September is slipping away...

So, I better summarize the month before I completely forget.

Nikita started school on Sept. 1. He's in kindergarten now, but it wasn't a big event because he's attending the same school as last year. Which made the first day back really different from last year: he was excited to see his old friends, and wasted no time in showing off one of his new toys, the Transformer, Bumblebee. Although it took a while to figure out his teachers' names, he looks forward to school, with new friends and new activities such as show 'n tell and trips to the nearby public library.

We've also ramped up Nikita's extracurricular activities, and it seems he's ready for them. He actually behaves well in his art lesson (which he's had on and off since last fall). Sometimes, so well that he's not assigned any homework. And this past week, he tried out the piano and chess. I was impressed that the morning after his piano lesson, he woke up to do his homework (even if it was at 7 am), but he hasn't been consistent at it. And Igor yesterday lost big time to Nikita in chess, which may encourage him to continue with the game. I'm actually wondering whether he'll be able to maintain all these activities (with accompanying homework), but we'll see.

In the meantime, Ivan stays at home, and it took him a while to return to the routine of seeing everyone leave for most of the day. For a couple of days, he insisted that he had to go to school as well. And when we got home, he was super clingy. But, he's over that now, and progressing on his own. First, he's picking up new words left and right, but doesn't always get in all the letters. Here are a few funny ones:

jamama = pajama
pisiba = spasiba (Russian for "Thank you")
loobu hoolianitz = Ya looblu hooliganitz (Russian for "I like to be a hooligan")

And he is sort of potty-training. For a while now, his diaper is dry when he wakes up in the morning. So, at the beginning of the month, I asked him if he would rather wear his Thomas the Tank Engine underwear instead of a diaper. It worked wonderfully the first night, but the next night, he requested a diaper. Sometimes, he asks to wear "Thomas" during the day - one time, he kept his pee in for 6 hours during the day! Another time, he pooped in the underwear. But this morning, he asked again to wear Thomas. When I asked him where he needed to pee, he replied, "Sink", but actually asked to pee in the toilet with Igor. This is progress.

Probably the biggest news this month is my brother Michael's wedding. Igor and I traveled to Wisconsin for the big event. Sans boys, which made me really nervous about Galina - Igor kept calling every few hours - but they all survived. And Michael's wedding went off without a hitch! Pretty cool to have a sister - and one with a great laugh, to boot. Vincent's toast as best man was really nice, and it was great seeing relatives I haven't seen in a while - and meeting Vincent's new girlfriend.

As for me, I started back in school a week after Nikita, which was a good thing. Work hasn't been too taxing, but that's going to change in a week or so. I've been reading (The Omnivore's Dilemma and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society) and knitting mini Christmas stockings (started #11 this morning - yes, Igor thinks I'm clinical). My next project will be an Autobot hat for Nikita (my chart, inspired by this Deceptacon hat). I'm hoping to finish it before Nikita has forgotten about Transformers (this weekend, he's been bugging us to buy Lego Power Miners: he buys, and we pay). And then, maybe I'll go really crazy with color and try to make Bazaar Socks.

I haven't been cooking too much, but when I do, it's usually with Ivan (who immediately asks for a chair for him to stand on) and using up leftovers. Yesterday, I made a frittata with sauteed vegetable scraps (eggplant and mushrooms), some leftover sauteed shrimp and spinach. I even threw in some leftover spaghetti. It was fine! We also recently bought a Belgian waffle maker, which has made weekend breakfasts special. This weekend, I tried out Cook's Illustrated's recipe for yeasted Belgian waffles. Even Igor ate them (he thinks all baked goods should have yeast). And there were no leftovers to freeze.