway and drive now, I'm loath to, especially with my beloved or my angels in the car with me... but it seems sensible to start our new life in our new (as yet un-found) house with a new car as well. I mean, my old one's a piece of junk. Mechanically sound, but... it won't last another twenty years, whereas a new Toyota, given proper maintenance and light use (we're wizards, we Floo and Apparate half the time anyway!) very well could. Of course I won't get RID of the old car... Kim is, after all, sixteen, and once she's been in school long enough next year to get a certificate of attendance, she can get her learner's permit, and lessons at a proper driving school, and the old car will be a perfect "starter car" for her to use as she finds her feet. (She doesn't know this yet, of course. But eventually she'll ask about driving lessons, and apparation lessons... and when she does, I'll be ready!)

Lisha has finished Harry's friendship bracelet, and is working diligently on mine. Such concentration as she narrows her eyes and sticks out her lower lip and struggles to get every knot just so. I picked out the colors I liked, and she's done a lovely job of combining them - a wide stripe of blue, a narrower stripe of beige, and a thin accent stripe of dark brown. I'm looking forward to wearing it - permanently, until it falls off; they get knotted to the wrist, after all - and knowing, every time I feel it there, that it's from my littlest angel. As for my big-girl angel, she's still struggling with homework... I spent hours with her, helping her get the fundamentals of the math down, and now she's working her way through the problems. When she's done, I'll check them and point out any errors, help her figure out how she made them. For someone who hasn't bothered with homework and barely paid attention in school up till now, she's making GREAT progress in her studies just in these last few days. Partly because she cares about it now - even if only to please me - partly because, I think, she's just naturally much brighter than she's given herself credit for. Once I show her the underlying principles, how the arithmancy works, she understands it; she doesn't have to struggle with the concepts. Memorization, on the other hand, is not her strong suit - possibly because it just bores her, I dunno. But she's not even got her times tables down yet, though she can come up with "seven times eight" if she thinks it through for a few moments. My next order of business, once school is out, will be to arrange tutoring for her. I've already spoken to Blake, and he's saving a block of time on Tuesday nights for me (once school is out - he's always less busy during the summers) and he's tutored kids from all the private wizarding schools; he knows the curriculum, what's expected of them, he'll know how to evaluate Kim's weaknesses and blind spots and help her fill them in. We'll have Lisha evaluated, too - make sure her Muggle scholastics are up to where they need to be to enter the dual wizarding/Muggle curriculum of her new school next year. Not that I want my girls to spend their summer vacations studying like fools, but I do want them to be prepared, so they can enter school with confidence and live up to their potential.

And my biggest angel? Why, he's right here on the couch with me, casting fond glances at Lisha as she knots her thread and at Kim as she scribbles in her new school notebook, and otherwise being lazy with his head resting against my side so that I have to curve my arm into unnatural positions just to type. Not that I'm complaining, of course. A cozy Harry is nothing I'll ever turn away.

And KITTY PAWS! on my leg again, as she rears up to gaze up at me and mew? mew? for a scritch on the head. Soon enough she'll go back to her rounds, sniffing daintily at Kim's polished toenails scrunched into the carpet, munching delicately on the dangling ends of Lisha's thread (and receiving a gentle "No no, kitty! Not for you," for her efforts) and eventually leap up onto the couch beside us, curling into a little furry ball beside Harry and making a giant purrrrrrrrrr. Scotchy, like the rest of us, is settling into the new family routine, and becoming content.

dan_madison @ 2007-05-13T18:24:00

2007-05-13T22:24:56Z

Well, we've had a lovely dinner, and we're all very stuffed and lounging around in the living room like stuffed things. The girls tried many new things alongside us, for which I am very proud of them. Elk and antelope - both very heavy, gamy flavors; the girls tried each and left the rest uneaten, and none of us asked for seconds. Venison and buffalo - interesting flavors, not too gamy, definitely not like beef. The duck was very tender and delicious, and the kangaroo was - surprisingly - also tasty and tender; I think we all had seconds of both the duck and the kangaroo. And then there was the alligator, which tasted like chicken that had had marital relations with a fish. On top of those "exotic meats" there was the usual filet mignon, flank steak, beef ribs, pork ribs, ham, chicken, sausage, sirloin, pork tenderloin with parmesan, lamb chops, smoked turkey... plus a salad bar filled with interesting salads and hot offerings, plus cheesey rolls and fried yucca and breaded fried bananas, and it's no wonder we're all feeling rather laden and roly-poly at the moment!

