Before I recount the hilarious story of yesterday's leprechaun hunt, check out this picture of Ian doing a science experiment in the kitchen last Friday. He learned about fizzy things and what makes the bubbles. This is him watching what happens after you add baking soda to vinegar. See that grin? But what happened next was even better! The fizz poured out all over the table, just like the science fair volcano. But that wasn't the funny part either. You know, there is a reason why we do science experiments in the kitchen with everyday ingredients aka nothing poisonous! This child of mine bent over the foam and lapped up a big mouthful of the stuff! Yuck! Vinegar and baking soda! Ew! Oh, the look on his face! But the batteries had just died in the camera...So, yesterday being St. Patrick's Day, and the fact that we have Irish blood running in Mark's veins, I was under obligation to do something to celebrate. I didn't bother telling the kids it was even St. Patrick's Day until the afternoon because we spent the morning shopping and I didn't want my children pinching strangers for not wearing green. When Ian found out what day is was (he asked the date so he could count down the days to Spring), he immediately checked me for green. I wasn't wearing any. I asked him if he was going to pinch me and he said, "I can't pinch you. I love you too much!" So how do I repay his sweetness? I trick him.
I had bought some gold chocolate coins at the grocery store the night before and decided that this was the moment to give it to him. I asked him if he wanted to go for a leprechaun hunt and got him all excited about the possibility of finding gold in the backyard. I tricked them into looking for Shane's boots in the bedroom while I quickly grabbed the coins from the cupboard and then headed out to check the van for the missing boots. I tossed the coins over the fence while My Pathetic Doberman barked viscously at me, like I was a total stranger tossing poison candy to my kids. Dumb dog. I told her to shut up and then she tried to eat the coins! I yelled at her again and she ran up the stairs and started barking to be let back in the house.
The kids came outside and Ian immediately started running all over the yard looking for leprechauns. He got so angry at his brother for riding bikes and being loud! He said, "If you don't help me find the leprechauns, you won't get any of the gold!" By then, Ami was home from school and we discussed the possibility that My Pathetic Doberman scared the leprechaun away and caused him to drop his gold as he escaped. We pondered whether or not the leprechaun would have dropped the gold by the gate as he was escaping. Ian immediately starting looking in the right spot, to which I was thankful because I wanted to go back inside; I was cold.
Here they are gathering the gold! Oh, the boys were so excited! They have been collecting spare change and putting it in a piggy bank, so you know these kids thought they hit the jackpot! When I showed them the true treasure, the chocolate inside the gold-colored foil, I nearly had a mutiny on my hands.
Ian says, "This isn't the real gold. Come 'on Shane, lets go look for the real stuff."He was not a happy camper.
