How many days until summer, Mom?

We're finishing up a string of 80 degree days. Today the clouds are rolling in and tomorrow it looks like rain all day but we have been loving the summer-like temps. Well, my feet are swollen like stuffed sausages but other than that it's been great. I am so grateful I'm having this baby in three weeks and not at the end of August. Anyway, Andrew asked me this week how many days until summer (because that would mean the pool would open). I had to break it to him that not only was summer quite a ways away but that it was still winter. Everything is blooming and the boys have both been sneezing and coughing a lot. We're trying a variety of allergy meds to see what helps them. Jack's are under control but Andrew's are always more complicated. It doesn't keep them from wanting to be outside though. I probably should have shut the windows and turned on the a.c. for them but in March? I just couldn't do it.

The boys are on spring break next week and it looks like rain in the forecast through Wednesday. Lord help us all. Lots of friends are also in town for break though so I think we'll plan activities that keep us all from too much cabin fever and beach vacation envy. I had a real heart to heart with Jackson about getting along with Andrew. It seems to sink in for 30 minute intervals but I don't always blame the guy....Andrew knows just which buttons to push and takes great delight in pushing them. And I know it's difficult right now since I have no energy to do anything physical with them. They are so happy when Brian gets home from work lately....it's no wonder why.

We pulled off another successful St. Patrick's Day. God bless our babysitter, Sidney, who made a fantastic leprechaun trap with them on Thursday. I had kind of (not kind of - completely) kept it to myself that St. Patrick's Day was on Saturday because those traps take over the house. Those of you who "nest" like I do understand how crazy that would have made me for more than a couple days. On Friday night Brian made some great traps with them and they got everything set up. They insist that leprechauns live by the opposite-rule. If there's something you want from them, tell them the opposite. They had all kinds of big ideas and made signs letting them know just what NOT to do:

Do NOT stay at our house. Do NOT go in this trap. Do NOT clean our rooms.

How about that last one? Sneaky sons. The leprechauns left a note saying that it was a nice try, but leprechauns don't clean up, they leave messes. They also tipped over some chairs, colored the milk green, draped toilet paper all over the bathroom (which the boys then put in the bathtub and turned the water on. Super fun to clean up.) and hid treats. Jackson informed me that it was not at all difficult to find the treats and he hopes that next year they do a better job. This is an exhausting holiday. Did I mention the boys were up at 5;40 to see what the leprechauns had done? Exhausting.

K-State played their final game of the basketball season and then we went to Aggieville for the St. Patrick's Day parade. There was some confusion over the start time and by the time we arrived, they were ten "units" into the parade and it was PACKED with....how should I put this? With people who really love WalMart? Yikes. The kids were not impressed and both said they prefer the Christmas parade where they got tons of leftover Halloween candy and had 1/4 block to themselves because only people from the north know that the Christmas parade is really not very cold. They were in bed at at 7 p.m. and slept until 7:30 this morning.

The boys are currently back to getting along. They have turned their leprechaun traps into jet packs taped to their t-shirts with blue painter's tape. Note to self: next Christmas they are getting big cardboard boxes, recycled plastic bottles, old bed sheets, and lots and lots of tape.