Year of the Snake

For those of you that partake, we wish you a

Happy Chinese New Year, the year of the Snake.

I showed the girls CNY images this morning and Lily chose this one to represent the year

Rosie chose this image

There isn't much happening around these parts to celebrate so we did our own thing. Next weekend our local FCC group is having a lovely bash but we will be at a swim meet.

The girls like to take something into to school to share with their friends and so we dipped some fortune cookies in melted chocolate and added some sprinkles. A very American twist to Chinese New year but they love making them and their classmates and teachers love them.

We have hung our lanterns and the girls received their red envelopes first thing this morning. I forgot to throw them outside the door and bring them back in again really quickly. Chinese tradition states that the first person to cross your threshold in the new year represents the kind of people that will be visiting you all year. I always try to make it one of the girls. Happy go lucky, fun loving, carefree, free spirited people are always welcome here. I also made sure the house was clean as tradition also states you must mop, sweep and clean away any bad luck from the previous year, so mop clean and sweep I did, somewhat frenetically.

There were sprinkles all over the place

Rosie made these. It took her ages. 

Gung Hay Fat Choy.

Dancing dragons and kids, oh my

For as long as we have been members of our local FCC group we have also always attended functions given by the other FCC group down here even though they are much further away. I love all the families in that group and many of them have been friends for years.

We were invited to their Chinese New Year picnic and signed up to attend. We signed up as guests as we are not members. In fact Jacob and I are known as the gatecrashers. We crash every Halloween party that they have and at least one other party every single year. When I handed over my money to Lori for the picnic she just looked at me and said, just give me your ^*% membership dues instead! So I did. We are now card carrying members of the group. It's a bit sad really cos now we can't be the crashers. Viv said I am only sad cos I had to pay dues for the first time. LOL That comment absolutely cracked up the hubs and I.

It was really super to see so many old friends again. Our children are all getting so big. I swear it was five minutes ago that Lily was one of the youngest.

We had such a wonderful time with just one little issue, it was freezing! Thankfully my friend Grace lent me a jacket. I already had a cardy on.

The entertainment was first rate




I think this guy is really creepy.
There was a balloon man there. He made balloons that made your eyes pop out. Never have I seen such a talent with balloons.

This is Erin with her balloon
and Rosie with hers
She's a butterfly if you can't tell.
Lily got Daisy Duck. The chap didn't ask you what you wanted he just created something and handed it to you.
This is his apron and those are his balloons.
Ro Ro hanging in the playground
Lily playing chase with Erin and waiting to get caught/seen

In her own little world on a scooter
Jumping bean
I took this from miles away. Lily and Erin burning rubber
ooops she lot someone
It was fun, so much fun.

We tried to like it

One of my local adoption groups posted about a new Chinese New Year celebration in town. It sounded terrific. Considering how multi-cultural Miami is we have very little for CNY.

This afternoon I threw the girlies into the car and headed to the festival. Some friends called and asked if we wanted to go bowling but I told them we were heading to the festival. Jenny thought it sounded fabulous and decided they would meet us there. Let me just say that I tonight I surprised she is still talking to me.

Now in all fairness I think it is wonderful that someone stepped up to do something positive for CNY and I mean that with all sincerity. As we approached the streets where the festival was taking place we saw policemen directing traffic as the street was closed. In my head this was a good thing as it meant there was a lot happening and the cars were prohibited from driving through the area. In reality that is what they were doing but the festival consisted of 5 little tables selling cr*p and a bounce house. Alrighty then. It was at least 8000 degrees this afternoon and the world and his brother were crammed into this tiny little area. At the end of the 5 tables was an open area where some chap, not Chinese, started pounding one of those enormous drums. With every beat the crowd was jolted backwards and forwards. When he was done, at least I think he was done but I can't be sure as my eardrums are still pounding a dragon dance broke out. The dragon dancers were very good.

There was a craft table set up near the bounce house so Rosie made a mask and they both were given fans

I finally managed to find Jenny and we made a fast exit and headed for the park.

This photo just makes me giggle. I think she is saying, " if you think I am going to smile for your photo after you dragged us to that stinkin' festival you are wrong"

Evan needed to just chill for a few minutes. I love his gappy smile.
Happy girl
Fake smiles but I love the shot.
cutie.

Celebrating Chinese New Year

Lucky for us the Chinese New Year started on a Monday which meant the hubby was home to celebrate with us. How unlucky for us that Chinese New Year started on a Monday because I work on Mondays all day. No problem I just did a little reshuffle and we were all able to enjoy a Chinese meal together.

This is a terrible picture, but you get the idea, they looked cute

Daddy and Ro
Don't get in the way of this girl and her chopsticks....even if they are back to front.

Wonton
Yes, she is drinking soup out of a bowl but it is a Chinese restaurant and you are supposed to.
Some ladies just kept starring at us and would even put their menus up in front of them when they spoke and then the other would stare at us whilst the other one spoke. So Lily gave them "the face"


A funny thing happened during dinner. Lily suddenly said "Rosie" in a loud and somewhat astonished tone. Naturally we all looked at Rosie and found that her top had come completely unbuttoned and she sat their with it flapping in the breeze totally oblivious. Talk about hilarious, even the wait staff had a good giggle.

Wishing you good fortune

Today marks the start of the Chinese New Year, the year of the dragon. Both girls were happy to see their Hong Bau (traditional red envelopes with money in them) sitting on the table when they came into the kitchen. They get 2 each, one has money in it for spending and the other one goes under their mattress for the year. This is a tradition taught to me by a Chinese friend. Today they were able to retrieve their old ones.

Both girls wanted to take something special with them to school tomorrow to mark the Chinese New Year. I have a standard plan for this occasion so we set to to make them.

See that big bag? It's full of fortune cookies, 80 of them.

Counting them out and lining them up
dipping the fortune cookies in chocolate and sprinkles
loving it
umm, a little taste, please mummy.
When they were done they swirled both bowls of chocolate together....it was so good
The finished fortune cookies, all ready for school tomorrow.

Gung Hay Fat Choy.

Inside my heart

This morning I was all alone in the kitchen groping through a large storage container marked simply, "Chinese Holidays". I have many of them all marked differently, Christmas, Easter, Valentine's day and so on but the words on the side of this one just struck me. Never in a million years did I ever imagine that I would have a storage container with the words, "Chinese Holidays" on it. As I unpacked the pieces I want to display for Chinese New Year I stopped and pondered each and every one of them. They are all from China, not as in, "made in China" but each one was carefully chosen by us on one of our 2 trips to that beautiful land.

I am so thankful to the Peoples Republic of China for allowing me to parent, not one but two of their precious children. My girls have made my heart whole and have made me a much better person. I hope I never take them for granted, I don't think I ever will due to the journey that led us to them.

They are both so different but yet so alike. They love life and thankfully, more than anything else, they love us. Each morning when they awake the first word uttered by both of them is Mummy. Both of them want to know I am close by when they open their eyes. It's not called with distress, well sometimes it is with Rosie, but more for the reassurance that I am near. Once they see me, their life is fine. I am not discounting Jacob here as sometimes I am gone before they wake up and he is the face of reassurance that they need.

Their beautiful eyes sparkle with a zest for life only seen when one is a child. They play together, as sisters do, oblivious to the lives they once had. A life that I could not be part of.

I love these girls with all my heart and as I hang the lanterns and prepare to read them stories about Chinese New Year I thank my lucky stars they are mine and that we were the ones chosen to be their parents.

Chinese New Year is a time to be together with family. How fitting.

Image from google images