It is a rare sometimes that one of our kiddo’s gets two-on-one time. Alone time with both mom & dad! Tuesday all the planets aligned and Dave, me, and Dane had a trip up to downtown Stuttgart. Dane was not just in hog heaven, but also on his best behavior. If only all kids knew that best behavior equals greatest rewards.

We started off with a couple handrolls of sushi, teriyaki chicken rolled in nori for Dane, a little salmon and tuna for us. We’ve had almost no sushi since getting to our small town in Germany, and this was a huge treat. A treat made even better with the adorable, clear, fish-shaped soy sauces that came with our snack. After Dane wiggled in between us, slid a warm little hand into each of ours and happily skipped along. When he asked for a chocolate ice cream, we happily complied and soon he was skipping along dripping chocolate every step of the way.

Despite it being January, the middle of winter, there is almost no snow in Stuttgart this year. The no snow is accompanied by abnormally warm weather that really made it a perfect day to stroll through the Schloßplatz in front of the new palace. Dane almost burst with excitement when he saw the “bubble man.” His day was absolutely made complete when the bubble man gave Dane a lesson in how to make perfect bubbles. I think we spent at least 20 minutes watching him make bubbles and radiate with joy.

Driving home Dave wondered if Dane will remember his days in Germany, or his visits to Holland and France. I’m not sure that he will, though thankfully he will have lots of photos to remind him of his journeys. I do know that even if he forgets, somewhere deep inside him these years here will help build him into the person he’s meant to be. I’m thinking we are having a very good start.