Enjoy the pics...
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
Asia-Faith is 3 years old today!
She slept in this morning, so we woke her up singing "Happy Birthday" in English and Chinese.
The boys helped her open up her presents, and then helped her play with them:O)
We actually had no rain today for a change, so we met up with Kim, Sheldon and Clarice at the park and had a little party. Asia-Faith had a blast, all the kids did, you could tell by dirty faces and clothes!!! LOL
Still no news about our final decree.....if anything this adoption is teaching me patience! LOL
Enjoy the pics....
She slept in this morning, so we woke her up singing "Happy Birthday" in English and Chinese.
The boys helped her open up her presents, and then helped her play with them:O)
We actually had no rain today for a change, so we met up with Kim, Sheldon and Clarice at the park and had a little party. Asia-Faith had a blast, all the kids did, you could tell by dirty faces and clothes!!! LOL
Still no news about our final decree.....if anything this adoption is teaching me patience! LOL
Enjoy the pics....
Sunday, February 17, 2008
1st Forever Family Day Anniversary!!!!
Woohoo!!!!
Today, 1 year ago, we brought our beautiful little Fairy Princess home.
It has been an amazing year, watching her grow, learning to speak, getting into squabbles with her brothers, becoming an independent little person, warm hugs, soft kisses, painting nails, buying pink, dancing, singing, drawing, having "tea", holding my hand, putting "pretties" in her hair, and hearing those precious words "I love you mommy"!
We are still waiting for our final decree, but we believe it will be here any day now....so we wait and pray (not so patiently though)! LOL
You can read more about our Forever Family Day here:
http://adoptingasia-faith.blogspot.com/2007/09/forever-family-day17-february-2007.html
Enjoy the pics.....
Asia-Faith and Dora
This is how she likes to sleep - with her thumb in her mouth, and a hand on the zip of either her pillow or her pillow-case...
Falling asleep....too precious
Feeding the goats...
Wearing her brothers undies....don't quite know what was going on inside that little head of hers...maybe she was wanting to be Superman!
Having a bad hair day....
Having fun at the park
Today, 1 year ago, we brought our beautiful little Fairy Princess home.
It has been an amazing year, watching her grow, learning to speak, getting into squabbles with her brothers, becoming an independent little person, warm hugs, soft kisses, painting nails, buying pink, dancing, singing, drawing, having "tea", holding my hand, putting "pretties" in her hair, and hearing those precious words "I love you mommy"!
We are still waiting for our final decree, but we believe it will be here any day now....so we wait and pray (not so patiently though)! LOL
You can read more about our Forever Family Day here:
http://adoptingasia-faith.blogspot.com/2007/09/forever-family-day17-february-2007.html
Enjoy the pics.....
THEN.....
NOW.....
NOW.....
Asia-Faith and Dora
This is how she likes to sleep - with her thumb in her mouth, and a hand on the zip of either her pillow or her pillow-case...
Falling asleep....too precious
Feeding the goats...
Wearing her brothers undies....don't quite know what was going on inside that little head of hers...maybe she was wanting to be Superman!
Having a bad hair day....
Asia-Faith and Kitty...taking their morning nap
Having fun at the park
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Chinese New Year Festivities, Yilan Sports Park, Taiwan
We took the kids to the sports park to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
The kids all had a sleep before, and we headed down the park at around 11pm - we wanted to be there for the countdown....
The park looked beautiful with all the trees decorated with lights and lanterns - very beautiful!
At midnight they had an awesome fireworks display, with coloured dancing water too - lovely!
They of course also had the dragon dancing and various other activites going on too.
When we were leaving we noticed there was a very long queue and we weren't sure what everyone was waiting in line for, then we found out hong bao were being handed out (envelopes with "lucky" money - in this case NT$10, but it was also a scratch and win card too - not to sure what you win - we have to get someone to translate the card for us), anyway, we were not too keen to stand in the queue that went on for ever... so Tiffany (our nephew's girlfriend who has been living here in Taiwan now for a few months), decided to befriend some friendly people in the front of the queue and when it came time to receive her hong bao - she asked for 4!!!! Only Tiffany could do this and get away with it....then again we thought that they probably were not going to say no to a blonde foreigner!!! LOL
It was really great to experience another Lunar New Year here in Taiwan.... Last New Year (February 18), we had just brought Asia-Faith home.....so next week is our 1 year Forever Family day:O)
Enjoy the pics.....
Xin Nian Kuai Le!
The kids all had a sleep before, and we headed down the park at around 11pm - we wanted to be there for the countdown....
The park looked beautiful with all the trees decorated with lights and lanterns - very beautiful!
At midnight they had an awesome fireworks display, with coloured dancing water too - lovely!
They of course also had the dragon dancing and various other activites going on too.
When we were leaving we noticed there was a very long queue and we weren't sure what everyone was waiting in line for, then we found out hong bao were being handed out (envelopes with "lucky" money - in this case NT$10, but it was also a scratch and win card too - not to sure what you win - we have to get someone to translate the card for us), anyway, we were not too keen to stand in the queue that went on for ever... so Tiffany (our nephew's girlfriend who has been living here in Taiwan now for a few months), decided to befriend some friendly people in the front of the queue and when it came time to receive her hong bao - she asked for 4!!!! Only Tiffany could do this and get away with it....then again we thought that they probably were not going to say no to a blonde foreigner!!! LOL
It was really great to experience another Lunar New Year here in Taiwan.... Last New Year (February 18), we had just brought Asia-Faith home.....so next week is our 1 year Forever Family day:O)
Enjoy the pics.....
Xin Nian Kuai Le!
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Happy Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring Festival. It starts at the beginning of Spring. It is one of the three most important Chinese festivals.
Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. The 15th day of the new year is called the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade.
