Gio's First Time Skiing!

Today we took Gio skiing for the first time. Both Paolo and I began skiing when we were 4 years old, so we thought it was time to start.  It was a sunny day, and there is a little ski area only 30 minutes from our house, so we packed into the car (Enzo, too!) and headed off.  Skis rented, pass purchased (Gio was free) and the boys hit the slope.  Comments made while braving the big hill....

"I am very very brave."
"I did it myself!"
"When I grow up, I want to be Santa." (Yep, he is not always completely focused on an activity.)
"Let's come back tomorrow!"

Pretty excited about the big adventure.  

The car ride home.  Skiing is exhausting.
We ended up doing 2 hours of errands in town while Gio slept on and on and on....

Stomp Rocket and other Hits

I know, I know.  I have been neglecting this blog lately.  We are in Italy for Christmas after a rather easy 3 day drive from Kyiv.  The roads improved drastically once we got away from the ice-covered roads just outside the city.  Since we arrived we have been doing a lot of eating, fire building and catching up with friends and family here.  Santa did manage to find Gio, though he was very concerned that all of our moving around might have confused the old guy.  So here are a few images from our time so far along with the gifts from Santa that Gio loves the most....

The road out of Kyiv.  For 5 hours we dealt with ice covered roads and lots o f truck traffic. Only when we got to the Carpathian mountains did our car thermometer climb to a balmy 32F, the first time we have seen such a warm temp in weeks!

Gio slept through all of our afternoon drives.  

Once we arrived in Italy I had one day to get Christmas set up....hence the rather pathetic tree....  

At least Enzo did not pee on it.  

Christmas Eve and Gio was very concerned about Santa burning his butt.  

Christmas morning.  Gio slept until 10AM.  I suppose he wanted to give Santa plenty of time to deliver LOTS of presents.  His approach to his stocking??  To simply dump it out.  Typical.  

And then the mad unwrapping.  

Gio did allow Paolo and me to open a few of our gifts, and we did take breaks to burn the paper in the fireplace, but overall the gift opening still took only about an hour.  Remember, my dear siblings, how Mom and Dad got us to keep the present opening slow and lasting all day?? Not happening here....

We headed to Nonna Luisa's house for a big family lunch which included at least 10 courses (I lost count!). Here Gio is showing off one his favorite gifts: His cousin Cristina had painted this shirt with images of Enzo, Gio and Tigre (who has now been renamed again as "Figaro"!).

Gio got a LOT of chocolate and candy in his stocking and from friends and family. Weirdly (at least to me), he does not really like sweets.  I guess I will have to bite the bullet and eat them myself.

So, what were Gio's favorite gifts??  Here is a list.  

#1:  Being able to just throw on his beloved Bogg boots and head outside whenever he wants. No, this is not available on Amazon nor in Kyiv where we often feel like prisoners in our downtown apartment.  Gio has been busily rearranging the landscaping all around our house....

....and moving wood in to build more fires.  At least this task is helpful. Yesterday I got him to help me clean all the windows.  It is fun to see what sorts of chores a 4-year-old actually finds extremely amusing!

#2: OKAY, so actual gifts he unwrapped.... Well, Gio does have a mild  severe addiction to Ben-10 creatures. He has decided his newest ones from Santa need to be stored in our salad bowl.  

This was the biggest hit of Christmas.  A Stomp Rocket. (click for link to product)
I highly recommend this to anyone. It would make a unique birthday gift and is actually quite educational in disguise.  Gio and his cousins Matteo and Pippo had a terrific time launching the rockets over the dining room table throughout our massive Christmas meal.  It made for an entertaining lunch.
By the way, if you are considering ordering this, I do not recommend the "ultra" version as the rockets are made of plastic.  Gio's rockets are made of very soft styrofoam.  Also, the stand is not sturdy.  Some duct tape worked wonders on its stability.  

#3: Spot It Jr! This is a fun game, though I cannot figure out how it is possible that there is always only one match on any two cards. Mind-boggling for me, fun for Gio.  It is good to finally find an alternative to Gio's beloved Candyland.  Also a terrific game for travelling!

#4: T-Rex model. This one we got at the new children's science museum in Kyiv (Link to that post here.). The model was fun for Gio to put together with a tiny bit of help from his cousins.  It is quite large and now has a honored spot in Gio's room. 

#5: Box of Legos. Gio is at that awkward stage where he thinks Duplo blocks are for babies yet the
"big boy" Lego blocks are a bit tough for his meaty little fingers.  This basic set is a terrific start and he loves making castles for his Ben-10 creatures with them.  

