Birthday Parade ~ Jan. 29th

So how often do you get to go to a parade on your birthday? It's rather fun to do, although I'm hoping it's not every year... The annual Chinese New Year parade in Vancouver happened to fall on this day, and so like last year, we met up with our fellow adoptive families that we traveled to China with. And, like last year, it was raining! :( We staked out a corner with a fairly big overhang from the nearby building, and thankfully, the rain let up for a bit at the beginning of the event.

Things weren't too crowded at first, so Nora had a pretty good view. However, we eventually found out that the yellow rope cordoning off the crowd from the street was mostly just a suggestion. People eventually went in front of the kids to take photos, which was a little irritating.

Many lion dancers graced the streets with the accompaniment of clanging cymbals and thundering drums. Nora seemed okay with that, it was more the occasional firecrackers sounding off that the older men would randomly throw onto the street. (You could see they were just like little boys, so happy to play with fire!)

Having front row seats allowed the boys and Nora to receive many red envelopes from special guests in the parade. Scott was quick to tell Mayor Gregor Robertson that we had seen him in Guangzhou in September 2010, when we there adopting Nora... was funny!

A colourful dragon wanders throughout the crowd.

Vancouver Police Chief James Chu greets onlookers as the rain picks up...

The umbrellas start to mix with the other vibrant flags and banners.

Nora's "China-sister" Ai-Li. We were missing Isabella today as she had to stay home sick with her family.

 Dean, Ai-Li's Daddy, and Scott, who was having fun with his camera.

Lewis peeking out from his perch. The chocolate coins in the red envelopes were a highlight for the boys.

Thomas did his best to keep Nora covered up and explain to her what was going on.

Julie joined us with Anna, for their first CNY parade. Anna was as calm as can be... nothing phases her whether firecrackers or raindrops!

After awhile Nora joined me, as she was getting progressively wetter.

I'd have to say Nora was a good sport. It would be very nice to experience this parade without the rain sometime, but with such an ancient holiday, it can't exactly be switched to a different time of year!

Participants are enjoying themselves nonetheless.

Did you know? It's not just Mickey Mouse that has gloves like this!

Anna goes home with her complimentary dragon "headgear".

Mid-afternoon, we were eager to enjoy our meal together in a warm setting, once again at the Burnaby Palace.

Ai-Li still doesn't enjoy being in group photos without her Mom, but Jenna and Nora did okay.

Here's Bev and Jenna, over from the Island for the weekend. Unfortunately we're missing group photos of all the adults... I think Scott was camera'd out by then.

Nora was happy to entertain us all with her antics at the table, like playing "peek-a-boo" under the tablecloth.

Jenna passed out the coolest red envelopes... Mickey Mouse!

A special surprise, a birthday cupcake from Layna. Thanks everyone! It was a fantastic meal once again, and great to reconnect. Just too short of a visit...

Nora knows how to break open her own fortune cookie, and then makes us all laugh by attempting to read the message!

Wilson, our fantastic waiter, poses with the girls as he did last year. (See below.)

Once home, we enjoyed sorting through our assorted red envelopes of treats. There's something about chocolate that can make every day a holiday! :)

To conclude a special day, my parents came over to have some Chinese food leftovers, and share cheesecake with us. Can it get much better? :)

Everyone enjoys the video clips of the boys wiping out on Friday, I mean "skiing". :)

I think I'm ready to move onto the rest of my life now... no more parties or celebrations until Easter. It was fun though, thanks!

Last day of "43" ~ Jan. 28th

For being such a "date-sensitive" person, I was proud of myself that I could celebrate my birthday a day early. :) We wanted to take the time to be with all the boys as the next day would be hectic.  Scott finally got home from a day-long seminar after 6:30pm, so we were quick to pile into the van to my restaurant of choice.... "Me & Ed's Pizza". I had been looking forward to eating "perogy" pizza all day!

Nora wasn't as thrilled about the pizza as she was about the "dip"... she likes "dips" of any kind whether it's ranch, spicy peanut, hummus or guacamole. Can get pretty obsessive about it, so watch out for your dips! :)

I picked up a cake from Safeway on the way home, as well as my gift from the boys from Best Buy... "Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader", to watch later. How thoughtful everyone is! :)

Nora still thinks that every birthday is hers. When she gets as old as me, she's learn that it's best to stay quiet.

Thanks everyone, for a nice evening. You are my best gifts!

Best way to spend a Pro-D Day! ~ Jan. 27th

In Grade 5, Lewis has the opportunity through school to obtain a ski pass for many ski resorts in BC, where admission is free for him. This would be a prime example of good marketing, as obviously someone has to take him. In this case, it was all the other guys in the family. So... let's just say Lewis won't be skiing again this year. :) Thomas missed this chance in Gr. 5 somehow, so he was also going for his first time.

They all headed off to Cypress Bowl, as that was James' preference to snowboard with his friends. (Thankfully he bought his own equipment this year...) Thomas and Lewis spent the majority of the day on the bunny hills. The advantage of having older brothers is that at least they can spell Scott off for supervising. Charles gave him a break mid-day, so that was nice.

Apparently this was a popular position for Thomas, but less so by the end of the day. :)

It's always fun to celebrate Olympic sites after-the-fact!

A view of Cypress where James was able to go... :) A nice day overall, hope they enjoy the memories as they'll have to last awhile!

Highlights of rainy January days

I was working on the computer one morning when Nora settled onto the couch on her own; she set up a pillow, grabbed a nearby book and pulled up a blanket. It was so cute how she did it just like we do... although we tend to turn our books the other way!

She laughed when I commented on her "reading"...

The funniest thing was that she had chosen a book on sex education that the boys are going through at youth group. I think we'll stick with board books for now...   :)

Nora's latest past-time is pulling off her pants and socks when she gets wired... fortunately her "onesie" snapped shirt prevented her from getting too out there. With Scott and Lewis wrestling one weekend night, she looked like a professional in her white "suit". Didn't take much encouragement for her to "save" Lewis.

Imagine a lot of giggling and shrieking... from both the kids!

I'm not sure how the tunnel fits into wrestling but it's obviously a lot of fun.

Nora takes a turn, likely thinking "If I can't see you, you can't see me!"

Taking a break... somehow Thomas was not distracted in the least by the activity on the floor between him and his Wii game.

Nora and I visited Megumi and her daughter on Tuesday to celebrate our birthdays together, with a delicious lunch of Thai curry that Megumi prepared... so good. The girls enjoyed their Udon noodles also, but unfortunately Nora did a nasty scratching maneuver right down her friend's face. Perhaps Scott should teach a toddler class on how to fight fairly?!  Let's hope that the girls have short memories...