Last weekend the weather was beautiful so we decided to take the girls to play mini-golf. They loved it and are now obsessed with it. I even found a little kids golf kit with clubs and balls so now they are playing at home too…and believe me it is all they want to do!
The girls are officially toddlers and my world has been completely turned upside down. Since January it has progressively turned into a major power struggle. They fight me when I change their diapers, get them dressed, and when going to sleep. The sleep thing is killing us. Needless to say I am at the end of my rope so I reached out for reinforcements…
Too bad I have no time to read given the fact they refuse to sleep!
In other news we celebrated TET on Sunday. We were going to go up to D.C. for the celebrations up there but with the snow we decided to stay local and went out for Vietnamese food.
The owners of the restaurant could not believe they were wearing Ao dai. The girls were really cute during dinner and especially liked their new years treat of a scoop of chocolate ice cream each.
2010 is the year of the Tiger.
Tet, the Vietnamese New year, is celebrated for 7 days. Tet starts with the raising of the Cay Neu, a New Year tree in front of the home. A bamboo pole is often used as a Cay Neu. All the leaves are removed and it is wrapped or decorated with lucky red paper. Legend has it that the color red scares off evil spirits. The raising of the Cay Neu marks the end of preparations and the beginning of Tet. The New Year tree points the way for the ancestor’s spirits who come back to celebrate Tet with the living.
A special ceremony called Le Tru Tich is held at midnight on New Year’s Eve. Firecrackers, gongs and other loud noises are used to usher out the old and welcome in the New Year. The preparations and celebrations of Tet are very involved and are imbued with symbolism. The Vietnamese regard Tet as one of the most important and popular festivals of the year.
Preparations for Tet begin weeks in advance and can be very meticulous. Homes must be cleaned and painted to get rid of any bad fortune associated with the old year. Everyone gets new clothes and shoes, debts are paid off, if possible, and any differences between family and friends are resolved. Three days worth of food is prepared and children are encouraged to not argue, or cry. The Vietnamese believe that whatever occurs on the first day, sets the tone for what the coming year will bring. Homes are often decorated with Hoa Mai, a yellow blossom that represents the season of spring as well as happiness. The Vietnamese will refrain from cleaning during Tet because they don’t want to sweep away any good luck.
The week before Tet, families visit the graves of parents and grandparents. Fresh earth is placed on top of the graves and the weeds are removed. Incense is burned to summon the souls of the dead and to encourage them to return and visit the family home.
Every Vietnamese home has an ancestor altar. During the New Year the altar is decorated with incense, flowers and photographs of deceased relatives. A plate containing five different fruits will be placed on the altar. This plate of fruit represents their desire for a good crop and prosperity in the coming year. The plate of fruits traditionally contains: a bunch of bananas, a grapefruit, “Buddha’s-hand” fruit, a lemon, oranges, tangerines, apples, or persimmons. Only the best looking fruit will be used and is then arranged in a pyramid. A tray full of fruit, coins and a tall vase of blossoms are placed in front of the altar.
Food plays a major role in the Tet celebrations. Tet is a time of excess, one does not “celebrate” Tet, the literal translation is to “eat” Tet. One of the most traditional foods for Tet is the Banh Chung, or sticky rice cake. Banh Chung is made of sticky rice, pork meat and green bean. The ingredients are wrapped inside leaves and tied with bamboo strings, making a perfect square.
Tet is also a time for visiting family and friends. Most Vietnamese will travel back to their family homes to spend Tet with their relatives. The first day of Tet is reserved for visiting the immediate family. Children usually wear their new clothes and greet their elders the traditional Tet greetings. The second day of Tet is usually reserved for special guests and close friends to visit, and the third day is for visiting teachers and business associates. The third day is also a day to visit the graves of deceased relatives. The graves are decorated with incense, flowers, and candles. Many Buddhists will go to the Pagoda to pray for a good year. It is considered taboo for anyone who has experienced a recent death in their family to visit anyone else during Tet.
The Vietnamese believe that the first visitor of the New Year will determine their fortune for the coming year. According to Vietnamese tradition, if good things come to the family on the first day of the lunar New Year, the entire year will also be full of blessings. The person invited to be the first to enter a home is usually chosen because of their success in life and their positive attributes.
Not only is Tet the beginning of a New Year, it is also everyone’s birthday. The Vietnamese do not celebrate the exact day they were born. A baby turns one on Tet no matter when he or she was born that year. Children say they were born in the year of the symbol of the lunar calendar for that year. On the first morning of Tet, adults congratulate children on becoming a year older by presenting them with red envelopes that contain “Lucky Money,” or li xi. These envelopes are given to the children by parents, siblings, relatives and close friends.
It’s snowing again!!! Here are a couple of clips from our snow adventures this week.
What is up with winter this year! We are snowed in again. The girls were excited about the snow so we went out for a bit to play.
They had a great time throwing snow around
And being pulled around on our boogie boards…
I asked for this for Christmas but it never showed up. So I took matters into my own hands and bought it for myself. It is now my (and Selwyn’s) new favorite thing…
It’s an all edge brownie pan! Brownies have never tasted so good.
My other favorite thing..
The girls new table and chairs. They love to sit at their table to draw and play with play dough. And the best part of all is that it is just their size.
We have gone where many parents have gone before..we left the kids for a long weekend in Arizona. Our good friend from college got married so we decided to come out for the celebration. We are really living it up without the kids. Selwyn is really enjoying the cactus…
We also got to have out favorite fast food..IN N OUT
We got to spend some good quality time together…turns out we still like each other
It’s official…the girls are in the terrible 2’s stage!!! Please tell me that this will pass and soon! On a more positive note the girls are really starting to talk, Darby especially. She is repeating words like no body’s business. The other day she accidentally pushed Lyla and then turned around and said, “Sorry.” It was really cute and funny because I had not necessarily taught her that word. Lyla is coming along with talking. She mostly loves to name my facial features. She is also a pro at “NO”. She sticks her index finger out and firmly says NO.
The 10th of January was our referral date anniversary. I meant to do a post about it but never got around to it. I still can’t believe that it has been 2 years since we saw our girls for the first time. It still seems like yesterday and sometimes when the girls are throwing their tantrums I wish it was yesterday. Just kidding. I love my girls and every moment is worth it ten times over.
So the girls are obsessed with Frosty the Snow Man. They love watching the frosty movies and pretending to be frosty with these plastic new years hats we got in Florida. Our snow has melted and our frosty has gone away. I think the girls are a little bitter about that because this morning I found then making their own snow…
So they found the bag from our shredder and decided it was snow time! I heard them in the office giggling, which is never a good sign, and went to check on them. While I was mad I couldn’t help laughing.
We had a great time in Florida. While we were there Lyla and Darby got haircuts.
While Lyla just got a trim; Darby’s cut was more drastic.
The girls really bonded with their new best friend Chloe
And we even got to go swimming and go down the water slide.
Thanks Daniel and Cathy. You guys are the best!