Chinese New Year

My parents are always looking for a good excuse to throw a party and we are always happy to participate. One of our favorite party themes are dinners from around the world. We have done everything from Italian night to Middle Eastern night. We learn how to cook food from that place dress up in native garb and do an activity or watch a movie related to our location. When my mom realized Chinese New Year was upon us we decided it was a great excuse for China night. My parents just took a trip to China a few months ago so they had a lot of fun souvenirs and pictures. (The picture above is of Ella in her Chinese princess hat and pajamas and me trying to keep her grounded.)



Baby Seth in his Chinese jammies getting ready to party.



Everyone pitched in with the decorating and preparations. Some sacrificed more than others. Dad showed his dedication when a hammer fell on his head and split it open as he was hanging lanterns and lights from the ceiling. He patched himself up and finished the job.

2009 is the year of the Ox. The Chinese animal signs are a 12 year cycle with a different animal for each year. If you were born in the year of the dog (like Ella) you are said to be loyal and honest but sometimes stubborn and selfish. We made cards for everyone at the party with the animal for their birth year and the traits they supposedly exhibited. It was funny to see how accurate or absurd they were.



Poor mom spent most of the day and evening in the kitchen. I think by the time she sat down her food was cold. We are grateful for her sacrifice because the food was amazing! We had sweet and sour pork, orange chicken, beef and broccoli, pork dumplings (hand made by Chelsea), and shrimp lo mein. My favorite part was when Ella delivered everyone their fortune cookie and bowed to each person. For dessert we had Pudding on the Rice (rice pudding).



Dad, Rachel, Chad, Chelsea and Ella enjoying their food. Ella actually ate which is a testament to how good it was.



Among the guests were Grandma Betty and Grandpa Garth and Grandma Linda and Grandpa Harvey, as Ella calls them.

After dinner we watched a dvd of Chinese acrobats. We were amazed at all the cool stuff they could do. They were jumping through hoops the size of a toilet seat. At one point there was a girl riding a bike on stage and people kept jumping on as she was riding. By the end she had 12 people balanced on top of each other as she was still peddling the bike.

We had a very fun time and we are already brainstorming our next party. India night?