Chinese New Year

This year is Cannon's first year in the Chinese Dual Immersion program, so this was also our first time participating in Chinese New Year festivities!

What a fantastic holiday! The first and second graders combined for all of the fun activities. They got the symbol for "Spring" painted on their faces. The Chinese New Year is the symbolic start of Spring. All things new, and leaving bad luck and bad weather behind.

They practiced calligraphy. They learned something new about the holiday with each activity. They "swept away" bad luck. Did you know you're not supposed to clean your house on Chinese New Year's Day? You're not supposed to wash your hair, or say the number 4. Bad Luck if you do!

We also learned you're not supposed to cut your noodles! The longer your noodle, the longer your life!

They got fortune cookies, and watched Mulan - in Chinese, of course. They ate Chinese candies, and oranges, and chocolate coins. They had a chop stick relay race, and wrote good-luck letters.

THEN, the parade!!!! This was especially exciting, because the parents were the ones to pull this part off! We got together in teams, and paper mache'd and painted the heads of a dragon and two lions. Other teams sewed the bodies.

My cute neigbors and I got to work on the dragon. It turned out so fantastic! This is the year of the dragon, and the dragon is also our school mascot, so this is something that will be at our school for years to come.

The kids paraded them all around the school, and everyone loved it! So fun!

At the end of the party, Cannon's cute Chinese teacher gave all the kids red envelopes with a penny and a good luck wish. She is the cutest, most loving teacher, and she has made this year so great for all the kids.

Happy and Prosperous New Year to YOU!

Birthday Boy

Last Friday, our Cannon Boy turned S E V E N !!! I can't believe it! This year, he chose to take a few friends to Boondocks for his birthday. It was actually a really fun place for a party! Our waiter, Pancho, really took care of us and the kids. He did card tricks while we were waiting for everyone to arrive, and let Cannon wrap seven times in a roll of tickets. He even made sure the kids always had their drinds refilled. Cute! Then he handed out tokens, gave them their tickets to laser tag, and we were off!

We had to wait in line for about 6 minutes for the laser tag. LONGEST SIX MINUTES EVER! They came out of there all sweaty, and happy, so I guess it was worth it!!

Cannon has some really cute friends, they were all really a lot of fun. After laser tag, they were let loose in the arcade! Then the tickets were cashed in for prizes. They loved every minute of it! And, so did the mom and dad!! NO CLEAN UP! We came, we ate, we sang, we played, and we LEFT! It was a great birthday, for all of us!

Happy Happy Birthday, Cannon! We love YOU!

Our Feller's A Speller!

Last Friday, Cannon came home and announced that he had come in FIRST PLACE in his class Spelling Bee! How exciting! We are so proud, and he was so proud of himself! He called his grandparents to tell them and we texted all the Aunties.

There was a list made available to study from. I didn't want to make him CRAM all weekend, so we just kept it casual. Reading and spelling have (LUCKILY) come pretty easy for him, so I think the notion of studying and memorizing big words was a bit different for him. The list included words from a 1st to 8th grade level.


Monday, there was no school. An extra day to prepare! And around mid-day, Cannon started to complain that his stomach hurt and he felt nauseated. The most dreaded words a Mother can hear!


CRAP! CRAP! I didn't want him to have the flu for his big day! But, I also was wondering if he had a case of the nerves.


Well, the poor thing didn't eat any dinner, and he HURLED in the middle of the night.
CRAP!!
I figured, that was it, he would be staying home sick and miss the Spelling Bee.


To my surprise, I woke up in the morning to find my son had gotten up already. AND put his nice dress clothes on. AND his clip-on tie! ;) He thinks a clip-on is waaaayy cooler than a real tie! This is the same kid who I practically have to drag out of bed every morning!



"So I guess you're going to the Spelling Bee?"

"Yep."

"Do you still feel sick?"

"My stomach still hurts a little, but I want to go. I put my tie on, Mom."

So, off he went to school! To my surprise!
Greg had planned to go and watch him participate, and we told him that if he still felt sick, he could just come back home with his dad.

Oh the NERVES!!! Oh that cold sweaty feeling! OH the trials of childhood!
Cannon got up, and his word was "cheery". And the poor kid forgot the R! Dang it!

But then his stomach felt better. And he stayed at school. And he was fine. :) And now we know how to study for tests!!

He also got a cool certificate, and a pin. And THAT definitely made him feel cheery!!! ;)