Happy Year of the Dragon!

I am all out of whack this week! In my efforts to be more consistent at posting here (as much for me as for you, my three dear readers!), I've been making use of the scheduling device that blogger offers. However, when I wrote up yesterday's post about Dr. D's amazing box, I completely forgot that I'd made a mental note to myself to post it on Tuesday so that I could post about the Chinese New Year on Monday.

Oy. That's what happens when I rely on mental notes. So now I'm making a mental note to use paper and pen for all future notes.

Yeah. Ummmmmm. Anyway. So.

Happy Chinese New Year,

one and all!

The Year of the Dragon is considered to be the luckiest of all the years of the zodiac cycle and so many Chinese people across the world are anticipating this to be a year of great change and prosperity.  We at the Gang's house are anticipating our own big changes and looking forward to God's continued blessing upon our home. We pray that this year brings the same to you!

We celebrated together last night with a yummy family dinner (a rarity these last few weeks, in that all 7 of us were at the table together. For the same meal. At the same time. Wow, I already feel lucky just for that!) of Plum Good Chicken Thighs over brown rice, dumplings from our favorite little Chinese restaurant, and a big garden salad. We're also really looking forward to being with some of our agency family on Saturday for another food-focused celebration!  Mmmmmmm, I love festivities partnered with good food and family. Nothing better, in my book.

During our dinner prayer, The Boss was thanking the Lord for the beauty of China, for Chinese food, for the people of China, and for the gift from China of our Li'l Empress.  Even before his mouth formed the final "n" of "Amen," Li'l Empress looked up and said, "Daddy, I'm from Chwina!"  We thought that was funny, until she proceeded to give him her whole "brain dump" on her version of her life story so far... Does anyone else's kids do that? ONE thought, ONE word, and it triggers a whole monologue of everything she knows related to her, to China, to Chinese food, to it all. Seriously, it went something like this:

"I was borned in Chwina! And my China mommy fed me bottles! And den Mommy and Daddy flew aaaaalll da way crost the ocean in a big plane to come and get me! {breath!}And my Daddy fed me bottles! And I didn't have any hair! And den I comed home and flew on da big plane with my Mommy and my Daddy and I comed home! And Dr. D teached me how to walk! And I didn't have any hair! And I slept in a crib in my green and pink room and my Mommy rocked me to sleep! And I didn't have any hair."

Yeah. Just like that. Really. My ears hurt just remembering it.  No wonder I was in bed by 9:05 p.m.

Sooooo... How did you celebrate with your gang?