Just got back from the fireworks display at Disneyworld. It was lovely and we had an amazing day. So much fun. Lisha was just absolutely enthralled with everything and Kim seemed pretty happy and excited too.

It's been wonderful having Hermione with us and I was so happy to introduce the girls to their Aunt Hermione. Tonight as we were walking to our hotel after the fireworks, poor Lisha was falling asleep on her feet, so I picked her up and she fell asleep in my arms Dan and Kim were walking arm in arm up ahead of us, and Hermione was walking beside me. After we got back to the hotel and I tucked Lisha and Kim into bed, Hermione, Dan, and I sat up for a while longer and talked quietly. Hermione told us that while she'd had some serious concerns about the step we took in taking in the girls, seeing us all together made her realize that we made the right decision. She can see that we're a family and that even just being here with us the last two days she can't imagine the girls not being part of our lives.

I didn't realize how heavily Hermione's opinion was weighing on me until she told us that she decided she'd been wrong. It's like a huge weight has lifted from my shoulders and I can just love all three of my girls without reservation or hesitation.

Had my first therapy session today. It was fine. Mostly, we just chatted. His name is Dr. Nick Parker. Very nice guy. Has a daughter about Lisha's age, so we got to talking about that sort of thing. He's easy to talk to, which hasn't been the case with the few therapists I've gone to. I'd go once, be completely put off, and then never go back. Anyway, I'm feeling pretty positive about this guy.

Lisha seemed to like her doctor. She mostly just played with the woman. I guess she does play therapy, which I think Lisha will react well to.

God, I'm tired. It's been a pretty busy day.

Had another swimming lesson with the girls this morning. Lisha's a little fish, loves the water. Kim seems less interested, but I think she likes playing with Lisha in the water. That and Kim knows Dan wouldn't let her anywhere near the ocean if she doesn't know how to swim. Neither would I for that matter.

We watched Shrek last night. It's a fun movie and Lisha seemed to really like it. Even though I don't think she got a lot of the jokes. She really hasn't been exposed to fairy tales very much. But it's a good story, with a positive message, so that's ok.

I've been baking all day. Making bread for the next week or two. And more pizza dough to freeze. And a couple of pie crusts to freeze. I'm thinking we'll have pot pie for supper at some point next week. I think I'll make some pasta, too. So we can have mordyn4's suggestion of Puttanesca.

We had a big breakfast at about 11. For supper last night, we had waffles with strawberries and whipped cream, and some bacon on the side, so for breakfast we had supper. A slightly breakfasty supper. Pizza with sausage and scrambled egg and mushrooms and diced tomatoes and cheddar cheese and a little swiss and bell peppers and olives with a hollandaise inspired sauce rather than tomato sauce. Was quite tasty if I do say so myself.

Last night, Lisha did have nightmares. They were inspired by the movie, but morphed into something else. Dan and I were still up, sitting together on the couch. She woke up with a scream and came running out. She leapt into my lap, buried her head in my shoulder, and said "Daddy, I'm scared." Dan wrapped his arms around her too and we just held her as she shook. Dan explained that the things on the movie weren't real, that a computer made them, but I guess I sensed that wasn't the problem. She eventually told us that the skeleton things turned into her mother and her mother's boyfriend and tried to take her away from us. We reassured her that we'd never let anyone take her away from us, that she's our baby girl and that we love her and we held her until she was ready to go back to bed.

It wasn't until we tucked her back into bed and were getting ready for bed ourselves that I realized she called me daddy. And she's been doing it all day, too. I'm a daddy and it's the best feeling in all the world.

We're going to the park in a few minutes. Taking snacks and drinks, a great big blanket, and a Frisbee, and we're going to have a wonderful time soaking up the afternoon sun.

We had a busy day, but I'm still awake. The houses were both nice. The one was definitely too much all the way around. I'm fine with opulent, but that was even a bit much for me and it would totally overwhelm the girls. The other was... okay... but there wasn't anything about it that screamed, "this is your house!"

