Getting Sold on St. Patrick's Day

I had no intention of celebrating St. Patrick's Day.  I assumed the green cupcakes I made was celebratory enough.  In fact, I knew nothing of the holiday other than there is usually a lot of green in the stores.  However, Ella and Madeline came across a St. Patrick's Day enthusiast at a childcare while Ryan and I played tennis, and came home quite excited.
"Mom!" Ella said, "Did you know if you hang your shoes the night before Saint Patricks day, they will be filled with gold?"
No, I thought, I didn't know that, but this sounds suspiciously like you're trying to talk me into celebrating this holiday.
"Can we look on the internet to find out how to make a leprechaun trap?"  Madeline asked.  

In the end, this is the trap they came up with.  The hammer-like thing sticking up is an arrow, pointing the leprechaun to the underneath section of the triangle, where he will be lured by the gold coins and fall into a hidden hole in the middle of the covered portion.
Just to be sure though, both girls insisted they would sleep in the living room to make sure the leprechaun didn't get away once it was trapped.
Grandma and Grandpa Swapp were swayed by their creativity or their pure belief, and ensured their shoes had one dollar come morning.  As for the leprechaun, Ella asked me last thing before she went to sleep whether I thought her trap would catch the sneaky fairy.  I could think of no way to trap anything resembling a leprechaun and keep it, so we left the trap empty.

Back to the Doldrums-

After six weeks traveling, we arrived back to Minnesota the same weekend that winter arrived.  Seems some of the tropical weather we had in Florida and the DR had wafted to MN, and they enjoyed an unseasonably warm winter.  January and February didn't treat us too badly either as we settled back into the grind of a schedule.  Following is a conversation I had with Ella smack dab in the middle of sacrament meeting as the speaker commented that they knew Jesus Christ lived:
Ella (leaning over and whispering):  "Mom, how do we know that Jesus Christ really lived?"
Jenn: "Well Ella, that's a good question, and sounds like a great conversation to have when we are finished with church." (standard answer when I need to think about how to respond)
Ella (quiet and contemplative for a few seconds, then leaning over again):   "Ooh, I know, I bet they found the fossils of the wise men."
How could I give a more definitive answer than that.  From now on, I might have to borrow that answer in the future.

In January, we happily celebrated Ryan's birthday.  Madeline and Ella planned activities the whole drive back from Florida, and prepared many presents for him.  We enjoyed thinking about him and planning that special day with him, and of course, everyone enjoyed birthday cake.

Max had to cover Sam's mouth so Sam wouldn't blow out the candles.  Even with that difficult task, he still managed a smile.  

the kids all claiming a candle to lick.

In February, we celebrated Valentine's Day.  Gratefully, Ryan and I went out to dinner the previous Saturday, because V-day itself was rather busy.  We had a candlelight dinner (all 6 of us), something Madeline has been requesting for a year.  By the time I had the food and the table prepared, I was too tired to take any pictures. We all enjoyed the steak dinner, with rolls, potatoes and salad, and complete with Apple-juice/sprite drink, and red velvet cake for dessert.

This is how all the cooking and baking happens in our house.  Two little boys sitting on the counter-tops, helping add salt, cinnamon, and other essentials, touting their toys and costumes.

Sam tries out the Valentine's Day cake

Max enjoys the cake batter

Madeline had her first sleep-over last night (one where parents don't spend the night too).  She has been begging us for this, as she feels it's a right of passage.  Her good friend, Allison, had a sleep-over birthday party, and Madeline and 4 friends survived the night (as did her parents).  The big take away for Madeline was that it was the best time ever, and that she wanted to buy a Nintendo DS, since two of her friends have one, and she played it at the party.

She started doing some research when she got home, and when she discovered they cost between $130-$170.00, she decided to make a paper Nintendo DS until she could afford a real one.  Interestingly, she convinced Ella of the utility of it, and Ella now has a paper Nintendo DS as well.  They have also created a couple of games to play on them.  This project occupied several hours today.

Mad-ella share a candy stick that one of them earned from my treat basket

While in Florida, do as the Floridians

Actually, if we had done as the Floridians, we would have spent our time inside, coming out in winter coats and jackets.  But 60-75 degree weather is perfect for us Minnesotans.  We spent much of our time outside, and many afternoons found us at the Jacksonville beach.  Since it was winter, the stores had no sand toys, and until my sister Flossie came to visit and left us with sand gear, we made do with kitchen supplies purchased at the dollar store.

When we arrived at a beach, all the kids would drop shoes, clothes and towels, and run full speed towards the water, where they would play, fully occupied and entertained for hours.  There is something about a wide expanse of sand and an immeasurable amount of water that assures children they will never become bored.  We chased birds, watched kites, played in the surf, and build hundreds of sand castles.  When the tide was going out, the kids, headed up by Madeline, would find the divots of land that still held baths of warm water, and makes houses in them, one being a bedroom, one a kitchen, and so forth.The girls noticed left-over cardboard boxes the homeless left (it seems that the homeless will sleep on the beach), and worried about the fury of the wind, they dug out areas of refuge in the sand.  The kids collected jellyfish on the beach, as well as more shells.  We watched the surfers and fishermen, and the fishing boats further off the shore.

Sam would play with his siblings for a spell, then come back to the blanket, sit on my lab and watch the beach with me.  We started playing a game where I would dig a little hole, big enough for his foot, put his foot in and cover it up. He wanted to play that every time we went to the beach, and I loved the time spent watching the three kids playing with Sam peacefully sitting in my lab, turning around every so often to stroke my face and say, "You're cute".

Our most unfortunate experience with the beach involved a sand crab that I caught and gave to Ella.   Ever on the lookout for a pet, she named him Crabby, and insisted he was coming home with us, to which I acquiesced on the condition that he would reside in a sand bucket outside the apartment.  I helped the girls identify on the internet the crab type and what they eat-algae.  We decided we would collect algae the next time we went to the beach, and that in the interim, Crabby would likely subsist on water and left-overs.  Ella loyally checked Crabby's sand-bucket every day, sifting through the sand until the found him, tossing in food she suspected he would enjoy, and we all lived in peace for a few days.

One day,  unbeknownst to me, Ella, overanxious for the well being of her crab, walked down the lake right outside our apartment, passing the sign which states in enormous font, "For your safety, please do not approach the lake" (Alligators are a problem in Florida).  Max, curious, followed her.  Ella bravely collected algae from the brackish water, and brought it back to feed crabby.  By this time, I was looking for Max, and when I discovered the breach of family rules, I, with passionate determination, took Crabby's sand-bucket down to the lake and hurled him into the great abyss.  Ella boldly accused me of  surely sentencing Crabby to death at the jaws of the alligators, and even Ryan looked at me as if I had killed the family pet.

Aside from this misadventure, we mostly enjoyed the each others company, and when we didn't there was plenty of room on the beach for separation.  After a fun-filled afternoon at the beach, we would often stop at Chick-Fil-E for an ice cream cone on the way home, spent and content, listening to Ella Enchanted or Rosanne Cash as we drove home.