Happy New Year!

 Happy New Year!  Last night we ushered in the New (Chinese) Year at this house - the year of the Black Water Dragon.  We learned that this combination occurs only every 60 years and is considered very lucky!  We started celebrating Chinese New Year when we lived in Boston.  A girl in Peter's program at Tufts was from China and was sad to have nobody to celebrate with.  We threw her a party with his whole department at our house!  She was beyond thrilled to call her parents and say that she had celebrated New Year's with friends.  We have continued the celebration annually at our house.  In fact, it is one of my kid's favorite nights.  We order Chinese take-out [our least favorite Asian food] and read fortunes. 

 While the kids are at school I decorate the table with all the animals I can find in the house for the current New Year.  They love to come home and see what the new animal will be for the year.  We had plenty of dragons thanks to Jacob's past love of knights, castles and dragons.

 I also find any book with an Asian theme or the animal theme.  Peter reads to us at dinner after we learn about all of our own birth years.  Jacob loves to read about his year the Monkey - a genius and good memory.  Michael squeals as we read that horses have a weakness for the opposite sex.  Peter is a dragon, Colin is a Tiger, and Scotty is a loyal pig.  I am a snake and apparently am very attractive and fortunate with money - HA!