Wall Stickers. These are a lot of fun and liven up his bedroom. Gio was NOT impressed that I knew very few of the Superhero's names.  

He was more impressed with my knowledge of construction vehicles.
 Thank you, The Construction Alphabet Book!

His newly decorated room.  Not sure this would make a popular pin on Pinterest, but Gio is certainly happy with his decorative flair.

For my ex-pat friends, "Santa" brought all but the dinosaur back from the States after our trip in November. Although Legos are available in Kyiv, they are horribly expensive (and Legos are not cheap in the US, either!). I have to say, to my US friends, I covet your access to Amazon Prime....

Sledding

I have not had a chance to take many pictures lately- it has either been snowing madly or so cold that I was not willing to take my hands out of my giant mittens for even a second.  Since Friday's tragedy in the US my thoughts have been focused on those dear children, only a few years older than Gio.  I taught in Kindergarten and 1st grade classrooms for over 10 years before we started this overseas adventure.  Those color-filled, happy rooms were always my havens, the places where I felt the most at ease and safe.  I cannot begin to imagine the horror of those few minutes for the children and their teachers.  For us, it is a relief that our son is too young to comprehend what has happened.  His school is still a place without fear.  I am struck with moments of overwhelming anger and sadness throughout the day and night. These last few days have been spent focusing on Gio and his excitement about Santa, our trip to Italy and his current obsessions with Legos, whirlpools and what he finds in his nose.  He makes me smile all the time, even lately.

Today I took Gio to a little hill near his school after pick-up.  The temperature was 9F but with no outside recess allowed this week due to the cold, I wanted him to get a bit of fresh air, so here it is, his debut of solo sledding....

He did this over 30 times.  He was hysterical with giggles.  I already promised him more time on the hill after school tomorrow, his last one before winter break!
Friday morning we start the drive to Italy.  Enzo will be coming along but Tigre will stay with Laryssa.  They will certainly miss each other.

Severe Weather

The weather here has been, to put it mildly, extreme.  It has been snowing non-stop since last Tuesday. This is the biggest accumulation Kyiv has seen since 1930.   I am managing to get Gio to school each day (they have never called his school off for snow....only for Eurocup soccer matches!) but I am choosing more often to take him on the metro and sled rather than the car.  It is just too hard to find a place to park, and the road to Gio's school is frightening to drive up.  We are just hoping things calm down before we start our drive next week to Italy.  And, yes, we are finally getting proper snow tires for our car on Saturday.  Better late than never, right??

Enzo is probably the happiest resident of Kyiv right now! He was made for these conditions.

Most mornings we ride the metro and then I pull Gio the rest of the way to school on his sled. 

Sigh. And winter has not even officially begun!

Okay, so this has nothing to do with the weather, but I love to watch these two at play. Enzo is the most patient dog alive. We are rewarding his good behavior with lots of extra kitten-free time out in the snow.

This is an alert we received today....

Worldcue^® Alert

Severity: Warning Alert

Environment: Record snowfall prompts state of emergency in Kyiv, Ukraine, Dec. 12. Numerous towns without power. Expect severe transport disruptions.

This alert affects Ukraine

This alert began 12 Dec 2012 11:51 GMT and is scheduled to expire 14 Dec 2012 23:59 GMT.

• Incident: Severe winter weather
• Date: Dec. 12
• Location: Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsya, Kirovohrad and Cherkasy Provinces
• Impact: Power outages; transport delays; flight disruptions

Summary

Record snowfall that occurred during the night of Dec. 11-12 is causing significant disruptions in central Ukraine. Severe winter weather has rendered numerous roads impassible and left over 570 towns and villages in Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsya, Kirovohrad and Cherkasy Provinces without power. 

Authorities in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv declared a state of emergency early Dec. 12 as the city saw its heaviest accumulation since 1930. An automobile parking ban has been put into effect in the downtown area as crews from the Ministry of Emergency Situations work to clear the city's roadways. At least 1500 soldiers from Kyiv's military garrison have also been deployed to assist with snow removal. Downed trees are complicating snow removal efforts in some areas. Public transportation, including buses and trams, is experiencing major delays. Many of the taxis that are operating are reportedly demanding double the usual fares. Kyiv-Zhulhany (IEV) and Kyiv-Boryspil (KBP) airports are open and operating with some flight delays and cancellations.