Things have been pretty busy lately all around. Evenings are filled with cooking, homework, and girls, mornings with various kinds of shopping (for food, houses, birthday gifts, etc.), love-making, and of course breakfast-making and taking Lisha to school. Afternoons somehow fill up with a great variety of random things. I don't know how people survive having kids and full-time jobs. All of you who do? So much respect. Wow.

God, on Sunday, I just wanted to apparate directly into that fucking woman's living room and... god. Do very bad things. Instead, I held my baby girl as she sobbed her heart out. I wanted to go there and do everything to her that I ever briefly fantasized about doing o the Dursleys and more. But I figured Lisha needed me more than I wanted to kill the bitch. So I hugged her and held her and told her that she's beautiful and special and that I love her. Because I do. So much, in such a short period of time. And Kim too. They're so precious.

I expect we'll be just as busy over the next several weeks. Especially if we can find a house soon. Any meal ideas? I'm trying to keep things interesting for the girls without overwhelming them with crazy new flavors.

They're all ours! I wasn't as worried about it as Dan, but it's nice that it's official. Spent the afternoon buying them treats. Lisha wanted Play-Doh. And we got her some Legos. Okay, more than some. Lots of Legos. It's a damn good thing we're moving.

Once the girls were in bed, Dan jumped my bones. Appropriate given that my bones were talking to him the past few days. Telling him that everything was going to be fine. He fell asleep right after, but I'm to keyed up and hyper to sleep at the moment. It's kind of boring being hyper by yourself. Maybe I'll read for a while and calm down some.

Called Hermione last night. It wasn't the most pleasant of conversations. Hermione's never been one to trust my judgement. Which I can't exactly blame her for. I did lay on beaches in the Caribbean for five years. She doesn't really trust that we've thought about this thoroughly. That we know what we're getting into. And she's the kind of person that needs to see things to believe them, so I think that once she can be here and meet the girls and see for herself that we've done the right thing, she'll stop worrying.

She's concerned that when things get tough, we'll regret it and be unhappy because of it. And maybe we will regret it briefly, but all I'll have to do is look at the picture Lisha drew where it's hanging on the fridge and I'll remember exactly why we made this decision.

I just realized that... I haven't called Hermione. Not since before the girls came. I'm in for the interrogation of a lifetime.

Damn it.

So last night we asked the girls to stay with us. For forever. To be our girls. Dan and I thought and thought about it, and there was just no way possible that we could let them go. Now, or ever. They're already so precious to us and they haven't even been here a week. Anyway, this morning when everybody else was still asleep ( Lisha drew this: )

I know I got a bit choked up, and I think Dan did too. We made the right decision. I know it will be hard at times and I know it will complicate things a lot, but it was the only decision we could make. And I will never regret it.

It's only their second night with us and it already feels completely natural to go in and read to Lisha and tuck her in before she falls asleep. I know I want to take them in and keep them. I want it more than I can say. But I want to be sure that I we can. Can we provide everything that they need? Can we be good parents to a teenaged girl and another on the edge of adolescence? I mean, as Dan said, we're only 10 years older than Kim. And however much she's strong and independent, she needs a parent, not a friend. But there really aren't any alternatives. I don't know. I don't think I want there to be and alternatives. Lisha is just such an amazing and sweet little girl, and Kim is this amazing, brave young woman. I'd give them the world if I could.

These poor girls. Dan's already given you the majority of the story, so I won't rehash it all, but god. Their mother already didn't treat them well, and now they've both been completely rejected because of Lisha's magic. I know how that feels and... god. I promised Kim that I would do everything in my power to help her and Lisha, but I'm not sure how far my power extends in this situation and that's really frustrating. I wish that I could just wave my wand or go charging in and fix everything.

Lisha is just the sweetest little girl and the very thought of someone trying to hurt her makes me want to apparate over there and kill the bastard. When we were making our pizzas in the kitchen, I started making silly designs with the vegetables and telling outrageous stories about what was going on in the design. She started smiling brightly, and then started giggling, and then started adding elements to my stories. And then started making up her own. She's got a great imagination.

God, I hope we can do something to help them.

