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....