My boys and their gangs

Here are a few shots from our afternoon in the park.  As you can see, both Enzo and Gio have found their own gangs.  We are reveling in the fleeting days of warm-ish weather and sunny skies before the dark and frigid afternoons keep us confined indoors. 

Enzo has many friends in the park, but his favorites are the strays.  He is very popular with them and a rousing game of chase and wrestling ensues as soon as they find each other.  They usually have quite an audience as people walking through the park find the scene quite amusing.

Gio loves to play with these two Ukrainian boys.  Boden, the boy in black, lives in our building.  Both older boys are remarkably sweet and seem to actually enjoy having a two-year-old admirer who follows them everywhere.

Morning Coffee with Gio

Below is a clip of my conversation with Gio yesterday morning.  Gio never lacks for something to say....

A fun discovery

On the way to dinner the other night Gio and I emerged from the subway to a part of town we had never seen before.  This area, just behind Kreshatik, the "main drag" of Kiev, is a hidden enclave of greenery with a big fountain, very high-end shopping (Gucci, Rolex, Channel.... all my usual haunts), and a few enchanting statues.  Here is one that Gio loved.  Needless to say, we were a tad bit late for dinner as we were each quite taken with this new discovery. 

Now that Paolo has returned from his week-long stay in Maldova, Gio and I are going to take him to this area after naptime.  Let's just hope I can find it again as I always have trouble figuring out which subway exit I should use (it is quite a labyrinth down there, especially since yours truly cannot read a single sign!).

Enzo's Kills and Gio's Poop Cars

I took two photos today (yes, still only have my phone for pictures!) of my two boys' collections.  First Gio's "poop cars", which he earns each time he has a successful visit to the toilet. 

Yes, we are in the midst of potty-training, and I am proud to say he has made it 4 days without an accident.  It actually looks possible that he will be able to start school once he turns 3 in December!  Yeah!

And now, our dear puppy (who has been house-trained for 3 months now).  Enzo has developed a real appetite for electronic gadgets.  I am the rare woman who would really prefer the he chewed on my shoes.  So far my camera, Paolo's iPod, our remote control, various chargers and, as of this morning, my Kindle have all fallen victim.  We are learning to keep everything with a chord or battery well out of reach (which with his rapidly expanding size becomes more and more of a challenge), but we do still slip up at times.  Here he is showing off his kills:

 I miss that Kindle most of all, especially since I was in the midst of a really good book.  Grumble, grumble.

Happy Wednesday to all! Anyone need some size 6 diapers??

Sunday in the Park

It was a beautiful Sunday here in Kiev.  Paolo left in the morning for an 8 hour drive to Maldova where he will be all week.  Gio, Enzo and I spent most of the day in the park...

Enzo's new best friend is a stray dog in the park.  I think he is about the same age (6 months) as Enzo.  Most of the stray dogs here in Kiev (of which there are MANY!) are unfriendly and move in packs, but this one seems to be on his own.  Heartbreaking, really. 

This video is classic Gio and Grace (aka "Gracey-Grace).  Notice how Gio never makes it past the first branch.  These two love this tree and visit it nearly every day.  I cannot wait for them to be in school together this winter!

A long day....

This shot sums it up nicely.  Some days are just like that....

How Will School Mornings Go?

Today Gio and I did not get our acts together to leave the house until 11am, which makes me worry a bit how we will get to preschool once he starts this winter.  Gio woke at 9 (rather late for him, but not that unusual) and spend 2 hours eating breakfast, brushing teeth, dressing, using the potty, flying airplanes, watering the plants on the balcony, reading "In the Night Kitchen" 4 times, etc. etc. Yes, some of these activities could have been eliminated, but 2 hours in generally how long it takes to get Gio mentally ready to go out each morning.  He definitely inherited this from Paolo- I am the one bouncing out of bed at 6 each morning to head out for an Enzo outing.

Breakfast of Champs: yogurt, banana, plum (Gio's favorite food these days!), toast (which must be buttered "MYSELF!")

Anyway, for now I will not worry about it and enjoy our time together. Hope you had a chance to fly an airplane before hitting the real word this morning. xoxo Clara

Enzo's Play Date

Today I drove Enzo out to my friend Suzette's house so our two puppies could meet for the first time.  Ajay is an adorable 3 month old Chocolate Lab.  He took one look at Enzo and decided he could easily take on this massive beast.  4 hours later and Enzo is still asleep.

Yo Ho Ho

Not much to write today, but I am trying to be better about writing a few entries every week, so here is one image from today....