Lisha seems to have perked up greatly. She smiled her angel smile a couple of times during dinner when one of us made a silly face at a new flavor, and eagerly tasted all the new things. I'm so proud of her. Kim tried things more dutifully than eagerly, but she stuck it out like a real trouper and seemed, in the end, to enjoy the experience. Such good girls we've got.

Now to spend the next few hours digesting and enjoying each other. Weekend's almost over, and they always go by too fast...

dan_madison @ 2007-05-13T12:53:00

2007-05-13T16:53:26Z

So this morning, after breakfast, Lisha asked if she could call her mother for Mother's Day. Kim tried to dissuade her, saying, what do you want to call for? she don't want us, she threw us away. But Lisha was insistent: it's Mother's Day, I want to call Momma and wish her a Happy Mother's Day. So Harry and I... well, we didn't want to tell her she couldn't call her mother, but we could sense disaster looming, so we stayed close by the phone, just in case.

So Lisha dialed her old home. We heard her say, tentatively, "Momma?" And then, clear as day, the CLICK through the phone as the bitch hung up on her. Lisha hung up the phone - and then burst into inconsolable, heartbroken tears.

We hugged her and hugged her and kissed her and told her, over and over, that she's a good girl, a special girl, a smart, pretty, wonderful girl, that she is wanted and cherished and loved, and she clung to us and cried and cried. We held her and comforted her until her tears stopped, then rinsed her face with cool water and hugged her lots more. Harry's got her in his arms in the easy chair now, watching cartoons on TV together while she hugs her doll Amy. Trying to ease her hurt. Meanwhile, here's Kim, with her arms folded and looking angry, muttering, I told her, I told her so -- and I gave her a big hug and told her the same things we told Lisha, that she's beautiful and special and wanted and loved. Where Lisha cries, Kim gets angry, but the underlying feeling is, I think, the same.

We're still planning on going out to an early dinner at 4 - not to celebrate Mother's Day per se, but to celebrate our girls, "because you two may grow up to be mothers someday," as I explained to them yesterday, and because exploring new things like "exotic meats" is a worthy goal under any circumstances. Lisha seems calm now - though there's no telling what's going on inside her head - that sweet little smile of hers is far from view, but she's at least stopped crying. I've made us all a little plate of nibblies - some cheese and leftover kebabs from last night, finger foods we can munch so as not to be overhungry for dinner. Kim's painting her nails again, working on placing little jewels and designs atop the champagne-gold color that matches her evening dress, using a pin to poke the jewels and strands of metallic thread into place atop their bed of clear polish - she's got steady hands, but I can see her growing frustration at the fiddly task. And Lisha's in Harry's lap, with her doll cradled in her arms, half-watching the cartoons and working on knotting a friendship bracelet - I think this one's for Harry, it seems to be the colors he picked out. Like Kim, I think the repetitive activity helps calm her and distance her from emotion. Which is maybe just what she needs right now.

But I think we'll need to fast-track getting the girls (and ourselves) into therapy. Lisha especially has had more ups and downs in her life than anyone so young should have to bear. It'll be good for her to have some help coping with that, I think. And Kim, too. And us.

dan_madison @ 2007-05-12T18:15:00

2007-05-12T22:15:53Z

Today is our Kim's birthday, and so far I think she's had a good day. We started it out with a good breakfast, and her presents waiting for her - she's never really gotten presents, so she was delighted by that. Harry got her a big huggable Steiff teddy bear, and I got her a set of young-lady pearls, necklace and earrings, and Lisha got her (with Harry's assistance) a set of Bath & Body Works "exotic coconut" things, lotion and bubble bath and shower gel and perfume and a scented candle. Kim seemed delighted by all of it. Then, after breakfast, we took the girls to the wizarding underground for a day of shopping fun - yeah, getting groceries and other such necessities, but also browsing the shops filled with knick knacks and t-shirts and incense and magic books and toys and so on and so forth. I didn't track how much we spent, or how many goodies we all came home with, but it was lots, and much fun was had by all.

