Sip 'n' See

Today QQ and I went to NaiNai's house for a very special party...Flynn QiuQiu's coming out party, of sorts! NaiNai Susan had been kind enough to set up a big do with all her friends from work and from the neighborhood, many of whom were at M's and my wedding two years ago in Vail! It was great to see everyone, and QQ (social butterfly that she is) absolutely loved all the attention and admiration! Here we are with our fabulous cake (the flash was too bright so it's hard to see, but I promise you, it was something to behold!) and the satin birthday crown that aunt Chrissies sent us from Alabama!

Aunt Lisa and cousin Rebecca with her lovely daughter Abigail, who was just a baby when we were doing all our adoption paperwork!

NaiNai and Flynn sharing a loving moment. Here you can see the cake from the back.

QQ proudly wore a dress that her daddy bought for her in Guangzhou, just before we left China! Daddy has good taste in dresses, turns out! Who knew?

Cousin Abigail is a good caretaker and immediately took to Flynn, who was thrilled to have a new friend to play with! They were awfully cute together.

MaryAnn with the girls.

QiuQiu speaking her own language (or at least listening to it!) with a Chinese friend.

Good times were had by all, and before we knew it four hours had passed! Good thing QQ is such a social kid...many would have melted down quickly at a big party like this, but she loved it and was all smiles right up until her bedtime today!

So much fun was had, so much good food consumed, so much delicious cake passed around, that poor NaiNai could hardly keep up! It was the kind of event that takes on a life of its own...which is the best kind.

Abigail helped me to unwrap Flynn's presents and dispose of the wrapping, and Rebecca (whose organizational skills I envy) was good enough to keep a list of gifts and names. That's the kind of help that's indispensable at an event like this, and I was lucky to have it! Now, if I can just find the time (and two free hands) to get those thank-you cards written...

Passing around Flynn's loot! Someone (I suspect NaiNai) did a wonderful job of telling people what she needed most, and we got a lot of clothing in the size just a couple of steps bigger than what she has now, to help fill in the gaps as she grows into fall and winter! We even got the really practical stuff (diapers and wipes and the like) and, having been to a few showers myself, I am very grateful to those people who realized that the practical stuff, while not as much fun to buy, is oh, so necessary and appreciated! Flynn even got her very first hiking backpack from her grandparents, who know exactly how much we love to hike!


Cousin Victoria doing cartwheels on the lawn after the party.