Giorgio the Gorilla

Recently, Giorgio has been mimicing Mom and Dad more. This morning he saw me brushing my hair so he wanted the brush and then started to brush his own hair.

There is a book we have called "From Head to Toe" in which on each page an animal does a movement and then the readers are asked if they do it to. Well his favorite page is when the gorilla thumps his chest and he can do it to!

Also this morning, Georgie found a coin that was on the ground. He carried that thing around with him everywhere for about 30 minutes (No worries G-Ma and Nana, I watched him like a hawk to make sure he did not put it in his mouth and I cleaned his hands well afterwards ;)! ) He is my little miser.

Over the weekend, one of George's assignments was to watercolor the gate to the Farnese gardens on site! He did such a wonderful job!

It was a neat assignment for him as the first watercolor he did at Notre Dame was this gate and now he was able to paint the same gate but while actually in front of it!

Georgie and I met George at the Farnese gate when he completed the watercolor and from there we walked to the Lateran. Wow! It was the first time I was there and I want to go back at least a few more times. There was so much to see and take in that I need more time to do so.

This is where the Holy Stairs are! Emperor Constantine's mother, Helena, went to the Holy Land and brought back to Rome with her many reliques of the Passion. One of these being the stairs Chris walked up to meet Pontius Pilate. One can climb up them on ones knees. 

At the top of the baldacchino are two figures, one is St. Peter and the other St. Paul. Those figures are actually reliquaries for the heads of St. Peter and St. Paul.

Relique of the table where the Last Supper was.

For mass on Sunday, we went to the NAC (Pontifical North American College). We had dinner with Brandon Macadaeg on Thursday and he invited us to come to mass on Sunday at the NAC where he goes to the seminary. How could we turn down mass in English? It was so nice to be able to understand the reading and the homily! We got to the NAC early for mass so Brandon showed us around. The highlight was going to the roof and seeing the view of Roma and the Vatican!

We have been spending more time at home this week as I am trying to fight off a cold and George is working hard on a project in studio. (Will post photos of it once he is finished.) But we have been planning a trip...