MY BABY IS ONE YEAR OLD! That’s all that’s been on my mind all week. I can’t believe that just a few months ago I was holding a newborn baby in my arms. Joshua has been such as blessing and a wonderful addition to our family. Everything about him, from us thinking he was a girl, to a wonderful birth and a great transition to a family of four has been great from the beginning to end.

This week was of course busy with the last minute preparations for his Birthday Party. I’ve uploaded some pics as a preview and hope to write in detail about the party soon. I was very silly and forgot to take pictures of the spread so I am asking my friends to send some over if they have any.

Among the highlights of the week was meeting Maureen from Scoops of Joy and World Moms Blog in person. We had been talking for a while and we met for coffee on Monday. We clicked right away and started a conversation as if we had known each other for years! Afterwards I attended a goodbye party for some Mexican friends that are leaving Jakarta. Bittersweet times….

Wednesday was a fun fun day. I was asked to be a judge at my husband’s office door decoration contest. It was tough since there were so many good ones! We got some bribes in the form of candy and baked goods but I think we picked great doors. The best part was to see the team work of the expats and locals and to see both Indonesian and American culture portrayed. That evening we met with Magdalena and her hubby. If you remember Magdalena sent me some very interesting questions a few months ago since she’s moving here with her kids in January. We had a great time and enjoyed a gorgeous view at the SKYE bar and restaurant.

On Thursday Joshua turned One!! We spent time with him in the morning and helped him open some presents. Afterwards, I was so blessed to share our last bible study session of the year with some lovely ladies. We shared about what we had learned from the study we were working on and reminisced about the blessings from God throughout this semester. After we finished the study we had a delicious luncheon that included a Chicken Tortilla Soup that I still dream about (I’m working on getting the recipe from the chef!;)). We also had a cookie exchange and left with dozens of goodies to share with our families. I made our favorite chocolate chip oatmeal cookies and came home with some delicious and unique creations.

Evan had his school year-end presentation on Friday. Since I was the narrator for the performance I wasn’t really able to see Evan from the front of the stage but I did see him getting all excited about the space-themed props and leaving the dance line not once but about 5 times!!! I think he had a blast so that’s all that matters! 😉 Friday was also baking and prepping day for the Party so we called it in early.

Saturday was the big party day. In fact we had been invited to 5 parties the same day, including Joshua’s! We just had a fantastic time celebrating Joshua’s life. We had about 40 guests plus about 15 kids and the sangria and sugary juices plus the food kept the good times rolling. Joshua was so excited and really enjoyed his party. Evan was a great big brother and was very loving and caring. He helped us prepare everything for the party and behaved great until he saw the cupcakes and was too tempted not to touch the icing!

Saturday afternoon we had the Posada at the Mexican Ambassador’s House. Ambassador Melba did a great job and made her house as cozy and familiar as any good friend’s house in Mexico. The food was delicious and Evan had a blast hitting the piñata and singing the posada songs.

Sunday “morning” we had brunch with friends at the Ritz Carlton in Pacific Place. We just love going there since the food is great and the kid’s section is great for the boys. They even look after the kids for a while so mom and dad can eat in peace…

Anyway, a full week filled with God’s blessings. We couldn’t be more grateful!