Dinner is kebabs, chicken and steak and salmon and halibut and shrimp with pearl onions and mushrooms and yellow squash and zucchini, plus little baby red potatoes, all roasted over the grill on the patio. Harry's put up a rain-warding spell as the clouds overhead have gotten thick and grey, and it looks like it's going to storm like nobody's business any minute now. There are definite perks to being a wizard, y'know? After dinner is birthday cake - I went and got party decorations and a pin the tail on the donkey game, and little silly party favors for the girls to enjoy. Then, Beth will come over to keep an eye on our Lisha, and Harry and Kim and I will get all dressed up in tuxedos and evening gown (terribly overdressed but who cares) and go to the jazz club down Peachtree to sip expensive champagne and listen to Kermit Walker, who, if his music is anything like the clips on the website, we should enjoy...

Maybe it's not quite the kind of sweet-sixteen that most girls have. But it's the best we could do for our girl, and as Kim said to me earlier, so much more than anything she'd ever expected. For which I'm so glad, to be able to catch this last little bit of her youth and make it better. With Lisha, we have more time to give her that childhood she'd never had the chance to have. With Kim, we have to snatch away every moment we can before adulthood wrests her away from us...

Tomorrow is Mother's Day. We're planning to take the girls back to the "meatsword" restaurant, the churrascaria; they're having a special dinner with "exotic meats", elk and venison and alligator and such, new things to try. So I'm looking forward to that. On the other hand... it's Mother's Day. And their mother just recently threw them out of the house, and ceded all parental rights to the courts. I don't know how well the girls will react to the holiday. To be specific, I'm worried about Lisha. The other day I caught a glimpse in her school notebook of a Mother's Day card she must've made at school... crafts project or something, I guess. Kim's told me about trying to make cards and presents for Momma for Mother's Day or her birthday or Christmas or things, and having them waved aside and ignored. And maybe Kim's inured to it. But I have the feeling Lisha isn't, quite, yet.

Well, we'll be ready with lots of hugs, I guess. Try to ease any hurt as best we can. In the meantime, today is Kim's day, and Kim's all abeam with excitement, and Lisha seems just as excited for her sister as Kim is that her day is turning out to be something special. Everyone is happy, and life is good. And we'll worry about tomorrow, tomorrow.

dan_madison @ 2007-05-11T18:34:00

2007-05-11T22:34:41Z

Dinner's still not ready, so I figured I'd post this: this is the dress I got for Kim, only hers is more of a champagne color. No, it didn't cost quite that much: it was on clearance. But still "up there". And yeah, the price made Kim's eyes bug out of her head. But I told her, she is a beautiful young lady, and she deserves a beautiful young lady dress. And so she does.

We're planning on going to the jazz club in tuxedos and evening dress. We'll be horribly overdressed for the occasion. We don't care. It'll be grand.

Beth is socializing with the girls. It's fun to watch her relating to each of them on their own level, almost more fun than talking with her myself. So I'll go back to that now, or maybe wander into the kitchen to hug Harry from behind and kiss him on the neck to show him just how happy I am at this moment.

(Edit: Oh yeah, and these shoes in gold. Trust me, they match better than the picture shows.)

dan_madison @ 2007-05-11T18:08:00

2007-05-11T22:08:02Z

Just a quick post while I wait for dinner to be ready. I have no idea what's for dinner, but it smells heavenly. That's my Harry for ya.

Our littlest angel was all filled with nerves today over a final exam she was having today - didn't eat much breakfast. She came home today all smiles, pleased at having done well. She and Amy are coloring at the coffee table - Amy is lying on her tummy with a crayon propped up in her hand, and every so often Lisha "helps" her color her drawing. It's really the most adorable thing.

Kim, by contrast, had finals today and didn't care. I told her, "At least make an effort," and she swears she did. So I'm pleased about that. She's wiping the polish off her nails carefully, in preparation for painting them again, this time in a shimmery champagne-gold which will go well with the evening dress I bought her at the mall the other day. We're thinking of taking her to the jazz club with us as a sixteenth-birthday celebration tomorrow. Asked her if she had friends she'd rather celebrate with, but she said, "Nah, not really." Which is kind of sad... but maybe for the best.

We're waiting for Beth to get here from work; she's joining us for dinner, in part so that Lisha can get to know her, as she'll be babysitting tomorrow while me and Harry and Kim have our grown-up night out. Lisha's been left alone in a house before, but she won't be under our care! not because of any inherent irresponsibility on her part, but because our little girl should be cared for and cherished, and so she will be.

Harry went down to the Portal today, just for a couple of hours, to see and work with his Quidditch kids. I know he's been feeling guilty over not being there for them - and never mind that our girls need us now; he's entwined himself pretty tightly with that team, and feels pulled in two directions at once. So I watched over the girls and he went to coach. He came back looking pleased with the new volunteers and the progress the kids have been making, so that's good. I think we'll be working out schedules in the future so that he can spend more time with the team, at least until the new coaches are fully up to speed and the team is comfortable without him.

