St Patty's Day

Today is St Patrick ’s Day and I was very under-excited. This has always been a very non-holiday for me. My kids are kinda picky eaters, so I didn’t even dye the milk green this year. But, I was feeling like a slacker this morning, so before Lucy left for school, I painted shamrocks on their cheeks for festivity’s sake. I thought it was all good and over. When Lucy came home for school, she rushed in and started crawling all over the ground to look for “goblin’s” treasure. Then it happened….she asked me if I believed in leprechauns. I was a breath away from saying “no” when I realized what I had turned into! I said that I did believe, and then lamented that I had done nothing to encourage this wonder and imagination in her. She told me that they like to leave their treasures around your house…treasures!! I have treasures!! I grabbed some quarters I had lying around and slyly snuck them into a little plastic cauldron left over from Halloween—the perfect pot for my gold! I hid it in the laundry room and asked Lucy where it was.She said it was on the counter, looked and then grinned; the kind of grin that only a 6 year old who believes in magic can muster.I went in to move the laundry through and she followed and saw the pot. She gasped and then looked inside. SQUEEL!!! GIGGLE!!! JUMP!!! LAUGH!!! SQUEEL SOME MORE!! I have never seen this reaction from her—santa and the toothfairy havae nothing on these leprechauns! It was again, joy that only a belief in the fantastic could achieve.I was hooked. I grabbed all the spare change and dollar bills I could find and started grabbing that cauldron when she wasn’t looking. I hid some in the candy jar—it looks suspiciously like a pot as well. I even hid some in Elliott’s shoes so he could find some “gold” when we go out to ride bikes. One last treasure was discovered in that same cauldron after being outside for a few minutes. Lucy is in heaven! She is sure that little guy is hiding money all over this house. Now, I have to find a way to convince her that they need to go to other house and leave treasures there. I’m so glad for this reminder that they still believe anything is possible. I am so glad I didn’t miss out on that giddy scream of wonder!! Even Elliott, in his own subdued way, is excited. Rather thank Lucy’s dramatic reactions and tentative nature, Elliott just believes. He is just thinking of the next logical spot that treasure could be, and loosing his money as quickly as he finds it. The hunt is the adventure for him. What fun. Who know that even St Patrick’s Day could be a great holiday when you have little children to make it magical.
Lucy is still looking for treasures.