My Little Fortune Cookie: Happy Chinese New Year!

The Chinese New Year celebrations have really taken off here in the last couple of years, and it's so much fun to join in! Our favorite, of course, is the Families Blessed with the World's Children's event! (Families Blessed...is an organization that coordinates activities to connect families that have adopted children outside this country, mostly China. They have all kinds of activities to keep the parents and children connected to one another. I support this group by being a member, and trying to attend various events as I can.) This group started a Chinese New Year dinner celebration just a couple of years ago, and upon discovering how well attended it was, they expanded and moved to a larger place. They have a photo booth, crafts of all kinds, catered chinese food, silent auction items, entertainment, and a grand finale of bubble wrap (chinese new year fireworks)!Everyone has such a good time!

crafts...

Fortune Tellers...

Kayli's fortune was pretty appropriate considering her birthday is next week...

Photo Booth Fun...

the cakes follow the theme of the year of the sheep...

this group was fabulous as they drummed and performed a lion dance...

they eventually came down off the stage and worked their way through the crowded tables, with some of the observers less than thrilled with these giant creatures...

then the dragon dance begins with our little friend, Tie, at the front of the line...

the kids paraded around with this dragon, and at one point, I had to rescue this dragon from collapsing onto a table of guests as a small child just couldn't keep the wooden pole upright. I reached out and grabbed the pole just as the "dragon" began to fall onto a group of unsuspecting observers, and got the "dragon" back on course, and the kid, of course, marched on as if nothing had ever happened, ha!

at the end of this parade, everyone began to stomp on their bubble wrap to simulate the sound of fireworks! Kayli gets ready to drop hers to the floor...