St. Patrick's Day Fun

Preparing for the Holiday

I know St. Patrick's Day isn't a BIG deal, but I decided to get my kids excited about it anyway! We made sugar cookies with green frosting. The kids were excited for the sprinkles. I let them each do ONE cookie because our sprinkles don't have the lids with small holes- the whole cap just comes off.

Dayton's cookie

Daphne's cookie

As usual, Dayton was very tidy while he ate;

he even made me feed him so he wouldn't get frosting on his handsDayton was trying to block his face from the camera

As usual, Daphne was very messy while she ateShe enjoyed licking up her frosting mess

We also stuck shamrocks all over the walls

Daphne with her wall

Dayton with his wallSilly face

Green Food
Our St. Patrick's Day began with a hearty green breakfast. I told Dayton we were going to have green eggs and bacon similar to his Green Eggs and Ham book. He was excited for breakfast! Then when I showed him this plate, he said, "Oh, I don't like green eggs." But he thought the green milk was cool. Eventually he ate breakfast like a champion, eggs and all (oddly similar to the ending of the book!).We shared green sugar cookies with Dayton's teachers at school, and Daphne shared with her "teacher" April. I saved the kids each one cookie to have after lunch. Daphne wore her green bow all day.

Hot Doug's

We headed into downtown Chicago with our friends for the afternoon. We ate lunch at Hot Doug's, which is apparently a very well-known sausage place. The restaurant window has all sorts of awards hanging up.

The employees all wore shirts that said:

There are no two finer words in the English
language than "encased meats," my friend.

The kids were entertained by the hot dog display case

Hot Doug's is mostly known for the interesting types of hot dogs and sausages that they serve. When we were there, they were serving Alligator dogs, Duck dogs, Antelope dogs, Goat dogs, and the list goes on. Derrick, Dave, and April all tried an exotic hot dog, but I was lame and just ordered a regular hot dog.

My regular hot dog, and Derrick's Alligator Dog
complete with regular fries and cheese fries

Our family
The kids ate tater tots and bagel dogs, in case you were wondering

The Whitings and the McKays

The Bean

We visited the Bean in Millennium Park in downtown Chicago. It is quite a busy tourist spot!

Dayton and Daphne touching the Bean

Michelle and Derrick

Our family

The kids loved running around and through the Bean

Leprechaun Visitor

While we were in the city, a Leprechaun visited our house. Our Leprechaun left clues for finding his hidden pot of gold, but he also left messes that the kids had to clean to get the clues. My friend teased me that I had to "create" all of the messes for the kids to clean up, but we tidy our home every time we go somewhere and whenever the kids get in bed, so the house was clean otherwise.

The bath toys mess and clue

The kids loved playing the Leprechaun game;
Dayton wore his green dinosaur shirt all day

Dayton raced to each new clue,
but luckily Daphne was able to find one on her own

They cleaned up the Leprechaun's shoe mess;
the kids worked together at every chore- it was great!

Dayton found the pot of gold on my desk chair

Thanks for the sweet treats Leprechaun!

I know the kids enjoyed the holiday. And we kept drinking green milk for a few days...