Join with your FCC SoCal friends and family for a weekend of fun in the outdoors. We have several adjacent sites reserved at the Live Oak campground in Caspers Wilderness Park for the weekend of Nov. 7-9. The campground can accommodate most tents, trailers and motor homes (no hookups though) and we have members of FCC with gear to share if you are new to camping.

In recognition of the full moon, we will have a (slightly late) mini Moon Festival around the campfire on Saturday night. There are trails to hike, a visitor center to explore, and a play structure for the little ones. The FCC camp leaders will bravely make scrambled eggs in the morning and burgers on Saturday night, with the rest of the meals potluck.

Everyone (from all regions) is welcome; however, space is limited. Cost is $15 per person, ages 5+, 4 and under are free. For more information and to RSVP, please email: [email protected].  Don’t be shy if you have not been camping before – your FCC SoCal friends can help you through!

What's been happening in Orange County for the past six months or so?  In October we screened the documentary Talking With the Moon Princess followed by a discussion for girls ages 10+ with the filmmaker Priscilla Hefley.  Thank you Priscilla for joining us and to Christine Friend and all the volunteers who helped organize and run this new event.  In November we held our annual art workshop with teacher Melanie Vogel, where kids created works of art to turn into holiday gifts. Thanks Susan Tschabrun for organizing and to the group that helped out on site. December was Holiday Party time, with another great turnout for this OC tradition.  This event took a village - thank you Jenifer Weigand
for all the advance arrangements and to Michelle Sheehan, Tanya Turro-Vilander, Debbie Kistler, Sandy Draper, Maggie Davenport, Mary Wattenberg, Patty Uy, their families, and everyone else who pitched in on this event. In March we got together for our first Dim Sum Sunday of 2012 and were happy to have several families with babies in attendance. Thanks Christine Friend for organizing. 

If you have photos from any of these past events you'd like to share, please send them to [email protected] and we'll get them posted.

What's still to come in 2012?  A number of OC parents participated in a March planning meeting to outline the calendar for the rest of the year - see attached.  Many of the dates and times are still to be determined, so check your email and www.fccsocal.org for updates as the year progresses.  Up next is a kickoff gathering for the Blazing Paddles dragonboat team on April 29.  Contact Maggie Davenport at
[email protected] for details.

If you have any questions or want to get involved please email [email protected].

Orange County held our 15th Annual Moon Festival Banquet on September 18.  Keeping with tradition, the event was held at Ten Ten Seafood Restaurant in Artesia.

The evening started off with an icebreaker activity, the Moon Festival Legends Game. Each participant received a sheet about the legends and were tasked with finding images related to the legends, e.g. 10 suns, Chang-e, Hou-yi etc.  Each family was given an envelope of images to hand out and the kids had to run around the room collecting images from other banquet attendees.

As always, everyone enjoyed the delicious menu of egg drop soup, honey walnut shrimp, beef and snow peas, tofu and mushrooms, cashew chicken, house lo mein, yang chow rice, and of course, moon cakes.  Dinner was followed by a variety of entertaining and education performances: 

• Martial Drum: Performer Arthur Chen and instructor Rachael Sysiong
• Beijing Opera Master: Kevin Chai
• Lion Dance Instruction: Jonathan Wong

All attendees had the opportunity to try out the instruments and costumes and learn some of the routines first hand.  The evening ended with prizes for the kids - all went home with an adorable stuffed xiong mao, hou zi, tu zi or other animal.

Many thanks to organizers Susan Tschabrun and Debbie Kistler, and the group of volunteers who helped make this banquet a success! Copy and photos for this post contributed by Patty Uy and Jenifer Weigand.

Your all-volunteer Orange County Planning Committee has assembled an exciting calendar of events for the remainder of 2011. Review the calendar and mark the dates so your family can plan to participate in as many activities as possible. Please note that event information is subject to change - be sure to check back to this site for the latest postings, and look for electronic invitations and updates in your email as the year progresses.

More volunteers are always needed to help with events. Please contact the committee at [email protected].  Help build and sustain our nurturing, fun and enriching community that celebrates, empowers and advocates for adoptive families in every stage of the lifelong adoption journey. Many thanks to everyone who has contributed over the years to Families with Children from China!

The Orange County Regional Group had a busy end to 2010.  Here's the wrap-up:

In October the OC Regional Group inaugurated a new event - the China Book and Story Group.  This 2-in-1 family event opened with a fun children's session on Chinese folktales taught by Ms. Shawna Lai, instructor at South Coast Chinese Cultural Center. In the second hour, the remaining adults enjoyed a discussion of the book Factory Girls: from Village to City in a Changing China by Leslie T. Chang. Everyone took part in the conversation and got to know each other better.  In the adjoining room, two of our teenage girls took charge of the younger kids and led a "make your own book" craft.  Patty Uy organized and numerous volunteers helped with set up and clean up.  Thanks everyone!  Expect to see this kind of event again in 2011!

Additional events include the annual art workshop and the Holiday Dance Party. Click through to read more.

This autumn marked another memorable Moon Festival banquet in Orange County. The event was once again held at Ten Ten Seafood Restaurant in Artesia. Everyone enjoyed the delicious food and interactive cultural entertainment.

Co-organizer Susan Tschabrun introduced a mooncake dice game from Fujian province. The game originated about 350 years ago by a Chinese general trying to stave off homesickness among his troops during this family-centric holiday. The total of 63 prizes, based on various dice combinations, was named after the six titles earned in the imperial civil service exam.  Mooncake Dice Game proved to be a big hit with all participants and will surely become part of our annual tradition.