Gung Hei Fat Choy!

Chinese New Year 2013, Grace's first chance to celebrate the Lunar New Year with her Forever Family, yeah!!!
Grace and I have have been busy preparing for our New Year celebrations, buying decorations and food, sweeping the house, all the traditional chores and now the day has finally come.  We started the festivities with a trip to the Mandarin restaurant with Lynda and cousin K this past week.  That was quite the challenge as both kids wanted everything they could get their hands on from the table, including the paper place mats, cutlery, napkins, water glasses, you name it!!!!  Everything was piled high in the centre of the table where it was out of their reach but that didn't stop them from creating a clutter zone all over the floor of the restaurant around our table!!!LOL

getting ready to go!

You can't see it but we have about the same amount of "stuff" on the floor under our table as well!

Grace wandering around the restaurant.  Thankfully we waited until after nap time so it was almost empty 

Last night on New Year's Eve, my family met at my parents' place and I cooked a few Chinese dishes for dinner.  Grace and I set up the decorations and put red envelopes at each place at the table.  Instead of money we placed chocolate coins inside the envelopes, yummy.

Reach a little higher Grace!  Come on, you can do it!

Baby K in his Chinese outfit.  He was born in the year of the Dragon and it had beautiful dragons all over 

What a face!  Grace ate her birthday cupcake that Grandma had been saving for her in the freezer.  Pink icing, yummy!

The cousins in their matching pajamas!

My girl loves her noodles!!!!

After dinner we all went outside to light the Wish Lantern.  I made a secret wish, of course I can't tell you and maybe Grace made one too!  It was quite impressive to see the lantern heat up and then take off into the night sky! It happened pretty fast and I wasn't able to get too many shots but here are a few of us lighting the lantern.

Sunday was a very busy day with two New Year parties.  A few families who adopted from China at the same time as I did got together. Lots of good food and the girls all got a chance to play.  I have more pictures coming from my friend Tammy but for now I'll post this one.  The girls all looked so cute in their traditional outfits.

This would be my girl about to start a meltdown......

Later on in the day we met up with the families from my town who have all adopted from China as well.  Most of the kids are much older than Grace at this point but it's always great seeing them and seeing how the girls have grown.  We had a great dinner at a local Chinese restaurant.  My photos are on my phone from which I have no idea how to retrieve photos, so I will add them to this post if/after I figure that out!!!  I am still fairly stunned in the technology department!!!  
Grace needed a quick bedtime snack when we got home, a warm bottle of milk and is now sleeping soundly upstairs, yeah!!!!