Happy St. Patrick's Day; 2010
The excitement in the morning was tangible. My girls anxiously waited for Jacob to wake up, so they could go see the mischief of our crazy little Leprechaun. Did he come? Did he cause a raucous?
There was definitely no disappointment in our home! Their shoes were filled with treasures, and the house was turned upside down. In addition, their cereal was greeted with green milk. They absolutely loved it! The day started out absolutely blissful as all three children, dressed in green, ran out the door for the beginning of a perfect day.
...and they day continued in the same fashion with green macaroni and cheese 
and a leprechaun hunt.
For the leprechaun hunt, my kids searched the house for clovers with numbers. When they found all of the clovers, they traded for different numbers. Some numbers were "lucky" and other numbers were "not so lucky". The funniest part of the game was when Amber got a two dollar bill, and she traded with Hailey, who got a quarter, because she wanted her money for the candy machines at the mall. Even after I explained to her that there were eight quarters in her two dollar bill...she wanted a tangible quarter--so funny!~Thanks, Ange, for such a fun idea!~
Our day was full of fun; however, it was the ending of a sweet era in our home. At school, Hailey was told by a parent, that leprechaun's are not real. She didn't want to believe him, and although she was a bit heart sick, she held onto some hope. That night she opened her little heart of disappointment, and we confirmed her worries. As realization set in, she wrapped her sweet arms around her daddy and cried. She then started to ask about other traditions... (The tooth fairy is no longer mystical in our home either.) We stopped her at that, and told her to recall on how it felt to "believe". We reminded her of how fun it was, and we encouraged her not to ask about anything else until she was really ready. Although it was late, Hailey and I sat on the couch and talked into the night. We laughed at how much fun "mom leprechaun" had created. I was able to express to her how much love I have for her, and how I express it in the small and simple things that she never even realized--our talk was truly a bonding moment in our lives. And yet, I still can't help the lump in my throat. I want childhood to last forever. I love the simple faith of children. I love the surety in which they live their lives, and I don't want to see it leave. And although I am not angry with the parent who helped my little girl grow up, I feel renewed in my efforts to respect others and their traditions!
