Monday, March 26, 2012

Wesley's first steps! 3.24.2012

That's right!

Just as Joe and I were preparing to head out on our weekend escape, he surprised us all by testing his bravery, letting go of our hands, and trusting his own two legs to take himself where he wanted to go!

Joe was giving him to Linda, our beloved ayi, who was going to watch Wes while we were away. And he walked to her! Joe shouted out for me to come and see, I grabbed the camera, and we tried it out to see if he would do it again.

The following video is the result! Hurray for Wesley!!!



Believe it or not, he hasn't done it this well since, but he is getting more brave! He often will stand on his own--that is, until he realizes he's on his own and then promptly sits down. haha, he's too cute! I'm not sure what I'll do once he starts walking. According to his personality this far, I'm afraid it won't be walking, but RUNNING everywhere! That day is coming sooner than I thought--and sooner than I'm ready for! My little baby is growing up!

Nica

3.21...Joey's Day!

Happy Birthday to you, dear Joey! 
I have been looking forward to celebrating his birthday more than him, I think! I know that once you hit a certain age that birthdays don't often have the same excitement or appeal as they once did, but I don't think 33 needs to be "that age" yet! I'm determined to make each birthday something for my amazing husband to look forward to each year. I love you, babe! I hope it was a special time!

Tuesday night Bible Study we kicked off the festivities with cheesecake, friends, and fun!



And Wednesday (THE DAY!) I tried my hand at cooking a gourmet dinner for my sweetheart: glazed-apple stuffed chicken breast, steamed carrots with caramelized onion, strawberry and candied walnut salad with a herb vinaigrette. I was going to bake a cake, but a friend offered to have her gourmet chef at her hotel bake a cake especially for Joey, so thankfully I didn't have to bake the cake! haha. It was a chocolate fudge layer cake with a crispy coconut filling. Decadent!  



 For weeks I had been planning a secret escape for us to give to Joey as his gift. Since his birthday fell on a Wednesday I decided to celebrate with him on the weekend. So, Saturday evening we left Wes with Linda and took off to, in my opinion, the best-kept-secret of Shanghai! I researched TONS of hotels in the city in anticipation for our first night spent away from Wesley. When I saw these photos I became giddy with excitement. It wasn't the typical towering chandelier, bling-filled hotel that is on every street corner of our city. This find had both the history that Joey loves and the class that I love! I had been looking at these photos of this "dream escape" for us every day for several weeks! AND kept it all a secret from Joey! You know that was an accomplishment for me! 

Take a look at these photos below of Pei (pro: "Pay") Mansion (built in 1929) and you'll understand why I was so giddy:

The exterior:
 


The Interior:

The gardens:




The attention to detail:


 

 The bedrooms:


 

The bathrooms:
(the winning factor for me about this place: the over-sized jacuzzi!!!)
 

 
Here are some photos of us enjoying our weekend away.
Joey LOVED the place (I knew he would!)
He got some ideas on how to decorate his own future study!

Here he is, the birthday boy himself, enjoying "his" desk by the fireplace in "our" room

"our" room:







The doors were probably 8 feet high, and the ceilings 10 feet high. 
gorgeous!

 We were sad to check out, but SO refreshed and ready to get home to our precious little Wesley! Joey had just finished working 13 days in a row! So we were ready for some R&R and time together.








Needless to say, Wes was thrilled to have us home again! It was so precious!
We still had some time before church, so the three of us headed over to the park. We are so blessed to live so close to this park! Wes & I (Nica) go over there every day to play, but it was a special treat to have daddy with us today, too!!

We get a kick out of seeing the ignored sign that told people to stay off the grass. haha

Parenting is such a joy! We love taking Wes to places where he has so much fun! 
It's so precious to hold his hand as he walks across the grass, help him to kick a ball, and just spend time together as a family. 
Spring has sprung in Shanghai! Welcome!! Oh, how we've missed you!













It was a wonderful weekend. Thanks to all of you for your birthday wishes to Joey! We are so blessed to have you in our lives!

JN&W