st. patty's day

st. patrick's day is always filled with so much fun for the kids and our family.

their school was founded by an order of nuns from ireland, the loreto sisters.

although they are all aging, they are all very lively- full of such positive and loving energy.

cake walk put on by kindergarden room each year

every year the school transforms into a carnival for the last few hours of the day.

each class runs a booth (food or game),

parents of the younger grades run them, in the older grades the kids run their booths.

john john at the 'fishing' booth

ella's class was in charge of bingo this year, one of the only indoor activities.

she won and got a full size candy bar which she saved until sunday (gave up candy: lent)

andrew's class was in charge of the jail - he got to run around capturing students.

and christopher's was in charge of the hair spray booth:

all of the proceeds go to support the loreto sisters all over the world.

this year they were sending the money to a school in africa.

i love that they can feel a connection to helping others not only locally but world wide.

the kids look forward to this fun event every year.

they have so much fun running around with their friends and celebrating their school.

the day ends with a big irish dance show that is now held in the new gymatorium.
the building is so great because not only is it a gym but also has an amazing stage built in.

the principal welcomes all and talks a bit about the irish heritage of the nuns.
then they call off the winners of the raffle prizes, and then the show begins.

they have an irish dancing class the kids can take after school.
ella was a part of the group in kindergarten.

it is so fun to watch these kids perform.
i get choked up every year.
what is so great is to see the peers in the audience cheering these kids on like crazy.

this girl is in the 7th grade.
she is going to compete in the world championship in belfast, ireland.
when she was announced as she came on stage her classmates went wild cheering for her.

i love the community feeling of the school,
and how the kids come together to support each other's talents.

it's a super fun day and everyone,
kids and parents alike enjoy it so much.

hope everyone had a great st. patrick's day-

i didn't get any pictures of the actual day but we had a great time at a family block party.

actually i got one picture, at ella's baseball game that morning...

her team is the white sox - 

they haven't gotten their shirts yet but she had these great leg warmers to wear.

all the parents in the stands were asking where we got them,

so i called my mom to ask (she had given them to ella for her birthday)

and she said they were the only pair at the dollar store - too funny...

you can find some great stuff there!