The team did really well today. One of the corporate guys came over and talked to Daniela and I about sponsoring the team, which would be incredible. Would mean new, high quality brooms for the kids fairly frequently and would mean good gear and... wow. It would be great. I think he's coming to discuss things further some time next week, so hopefully that will happen. One of the scouts came over and talked to Jacob and Jessica for a few minutes, so I think there's promise there. Keep your fingers crossed!

I've been baking all afternoon. Couldn't help myself. Dan was right. One of the things I missed most about being on vacation was no being able to bake.

I'm definitely sleepy now, though. Was baking when the adrenaline from the games was still with me. Now I'm getting very tired. I think we're going to take a nap soon.

I'm awake. My body and brain are still on West Coast time, so they think it's much earlier. And the exhibition Quidditch thing is tomorrow. So I'll be tired. But oh well. I'll just drink lots of coffee and Quidditch wakes me up like nothing else. I really hope the team makes a good impression on the corporate types and on the scouts that will potentially be there.

When Dan says he was grumpy, he's not exaggerating. He was a bit of a bear all day, but it was okay. I didn't want our vacation to end either. But the way I see it, my time with him is no less special or important just because we're home now.

I never really thought that I'd be in this position. I never thought that, for all intents and purposes, I'd be married. Not because I didn't want it, but because I've always had difficulty with partners. Knowing they genuinely care about me and not my fame, not my money, not any of that but me. And it's difficult explaining what the war and all that was like to someone who wasn't there. And it would be almost impossible to explain to a muggle. They have all these ideas about me from those books, some of which are accurate, but most of which are either skewed in some way, or completely false. But anyway, the point is, I couldn't really have this with anyone other than Dan. Not that I'd want to, but nobody else I've ever had any kind of romantic connection with has ever been able to see me. Just Harry. Not some ideal of Harry Potter, but really me. And I don't have to explain it all to him. He already knows. It also helps that he's gorgeous. ;) And that I adore him.

Alright. Going to bed now. I'm still not really sleepy, but hopefully being in bed will help me fall asleep.

Dan's surprise helicopter ride last night was incredible. We got to watch the sun set over Lake Tahoe as we flew around. I've decided that flying by helicopter is my second favorite way to fly. And it was extra-special because I knew that Dan was really nervous about it and would never have done it on his own. He seemed to get used to it after a while, though he never stopped squeezing my hand, which was fine. I'd have been holding his hand anyway.

We've arrived at our hotel in San Francisco, Hotel Monaco. Check-in isn't until 3, so we're leaving our bags with the concierge and having lunch in the restaurant associated with the hotel. It looks like it will be a fantastic meal. French cuisine. The hotel is gorgeous. Lots of art, which pleases Dan immensely. We're going to explore the touristy areas of SF this afternoon: Fisherman's Wharf, Ghiradelli Square, the cable cars, that sort of thing. I've been told to get some sourdough bread from somewhere, so I'll be on the lookout for that.

Tomorrow, we're going on a wine tasting tour in the Napa Valley which should be really fun. It's a good thing we've got magic. I'd be nervous about buying bottles of wine to take back with me if we were going via Muggle Transportation or didn't have cushioning charms.

Woke up early this morning. Must have had a weird dream. Anyway, I couldn't get back to sleep, so I just sat up and read and watched Dan sleep. Our hike was nice. I liked being outside for a while, but I felt like my bits were going to freeze off. We came back inside and warmed up a bit before going to lunch.

After lunch we sat in front of the fire and played chess and chatted. Chess always reminds me of Ron, but with Dan, that's okay. I played horribly, but we were chatting most of the time anyway and Dan wasn't paying any attention either. The pieces ended up getting scattered all over the place anyway. We took a long, cozy nap and then Dan woke me up in the most pleasant way possible. Don't think I've ever been kissed so thoroughly in my entire life.

We just finished dinner and now we're going to take a pitcher of hot chocolate out to our balcony and drink it while watching the sky. I think it'll be fun... as long as we put up warming charms on the balcony. It's been a really good day.

