Chinese New Year!

We have been very busy here preparing for our first real Chinese New Year celebration as a family.  Sure, we were together as a family last year to welcome in the Year of the Dragon, but we had just returned from China and we were also in a whole world of chaos so I don't think we were too worried about noodles or sweeping or red envelopes.  But this year was very different...bring on the Year of the Snake!

E and I made quite a few trips into Chinatown for candies and envelopes and special ingredients for our feast.  We always stop to share a milk tea and a delicious pork bun in one of the little authentic bakeries that line the streets.  I say share, but I rarely get a bite of that pork bun.

Since we had plans to go to the Good Hope Adoption agency CNY party on Sunday, we decided to do our CNY feast on Saturday night.   A little tricky since we were hit with a blizzard, but luckily the driving ban was lifted in time for the party to go on!

So, Baba spent pretty much the entire day digging out of over 2 feet of snow, while I prepared the feast. We took E out briefly to see all of the snow, but when she realized that the drifts were big enough to swallow her whole, I think she decided once and for all that she's more of a beach person than a snow person. (Not that I'm influencing her or anything.)

Hei La Moon last weekend for dim sum and CNY shopping.
Just getting warmed up!

You should have seen me fighting the ladies in Chinatown to
get the ones with the leaves attached.

"This is fun but you can get me outta here now!"

Baba way more into making snow angels than our little angel.
She's like, "Tell me why we're laying in this cold stuff again?"

My little sous chef helping with the egg tarts.

Hand-made dumpings and spring rolls.

Chinese broccoli.  That's my Mai Tai in the background.
No, not Chinese, but delicious nonetheless.

Char siu, noodles, cabbage, rice, chicken...
I said to P that cooking a huge meal like this is like the
Super Bowl for a home cook!

Chinese egg tarts.

So after a fun night of eating and drinking we were up again today to do it all over again to celebrate CNY with our home study agency friends.  The drive down was a little dicey with post-blizzard messes everywhere, but it was well worth the trip to see some old friends and to make some new ones.  E had a great time handing out the red envelopes to everyone, and eating more Chinese food.  She loves her Chinese food!  The only thing she absolutely did NOT like was the dragon dance...she was yelling for us to take her out into the cold, snowy parking lot until it was over.  We stayed inside and braved it, but she was not very happy and was yapping about it the whole drive home from Cape Cod.

This kid loves anything on a stick.

Scissors.  Still the favorite activity.

Get outta here, dragon!

And of course a happy new year to our little R during our long LOA wait...