Meteorologists expect the snowfall to continue through at least the end of Dec. 12, with temperatures dropping further and winds increasing to about 25 kph (15.5 mph) during the second half of the day. Authorities advise that the afternoon weather conditions will bring a greater potential for downed trees and electrical lines, likely producing additional power outages and transport disruptions in the affected area.

Advice

Confirm all flight, rail, and rental car reservations. Do not check out of hotel rooms until onward transportation is confirmed. Allow additional time to reach destinations. If you cannot defer driving, ensure routes are clear before setting out. Equip your vehicle with emergency supplies, including non-perishable food, water, blankets, snow chains, and a shovel, and keep your mobile devices well charged. 

Birthday Party!

Today was Gio's birthday party.  We went to Wonderland (see previous post about this place) and had a fabulous time.  The children raced about in the mazes and slides for an hour, got good and sweaty and then came into the party room for lunch.  A bubble machine kept them dancing while the table was reset for cake and a chocolate fountain made sure everyone went home messier than when they left.  Gio was thrilled that so many of his good buddies came.  His only disappointment?  "Well....I was really really happy that Mr. Mark came (his teacher and also Grace's dad), but I also really really wanted Ms. Suzie to be there!"  This kid is so lucky to have teachers he clearly adores.

I was a bit too busy racing around to really take many good shots, but Joshua's mom helped out by capturing a few, though we both concluded at the end that it is time for me to upgrade to a better camera.  Do you hear that, Santa??

Lunch is served! Not being able to recognize much of what was on the menu, I went with the pictures I knew- hamburgers & fries!

I know I was supposed to stick to the "age + 1" rule for the number of children, but a few siblings are included here, and it all worked just fine.  I am very glad I did not go with Gio's wish to invite all 26 of his classmates!

It looks civilized, doesn't it?  This lasted for about 10 minutes....

That's Mr. Mark in the corner on the right.  Poor man just spent a full week with these kiddos and now had to come out on a Saturday morning for more.  He deserved an extra big slice of cake.  

Gio, Willsy & Konstantinos.  Quite a gang.  

Grace.

The children loved the bubble machine set up to help out with the lunch wiggles.
This place really knows how to entertain children!

The only shot Lindsey or I could capture of Gio today. He was in constant motion the entire time. This was pre-chocolate fountain.  After that his face and shirt were covered in chocolate.  In fact, he is passed out in his bed right now still covered in it.  

Ready for cake!  Frederick, Josh & Aiya.  

The BEN-10 cake!  

And the chocolate fountain.  This was a huge mess...and a big hit.
Lots and lots of double-dipping going on....

Candle blow-out.... 

...with some help from Konstantinos.

 A happy newly-minted 4-year-old.

Four Years Ago Today....

Gio awoke to a raging snow storm, a few new Ben-10 creatures next to his bed and a cupcake breakfast. Yep, the boy is 4 today! Here are some glimpses of his past birthdays.....

The actual BIRTH DAY: Dec 6, 2008 in New Delhi, India (ok, so to be very precise, on US time he was born Dec 5th, but we are sticking with his Indian birth date!)

Dec 6th, 2009 in Washington, DC.  Perhaps the last time he happily ate vegetables.... 

....and everything else! 

This boy did not miss a meal!

First sighting of French fries!

We spent his birthday evening with his great grandmother.  They both needed a bit of help walking!

We miss you, Bisnonna.

First cake.  We had just moved from India, so our house was rather empty and my candle was rather lame- a scented one I found in a drawer.  

Gio did not complain. Topher was ready for any crumbs.  We miss you, sweet fellow.  

The requisite first birthday cake-on-the-face shot.  

December 6, 2010.  We had arrived in Kyiv only two weeks before and were without any furniture. I had brought this bouncy house in our luggage and it was a fabulous birthday gift in an empty apartment in a very cold city!

Without any kitchen equipment I resorted to a local bakery for his cake. 

Happy 2nd, buddy!

December 6, 2011.  Gio began school on his birthday (had to be 3 to start).
Cupcakes are a great way to make new friends!

Birthday cake that night....

Gio had his first ever party last year.  And so, another cake!

And now, December 6, 2012.  Still in Kyiv.  

Practicing the new "I am this many" display.   

A cupcake for breakfast?? Don't judge.  

We do not know where Gio will celebrate his 5th birthday.  Tune in for news on that next month.  Gio is having a party on Saturday with a few of his pals.  We are going to Wonderland (see post on the place here).  More on that soon....