St. Patrick's Day

It is my very most favorite kind of day--rainy, dark, and thundering. At first the sounds of thunder intermingled with the sounds of Paxton running his new Thomas train along the wall beside his crib. When he drifted off for his nap, I was afraid the thunder would startle him awake. But it has had the opposite effect, lulling him into an even deeper, longer sleep. I've been able to do some cleaning, watch American Idol and enjoy the beautifully dreary day.

I'm posting pictures today from our St. Patrick's Day celebration. My family loves St. Patty's Day. We have an annual tradition of going into Austin to the local Irish pubs to hear Celtic music and enjoy the crowds of green. We all went last year with Paxton when he was less than three-months-old. I cuddled him against me in the Moby Wrap and protected his hearing with his noise-blocking headphones. He didn't find much interest in the festivities, but just having him along added so much to our enjoyment.

I was excited to bring him this year when he was able to experience it a bit more fully. My mom and I took him first to Opal Divine's, where me met Gary and Jocelyne for lunce. Live music was playing on the outdoor stage, and Paxton enjoyed running back and forth in front of it. He's a showman. He even got a shout out from the musicians. I'm glad we went there first, because we were able to hear some traditional Irish music. Paxton even got to see a woman dance a jig.

I had a hard time finding a good St. Patrick's Day outfit for Paxton. It isn't enough that it be green. It needs to have some sort of festive logo on it, as well. I'm not much of a shopper, really, so my search was primarily limited to Target and Walmart, which offered nothing in Paxton's size for the holiday. On a whim, I stopped in at Old Navy and found a cute t-shirt proclaiming that he is "Mommy's Lucky Charm", which indeed he is. I also splurged and got him a pair of plaid green shorts, which are adorable but overpriced. Apparently the splurge was worth it. People were admiring his shorts all day long. He was a fashion DO!

After Opal Divine's, we drove to downtown Austin to meet Chris at the Dog and Duck Pub. In the future, we'll make note to not get there later than 5 ever again. All of the working stiffs had headed there straight after their work day ended, and were already sloppy drunk and crowding every inch of available space. I was surly, but calmed down when we claimed a little piece of land for our own. My mom, however, was clearly overwhelmed by the crowd. It was far too congested. Chris battled the ticket line, and then the beer line to bring back some spirits. Paxton was unaffected by the crowd. He roamed around a little circle, charming attendees. He found a little girl to dance with, and presented her with my camera. He met a fuzzy dog who gave him smooches. He ate handfuls of pretzels. He was in his element. The adults couldn't relax, though. The jam-packed venue might have been tolerable if it was accompanied by great Irish tunes, but the band was a bunch of middle-aged guys playing punk. That would have been okay any other time of the year, but St. Patrick's Day is all about the Irish. We could have stayed around long enough for the next band, but I think we were all ready to call it a day.



As we walked to the car, Paxton waved at everyone he passed and said, "hi". He's a little mayor. Perhaps Easter will be a little more our speed this year. We already have plans to hit two local Easter eggs hunts, and I've been conversing with the Easter Bunny about some good things to stash in Paxton's basket this year. No matter what the holiday, Paxton makes it more fun, more festive, and more blessed. We're so thankful for his presence.