April Fools' Day!

Today Maddie wore this wig (a Hannah Montana wig) to school.

Plus she wrapped up some fingers with gauze, fooling that they were broken.

Nick, on the other hand, wore his shirt backwards and told his class we are moving to Canada. (He has a fascination with Canada and wants to be a missionary there when older.)

April Fools' history:

When in NH, Maddie's school, Green Acres, encouraged all the kids to dress crazy on this day. Maddie wore clothes backwards, inside out, unmatching socks AND shoes, crazy hats, etc. She LOVED it. Then when we moved to TX in March of 2005, she was geared up for April Fools' day at her new school: she wore backwards clothes, mismatched socks & shoes, the usual. She came home from 2nd grade totally shocked that not ONE person dressed up that day!! She was not embarrassed in the least, just totally disappointed. She still dresses up to this day and is the only one who does, besides Nick, who she has roped into the tradition.

Commentary on living in the East and in the West (of the U.S.)

In New England, St. Patrick's day was a huge holiday. Parades in our city of 100,000 (which we thought was small til we moved to a town of 1,300!), lots of green activities at school and lots of Irish food, dinners, signs, T-shirts, etc. Well, the Celtics (Irish ancestors) are Boston's big team; we figure with all the Irish (and Italian) and Catholic influence, that Saint Patty's day is a big favorite. The saints and the Irish, the esrly settlers of that part of the country. Even at Mad's school, the teacher talked about the leprechaun's leaving (chocolate) gold coins...which they did when the class was at P.E., along with green & gold dust all over the classroom. So we found some chocolate gold coins and laid them near the front door for the kids to find...

So, living in the midwest, (western living we think) folks pass by the spring holidays of March 17th and April 1st. No big hullabaloo...Maddie is bummed about it. She likes to have parties and dress up anytime she can. Always has. What is celebrated in Texas is .... (drumroll) .... sports! Honest. Football and cheerleading start in kindergarten (no lie, its unbelievable) as well as the usual: soccer, baseball, basketball, and softball. Texas college teams rule the world here. It seems like the midwest is less connected to its European roots like the East; its connected with the Lord, the Bible, high school & college teams; this is "God's country" as Ted loves to say, and sports are what bring people out of their garages, where they have refrigerators, dart boards, posters, clocks and sometimes, carpet, to fan-filled parks and stadiums to cheer the athletes on to victory. Brisket is most commonly served; I had never heard of it til I moved here. Every big event or group gathering with food has it. That and Frito Pie (chili over Fritos, covered in cheese). mmm, I think I like California's fresh food themes the best so far of where I've lived.

Now, lest I get in trouble (by whom I don't know), but there are quite a few German and Czech towns in Texas who pride themselves on their heritage. They have festivals and chapters and dances, etc. We hope to attend the Czech ones in West, Texas which is where my Machan (maiden name) ancestry comes from. Then of course, there are the many Hispanic communities and people who have roots down south. Of course, I look for these people and talk with them eagerly about their heritage and family. Viva Centro y Suramérica!

(sorry for this overly long blog entry. man!)