Happy Year of the Dragon

新年快乐！ Happy Chinese New Year!  After now having several years that we are actually in China (and not Thailand) for Chinese New Year, it is starting to feel like a familiar holiday that we actually have traditions for.  It is a pretty fun (although loud) holiday.  Sunday night (new year's eve) we made jiaozi with our neighbors.  Angie made them all "guo tie", which means pan fried and the yummiest kind I think. I made my very un-traditional apple jiaozi, which are deep fried and rolled in cinnamon sugar.  Chris likens them to a McDonalds' apple pie, though I like to think they are a little better than McDonalds.

Then Monday night after dinner Chris took the boys along with several neighbors to light sparklers and shoot some more tame fireworks/toys. One was a frog, a panda that spun and shot out sparks and one that shot up more like a traditional firework.  Austin seems to have totally overcome his former fear of the noise, but Bennett was a little afraid.  However, he still had fun.  

This is Chris' year.. he was born in the year of the dragon.  It is starting out with a bang here, as usual but we spent most of the last two days trying to keep warm at home.  Happy New Year!