I'm Not Just Lucky, I'm GOOD!

When I saw the two older boys' shirts one day, I couldn't resist buying them. They say "I'm not just lucky, I'm GOOD!" And since our last name is Good, I thought they were extra cute! They didn't have Ryan's size, though, so I bought his t-shirt separately at Crazy 8. It says "This is My Lucky Shirt! I took some pictures of they all wearing their shirts for St. Patrick's Day, and I thought the one above was the cutest of their smiles while the one below shows off their shirts.

In Joshua's classroom leading up to St. Patrick's Day, they had a sneaky little Leprechaun that was doing things to their classroom, like hiding the name tags and putting the computers on the floor and switching around some of the centers. He would giggle each day as he told me what the Leprechaun had done in the classroom. FUN!

On Friday, they were asked to wear green and they made this cool little Irish hats. Aren't they fun? I love the orange beard and the lucky charm on the hat.

Shawn thinks my love for this holiday is strange. He asks if it's because I'm Irish (and my ancestors  from what I understand were O'More before they changed their name to Moore to become more American). But, truly, I love this holiday and all others because I believe life is about celebrating. Each little day that we have gives us a reason to be thankful and happy, so why not enjoy each one for what it is? As Ecclesiastes reminds us, it is a gift of God to enjoy life while we're here on earth.

Saturday night Shawn & I went on a date, hiring our babysitter, to look for a new sports coat for his upcoming conference. The kids don't like to shop, and Shawn wanted my opinion before buying. So we made it a fun day. We talked about going somewhere to drink green beer, but we ended up at a family friendly restaurant and I simply ordered an unsweetened iced tea as usual while he ordered what was supposed to be an Irish shake. Either way, we both wore green that night and enjoyed shopping together, as much as shopping can be enjoyed. We love being out together!

Sunday morning, we made the boys some green milk. They all thought it was cool! Me too!

The Wednesday leading up to the weekend, the local library had a story time for kids about St. Patrick's Day. I called my sister Jen to see if she and John would like to join us, and they did. We ate lunch at McDonald's first to give the boys a special treat and then headed over.

The children's librarian was dressed up for the event (she is so fun!) and read two books on St. Patrick's Day, reminding us that leprechauns typically work making shoes (something I had forgotten) and about their treasures of gold at the end of the rainbow. My two oldest boys were enthralled with the stories.

After they were done with the reading part, they did some of their typical songs and dance time. She had the scarves and shakers. :)

Before leaving, she offered the opportunity to make a craft, but Ryan was done by then. We had come a little early to check out some books - the kids both picking several so we had lots to carry out. And I got the second book of a trilogy that was really good. :)

To continue celebrating, on Sunday afternoon after we checked out the Worship Center, I made a little treasure hunt for the boys based on an idea I saw on Pinterest. Here was the first clue:

The kids loved looking for the clues! They found the second clue on the milk in the fridge:

They were also excited to see the green footprints the leprechaun left behind. For him making shoes, he must have gone barefoot all through our house!

Here was the second clue!

Each boy found one near where we keep our kiddo books in the office.

They found more footprints in the hallway and in the playroom! What a mess that sneaky leprechaun left! The boys giggled and giggled!

Here was the third clue:

They each found a clue in a different spot this time!

Here was the fourth clue. It required a little change by the Mama to fit our house:

 They found the clue by the back door:

Here was the fifth clue. It was too chilly and a little wet to go outside for our treasure hunt, so I changed it a bit (after I had already printed them). So, I asked the kids where they would find a ball if we were going outside...

 And they found one on the back porch where we keep them! Here is where I should add that this was the most fun year for anything like this because Joshua can easily read the clues. That makes it all the more fun!

 Here's the sixth clue:

They each found a clue in the underwear drawer (with me trying to think of something that rhymed to change the clue from an outside spot):

 Here was the 7th clue, rather than it being "somewhere in the yard," I changed it to the train yard...

 The kids went downstairs and found the treasure by their train table.

The little black pot beneath the rainbow had gold coins and a gold balloon. It also had a little present we had bought for them in St. Maarten.

The last clue says "You found the treasures and followed each clue, but remember there's no better treasure than you." On the sign with their individual names, it says "You are my pot of gold at the end of the rainbow."

They had a fun St. Patrick's Day! :) :) :) Little Ryan was too little to read the clues, but the kids shared some chocolate coins to him after he woke up from his nap. Next year he'll love it right along with them!