Parties

Whenever I have an official party, count on rain. Leilei's Jungle Book birthday party was no exception, which meant that jungle croquet, jungle treasure hunt, and other fabulous games had to be played in my miniature living room. Nevertheless, as always, a good time was had by all.

That's the back of Leilei's head (no longer flat as a board) on the left. Neighbors Katie, Shania, and friends Maeve and Gioia also at the table. Note lovely jungle-themed cake from Donna's Cakes in West Roxbury. http://www.donnas-cakes.com/

And totally elegant and delicious homemade cake by Kit Spy, big sister extraordinaire at the top right.

As fun as the kid party was, the adult After Party was even better. Highlights included the debut of the Leilei cocktail: Recipe is top secret, but it is imperative that ingredients and equipment be borrowed, to reinforce the team effort that went into my being able to adopt Leilei. For example, the blender was borrowed from Auntie Sarah, who wrote one of the letters saying we'd be good parents, the rum was provided by Lisa, who with Ed wrote another supporting letter, and the next batch of rum was donated by Godmom Gail, who took care of Leilei when I had to return to work.

Another highlight: the official unveiling of Mary Newel Depalma's lovely picture from her book Now it is Winter. Since it is the most wonderful picture, I thought long and hard about where it should be placed in the house. Finally, I decided it belonged with Leilei in her room, where she can see it every morning when she wakes up.