Lion Dancer

What a blessing today to have a library nearby doing a Chinese New Year celebration of sorts.  It was the Post Road Library in Forsyth County, one that Mommy the Navigator found a tremendous shortcut to.  We left church, and literally got there three minutes before the lion dance was scheduled to begin.  Mommy actually found a seat in the front row, and that's where we sat and learned about the different types of drum beats that the lion dance requires.  We also had fun seeing the different emotions of the lion, with Madison calling out her guesses as to what the lion's mood was.  "ANGRY!"  "SAD!"  "SLEEPY!"  It was great fun.

Afterwards, as you can see above, the kids got to try out their own miniature version of a lion head.  Madison initially was enjoying being the tail, hiding in the back and following others around.  But the head was soon an attractive idea, and as you can see above, it offered a fun place to peek out from.

Aside from beating cymbals and drums, there were other things to do as well.  Madison made crafts, such as the red envelopes with gold stamps and designs.  She made a Year of the Monkey bookmark, and a fire breathing dragon from lots of crafty supplies.  It was a fun time, with so much to do, and so much to learn from.  This year, we didn't get to go anywhere in particular to celebrate the Chinese New Year, but this had a lot to see, especially the lion dance, which was great.

We got home, and in honor of the Chinese New Year upcoming, we watched a few Chinese-themed movies, "Mulan II" and "Big Bird Goes to China."  Dinner was wedged in between the two, although there was also popcorn being served.  Can't have a movie for Madison without popcorn.

This morning, we had a big day with our last emotion, Fear.  The service went really well, and the characters did a great job for one more service together.  They'll be back in two weeks for another skit, as this upcoming Sunday is Valentine's Day, and everyone is taking a bit of a break.  Including Mommy and Daddy.  We'll be doing a movie-themed service, one based on "Inside Out" of course.

But the fear message was great, one where we talked about what the "Fear of the Lord" really is.  We also did the standard list of phobias that tend to crack people up.  Speaking of "cracking up," Daddy lost a tooth today on one of those really sticky pieces of Chinese candy at the library.  It was a cap, not a real tooth.  Still, it came as quite a shock.  Calculating back, this one has been on my tooth for ten years now, which is amazing in itself.  This week, we'll have to go to the dentist and get it stuck back on.  Or, perhaps I could just do it myself with some Elmer's glue...

...or maybe not.

Tonight before bed, we read a whole lot of different Chinese New Year books.  We set aside "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" for just a bit in order to read some of these books about the Chinese New Year.  One of Daddys' favorites involves Iron Man battling the Mandarin at a Chinese New Year parade.  It's a  Golden Book from a few years ago, and it's pretty fun.  Anyway, we enjoyed these books together, and then it was off to sleep.  Tomorrow is Chinese New Year, and we've got a few surprises planned...!

恭禧發財