Happy Chinese New Year

We have a Korean children's book called New Clothes for New Year's Day translated into English.  The illustrations are colorful with the bold colors of Korean traditional clothes called Hanbok and the story is about a little girl excitedly putting on her new hanbok her mom made for her on Chinese New Year's Day.  It ends with her standing outside in the snow with two dogs ready to go visit relatives to wish them a happy new year with the traditional Korean bow (your hands folded neatly on your forehead touching the floor as you sit to bow).  That is the tradition.

Arielle and I have enjoyed reading it together as we anticipated Chinese New Year's Day.  She learned how to do this bow and the exact line she was to say while she bowed in Korean.  While we were visiting my family these past couple of days my step mom and grandma took her out and bought her her own hanbok!  The story became her own and she was so cute and happy in her new hanbok.  She did the bow a few times and earned quite a bit of money. :)  I wish I had a better picture... but here's the only one we caught, unfortunately! (The photo in the frame above her head is Daniel and I at our wedding in our traditional clothes 5 years ago!)

my beautiful Korean daughter :P

Ari got to try the violin (after seeing a relative play it once she knew just what to do!)

my grandma's 78th(?) birthday was the day before Chinese New Year's

my grandpa holding Ti while my youngest brother entertains him

Ari's special "seat"

her new coat

The four of us slept with my dad and step mom neatly laying side by side like matchsticks on the floor of their little room during our stay there.  It wasn't anything new to me but my poor American husband. :P  He did not complain one bit!  One night the floor was too cold and then the next night it was boiling hot.  Our little kiddos brought much laughter and smile upon my family's faces and I guess it was all worth it.  :)

Daniel got a haircut and highlights.  My step mom took the four of us out and pampered us with new hairdos.  We were all at a hair salon for a few hours... Ti had a poop explosion but thankfully there was only one other customer besides us.  I got a "safe for nursing mothers" perm too.

On a side note, I have begun drafting my birth story with Ti recently.  I probably will not be posting anything else until I finish that.  It really is becoming more than a birth story but I feel the need to chronicle the whole story before our time in Korea comes to a close.  (Don't worry, it won't take months! :)  In fact, Ti's 100th day celebration is coming up in less than two weeks! so I will need to finish the story by then for sure.