Today we put on our party clothes (that means beautiful silks for the girls and party jeans for me and TubaDad) and headed for the local FCC Chinese New Year’s party. What fun!
First, a note about the clothes: In the middle of her life-changing trip to China to meet sweet Hannah, our buddy Catherine took the time to pick out six different beautiful outfits for Ro and Ree (a set for this year, a set for 2012, and a set for 2013). We were so touched. Still are. Anyhow, here are this year’s dresses (the girls did their own accessorizing), thanks to Catherine:
It was so nice to see old friends and to meet new ones. I think there were around 350 people there, which is just awesome. There was a huge world map in the main meeting room, by the way, and Ro wants to know if we can get one just like it for our playroom. The girl is just nuts about maps right now:
The kids all ran around and played like mad, even though it was so cold that I hiked back to the car to get gloves and coats. This funky climby-spinny thing was extremely popular:
The structure was teeming with kids in brightly colored clothes and moving so fast that I kept expecting bodies to fly off. (Didn’t happen.) Ro and Ree, naturally, went immediately to the top:
The lion dance was loud and exciting, but the best part was that after the finale the kiddos got to pet one of the lions and even be swallowed up by him.
In February, we’re staying in San Francisco to watch their Chinese New Year’s parade – it’s ranked as one of the top ten parades in the world, and we’ve never seen it. Exciting stuff!
How are you celebrating? And do you have any fun suggestions for Chinese New Year crafts for the kiddos?
Gung Hay Fat Choy!
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beautiful dresses for beautiful little girls.
ReplyDeletewela
So looking forward to Feb! I have got to find Tate's stash of outfits bought in China.
ReplyDeleteWhat a serendipitous moment to bump into your family at the restaurant tonight. The girls are just such sweeties and they were so gracious to let me take pictures with M. Give us a holler if you ever come up our way and we'll do the same when we head down.
ReplyDeleteTake care! C
Looks like fun!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see pics of the parade you are going to! We saw a performance yesterday and are seeing a parade in Atlantic City, NJ next weekend. We decorated the house and will do red envelopes. I'll make some Asian cuisine and we plan to set some fireworks off out back too!
ReplyDeleteLove it! Little "spider-girls" aren't they?!!!
ReplyDeleteSuper cute!
ReplyDeleteIn Mandarin, we say gong xi fa cai. I love Chinese New Year, it was my favorite holiday as a child and still is to this day. Our celebrations include EATING. We have some books on Chinese New Year that we read as the time gets closer. Bit really it's about all the symbolism and eating. Why we eat what eat in order to prepare for the new year. On New Year's Eve we have a family dinner. I usually make pho because it's easy and we're supposed to eat noodles for longevity. We also have shui gao [boiled not pan fried pot stickers] for prosperity. If you accent the word just so it also means "money." We also have the whole fish which is left on the plate to symbolize that our plates will always be full.
We have a big feast on New Year's day with family and friends. Dishes vary from vegetables, noodles, pot stickers, spring rolls, duck, baozi, shrimp, beef. You also eat peanuts and oranges. The kids receive hong bao. Kids love hong bao!! I love the food, the togetherness, and the preparation and hope for another full year.
The girls look beautiful in their dresses! So happy that they fit so well!!
ReplyDeleteWhat fun that they were able to run and climb in them. I still look back at attending the CNY party with you a couple of years ago and smile. Have I mentioned in the last 60 seconds that I WISH WE LIVED CLOSER TOGETHER???? (hugs) sweet friend!
Hannah and I went to the Toronto FCC CNY party on Saturday night and had fun their too! Like your girls, she was up there with the lion after the dance, petting it and even climbing underneath. Heh!! She looked so cute as she only came up to the waist of many of the girls but she wasn't letting that stop her! Cannot wait to see our girls in action together!
Gung Hay Fat Choy friend! xo
One big vote here for putting a giant wall map in the girls' room!
ReplyDeleteIdea: Use some color-coded, post-it notes to mark places visited, where family/friends live, places in the news (with clipping attached), etc. This might result in an amazing sense/knowledge of geography.
Yes, the girls look especially cute and happy in this posting.
Oh, what a great time. Can't believe you had 350 people to this event. That's huge!!
ReplyDeleteThe girl's look adorable in their dresses. (Wow...Catherine did gooood!)I think this is the first year we're going with red. Usually we do pink.
Have a wonderful time at the parade. Sounds amazing!!
Looks like so much fun, and such lovely girls in their dresses! Like how they accessorized.
ReplyDeleteWe celebrate this Fri :)
Our agency has a big party this weekend (over 1000 people), but we're forgoing it this year to celebrate with our Jiangxi travelmates...we'll have Chinese food and pass out red envelopes, etc. I'm sending dumplings into preschool tomorrow - complete with chopsticks, and I loaded the teacher up with enough videos and books for the week, as well as a cute dragon draft I got at oriental trading.
ReplyDeleteum, that should be dragon CRAFT (not Draft!!!)...
ReplyDeleteJust in case you are buying early for Christmas...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.skymall.com/shopping/detail.htm?pid=7317593&c=
It is as big as the ones the girls are oogling, but maybe not as nice... :)
What beautiful outfits! Yes...we call that the "Spinning Spider Web". Our girls love it.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if this is a New Year's activity or not, but at school, I'm collecting statements of gratitude for all of our teachers and giving it to them in red envelopes, which is a Chinese tradition. I'm in charge of Staff Appreciation Week, and our theme is a "Thank You Heard Around The World" (international theme). Chinese Day is going to ROCK.
Have fun in San Fran!!
Well, don't they looks super sweet!
ReplyDeleteWe are opting out of the FCC celebration this year and having a home-cooked CNY feast. Oh yeah, as the cook, I'm probably going to regret this (thank you frozen pot stickers!).
I bought a great dragon puppet craft at Oriental Trading Co last year. This year we had fun making our own red envelopes and stamping them with Chinese stamps in gold ink (as well as buying red napkins and doing the same).
Happy New Year!
M.
I have that map somewhere. We put it away when we were trying to sell the house. If I can find it, would you like to have it? If you don't want it IN the house, might I suggest the garage?
ReplyDeleteActual CNY, my boss will be in town, so I will be going out to dinner with her, but there will be a FCA (Asia) CNY event. And then of course we'll be enjoying that CNY parade right along with ya! Looking forward to it!
ReplyDeleteI am glad you got to celebrate. Looks like fun and awesome dresses. Way to go Catherine.
ReplyDeleteWe have two FCC parties (we live on the border of both areas) and we will be out of town for both! So, I am doing my own thing at the house and Maylin is taking treats to her preschool tomorrow.,
Happy New Year! Xin nian kuai le!
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