St. Patrick's Day 2011

As a child, I always knew that on St. Patrick's day you wear green.
I was also aware that I had some Irish heritage in me.
I guess I just wasn't 100% sure which side of the family it came from.

I remember being in first or second grade and buying a gift for my dad from our school.
I was so excited to give it to him.
When he opened it, he did what most good dads would do and thanked me.

I got him a pin.
On that pin it said, "Kiss Me!  I'm Irish."
Later on that day, I discovered he was in fact NOT Irish.
Looking back, I should have known that my mom, with the maiden name of McMann, was where this little bit of Irish I possess came from.

Fast forward twenty five years and I am now married with the last name of Murphy.
Joe's half Irish descent and my little bit of Irish descent now makes our two little girls (or should I say "wee lassies") mostly Irish.

So today is a day we must celebrate.
We started the day most people do on St. Patrick's Day.
We wore green...

Sophia showed us her true Irish side and transformed into what we so lovingly call
"The Angry Leprechaun"...

Speaking of leprechauns, those tricky little guys kept leaving gold around the house.
The girls found it in their shoes, car seats and in their toothbrush drawer...

Knowing leprechauns kept their gold in a big pot at the end of the rainbow, Sophia got her umbrella out waiting for the rain to fall.

But alas, the sun was out with not a cloud in sight...

As with most Irish traditions, we had corned beef (minus the cabbage), rye bread, potatoes and carrots for dinner...

As with most Murphy St. Patty's traditions, Joe got drunk.
Just kidding.
He was on call.
Much to his chagrin...

Right before bedtime, those pesky leprechauns resurfaced.
They rang our doorbell and hid nearby.
They were nice enough to leave little Irish Madame Alexander dolls for the girls...

Along with this note...

Another happy St. Patrick's Day for this Murphy Clan!