Some Scooter Time

Gio is completely addicted to his "Mini Kick" scooter.  He has spent most of his waking hours on it, and I have spent quite a bit of time chasing him down the sidewalks.  We now travel most places in Georgetown with it.  Here are two videos of him today during a visit to Turtle Park.  Some car crashes were involved (in the park's toy graveyard!).

Photos from Hedvig

Our beloved DC nanny Hedvig has found time in her busy week to spend a day with Gio (and to let his momma have a day to herself!).  Here are some photos she took while wandering around the beautiful parks in Georgetown....

We depart tomorrow for Kiev where I hear it is snowing.  Not so sure I am ready to stomach a return to winter.... 

In DC for Dad's 70th!

Gio and I have been in Washington now for a little over a week.  It has been a very busy time with a double ear infection (Gio's), a big birthday celebration (Nonno's), cherry blossom viewing, and lots of time touring around on the scooter.  Oh, and quite a few cupcakes, of course. Here are some glimpses of our time so far...

First day and we are out the door WITHOUT A COAT!  First time we have not had to bundle up since October!

Nonno, Gio and Barley headed off on a stroll/roll through the neighborhood.

Turns out Gio arrived from Kiev with a double ear infection, eye infection and other ickiness.  Luckily the antibiotics kicked in quickly, but first we had to wait for them to be prepared.... And so Gio spent some time rearranging CVS's toilet paper display...

After an inspiring trip to the zoo, Uncle Andrew and Gio decided to search for more creatures...

To celebrate Nonno's big 70th birthday we all headed out to try out Tucker's surf training board (like a skateboard but mimics surf movements)

A momentary interlude for the requisite cherry blossom shots.... 

...and now back the the Monsta board activities! 

Look at Aunt Molly go!

Here is the birthday boy!

Tucker and Gio on their wheels....

...and off he goes!

Block building....

....and, how doe every evening ends (and morning begin)?....with Dr. Seuss, of course!

Political Rally & A Spa Party!

This Friday there was a large political rally in our park.  Gio liked the pageantry and flags.  I was a bit concerned about the enormous police presence. In fact, they had kicked me out of the park earlier that morning while I was walking Enzo.  Gio, not one to shy away from anything, decided to throw snow at the police.  Luckily they were clearly bored and threw it back at him!

Yesterday we spent much of the day at Merilee & Logan's for a spa and family party.  Their house is perfect for this with lots of kid-friendly rooms like a Playstation/foosball room, a Lego loft and even an indoor pool.  And two very kid-friendly cats! Needless to say, Gio was in heaven. I arrived early to "help set up" (or at least that is what I told my boys). Actually, Merilee, Nicky, Ailsa and I were indulging in manicures and pedicures done by a mobile spa company (very popular thing to do here).  Later the boys arrived (post-nap) and the swimming, Nerf gun-shooting, eating and revelry began, including some sweet book reading to a cat.  This is definitely the way to get through what seems to be an endless winter.  Yes, for those of you in Washington enjoying sunshine, daffodils and flip-flops, it is snowing here as I write this....

4 of us at once were being pampered!

Gio arrived soon after the spa treatments and immediately fell in love with the 7-month old cat "Thunderbolt".

He took a break from the cat to swim with Papa...

And to hang out in the playroom with the "big boys"...

...who were busy with a Nerf gun battle.

And then back to the cat....

In three days we will be in Washington!  I am not sure how our bodies will react to the nearly 80 degree weather predicted when we arrive.  I am thinking we might simply melt.  

Clearing the Camera

It has been a very long winter.  I cannot even bear to talk about the cold anymore except to say that it still is here.  Snow, too.  Yuck.  Enough.  Gio and I are heading to Washington in a few days for a 2 week break and a chance to enjoy an early spring.  We are going to celebrate my father's 70th birthday.  Gio's reflections on this big event include worries about how many candles will be needed and whether or not there will be cupcakes.  Ah, to have the stresses of a 3-year-old.

Here are two series of photos that I discovered on my camera today as I was gathering things to pack.  Sorry to have nothing current.  I am just so tired of the dirty snow that I cannot bear to take any pictures these days.

First, on our last day in Italy, Gio decided to plant a flower...

During the digging Gio discovered a worm....  

...which he very carefully transfered into Papa's favorite coffee mug.

And now to bury it in "LOTS of dirt!"

Done!

Pondering his next move...

...which, much to my utter SHOCK, was to clean up! 

And now some photos from Enzo's 1st birthday party last week....

Enzo sleeping off the party (and the giant cake!)

Gio invited best friend Grace over to help celebrate Enzo's birthday. They began with mugs of tea.  Enzo's cake, which looks remarkably like a cow pie, sat between them.

And then they delivered the sugar-free carrot & peanut butter cake to the birthday boy...

...who consumed it in a record-breaking 6 seconds. 

And so the party guests returned to their purple cupcakes (with plenty of sugar!) and conversation about their day at preschool.

As for events since the birthday party, the most remarkable would be last Sunday's outing to our favorite pizzeria.  Those of you on Facebook already know the story. so you can skip the rest of this entry. Paolo and I were at the end of a lovely bottle of wine so when Gio asked if he could go to the bathroom we sent him off without a care.  Keep in mind we go to this restaurant every week and the bathrooms are single (so no chance of him bothering anyone).  Fifteen or so minutes later (yes, we were slacking off as parents), Gio came running across the dining room (did I mention that the restaurant was packed?!) stark naked.  Wow.  That was a shock.  I burst into laughter and avoided eye contact with everyone in the place.  Paolo calmly walked Gio back across the room where they had to retrieve the many items of clothes that Gio had scattered all over the bathroom.  Well, at least we can say he is toilet-trained except for the pesky bit about redressing after.  And how do I convince him that it is not a requirement to remove his socks before he pees???