Nora gets showered!

Yesterday afternoon was a wonderful time enjoying Nora's baby shower hosted by my lovely sister, Ann, with help from her MIL Betty, my Mom and family friends Karin and Carol. It was so enjoyable to see friends and family meeting Nora, and "showering" her with hugs, kisses, special gifts, and kind words of blessing. The sunny weather was an added bonus, as many of the children could play outside with the "Dads".

Cousin Abby entertains Nora before the party starts...

Darlene surprised us all with the beautiful cake she made for Nora... one of her many talents. Darlene used to have a side business of decorating cakes, "Darlene's Delights". It definitely was... Thank you so much!

My niece, Kieren, was checking out the cake...

Nora meeting close family friend, Kim, and her sweet little boy Ansen. Hopefully Kim can teach me some Cantonese, as she and her hubby speak it at home with their boys.

Nora had a quick cuddle with the best neighbour/friend ever, from our first neighbourhood, before we came to the party. Suzette's seen all the boys as babies and now Nora!...

Tricia, my "cousin-in-law", is a great source of wisdom and help to us as she's been in the mothering stage for a few years. She keeps me well-stocked with formula coupons! :)

Karin, a great family friend, and inspiring nurse mentor for me, is always there to help our family out.  Was so nice to see you, and Carol too!

Another beautiful blonde friend of mine for Nora to check out... Heather and I survived nursing school together, and she definitely encouraged me to slug it out again the last couple of years. Now she better tell me everything she knows about girls... :)

I'm missing some "Nora" photos with some of you... send them to me if you have them! :) These beautiful girls are Julie, Betty and Erin... so great to have you there. Thanks for the tasty treats, Betty... you're amazing! :)

So fun to see Kelly again in just a week's time. (So much better than our track record of every 6 months!) Kelly and Nora are going to be good friends, we just know it! :)

At some point, Nora spent some time snacking in the highchair to contain her in the room. She kept crawling for the exit doors to enjoy the sunshine outside. Thomas and Abby kept a watchful eye on her. (Hi, Auntie Kellie!)

Everyone spoiled us with lovely gifts. Surprisingly, pink was a very popular colour for some reason...  Lewis agreed to help open gifts with me, with the condition that he not have to smile for pictures. :)

We received a very special gift from Margaret K. from our church, which was only her second cross-stitch ever, complete with beadwork as well. Her translation of the Chinese characters are "People are like a floating boat on the ocean, and don't know where to go. And a loving home is her final destination." When Margaret began this amazing project, she didn't have anyone in mind. But when she found out the Nora was coming to our home, she knew this was for her. "That God had found her a loving home, a dock where she will be protected and loved." How very special... they were definitely a few teary eyes in the room! Thank you so much Margaret... wish you could have been here. Now to find the right place for such a meaningful gift. :)

Such a gorgeous cake, it seemed too pretty to cut. (But the chocolate cake inside was definitely worth the sacrifice of cutting it up...)

I could tell Nora was starting to get sleepy, as she got going with her right thumb in her mouth, complete with the left arm holding it in there. So sweet... She was able to stay awake until the end of the party.

Just some background... Darlene and I tag-teamed teaching Sunday School for 4 years... the kids always got us mixed up for some reason! :)  We had a lot of fun working together...

Ann finally got to hold Nora as her youngest daughter wasn't around to get jealous! Thank you, Ann, for the beautiful shower... so many thoughtful details. Everyone had such a great time, but then according to Ann, I have such nice friends... I would have to agree. :)

Nora did well to last through the afternoon beyond her nap-time, but was definitely out for a sleep once she succumbed to it. She was certainly a social butterfly today!