The Chinese use a lunar calendar, therefore the date of the Spring Festival changes each year. It takes place at some time during the end of January or the beginning of February.
This year it falls on February 7, 2008 and is the Year of the Rat.
People born in the Year of the Rat are said to be charming, hard-working, passionate, and practical.
The Chinese calendar has a 12 year cycle and each year is named after an animal. People born in each of these years are said to have certain characteristics.
The origin of the New Year Festival can be traced back thousands of years, involving a series of colorful legends and traditions. One of the most famous legends is Nian, an extremely cruel and ferocious beast that the ancients believed would devour people on New Year's Eve. To keep Nian away, red-paper couplets are pasted on doors, torches are lit, and firecrackers are set off throughout the night, because Nian is said to fear the color red, the light of fire, and loud noises. Early the next morning, as feelings of triumph and renewal fill the air at successfully keeping Nian away for another year, the most popular greeting heard is gong si (congratulations).
To prepare for the New Year, Chinese clean their houses (it is believed the cleaning sweeps away bad luck). They also repay any money they owe, buy new clothes, and may even get their hair cut.
They decorate their houses with with red paper deocorations (spring couplets) and signs that wish peace and luck for the coming year.
Spring couplets are paper scrolls and squares inscribed with blessings and auspicious words, such as "good fortune," "wealth," "longevity," and "springtime." The paper squares are usually pasted upside down, because the Mandarin word for "upside down," dao, is a homonym of the word "arrival." Thus, the paper squares represent the "arrival" of spring and the "coming" of prosperous times.
On New Year's Eve family members who are no longer living at home make a special effort to return home for reunion and share a big family dinner. Special foods are served such as hot pot, dumplings or fish. After dinner the adults give the children hong bao (red envelopes containing lucky money), and they also try to stay up all night to welcome the New Year, as it was long believed that by doing so on New Year's Eve, their parents would live a longer life.
Some families even hold religious ceremonies after midnight to welcome the God of the New Year into their homes, and set off fireworks to scare away evil spirits.
One of the first things to be done on New Year's morning, is offering ritual homage to one's ancestors. Reverence is then paid to the gods, followed by younger family members paying their respects to their living elders. New clothes are worn, and visits are made to friends, neighbors, and relatives to exchange good wishes of gong xi fa cai (which means "congratulations and prosperity"). As an occasion for reconciliation, it's a time when old grudges are cast aside amidst an atmosphere of warmth and friendliness.
The second day of the New Year Festival is the day that married daughters return to their parents' home. If she is a newlywed, her husband must accompany her and bring gifts for her family.
Certain negative superstitions and taboos at this time have never quite lost their force. For example, people believe it is unlucky to sweep the floor during the first five days of the Lunar New Year, because one might accidentally sweep one's good luck and wealth out of the house.
Bad language and talk of death are severely frowned upon. If a dish is broken, it is vital to say suei suei ping an (which means "peace throughout the year") as quickly as possible.
Joss sticks and altar candles must be kept burning day and night to encourage longevity; and in some households, knives and scissors are put away so that no one will accidentally cut the "thread of good luck" in the year to come.
A few of these superstitions and rituals have a spiritual aspect to them. At the stroke of midnight, the doors to the temples are thrown wide open and people surge forward in an attempt to be the first to place their incense sticks into the censer, as another long-standing tradition states that the first person to do so will be blessed with good luck throughout the coming year.
The Chinese Lunar New Year's Eve dinner is the most important meal of the year. The notion of getting together with the family will always lie at the heart of Lunar New Year celebrations.
Certain negative superstitions and taboos at this time have never quite lost their force. For example, people believe it is unlucky to sweep the floor during the first five days of the Lunar New Year, because one might accidentally sweep one's good luck and wealth out of the house.
Bad language and talk of death are severely frowned upon. If a dish is broken, it is vital to say suei suei ping an (which means "peace throughout the year") as quickly as possible.
Joss sticks and altar candles must be kept burning day and night to encourage longevity; and in some households, knives and scissors are put away so that no one will accidentally cut the "thread of good luck" in the year to come.
A few of these superstitions and rituals have a spiritual aspect to them. At the stroke of midnight, the doors to the temples are thrown wide open and people surge forward in an attempt to be the first to place their incense sticks into the censer, as another long-standing tradition states that the first person to do so will be blessed with good luck throughout the coming year.
The Chinese Lunar New Year's Eve dinner is the most important meal of the year. The notion of getting together with the family will always lie at the heart of Lunar New Year celebrations.
~ Gong xi fa cai ~
~ Congratulations and Prosperity ~
~ Congratulations and Prosperity ~
| Animal | Branch | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 鼠 Rat | 子 Zi | February 19, 1996 | February 7, 2008 |
| 牛 Ox | 丑 Chou | February 7, 1997 | January 26, 2009 |
| 虎 Tiger | 寅 Yin | January 28, 1998 | February 14, 2010 |
| 兔 Rabbit | 卯 Mao | February 16, 1999 | February 3, 2011 |
| 龍 Dragon | 辰 Chen | February 5, 2000 | January 23, 2012 |
| 蛇 Snake | 巳 Si | January 24, 2001 | February 10, 2013 |
| 馬 Horse | 午 Wu | February 12, 2002 | January 31, 2014 |
| 羊 Sheep | 未 Wei | February 1, 2003 | February 19, 2015 |
| 猴 Monkey | 申 Shen | January 22, 2004 | February 8, 2016 |
| 雞 Rooster | 酉 You | February 9, 2005 | January 28, 2017 |
| 狗 Dog | 戌 Xu | January 29, 2006 | February 16, 2018 |
| 豬 Pig | 亥 Hai | February 18, 2007 | February 5, 2019 |
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