Naughty Leprechaun

For two years in a row now, the Naughty Leprechaun has visited our home during the night before St. Patrick's Day.  I didn't know that there was a Naughty Leprechaun.  I really didn't even know that leprechauns were naughty.

Until Pinterest.

Silly Pinterest.

I liked the shenanigans that the Naughty Leprechaun was playing, so I joined in.  The boys and I made a leprechaun trap, set it out on St. Patrick's Eve, and then waited.

These are pictures from last year's March 17.  The Naughty Leprechaun was much more inventive and energetic last year.  I would guess it's because he hadn't just celebrated his son's 16th birthday for over a week.  That could be the reason.

As far as we can figure, he comes through the bathroom window, and he must have pockets that are full of chocolate coins.

And muddy feet.  He must also have muddy feet.  I won't mention what color the water in the toilet was.  Pretty strange.

And now I know why he is described as naughty!  I just can't get over his strength!  But how cute!  He stopped to play with blocks!

And he read a book!  Matthew thinks it's funny that he stopped on the page with the children dressed as dancing leprechauns.

He climbed up onto the hutch and went through Uncle Robbie's wallet.

And he cut his hair!  Matthew was a little creeped out with this.
It reminds me of the time when I was a little girl and Santa left part of his beard in our front door.  Ew!

He turned over my candle holders and even took a picture of himself on Aunt Brandy's camera.  I don't have a picture of his picture, but as I remember it was also a little creepy.  Not that he was creepy looking.  He was actually a pretty nice-looking guy.  But as with the hair...having a picture of him was strange.

Up into the kitchen!  This year, he went over and took a look into Charlie's crate.  I'm guessing that he got scared, because he came back to the kitchen door and jumped up into the kitchen.

He had a Diet Pepsi...

And somehow he got got up onto the countertop.  I'm guessing that he used a rope?

Oh, wow.  Now that is one determined leprechaun.

He drank Ciara's bottle and got into the Lucky Charms.

And then rappelled down the island and got into the snacks.

Is that a bag full of the Lucky Charms marshmallows?
Shame on you, Naughty Leprechaun!

Awwwww.  I take that back.  Maybe you're not so naughty.  Thanks for the treats!

Later, we found this on the refrigerator.  His name is Mike.

And he likes to turn the milk green.

We got into the green theme and made green scrambled eggs for breakfast.  I guess I can't really take credit for the green eggs, since my milk was green, and I use milk in my eggs.

One year ago!  Look at that sweet little face!  She has grown so much this past year!

Josh and Matty have grown too, but it's not as obvious to me until I look at pictures.  I guess because I live with them.

Papa B and William...

And now it's time for Matthew to try out one of the green mustaches that Mike left.

I think that Matthew could be a Naughty Leprechaun.

Here's something else we did last year that we didn't do this year.  We had a themed lunch.
Puppy Chow with green M&M's!  When you take the green ones out of a bag of multi-colored M&M's, you really don't get many.  I wonder what the ratio of green M&M's to other colors is.  Now that sounds like a project just waiting to be done!

We also had Millikans (cute little sandwiches that we named after our good friends and seem so appropriate to eat on St. Patrick's Day!), potato casserole, and St. Paddy's desserts.

Carolyn Jane and Ciara Carolyn are getting in one last play time before it's time to go!

I know.  The Naughty Leprechaun tradition is a strange one.
It reminds me of the Elf on a Shelf craze.  I haven't been able to get into that because as a kid, we had three of them that sat in our living room.  I guess I don't like to think that those little guys were watching me.
My kids are old enough now that they play along and know that it's all silliness.  And that is something that I'm all about...silliness.
I don't think that I could do it if they really thought that some little guy was getting into the house through the bathroom window and wandering around the house at night.  That is pretty creepy.
But they know that Mike isn't real.
I think.