Chinese New Year 2016

We are making progress to celebrate Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year) here in our home.  This is the biggest holiday in China and other Asian countries.  It also accounts for the biggest migration of people at one time in the whole world as people return to their hometowns to celebrate with their families.  So, while we watched the Super Bowl and the little ones were asleep, I decorated our downstairs.  I started picking up red lanterns last year and I finally had enough to hang from our ceilings.  I also bought some silk peach blossoms and made my version of a wishing tree.  I went to the Asian market and purchased several spring happiness poems and wall hangings with Chinese characters.  I have tried to figure out what the actual characters mean, but haven't had any luck.  The joke at our house is that the hangings probably say "eat at Joes" or " A-1 hemorrhoid medicine".  We even tried to use chop sticks and had tradition red envelopes.  Instead of fireworks, we used poppers.  I have also been trying to collect books about China and Lunar New Year. 

We had a new year meal with homemade dumplings, fried rice, longevity noodles, mandarin oranges, green beans, lettuce wraps, moon cakes and salad - and Chinese beer!  We were able to have some family and friends also join us this year.  The past two years I have really good notions to start celebrating, but last year getting ready to bring Grace home kind of ruled out much of anything.  This year we were also able to celebrate at a restaurant with some other families with children adopted from China.  

It's very easy to forget that Grace and Matthew are Chinese.  They speak, eat, and act like Americans in every sense.  I often forget that I didn't give birth to them, they really are so much like us.  Any of the Chinese language they do know at this point, is really only because we listen to Chinese children CDs and watch Chinese YouTube.    I

Ready to go to our local CNY celebration with other adoptive families.

Wishing Tree

Here is a really sweet commercial about chinese new year.  It makes me tear up every time I watch it.  It's easy to forget what Grace and Matt are missing because they have gained so much, but then I watch videos like this and it comes rushing in.  It makes me think of their birth parents and families. I am sure they must be wondering about the children they gave up.   It makes me think a beautiful country that don't really know as their own.  Foods and culture that they don't remember. I hope one day they can find out more about their birth country and even their birth parents.  Maybe even know what the Mandarin wall hangings say...