The Green Little Man...

You might not have known that Leprechauns are a protected species under European law?  Or that Portland, Oregon has the worlds smallest park - dedicated in 1948 as the only colony for leprechauns west of Ireland.
 
I'm sure you did know however ,that according to legend, each leprechaun has a pot of gold hidden somewhere, and he must give his treasure to the person who catches him.  The kids tried so hard to catch a leprechaun this year.  They had traps all over the house.

So how did the traps do?  Unfortunately, not so well this year.  We have evidence the little guy was here though...  The water bottle holding up the gold in the 1st trap was green and the gold was gone.  The 2nd trap had been opened and the gold replaced by green glitter.  The 3rd trap had the money gone and green all around.  The pesky little guy also took the gold candy from the cake and ate through the Nerd Ropes. Maybe next year...

 

Leprechauns like to play tricks and have fun.  While he was taking the kid's gold, he hid their presents all around the house so they would have to search for them.

Clues were up high in the hall, under the table, in closets, and even outside.  The kids took turns reading and doing exactly what the clue said- even walking backwards up the stairs.

As they went through the house looking for clues, they found more evidence that the leprechaun(s) had been there.  He must have taken a bath in the sink - and forgot to let the water out.  He used a paper towel to dry off and was thoughtful enough to hang it up (unlike the kids that throw towels on the floor).  The toilet was green too! 

St. Patrick's Day is observed on March 17th because that is the feast day of St. Patrick - the patron saint of Ireland.  It is believed that he died on March 17, 461.  St. Patrick's Day is a worldwide celebration of Irish culture and history.  It is a national holiday of course in Ireland.

We had corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots for supper along with Irish soda bread.  The kids aren't fond of cooked cabbage (I would have to agree), but they ate dinner without too much complaining.  They "have to eat it every year" according to MaKenna.

Hope your St Patrick's Day was full of fun!