After coming home from school, the kids give the dogs extra attention. Katherine used her mask from school to give Scout a hat. Funny thing was that he actually liked it.
Covid rules are pretty strict in Italy. Hudson's class had one case of Covid so the entire class had to go to online learning for 10 days. They also had to bring a negative Covid test to school when they returned after the quarantine.
Regan cooked a lot while Jonathan was gone. She said to keep her on the schedule to cook OCCASIONALLY now that Dad is back. she has gotten pretty good at this carbonara dish. And bonus points for being a quick and cheaper meal for our seven!
I looked (and called) all over the house for Lauren. I couldn't find her anywhere!
I finally saw this little piece of hair sticking out from the blankets. I guess she was totally exhausted from school! There was no waking her up. (By the time Friday roles around, they are worn out)
Since Hudson was in quarantine, he got to join Regan and Benjamin in their morning workout routine.
Benjamin has been dealing with a stubborn toe that won't heal for over a month now. On the follow-up trip to the foot doctor, she decided to do a minor surgery on his toe/nail with zero numbing agents. Poor guy. It looked painful and he was a pile of sweat from the procedure....but I guess lunch brought to you on the couch helps.
Yep, even online Italian school will wear you out :)
Funny dog.
Mmmmmm. Chinese food.
The dogs would not stop smelling Jonathan's coat after he got back. I guess they smelled their cousin, Linus! haha!
The dogs really couldn't believe he was back...and they wouldn't stop smelling him. I don't know if it was the laundry detergent was different in the States or if they smelled another dog, but wither way it was funny.
Jonathan handed me this from his suitcase. It was my surprise gift from America.
AH! I do LOVE double doozie cookies from Great American Cookie Company! I savored each bite and managed to make it last for 3 days!
Emily sent shirts for everyone in honor of Papaw. We all have our very own Appalachian Trail shirts.
Mine is the marker that you will see all along the trail to make sure you don't get lost.
Shadow got a new sweater from the States...it was bought for Linus but when it came in the mail, it was really small. It fits him perfectly!
Poor guy. He was exhausted. He just couldn't keep his eyes open any longer.
We also got to have Christmas again!! Yes, it is February. We even kept the tree up waiting for the boxes to arrive! They were sent before Thanksgiving, but mail was slow. I was a little worried that our traditional gift for the kids would not make it. I'm so glad that they have an ornament to add this year! I had already bought this one for Regan, but she saw it online and was really hoping to get it! YEAH!
I thought this one looked just like Benjamin. It's a stocking full of animals! The perfect ornament for my kid who wants to be a vet.
This one was a little bigger than I thought when ordering online, but still cute1 The penguins move around the snowman and it plays music.
A snow globe one with a polar bear and penguin giving warm hugs
A little boy Precious Moments elf
I've never seen someone get so excited about a calendar! The girl LOVES flowers! (i know I have said that before, but it is so true!)
The cleanest boy I know...and he loves smelling like a man! :)
Grandmommy did so good! She wasn't sure what to give Regan because she'll be bringing her stuff back to America soon. She asked to see her Christmas list. This was on it and it is super cute!
Katherine got a cotton candy machine!
I got some socks, cake decorating supplies, and candles to name a few
How fitting! Lauren got the Chinese New Year outfit for her Build-A-Bear for Christmas...and she opened it the day before Chinese New Year!
Jonathan was still sleeping from the jet lag...Katherine made alfredo for dinner
Auntie Em sent some Valentines to "her favorites" :)
Yes, we ate jaozi on Chinese New Year.
I also found this small bag of Chinese candy to celebrate with!
Walking Hudson to piano class I ran across this store. I'm really not sure I want to decorate my house with heart statues.
The girls got a kick out of "switching hair" for the day. They said that people at school would get them confused.
I haven't been able to get any good pictures of soccer class. I do love seeing her get to play! The games move pretty fast and I'm too far away for good pictures, but sometimes I can sneak a quick shot when they are at the other end of the field. She's the one in black pants under the building looking thing. Did I mention is is COLD!
Lauren went to a birthday party and they ordered sushi and Chinese food.
The girls taking selfies...Lauren, Melina, Eleanora (blonde), Leah, and Girogia
the birthday girl serving cake
It took some practice, but she has successfully made cotton candy!
Katherine asked me if I had seen her part of the dresser recently. She made this picture display and has some of her most important things on display (flower book, Keeper of the Lost Cities book, Journaling books with all of her flower research and dried flowers, and some small trinkets)
watching Regan and Lauren cook :)
Breakfast for dinner
This was part of Regan's culinary class. Her assignment was to fix breakfast for her family. It had to have all of the following things to score high...2 proteins (one plant based), 2 fruits, 2 vegetables, whole grains, a healthy oil, something boiled or simmered, something fried, a drink, and a dairy product. I said that this definitely had to be a dinner because WOAH! THat's a lot of food!
Well, Regan, Benjamin, and I got red X's on our green passes, which meant no public transportation, restaurants, some shops, and church. So we got a ride form a friend to the Vax & Go center. We now have our booster dose and have new green passes!! This is a huge relief!! It's not always easy for foreigners to get the right documentation needed for things.
Hudson asked me if he could play his scales for me (on the recorder...which I understood) Jonathan thought he meant on the piano and said, "If you use your headphones." He comes back with his earphones pushed up in his recorder. Funny guy!
Regan has been wanting to make these cookies since before Christmas...white chocolate peppermint cookies. YUM!
