Chinese New Year - February 8 - 10, 2013

This year, I felt very convicted to really celebrate Chinese New Year because Michael is now getting old enough to remember!!

Since Chinese New Year fell on the weekend this year, it was super easy to find things to do in Philly!

We checked out the Chinatown Flower Market:

It was seriously 6-7 booths long.  That's it.  I'm not sure how many booths constitute a "market."

Michael complained that he was cold during the walk, but when I asked him: "Are you dying from it?  Or are you just uncomfortable?"  He told me uncomfortable, and I told him that's ok.

In America, we are always comfortable.  We go from our climatized homes to our climatized cars to our climatized destinations.  Who needs a coat, really?

I was glad he had a chance to see that it is OK to be uncomfortable outside.  You won't die from it.  Well, unless you're the German army marching across Russia in WWII.

We then went to go Chinese New Year grocery shopping, which was super fun!  We bought all sorts of my favorite things from my youth!  I should have taken pictures!

Michael gobbled it ALL up.  If I cooked Asian food everyday, Michael would be the happiest camper there ever was.   

We also bought one of my absolute favorite games from Chinese New Year:

It's basically like roulette, but with animals.  You get 3 die and on each die, you will find all 6 of these characters.  You bet to see which ones will come out when the die are shaken and flung, and you get money if they do!

Asians love to gamble.  It starts at youth. :)

Michael LOVED it and thought it was super fun.  He loved his lucky money too!  I was super impressed with my mom who found Angry Birds lucky money envelopes.  How funny.

The next day, Sunday, we went BACK to philly for their dragon dance parade put on by the Philadelphia Suns:

Here's the blue and red dragons:

Michael had the best view:

Here's the dragon with the very loud firecrackers outside each shop.  The dragons went in and out of every shop to bid each owner a happy new year:

Michael LOVED it!!  Check out this super cute video of him talking during it:

And I just LOVED this red door with this antiquey light fixture.  It's one of those "props" that I love when doing family sessions:

Obviously, I didn't have the best angles.  What, you mean you don't like seeing a security camera in your images?  I like how Brian's hat stripe matches the door.

And here's a rare picture with Mommy!

Before heading back, we grabbed some Asian pastries.  Michael picked out this cream filled sweet yeast bun:

It was amazing.  Michael told me, "Mom, this is the best thing I have ever eaten."

And I don't doubt it.  It was really good!

All in all, Michael enjoyed every single second of it (except the walking in the cold).  And I'm so happy and proud.  You never know what your child will enjoy that you enjoyed growing up.  They are their own people, and you can't push what you like on them.

But this weekend, we had a fantastic time.  Michael loved celebrating Chinese New Year, and I can't wait to take him to Houston for it.

Chinese New Year is one of my absolute most favorite holidays.  It's up there with Christmas and Thanksgiving.  But what I love about it - is it is really relaxed and fun.  Christmas gets stressful with the gift giving.  Thanksgiving is busy with all the cooking.

Chinese New Year has some cooking, but really you go out to eat too.  There's no big meal to worry about - no gifts to purchase.  Youngsters get lucky money and it's so fun to watch them open their red envelopes.  You spend time watching dragon dances, eating, gambling, and laughing.  That's really it.  It is low stress/effort for maximum fun and relaxation.

:)

Oh and an FYI for myself to buy Banh cuon - see this man in PHilly:
Ding ho co. Inc
930 arch street,
Philadelphia, pa 19107
(215) 922-2929