Outfit entirely chosen by Gio, including (but unseen) pirate underwear.  On our trip to the park he proclaimed "Yo Ho Ho" to everyone we passed.  We got one fellow to play along; the rest were perplexed or stonefaced, the latter being the general expression of all Ukrainians. 

Today I learned that it is best to just leave Gio to his own devices.  He and his best buddy Grace were attempting to get apples from a tree in the park which involved some branch pulling.  This greatly irritated a babushka who hustled over and began yelling at the two munchkins.  Since Grace's mom and I were too engrossed in our gab session to notice their criminal behavior, we did not have a chance to run to their defense.  Gio, not at all bothered by the woman's anger, began chatting away to her, telling her all about their adventure with the tree and the apples they were going to eat.  Since neither understood the other, the conversation was amusing to watch, with the babushka's anger gradually fading as Gio became more and more animated (yes, arm movements galore thanks to his Italian genes) and walked closer and closer to the woman. Eventually she sighed, gave his one more finger wag and then walked away.  Grace and Gio went right back to the apple foraging.  Lesson 101 on dealing with the grumpy babushkas!

Gio's Saturday

Here is a glimpse of Gio's Saturday...

On a bug hunt/GAP ad campaign with his best friend/great love Grace. 

And a video from Gio himself....

Back in Kiev!

You've missed me, haven't you?? Well, we are back in Kiev and ready to get started on our 2nd year here.  The air is already crisp and leaves are started to change color as the daylight begins to fade by 7 in the evening.  Enzo is thrilled with the new temperatures and has become much more lively.  He has some good buddies now in the park for playtime.  He is a popular playmate as he is always up for a romp and the other dogs know that they can very easily out run him! At 6 months he is already the size of a small horse, with another year of growth ahead of him.  Yikes!
Gio will begin school in December (on his 3rd birthday) so we are enjoying our last few months of leisurely mornings and relaxed bedtimes.  He is becoming a "big boy" in so many ways now- saying goodbye to diapers, riding his scooter faster than I can keep up with him and building elaborate airports and garages with his Legos and Magna-Tiles. What an amazing age!
Below are a collection of shots from my camera, which unfortunately met an untimely death last week.  Until I find another, we will have to rely on my phone to document our adventures. Enjoy what you find below and and a very happy early fall to everyone.

Last visit to the National Zoo's elephants before departing the USA in July.

Visiting a swanky beach club along the river in Kiev.  I did not dare swim in the river but Gio and Paolo did.  Ick.

In mid-August Paolo and Enzo headed off in the Volvo for a 4 day drive to Italy.  Here he is back in his homeland! Gio and I flew to meet them once they arrived.

 

What follows are shots of our new house in Italy.  Progress has been made! We were even able to spend a few nights here- such fun! We hope many of you can come for a visit once construction is complete.

A loft above the main room.  Playroom for Gio, perhaps?

A view of a castle from our bedroom!

Laundry room, where a washer and DRYER were soon installed.  Yes, as a proper American I insisted on that one, though they are rarely used by true Italians!

Perhaps a wine cellar?

The future home of my dream car- an original Fiat Cinquecento? Can you picture me driving one around with Enzo's big head sticking out?  Fabulous.

The future soccer pitch...now a fantastic dirt and mud playground for Gio.

Enzo, age 6 months.

Yes, we bought a red fridge.  Why not.

Since the bedrooms upstairs are not done, we slept in the dining room.

A new buzz cut.

On our drive to Tuscany. 

And I wonder why my camera broke?? Gio's self-portait.

First of many delicious meals with Gio's god fathers Tim and Jay.  What a wonderful week we had ahead of us!

Visting a small Tuscan village on a search for gelato, wine & hidden treasures.

Blond shaved head, Crocs, polo shirt and no pants? Yep, that's an American.

On the move with some focaccia.

Yes, Gio is only wearing underwear.  He pulls it off nicely, no?

nice.  perhaps our Christmas card shot....

Yes, Gio thorougly embraces the Italian cuisine.

On a silly march with Jay.

First of many wine purchases.

Our villa was right on the beach which was where we spent most of our week.  Even Enzo joined us in the mornings and late afternoons.

Enzo wanted NOTHING to do with the water, so watched Paolo and Gio swimming from afar.

My very happy boys.

Wait! Is that...no, can it be? Yes, that is ME!!  Wow.  A rare glimpse.  Notice Enzo's relaxed pose. 

Sunset on our vacation, my camera and this post.