happy chinese new year!

Okay, okay. So, Chinese New Year was eons ago. But, I have pictures from our activities, so forgive me. Please. Pretty please! With sugar on top!!

So, we were able to visit the Peabody-Essex Museum in Salem, MA the Saturday following New Years for various family friendly acidifies. They had a lion dance which was short, but neat. Afterwards, they let the kids try out the dragon "costumes". Ruby was totally obsessed with the dragons and wanted to know where they were at even when we went into other exhibits. Needless to say, she was far too nervous to actually get under one of the dragons herself!

They had a really awesome origami exhibit, that made the whole trip worthwhile for me! I am in awe of some of the creations they had on display all made from a $1 bill. I think they have some pretty neat pictures on the website...

Ruby and I also enjoyed doing some print making to create a few greeting cards. Who were the cards sent to you may ask? Well, I guess we're saving them for a special occasion because they are currently residing in our craft drawer! I am SO BAD about writing these days. I swear I used to be better at that sort of thing.

Jared and Max kept busy by trying not to get run down by the hoards of people jostling for position at one of the tables. It's a dog eat dog world in the crafting biz. Especially on Saturday mornings!

We were also able to make a neat lantern. Ruby loved putting the stamps on the side. Also, since doing this project she's been obsessed with her little scissors and LOVES cutting. Especially receipts.

The great thing about the whole visit is that it was free! Our local library has free passes to lots of the museums around here which is great. We already have our pass reserved for a visit to the Science Museum in a few weeks. Should be big fun!

Another big highlight for Jared and I was the Thai lunch we had afterwards. YUM!! We've missed being able to eat out so cheaply. There's another reason why we're glad to be back in the US. I knew there had to be a few more hiding around!