St. Patrick's Day 2012

We headed downtown for the St. Patrick's Day festivities.

This was our 5th time going. The first year we went with friends to watch the river being dyed. The next year I was sick and pregnant and sat in a chair to watch the parade while Ben wolfed down green frosted donuts. Then tiny Charlotte came with us the next year and it rained while I changed her diaper in the park. Last year she watched the parade with us and mildly paid attention. Then this year she loooved the bagpipes and little irish dancers with the curly hair that kick their legs every which way.

After the parade we headed over to see the neon green Chicago river.

Charlotte kept trying to take off her shirt because she wanted to go swim in the 'gween wivah'.

On the left in white is our Mayor Rahm Emanual, former White House Chief of Staff to Obama.

I like him. He's been making some pretty big changes to our lovely corrupt city we call home.

I may have mentioned this in previous posts but for the past 2 weeks we've been enjoying 70-85 degree weather. So we were decked out in shorts, hats, t-shirts, and still roasty toasty.

Our summers are already hot as blazes... I wonder what this year will be like...?

Charlotte and I heading downtown on the L train. And then Charlotte bothering Ben while we waited for the parade to start.

There are A LOT of random Irish people that just walk in the parade wearing green. Some have shirts or signs saying their irish surname... Murphy, Kelly, O'Sullivan, O'Reilly, O'Connelly...

Ben and I are thinking of dressing up next year with a giant sign and our irish last name.

I mean, wouldn't you want to go to a parade and see us walking and waving...?

Yeah, I thought so.

The Friday before St. Patrick's Day we had playgroup at our house. I made rainbow cookies, rainbow fruit, green blueberry muffins, and green milk.

Others brought (which I didn't get a picture of) cubed yellow they called 'pot o' gold', lucky charms, rainbow veggie tray, green smoothies... it was cute.

Then we headed down to our park in 80 degree weather to play.

Charlotte pooped green for a good two days.

It was awesome.