And I heard from my lawyer's real estate agent: he's got appointments set up for us to view houses, Monday and Tuesday morning and one on Wednesday, with the promise of more appointments if none of those candidates suit our needs. So far I'm pleased: he's gotten all this set up for us with a quickness. Now to see if any of the houses are suitable...

That must be Beth at the door! Time to go. Dinner with my family awaits.

dan_madison @ 2007-05-10T18:39:00

2007-05-10T22:39:56Z

So this morning after the girls were off to school, I dragged Harry back to bed for some snuggly fun... and then, later, we went to buy Kim's birthday gifts. We went in two separate directions, sorta: I've gotten Kim a set of young-lady pearls, necklace and earrings, a classic look with evening gown or business suit or blue jeans, whereas Harry has gotten her a big stuffed teddy bear to hug and snuggle and recapture her childhood with. I think it's a good match.

After the girls finished their homework, we went to Folks for an early dinner, where I made the other three all say Eeeeuwwww! in unison at my selection of fried chicken livers with white gravy (Harry had rainbow trout, Lisha chicken and dumplings, Kim the grilled chicken breast, with sides of corn nuggets and fried green tomatoes for the table - good ol' Southern cookin'!) and now, home again. At which point, I thought to check the mail, and surprise! the present I had ordered for Lisha several days ago was there waiting for her. You should've seen her face, so excited over receiving an Actual Real Live Package all her own! She opened it to find this doll and a passel of clothes and accessories to go with - oh, her little face was just transcendant as she sifted through it all and asked, "All for me?" as if the very concept was the most amazing thing she'd ever considered. Said doll has now been christened Amy, and Lisha is having a glorious time talking to Amy and hugging her and playing with her and dressing her up in her different outfits, it's really lovely to watch.

Meanwhile, Kim watches with fondness and the tiniest hint of jealousy in her eyes, and I find myself contemplating getting Kim a doll or two too. Even if she is "too old" for such things. She can display them on a shelf, if nothing else - and know they're there. Yes... I think that's a plan.

I like the American Girls dolls for Lisha, and Kim too. So much better than Barbie, or heaven forbid Bratz, as a model to emulate toward. I like that the American Girls dolls give a sense of history, and have books to go along with - I foresee buying the historical dolls for our girls in the near future. But I wanted Lisha's first doll to be a "Just like me" doll, to come without any sense of history, so that Lisha could build her own story for her doll in her mind. And so she is, eagerly, excitedly. God, it's so beautiful to see her this happy. And Kim, ripping her new CDs to her mp3 player, enjoying her music. Beautiful.

dan_madison @ 2007-05-09T15:26:00

2007-05-09T19:27:02Z

Kim's in the music store picking out CDs, and Harry and Lisha have gone off hand in hand to the toy store. I'm sitting on a bench outside the music store, resting my already-weary feet, soaking up the free wireless and typing this.

Lisha always believed in us, I guess - from the moment we told her we wanted to keep them, she never believed anything but that they'd become ours. But Kim feared the worst, as I did - and the difference, now, is just astonishing. She's alive with happiness, fairly glowing. It's a beautiful thing to see, and I couldn't be happier.

...Kim's got an armful of CDs and is gazing at me from the store entrance with can-I,-please? eyes. Guess I'd better go in there with my trusty credit card and pay for the loot. More later.

dan_madison @ 2007-05-09T13:04:00

2007-05-09T17:04:58Z

THEY'RE OURS. Yeah!

...Pending a rubber-stamp background check by DWFCS, but that's a mere formality. The judge who sat our case was at the Portal benefit; we both met him there, so he knew & had a favorable impression of us already. The whole thing took maybe ten minutes, and now it's OVER, and they're OURS.

I am so relieved, and so happy.

We stopped at the wizarding underground for an early lunch at a little Thai/Chinese/American buffet place. Kim ate for the first time, I think, since we told them the hearing was scheduled. A quick stop home, and now we're headed out to the mall, to buy our girls some more clothes and things.

...Our girls. OUR GIRLS.

Yeah. :) :) :)

dan_madison @ 2007-05-08T18:45:00

2007-05-08T22:45:06Z

I will not let the girls see what a nervous wreck I am over tomorrow's hearing. I will not. I will not.