Lion Dances and Fireworks and Food, Oh My!

Lunar New Year/Chinese New Year was February 17.

Jr. Jr., Jet, and I had already celebrated at the library earlier in the month but on the day, Jet and I went to the mall to see the Lion Dance parade.

Then we watched the fireworks there (usually when we watch them, we watch them from home because it's so close, but this was fun watching them by the fountain in the mall's courtyard). 

We went home and ate Chinese food and remembered to actually do fortune cookies this time. Woohoo.

It was National Cabbage Day on the 17th. Perfect.

 

It was also Random Acts of Kindness Day and the next day, my son found this clip on his backpack.

It says, "Ur Amazing." Awwww. 

Winter Reading

During December and January, Jet and I did a Winter Reading Challenge with Provo Library. We did some fun activities. We did some menu planning together. Jet and I went through cookbooks and he told me which recipes he wanted to do. 

One of them was monster cookies! They had M&M faces.

We built a blanket fort to read in.

We went for walks so he could take pictures of the mountains.

January 29 was Corn Chip Day. That's the day we picked up some prizes. I chose corn chips for one of my prizes.

That night was also Chinese New Year so we read an alphabet book about Chinese New Year and Jet and I went out to see the fireworks that night.

I started making Chinese food that day but we were busy so I think we ate what would have been our Chinese New Year meal a couple days later.

Jurassic Family

The reason Jeremy was building balloons for Thanksgiving Point again was that they made a new exhibit in the Museum of Ancient Life and had a grand opening.

We all went as a family and got family pictures... in a jeep... being chased by a dinosaur.

Good times. Good times.

We did a pretty quick tour of the museum because we needed to get back home to make our Chinese New Year dinner. Chinese New Year was on February 10.

Good times. Good times.

 

The next day, February 11, was Peppermint Patty Day. Nichole read Peanuts comics. Jeremy ate a peppermint patty candy. 

Then February 13 was Pancake Day. We had pancakes.

Lunar New Year 2023

The Lunar New Year was on January 22 this year. Year of the Rabbit.

The night before, the mall had fireworks which the kids listened to.

Jr. Jr., Jr., Nichole, and I made a trip to Salt Lake City the evening of the New Year while Jeremy made Chinese food for us. We then ate that yummy food for the next few days. 

We went for an event at the Conference Center. It was cold and snowy while we were in Salt Lake City and we walked a lot because I didn't want to pay for parking on a Sunday and I didn't realize how many free spots were closer to our destination. It's been a while since I've been up to Salt Lake City.

Jr. Jr. did get his first ride on TRAX, though.

On a trip to the Orem Library another day, Jet and I saw the dragon the librarians made for the Lunar New Year. Some of the scales had been decorated by children at the library.

Jeremy got to build some balloon sculptures.

We have yet to eat fortune cookies because I keep forgetting to get them out of the pantry. But here are a couple fortunes Jeremy got.

Chinese New Year 2022

Well, I managed to post all 31 days of January. Woohoo. That's a pretty good way to start off the new year. Speaking of the new year, today, February 1, was the Chinese Lunar New Year. We are starting into the year of the tiger.

Besides Chinese food, Jeremy put on a documentary for us to watch that had tigers in it. Unfortunately it kept saying this animal has been known to kill tigers and that animal has been known to kill tigers. Oh dear.

We all read our fortunes from our fortune cookies and I lined them up again for a picture. Oldest to youngest.

Chinese New Year 2021

Year of the ox.

Chinese New Year was on February 12. We ate Chinese food and watched the live action Mulan movie. It was fun to notice little nods to the animated version. Throughout the movie, we kept mentioning things like, "Dishonor on you. Dishonor on your family. Dishonor on your cow."

 

I also learned that Jet loves chow mein noodles. He was my big helper while I was making the chow mein. I kept giving him noodles as I was cooking the food and he stayed pretty content.

Perhaps You'd Like to Chew... On Your Fist

We celebrated Chinese New Year on January 25. It's the year of the rat, the metal rat.
I love how "helpful" our children are. I wanted to get a picture of the Chinese food we made (Jeremy made most of it, I wrapped the egg rolls). I had my arms full of baby again so Lucky offered to take a picture of the food. What a sweetie. Of course even standing on a chair he was too short to get all the food in the picture from the angle he was at but it's the thought that counts.

Jeremy was also a sweetie and held Jet while I ate.

There have been times in the past where we have watched Kung Fu Panda for Chinese New Year. Fun movie. There is a line toward the beginning of the movie where a character says, "I see you like to chew. Perhaps you'd like to chew... on my fist." Jet has gotten into chewing on his fist lately, including on Chinese New Year so we've been going around saying, "Perhaps you'd like to chew... on your fist." It's the small things, I tell you.

After dinner and fortune cookies, Jeremy took the four kids (as compared to the one baby) to the mall for the Chinese New Year celebration over there.

Apparently it was very foggy that night so instead of coming home when they were done, they hung out in the van until it was time for fireworks. We can normally watch the mall fireworks from our house, but not in that kind of fog.

While they were gone, I celebrated a little of A Room of One's Own Day, also January 25. I often spend quite a bit of time in my room anyway with this new baby in cold/flu season (I look forward to Spring but I'm glad I'm not stir crazy). While Jet slept, I got out my new foot spa I got for Christmas and was using it while wearing my comfy new bathrobe when Jeremy and the kids got back.

Earlier in the day I did get the room to myself to take a nap while Jeremy took care of Jet. Thanks, Jeremy. And thanks, Jet, for being content while I got some rest.

World Nutella Day and Chinese New Year

February 5 was World Nutella Day.  We opened up some hazelnut spread and everybody had it on their sandwiches at lunch.  Speaking of lunches, Lucky, Jeremy, and I got to go eat lunch at the boys' school with them.

I also took the opportunity to open my box of Ferrero Rocher hazelnut chocolates and share with my family.  Yes, I'm so nice.

That evening for dinner, however, we celebrated Chinese New Year.  Year of the Pig.  Mmmmmm, food.  Not so simple this year. We had orange chicken, egg rolls, chow mein, stir fry vegetables cooked in Yoshida gourmet sauce, rice, oranges, and of course fortune cookies we ate after scripture study.

Jr. was having a lot of fun being silly so after everyone read their fortunes, he was playing around and stuck his fortune in his mouth.  Sadly, the fortunes are not meant to be eaten and was unhappy that I wouldn't be able to get a picture of his fortune since on the back side of the fortune, it teaches how to say something in Chinese.  His was Po-Ta-To.  So... since Nichole remembered what his fortune said and through the power of the internet to re-find out how to say it in Chinese, Jr. made himself a new fortune and he was able to have it in the picture with the rest of the fortunes.

It was a nice day.  Busy, but nice.