XOXO

Ace is a very affectionate boy. 

He loves to cuddle with both of us, he snuggles up every night and he also likes to give hugs.  You might even get a pat on the shoulder! lol

He is not very big into kisses though.

When I ask him for a kiss, there is a 50/50 chance for me to get one. 

Quite often, he will shake his head and say "No!". 

I accept that because I don't want to force anything on him. 

If he doesn't want to do it, I respect that.

It happens even less that he will come by himself to offer a kiss. 

It's a rare treat and makes me feel special.

A couple of days ago though, Ace and I were chilling on the bed and I was holding him.

Suddenly he sat up and looked at me, then came forward and gave me a big kiss. 

It was a surprise and we both smiled.

He can't say the words yet, but I sure felt very loved at this moment. :)

Celebrations

This weekend has been very special for us since it was June 4th again.

Time for celebration x 2.

Saturday was our 3rd wedding anniversary. :)

 

But of course it was also Ace's 2nd birthday.

With Markus' parents in town, we had decided against a big party but just opted for coffee and cake at home.

Checking out the cake...

This year Ace got the idea of blowing out a candle and did his best, but in the end he needed some help from mom and grandma. ;)
(No worries Ace, we made a wish for you on your behalf.. ;))

Then it was time to unwrap the presents...
Let me just say: He got a lot of Duplo. ;)

Eventually it was cake time and since it was Key Lime Cake, Markus was in heaven [insert angel trumpets here], however Ace did not care.

He just picked at his slice for a minute, but didn't even want to eat one bite.

Finally he handed me the plate and asked for an orange instead.

This child is hilarious!

Birthday gift

When you love reading or have a thing for books in general, you might face this challenge:

How to decide what to read. 

True liking of myself

And if you end up reading two (or more books) at the same time, you are always torn which one to take for the commute to/from work – cause we all know: There is just never enough space in the bag/purse – not to speak of the weight issue…

So, last week was my birthday and I have to say Markus nailed it on the head with this year’s birthday gift.

He bought me a Kindle.

I absolutely love it. 

I feel it is best invention since sliced bread when it comes to reading.
It is so light, but holds up to 2500 books and it actually reads like the pages in a real book.
You don’t feel you are looking at a screen. 

Awesomeness.

Ace's birthday

Just a day after our "special" day we had Ace's birthday party in our backyard and it was awesome.
I really could not have asked for more.
So many people came and everybody had fun.
The weather was great - sunny, but not too hot.
The "main" birthday cake was really yummy.

But even more important: The birthday boy really enjoyed himself.
Ace had a great time getting dirty with his smash cake.


He had fun sitting on everybody's laps, being held or playing with the other babies.
And he also did well with unwrapping his presents (with some help of course ;)).
No tantrums, no meltdowns despite all that excitement and attention.
He was just having a good time until eventually the party was over and he passed out cause he was so tired. lol

I consider it a total success.

Thanks everybody for creating great memories for Ace's first birthday and all the generous gifts we got for our little boy.
Of course this includes our family/friends in the US and overseas who were not able to be there in person - but just know that you were still a part of this great afternoon. :)

Construction

Right across the street from our daycare they have torn down a building.
For some time trucks came every day to take away the construction waste until the area was clean again. Now they want to build something new there.
The construction area is right at our streetcar stop and this morning when Ace and I got out, I could see that they were going to dig a hole for a foundation.

I stopped at the fence to show Ace the machines. I pointed to the excavators and excavators with grabs and explained to him what they are and what they are doing.

In the past Ace has not been very impressed when I did something like that.
He could not have cared less.

This morning was different though. He looked interested in what was going on and listened to my explanations. When I pointed to the machines he got all excited. He clapped his little hands and even made a "comment" about things in his baby babbling. It was adorable.

That totally made my morning.