First of all, no we STILL do not know where we will be living next year. It is frustrating and the list of things we know we need to do is piling up, but for now we are trying to enjoy our time here and not to think too much about the chaos that will come once we know our next destination. Here are some glimpses of our lives over the last month...
I often bring Maria to Gio's school during his recess.
Maria loves all of the other children who are so sweet to her!
A favorite game the two play before bed most nights called "Mr Stinky"....
And then he tries to calm her down.
So great that he has a very forgiving audience as he tries out his new reading skills!
Maria loves her yogurt!
In early April we flew to Italy along with Pepperoni.
Here are my two boys fast asleep in the car after the long morning of flying.
Pepperoni was a champ!
Easter Lunch bunny.
Easter egg hunt.
Favorite thing in her basket? These egg glasses!
At "the rock" near our home.
Our local pizza joint is our favorite spot for dinner.
Gio and Pepperoni enjoying a late afternoon snuggle.
Gio and his best Italian buddy Andrea (whose family owns that pizza joint we love so much!)
spent most days out in our yard getting dirty and doing STUFF.
For a boy trapped in an apartment much of the year, this outdoor freedom is quite a gift!
Last night in Italy enjoying our favorite dinner spot.
At the airport in Kyiv awaiting our taxi.
Gio returned from Italy sporting a new ciuffo ("tuft of hair").
Back at Gio's school for some recess fun.
Not to get stuck on only one hair style, Gio went for a "Maria"!
It may have been April 20th but wow was it chilly! On this day it even snowed!
Tongues!!
Soon after we returned from Italy Paolo headed to the USA.
To console ourselves we went out to dinner a lot. A new favorite is one called Dogs & Tails.
On the way there one evening we met this pig. And, yes, we were in the center of the city.
Gio has begun to write little stories whenever he has a free moment.
This one says "I was playing with my friend whose name is Maria."
This boy makes my heart melt.
A walk in the woods.
Finally getting some warm weather
(i.e. no babuskas yelled at me on this morning even though Maria was hatless!!)
This was Maria's first time on one of the "big kid" toys at the park.
She was thrilled!
Our park finally came into blossom!
Maria LOVES selfies. (I do not, but am willing to play along once in a while.)
Making choices...
Enzo was professionally groomed this week. He was not thrilled with his new flowery scent.
Maria's newest demand is a pedicure after most afternoon naps. Ah, toddlers.
Day 1 of holiday weekend- dealing with a flat tire.
Pigtails!!
Day #2 of holiday weekend- switching winter tires for summer ones.
A new restaurant opened near our apartment.
This burger is called "The Obama." Only in Ukraine...
Day #3 of our holiday weekend and it is COLD again (May 3).
Maria spent an hour at the park today "rescuing" worms.
Here was my one attempt to capture Enzo AND Maria in a shot at the park.
Happy May to all. We head to Washington for a visit in early June (also to do some medical tests for Maria). Hopefully by then we will know our future.....hopefully!!
I am writing this as snow is falling outside, but I hope it is just a hiccup as we are very ready for Spring. Since it has been quite a while since I last posted, the photos below begin with one of only the two real snow storms we had this winter. As this was our final winter here in Ukraine, we were happy that it was a mild one. Well, all of us but Enzo, that is....
For those of you curious about where the Bellis will land next, I promise to fill you in as soon as we know. We should be certain of our plans by the end of April. So meanwhile, some scenes from the last month (or so).....
Sledding in Shevchenko Park. Enzo was in heaven. Maria was also quite pleased with it all.
A new indoor play area opened at Gulliver Center.
This became a popular early evening outing for us.
After a nasty flu hit our family Maria's appetite finally returned....
...with a vengeance!
Maria began an obsession with EOS lip balms.
She is rarely seen without one when we are home. Most of them are now covered with dog/cat hair. This does NOT deter her from rubbing them all over her face.
Favorite activity of all.
A new expression was born....
At the end of February Gio and Paolo headed to the Alps for a week of skiing. Maria and I stayed back to take care of the animals.
"Where is Gio?"
"And Papa?"
An outing to search for pigeons.
Maria discovered the joys of a roll of toilet paper...
Pepper joined in the fun.
Our trips to MegaMarket now take a lot longer as Maria insists on shutting all of the locker doors...
There is a lot of work to be done here....
Yep. She does this A LOT.
A walk in a park across the river to celebrate Enzo's 4th birthday.
With all of the snow and ice melted I was able to bring Gio's old tricycle out of storage.
Enzo gets a lot of attention from little dogs. He is very patient.
Maria lets me know when she wants to go to the pool!
The list of obsessions has grown from lip balms to nail polish to reading glasses.
Most mornings Maria insists on having her crib filled with books. She spends quite a bit of time searching through them for pictures of the moon.
The bidet continues to be a favorite play area. Sigh.
Pepper gets miffed as it is also his favorite napping spot!
Gio did a group presentation at school on the muscular system!
The slides here in Ukraine are not for the faint of heart (very steep, fast and without a gentle, gradual finish!). " Maria is quite determined to master them. Quite a daredevil!
Maria loves this old helmet of Gio's. I suppose I need to find a scooter for her now!
She also loves to do selfies with me!
Time to walk Enzo!
We are off to Italy April 4-13 and then Paolo will be in the USA April 16-24th. Hopefully after that trip we will know where our next home will be. Tune in next time to hear our news! Meanwhile, Happy Spring to all!