the bun turns four
Today we celebrated The Bun's fourth birthday, a day early. Most places are shut on Sundays here so we brought forward the celebration so that we could go out to pick a present and eat out. I had plans to take him to a park as well but there's a heatwave warning for this weekend so that will have to wait for slightly cooler weather.
He was so excited about the whole thing that he went to bed extra early last night, requesting only one book so that we could speed up the whole bedtime routine. Then he shooed me out of the room saying that he could sleep alone. Funny how kids take over their own milestones just like that. Then this morning he was so excited he woke up at 6.30am, bouncing with such energy and good cheer that we agreed to go to the toy shop right after breakfast.
Birthday t-shirt that he refused to take off.
Luckily our car has finally arrived so it was a pretty quick drive into town where we hit Franz Carl Weber, which is like the toy shop in Geneva, having been around since 1881. It had three floors of goodies for The Bun to peruse, which was probably too many choices for him. J and I were actually prepared to shell out on a big gift for him, since we feel a bit guilty that he never had a party with his friends before we left Singapore, but in the end The Bun picked out a small remote-controlled car, and that was it, despite our suggestions for other toys. I added in a box of craft stuff that I thought he would like, got the cashier to wrap them up, and just having two gift-wrapped presents to cart home really made his day.
We then had to go to the supermarket to stock up on groceries because everything shuts down on Sundays and for convenience, got him a Happy Meal from McDonald's for lunch. That was also a nice treat for him.
The Bun spent the afternoon napping a bit and playing with his new toys, including a new e-book app for his Leappad that my father had bought for him. My mother gave him a red packet and a lovely sunflower in a pot, his favourite flower. The pot now sits at the kitchen window right next to him where he eats his meals. and then we went out for dinner at a Chinese restaurant in Paquis that serves his favourite crispy roast pork. I guess he would have preferred Japanese food but it is extremely pricey (or otherwise cheaper and mediocre) here in landlocked Switzerland and I haven't yet found a decent place where we can go.
After dinner we came back home and cut his birthday cake. Earlier in the day he had picked out a carrot cake, probably because of the marzipan carrots on the top. We all sang the birthday song with lots of gusto and he blew his four candles out enthusiastically. Turns out he was too full from dinner to eat much of his cake, so we'll be having it for breakfast tomorrow.
He glowed all day with pride at being a 'big boy', enjoying his special day. It really doesn't take much to make him happy, and I treasure him for that. Although I originally had plans to throw him a small birthday party in Singapore, that didn't happen in the end because many of his friends were off for their summer break and it wouldn't have been much fun without them. Plus there was my sister's wedding and the mess of the Move and so much else going on.
I told J tonight that The Bun may not be so easy to please on his next birthday, when he's more aware about material consumption and peer pressure. All the more I treasure these fleeting, innocent times. We had such a simple day but it was a happy one for him and he got to enjoy several treats that made it special.
And so all of a sudden, The Bun is four. I can't believe how tall and big he's gotten. He's developed a rebellious streak and a way with words that both impresses and annoys us at the same time. He's sensitive, curious, a stickler for routine, and really very sweet when he wants to be. The next year will have lots of growing up and new experiences for him, thanks to school, and I look forward to seeing how he grows.
He was so excited about the whole thing that he went to bed extra early last night, requesting only one book so that we could speed up the whole bedtime routine. Then he shooed me out of the room saying that he could sleep alone. Funny how kids take over their own milestones just like that. Then this morning he was so excited he woke up at 6.30am, bouncing with such energy and good cheer that we agreed to go to the toy shop right after breakfast.
Birthday t-shirt that he refused to take off.
Luckily our car has finally arrived so it was a pretty quick drive into town where we hit Franz Carl Weber, which is like the toy shop in Geneva, having been around since 1881. It had three floors of goodies for The Bun to peruse, which was probably too many choices for him. J and I were actually prepared to shell out on a big gift for him, since we feel a bit guilty that he never had a party with his friends before we left Singapore, but in the end The Bun picked out a small remote-controlled car, and that was it, despite our suggestions for other toys. I added in a box of craft stuff that I thought he would like, got the cashier to wrap them up, and just having two gift-wrapped presents to cart home really made his day.
We then had to go to the supermarket to stock up on groceries because everything shuts down on Sundays and for convenience, got him a Happy Meal from McDonald's for lunch. That was also a nice treat for him.
The Bun spent the afternoon napping a bit and playing with his new toys, including a new e-book app for his Leappad that my father had bought for him. My mother gave him a red packet and a lovely sunflower in a pot, his favourite flower. The pot now sits at the kitchen window right next to him where he eats his meals. and then we went out for dinner at a Chinese restaurant in Paquis that serves his favourite crispy roast pork. I guess he would have preferred Japanese food but it is extremely pricey (or otherwise cheaper and mediocre) here in landlocked Switzerland and I haven't yet found a decent place where we can go.
After dinner we came back home and cut his birthday cake. Earlier in the day he had picked out a carrot cake, probably because of the marzipan carrots on the top. We all sang the birthday song with lots of gusto and he blew his four candles out enthusiastically. Turns out he was too full from dinner to eat much of his cake, so we'll be having it for breakfast tomorrow.
He glowed all day with pride at being a 'big boy', enjoying his special day. It really doesn't take much to make him happy, and I treasure him for that. Although I originally had plans to throw him a small birthday party in Singapore, that didn't happen in the end because many of his friends were off for their summer break and it wouldn't have been much fun without them. Plus there was my sister's wedding and the mess of the Move and so much else going on.
I told J tonight that The Bun may not be so easy to please on his next birthday, when he's more aware about material consumption and peer pressure. All the more I treasure these fleeting, innocent times. We had such a simple day but it was a happy one for him and he got to enjoy several treats that made it special.
And so all of a sudden, The Bun is four. I can't believe how tall and big he's gotten. He's developed a rebellious streak and a way with words that both impresses and annoys us at the same time. He's sensitive, curious, a stickler for routine, and really very sweet when he wants to be. The next year will have lots of growing up and new experiences for him, thanks to school, and I look forward to seeing how he grows.