Had another fun day. Dan completely geeked out at the Star Trek Experience, which was terribly amusing to see. Which is not to say that I don't like Star Trek. It's a cool show. And the Star Trek Experience was lots of fun. And I swear I saw a few magical beings there. It'd be a great place to blend in, really.

The Tournament of Kings was really well-done. It's one thing to see those kinds of special effects in a movie, quite another to see them live. Dinner there was fun. In proper medieval tradition, we weren't supplied with utensils.

And Blue Man Group was just stunningly good. Those men are incredibly talented. And that paint has got to itch after a while.

So basically, we ate good food and had fun all day. Can't think of a better way to spend a day, but now I'm ready to sleep.

Won $50 playing craps. It was jolly fun. I've decided to buy something fun with my winnings. Not sure what, yet, but I'll know it when I see it.

Aside from winning money, we had a good day. Dinner was excellent and now I'm wanting to start cooking with Southwestern flavors. I'll have to buy a cookbook or something while I'm here. I usually just throw together what I think will taste good and don't follow a recipe much, but when I first start cooking in a certain style, I like to have one to use as a guide until I feel like I know enough about the spices and portions and that sort of thing.

The pirate battle was pretty cool. It's amazing how realistic they can make things look. Dan really liked the tigers, and the lights of the city are pretty amazing. And, wow, the watershow. It's amazing. An excellent start to our vacation.

It's been a busy day. Spent the morning listening to Dan groan into our closet, then had lunch at this little Italian Deli in the Wizarding Underground. Had panini, Italian Cream Sodas and real, honest-to-god Italian espresso. Was marvelous. Then it was on to the Portal. Spent as long as possible practicing with the Quidditch team. There's a game on Sunday that would be impossible to reschedule at the last minute, so they're gonna have to play without me. They should be fine and Kara will be there (she's the other flying instructor).

Dan's worried about Kim, and I'm worried about Kim, and her whole situation is a mess. But there's nothing we can to about it at the moment, which is beyond frustrating. Hopefully something will work out.

In happier news, Toby (aka my shadow) has started blossoming. He's become a right chatterbox, really. And he's starting to make friends, too. Which is excellent and since most of them are a couple of years older than him, it's got the added benefit of gaining him more respect at school. If a 5th grader is friendly with 7th and 8th graders, the kids in his own class are going to look at him differently. Which means he's getting friends at school his own age as well. In all, I think things are going well for him. Though his brother graduates this year. A bit early for his age, but apparently he was too advanced for the 1st grade, so they bumped him up to second. Anyway, Jacob graduates and I'm worried that if he can goes away to college, Toby will feel kind of lost. Hopefully I can help if/when it comes to that.

Merlin, it's way too late. Going to bed now. Dan's already been there for hours, but I couldn't sleep so I got back up after he drifted off. May as well join him now.

Dan flew again today. It was so nice to see him in the air.

Got a call today at the Portal from an American broom company. She invited our Quidditch team to play in an exhibition mini-tournament. There will be several wizarding sports company representatives there and the woman I talked to implied that there might even be a scout or two there from a few of the college Quidditch teams. Right now, Quidditch in America is a lot like Soccer. It's starting to get more popular, but Quodpot is the more popular sport. Anyway, a couple of our players are seniors and will be done with school soon and a Quidditch scholarship would be incredible for them. Of course, I told her yes. Only problem? The game is on the 29th. During our vacation. So I've spent all night changing our reservations between baking 6 batches of oatmeal cookies and snogging Dan. Which means we leave this Friday. Good thing we don't have to be anywhere early tomorrow, cause I've still got about 4 pans of cookies left to bake (and we've got 2 ovens, and I've got extra large cookie sheets).

Wow. We're gonna have to rush through the next few days, but I'm kind of glad we're going sooner. I've been looking forward to this.

The benefit went very well. Daniela said that the final count came in at double last year's numbers. Dan's speech was incredible, I looked around and all the ladies were dabbing at their eyes. He was really amazing all evening. It was a struggle restraining myself from snogging him, he was so amazing. Dan has Scotch poured, so I'm going to go drink with him. And maybe snog him some more. He certainly deserves it.