Cheers to the Weekend, Chinese New Year Edition

Happy Friday, friends! And Happy Chinese New Year! This is a big day for us now, as it is an important part of Bella's culture and tradition of her homeland; so, it is now a day we will honor and celebrate from here on out. <3 What does this mean? Well, the 2018 Chinese New Year begins TODAY, Friday, February 16th. Unlike our Western world, Chinese New Year does not fall on the same day each year. It takes place on a different day each year because it is based on the lunar calendar.  

Other things to know (info taken from various resources, for inquiring minds) :

• Chinese New Year (aka Lunar New Year) is a 15-day festival in China and Chinese communities around the world that begins with the new moon and concludes until the following new moon. 
• 2018 is the Year of the Dog (the Chinese zodia moves in a 12-year cycle). Asian astrology purports that the year of birth - and the animal this represents - determines a lot about one's personality traits.  
• Often, Chinese families will gather for a reunion dinner on New Year's Eve and clean their houses on New Year's Day to sweep away bad fortune and make way for incoming good luck.  
• Children are often given red envelopes filled with "lucky money" - this year, in lieu of a red envelope, Bella will be receiving a different, but still very special gift from us. More on that later. <3

There is so much more to it, but I figure that's a good stopping point for today. :) Aside from celebrating Chinese New Year, here are a few other things we're saying CHEERS to this week/end:

Divide and conquer. Last Saturday, my Lu Crew split into girl/boy factions for some fun! For Christmas, one of Banks' cousins gave him tickets to a Charlotte Checkers hockey game. We bought an extra ticket for Harrison and the boys accompanied their daddy to the game last weekend. They had a blast. 

Meanwhile, back at home, the girls and I (Side note: I love saying "the girlS." I can't even tell you how much I love that /S/ after "girl." GirlS) had our own spa night. For Christmas, Raleigh received a spa kit; so, we pulled it out and had so much fun! We created several of the fun spa items that came with the kit, played girly music, had salads (Raleigh's choice) and ice cream (also Raleigh's choice), and had our own dance party. It was awesome! So, it was a win-win night for all!

So long, basketball season. Before the family fun last Saturday night, we had Banks' last basketball game of the season...at 8:00 am sharp. :0 We played the #1 team and while we were beating them for much of the second half, they came back and won with like :30 to go. It was a great season with a great team, though; so, we were proud of our sweet team. And then, a few days later, baseball evaluations took place. #norestfortheweary 

Valentine's Day celebrations. We had a lovely Valentine's Day 'round these parts. I was awoken to a sweet surprise from my hub, who was out of town that morning but had arranged for Banks to set out a few sweet gifts. <3 Banks set his alarm clock for 5:30 am so he could be sure to have them on the table and ready for me to see them when I walked into the kitchen at 6:00. So thankful for my sweet guys! 

 
I made the kids special red sprinkle pancakes for breakfast while they looked through their Valentine surprises (more on the trays seen in the photo above in an upcoming post). And all four kiddos were decked out in their Valentine finest for their parties at school. 

My girlfriend and I were in charge of the party in Harrison's preschool class, and Bella tagged along as we served the kiddos special snacks, decorated heart-shaped cookies, and played a round of Valentine's Bingo. 

That evening, my hub (who returned from out of town late afternoon) and I went out to dinner at a restaurant we love in Charlotte called Baku (apparently the Panther's Luke Kuechly does, too, as he and his date enjoyed their Valentine's dinner at the table behind ours ;) ). We dined on yummy calamari, sushi, steak, Brussel sprouts, mushrooms, and chocolate lava cake - delish! It was a great day for my Lu Crew. :) 

Eye exams. We got the results from three of my kiddos' recent eye exams over the last week: For Banks - it was confirmed that he is near-sighted, which we discovered last year. He rarely never wears his glasses, but he does have them. He doesn't seem too effected by it yet, even when not wearing his glasses, but we probably should actually use them from time to time. #oops For Raleigh - it was confirmed she has anisocoria, which we discovered when she was an infant. At the time, six years ago, we saw a neurologist and she underwent an MRI of her brain to ensure there was nothing scary lurking and causing the condition. There wasn't and it hasn't been an issue to date. But it is pretty interesting when you look at her eyes, to see such a distinct difference in her pupils! For Bella - she had an eye appointment yesterday. Although we haven't had any concerns about her vision, the school district requires an eye exam as we prepare to determine her preschool eligibility. I prayed fervently about this appointment. Our sweet girl has so many obstacles right now, and I just wanted us to come away from an appointment without hearing there's a problem or need for follow-up/treatment or a new referral. And....praise the good Lord, we finally got the "Everything looks good!" report. Y'all. I went out to the car and just cried and cried. I was so thankful. Never will I take those words for granted again. Thank you, Jesus. Homegirl can see and see well! Amen, Amen, Amen. <3

Beautiful weather. Yes, I know it's not going to stick around. It is WINTER after all. But, when we get a few days of warm temps, we take full advantage. We plant ourselves outside and play, play, play. 

 

Doc Momma Bakes...again. As I've mentioned before, one of the ways I helped to raise money for Bella's adoption was to bake and decorate over 1500 themed cookies for various parties, celebrations, and events last year. I haven't had time to do it since we brought our Bella home, as it is verrrrrrry time consuming #perfectionist. BUT I made an exception this week when a friend asked me to make six dozen cookies for the opening of a new branch of her awesome business - Anders Ruff Workshop. These workshops are popping up ALL OVER the country, undoubtedly because they are AWESOME! If you have one near you, you must grab some girlfriends or your kiddos or anyone you choose and sign up for a class! Over the course of about 2 hours, you get to create a personalized sign/pillow/etc. of your choosing. In fact, I made one last year that now sits proudly on our entryway table. ANYWHO, I was honored to make six dozen cookies for the newest location, which is opening in Charlotte: 

And that's all I've got for today, friends! I hope you each have a lovely weekend and are able to make the most of it, however you may choose. See you again, soon!