family. Some of them came from my Mom’s. A few of them originated during my formative years as a clueless, round-faced, asthma-plagued shepherd in the church play. But each and every last one of them is sacred.brbrLeaving carrots out for Rudolph? Sacred.brbrWaking my parents up by blastingiJohn Denver & the Muppets—A Christmas Together/ifrom my stereo at five A.M. every Christmas? Sacred.brbrAlternating tree toppers each year so that Dad gets his star and Mom gets her angel? Sacred.brbrHaving the brightest, most elaborate, most electricity-consuming light display in Bergen County? Not just sacred, but our claim to fame. Our lights have gotten us on the Saturday-after-Thanksgiving WB11iNews at Ten/ifor five years running. Dad is convinced that the field reporter lives to interview us from our rooftop while we’re setting up. I, however, think the woman is just addicted to Mom’s hot chocolate.brbrBut the most important tradition of all? No matter what, I have always, without question, gotten everything I asked for. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve never abused the privilege—asked for fifty DVDs or sweaters in every color or a complete library of PlayStation games with a flat-screen TV to go with it. Nothing greedy like that. So I figured my years of responsible son-dom were ready to be cashed in. This year I had only asked for one thing. My Jeep. It’s gonna be so cool, looking out my window on Christmas morning and seeing it there in the driveway, all shiny and new, with a nice huge bow on top. And once I have it, I won’t have to do this anymore:brbr“Holly, can I have a ride to the mall?”brbrIt was Friday afternoon, November 24, the day after ?è  (less)

You in My Dreams, Blackberries in the Dark,/iand the Newbery Honor BookiLike Jake and Me./iShe lives and works with her husband, artist Robert Hudson, on a ranch in northern California.brbrbriFrom the Trade Paperback edition./iTHE HOODbrbrSTANDARD EQUIPMENTbrbrHuman reproductive systems include primary reproductive organs, called gonads.brbrA male's gonads are his testes (also called "balls"). Testes have dual functions: they produce reproductive cells (sperm), and they secrete the sex hormone testosterone.brbrYour reproductive system also includes accessory reproductive organs: a system of ducts that store and carry sperm, and glands that line and empty into these ducts.brbrThe penis has more than one purpose and more than one function. The role of the penis in the reproductive system is to distribute sperm. It's also an organ of excretion (you pee out of it). The penis has another important function: producing intense physical pleasure.brbrPARTSbrbrThe top ("bead") of the penis is called the glans. This is the most sensitive part to touch.brbrThe glans is covered by a retractable layer of skin called the foreskin.brbrSome boys are circumcised at birrh-which is when the foreskin is surgically removed. Circumcision is sometimes performed for religious reasons. In terms of appearance, it's considered fine to be circumcised or fine to be left intact.brThe glans of an intact penis is reported to be more sensitive than the glans of a circumcised penis.brbr*- Circumcision Doctors now agree that there is no medical reason to circumcise every newborn baby boy, and more and more parents in the U.S. are choosing not to?У×=p¤ÿ¾Û€  (less)