Chinese New Year, My Birthday, and The Coast!

Oh what a busy few weeks it's been! first was our New Year Party, then the FCC new year party the next day, then my birthday weekend the following weekend, then a new ROOF on my house! (actually there was a little overlap there...)
On February 9 we had our chinese New Year Party at Cindy's house. We cooked a LOT of food!!!

LeJin and her granddaughter Freia- She told me the fish I made was best quality, better than Chinese can cook...ooh that was a proud moment when a REAL chinese Grandma tells me such a compliment about one of my dishes!!

Heidi had put together a couple of crafts for the kids, paper plate chinese style "tamborines" and paper bag lion puppets. The kids had tons of fun and she had a helper- Phil...unfortunately I don't have any photos of HEIDI helping the kids as I was cooking while the crafting was being done, just this one of Phil!

Bridget, Jason & Quincy came down from Seattle to celebrate Chinese New Year with us. I met Bridget and Jason two years ago at the first adoption training class I ever went to! I was scrambling to finish my paperwork and they were waiting until Bridget was 30 to turn theirs in! I knew instantly that I liked them- they are both very warm and sweet people! We caught up again this fall when they traveled to China to meet their son, Quincy, and bring him home. What a cute little bundly of energy and happiness he is! Such a sweet little boy!!!

At some point in the evening we started taking pictures of the kids, Liana came and sat on my lap and Ameline wanted to also- Dumpling was NOT TOO KEEN on my lap being taken up by others, so she wanted in too, before I knew it we had a raucious game of how many kids can pile on Kelli? Okay so *maybe*....*just maybe* I encouraged it- because as little ones came by we just grabbed them and squeezed them altogether! Kyle was standing close by and you could tell he wanted to be a part of the game, but seemed a little unsure with all the girls, but he had as big a smile on his face as any of the kids when he was pulled into the pile! Eva was only too happy to walk just close enough to be snatched up and squeezed with the rest of them.

Mary had had a class all that day and had gone to visit a friends terminally ill mother to say goodbye to her, so we were happy that she did make it in the end- regardless of a long day with a sad event, she seemed relaxed and happy to be in the chaos...

Eva with her Lion puppet...

This is the closest we came to getting all the kids in one photo- we had 13. I think they are actually all there except Olivia who is 11 I think, and determined herself too old for the kids photo...Amazingly, most of them are looking ahead and Kyle is the only one who is mostly obscured...

But fortunately we had this way cute photo of Kyle and Dumpling. Kyle is dumpling's preschool boyfriend.

Alana with a half a smile...she was being shy girl and I did manage to get one totally cute photo of her with a big smile on her face, but apparently I uploaded the wrong one! I do think this is a totally sweet photo of her though, so I left it in!
Before Kyle could leave Dumpling needed to give him a hug. Actually this was the very end of the hug. It started with a tackle that left him flat on the floor and her throwing herself at him trying to hug him. He was giggling away clearly loving it. They finally both got up and then hugged in a much more *serious* manner, all silly childish laughing gone, these are the grown up 3 year olds...(no, there is no putting down the princess flashlight, even when you are hugging your very grown up 3 year old boyfriend....)
A few weeks ago I got an email asking whether I could be abducted for my birthday for the entire weekend! Wow...I certainly said yes to that! I did get the heads up the weekend before that we were off to the coast so I could pack appropriately, then a week ago I was whisked off to the coast by the girls. Mary and I drove together, Heidi, Sharon, Cindy and Dumpling had gone out earlier.

I was surprised to see *this* waiting when I arrived!!!

Heidi made a wonderful dinner of vegetarian lasagna and french bread, and afterwards we had the cake. As I was helping get the dishes for the cake and nearly started to light the candles I was admonished for trying to do such a thing, and told to be surprised!

So....I made feeble attempts at "being surprised!"

Mind you I had moved the cake off the table for dinner myself, but I think it's pretty convincing...

German Chocolate...yum! So tasty!!! With very cool striped candles...

Cindy and Dumpling playing together the next morning...

Heidi enjoying the view off our back porch...

We went for a walk on the beach after lunch. Mary had to to to Albany for the memorial for the friend whose mother was terminally Ill, she passed away the day after Mary saw her.

It was a beautiful day at the beach-

More beach silliness...

There is just something about a jigsaw puzzle at the coast...

Dumpling tired after a long weekend....turns out it was probably the beginning of a flu sort of thing that got 4 of us....!