Lucky Trails to you!

This St. Patrick's Day was filled with fun ups and downs.  Some things were great; some things left a lot to be desired, but mixing in those ups and downs made for a more memorable day (I think...)

On the down side, there were no Lucky Charms for breakfast. The Leprechauns had been too busy getting ready for the Leopard Choir concert and forgot to bring them around for breakfast...

On the up side, Dawna had a field trip first thing in the morning. I got to go along as a chaperone this time and we had a lot of fun going to... the Dump!

(Well, technically called the Waste Transfer Station). The Transfer Station sent us a bus to ride which was super cool! Cushy seats, foot rests, and real laminate flooring! In the classroom there, we learned about the four R's: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot. And we got to take a tour of the place, complete with safety gear!

 We got a peek at a HUGE bulldozer that pushed tons (not hyperbolic tons, actual tons) of garbage around!

 I haven't been able to throw away a Ziploc bag since then...grr...

But then, back on the down side, Dawna had an orthodontist appointment right after school, which usually isn't all that bad, but for some reason, they were really behind or forgot about us or something, so we were sitting in the office for over half an hour for our 2-minute appointment. The kids came up with a fun game involving chasing "dots"--sunlight reflected off our watches-- around the ceiling or racing to hit a particular letter on spot on the wall.

But then on the up side, the Leprechauns left a great treasure hunt for the kids when we arrived home: "Hats off to the Kobersteins for planning a great vacation!"

(It's kind of a long video...taken mostly for the benefit of Jon... since the kids would NOT wait until he came home from work to do the treasure hunt...)

The kids followed clues on leprechaun hats until they each found their very own suitcase to take on our upcoming spring break vacation!

I'm hoping they're brightly colored enough to be easily spotted on the baggage claim carousel :)

But then on the down side, dinner was kind of a disaster... because I went on the field trip early in the morning, I didn't get the corned beef in the crock pot until much too late... which means it turned out as the worst corned beef and cabbage I've ever made... the meat was chewy, the veggies soggy and over salted...

But on the up side, by dinnertime, the Leprechauns had brought the Lucky Charms that were missing at breakfast, so much of dinner was magically delicious anyway :)

I think overall, through all the ups and downs of this St. Patrick's Day, we came out on top!

Lucky Day!

Leprechauns came to visit the Koberstein household on Tuesday! In the morning, we had a traditional breakfast of lucky charms and green milk! Dawna had made mini cupcakes for family home evening treat and left one for the leprechauns. So then the leprechauns left a note back saying to look forward to a "treasure hunt" after school...

 Poor kids had to wait until WAY after school because of piano lessons. When we finally got home, the kids could wait no longer and found their clues from the leprechauns! The clues led them to three packs of little dragons and the kids got to choose a dragon from each pack to take care of...

 ...the dragons were too big for the leprechauns to take care of...

 ...also, too fiery, too hungry, and too sleepy...

 After the hunt, we all enjoyed corned beef, cabbage, green and gold jell-o, home made soda bread (which I made for the first time and it turned out amazing, I might add...). For dessert, pistachio pudding with fresh whipped cream! Papa joined us for dinner and dessert and added a touch of spice with sweet and hot mustard!

All in all, it was a deliciously lucky day for all of us!

St. Patrick's and Sisters!

 St. Patrick's Day dawned bright and early.  Dawna hoped that the Leprechauns would come visit and leave prizes behind.  She made a four-leaf clover and left out some mini Oreo cookies for them (since they are little people).  She wasn't disappointed in the morning...

 The Leprechauns ate the cookies... and left behind a treasure hunt for each of the kids.  They had to read and follow the clues on the shamrocks to find their "End of the Rainbow" prize. 

Weston Helped Larry read his clues

Larry found his prize under the fish tank!

Their prize was a lunch box!  They all have wanted one for a while to take snacks to the park or Nana's house or whatever... Larry loves taking his to school with a snack in it.  
And actually home schooling goes much smoother when Dawna has snacks in her lunch box to enjoy in between subjects...

 And this last weekend, we had my sister here to visit to celebrate her birthday!  We spent Saturday in Tiburon and on Angel Island.  We loved the boat ride, the hike, and the immigration museum.  I was amazed at the incredible poetry there!  It was quite a story to read and enjoy and learn about.  (Back home that same day, Jon kept the kids for me and taught Larry how to ride a bike!)

The girls had a nail party with Aunt Heather on Sunday after church: Pink and Yellow polish with flower stickers!  So pretty!

In other fun with Heather, we went to the tree house park, got some new clothes, and together we picked 29 pounds of lemons to send home in a duffle bag to uncle Rob :)  So glad Heather got to come visit!  We LOVE her!