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???

Travelling with Gio

Yesterday Gio completed his 94th airplane ride.  With a trip to the US in three weeks (which involves 4 flights there and back), that means he will soon be closing in on 100 flights.  Quite a lot for a boy just over 3 years old.  In all honesty, I would not wish this sort of travel schedule on any child, let alone parent, but I will say his life has certainly been an adventure.  Not that he will remember much of it so far!
As for traveling with a 3-year-old?  It has certainly gotten easier than our days of screaming, walking the aisles and trying to change a 30-pounder on those tiny changing tables over the airplane toilet.  Ugh.  Now he handles the bus transfers, bumpy rides, 10 hour flights, panicked runs through the labyrinth that is the Frankfurt Airport and long layovers with ease.  He even now insists on going to the bathroom "myself!" while I stand outside and listen to him sing in there.  The only tricky time is security when he either refuses to remove his coat or melts down when he has to put "Big Tom" through the machine.  Well, there has to be at least one breakdown per trip, right?
For those of you looking for tips on how to travel with a toddler/preschooler....

WHAT TO BRING ON PLANE!

Big Tom.  Of course.

For passing time in the terminals.  Ping pong ball, small soft dog toy ball, balloons.  Gets us through long lines and endless waits.  Sometimes we even get fellow passengers to play too.

Snacks.  Do NOT assume the airline's "child" meal will appeal...at all. 

Earphones for Ipad.  

Toilet seat cover.  I am not at all into hyper-sanitized (I credit Gio's time in India for his germ-resistance), but I do draw the line at airplane toilet seats after 9 hours of constant use.

Change of clothes for Gio AND me. 

Bag of "presents".  These are small silly things I pick up in grocery stores, etc.  If I have time I wrap them up and give them out hourly or when desperate.  

Sticker books (a MUST for take off and landing when no electronics are allowed!) and favorite stories. This last flight I ended up reading "The Sleep Book" 5 times.  No sleeping happened.

For the wait between flights.

Fashion is a must.  Here we are in Bologna airport after a 3 am wakeup and two hour drive.  Hence the pjs.  Notice there is no picture of me.  Ha!

An example of airplane food being rejected.  Papa usually gets to have two doses of it.  Luckily I had some yogurt along....

Gazing at nearly naked ladies in the Kiev Post.  Not recommended except in dire emergencies.

And when does Gio actually sleep?  Not usually until the car ride home.  Must work on this aspect of flying.  

A Week In Italy

We left Kiev last Saturday to spend a week in Italy.  As Gio's school had the full week off from school, it should not have been a surprise that a good portion of our flight to Munich was filled with fellow PSI families.  Gio loved racing through the airport hallways with the gang of big kids, though he was quite disappointed when they all disappeared to head off to German and Austrian ski resorts while we continued on to our next flight.
Once in Italy we settled quickly into our new home and awoke on Monday to a surprise snow storm.  24 hours later we had at least 18 inches on the ground and a huge drive way to sled down (since our car was certainly not going to make it up!).  Here are some images from our fun in the snow...

Gio's first night in his new "big boy" bed!

On book #4.  Gio is always very persuasive and gets as many books in as he can possibly beg for!

We woke up to a huge snowstorm!

Our driveway- no way are we getting our car up this!

Gio's favorite sense is taste...and he declared snow as "yummy!" 

Paolo did some solo sledding...

And then Gio joined the fun!