It's Chinese New Year's Eve & Drake's 9th Birthday !

We started off our day with some yummy birthday cake for breakfast. Drake's cake was Hui Tai Lan - from the same show as Colten's cake was; Xi Yang Yang. The chocolate flavor of the whip was so yummy!

After cake, we prepared for a family lunch, which we were invited to by one of Andrew's student, Winnie's, family. We have spent time with this family on several occasions and they are so generous and nice to us. We felt very honored to be included in their New Year's traditions. For Chinese people, today is a day of family. Traditionally, last night everyone cleans their home from top to bottom in preparation for visits from other family members.

On New Years Eve, the whole family eats together and children are given new clothes, new toys, and money in red envelopes. After, each day of the week, for the next five days is spent at a different family mambers home. The food was delicious, by the way and all of the children had a great time playing together.

Since there was a light snow yesterday, we took some time for a photo op before it had completely melted away, though it was already afternoon.

Then - more cake! And because wrapping paper seems to be in short supply in Nanjing, we improvised and sent Drake on a wild goose chase through the apartment to find his gifts. He found them all easily and each one lead him closer to his ultimate gift - and electronic keyboard and microphone.

  

Tonight we look forward to all the fireworks shows that (as Andrew would say) will be "poppin' off" outside of our apartment.

Happy 9th Birthday Drake!

Today is not only Chinese New Year eve but also Drake's 9th Birthday... 9 Years Old!!!!

Wow! How time flies.

Due to the lack of wrapping paper in Nanjing.. or atleast my lack of finding it we decided to hide Drake's gifts and send him on a wild goose chase to find them.

Each clue lead him to a gift, building up to the "big one" an electronic keyboard.

 Continuing with the theme of Xi Yang Yang from Colten's party Drake had a Hui Tai Lan cake and it was so yummy!

We love you Drake, Happy Birthday!

Double Happiness

Last night we attended the wedding ceremony of our newest friend here in Chine, Luan (Chinese) and Bjorn (Swedish). They are already married, in Sweden but now needed to be married in China as well – more for “face” reasons or as Luan put it "my parents want to make sure everyone knows I am married"… as she is pregnant. It was a great party. The food, spirits and festivities were hun hao.

Bjorn serenaded Luan with a popular Swedish tune and then his rendition of its now or never, which I thought was an inappropriate but hilarious choice considering the occasion. After the ceremony and dinner there was karaoke by several drunken Chinese men, a tai chi dance by Luan’s mother (it’s her new hobby), all of the kids were able to take the mic and sing – yes of course Drake and Avery sang about three times, Colten danced. I told them to sing the ABC’s once – they did and all of the Chinese people loved it. They all received stuffed animals as prizes and at the end Luan gave all of the children in attendance 100RMB each (about $16), she says its tradition. 

There was also this weird period of time during dinner when the “dj” played careless whisper by Wham! On loop for at least an hour - - let me repeat, ONLY that song for an hour… also hilarious!

It's a Party!!

On Saturday we had a big party for Colten and lots of his friends from school came. We had pizza (from Papa Johns) and cake - a 16" Xi Yang Yang (Happy Goat) head with white chocolate shavings as the wool and fruit whip filling).

The cake was yummy but by American standards may not have been considered sweet enough. Chinese desserts are maybe a third less sweet than what we are use to but everyone enjoyed it and we had a great time.

Interestingly enough, Colten received alot of gifts, which we were told after was not common in China. Typically money is given to the guest of honor but perhaps because we were hosting such an American style party, others joined into the tradition and brought gifts instead of RMB... I have to say, money is always a good gift, no matter what the tradition but, Colten enjoyed his toys all the same.