The New Year started off right with a fabulous midnight meal (see previous post), and walk in the woods later in the day. It was so nice to get out of the kitchen, and the weather was lovely. Nikita (right), however, wanted to crash part way through because he was the only one who didn't nap the day before.Despite the lack of sleep, Nikita had a busy month. He played well in his winter concert (as usual, practicing a ton the day of the concert), participated in a team chess tournament, and moved up in math school. I was also surprised to take a call from USCF, confirming our contact information because Nikita is one of the top 100 U.S. players in his age group (list still isn't up yet). What really impressed me, however, was his showing initiative in reading. He read German books in the car, and requested library books that he started in English class: Mr. Popper's Penguins and My Brother Sam is Dead. He hasn't finished these books because he still turns to Legos or DVDs (including the ones that come with Ivan's Imaginex toys) for relaxation. Still, his interest in books is promising.
Ivan's return to school this month meant a return of the bugs. Although he missed a number of days at school, he was well enough to see his favorite teacher on her last day. Back at home, Ivan would act out scenes from his latest DVD obsessions: the Russian films "Kotovsky" and "Fortress of War", and the Disney film "Lilo & Stitch." No-brainer to figure out which one I contributed. Finally, evening storytime was spent with the Treasury of Christmas Tales and Something Good, a farewell present from his teacher.
The major highlights for me this month were organizing, crochet, and Bo Ssam. I spent a lot of time organizing my spring schedule because I had to incorporate two new classes. I also organized a study for a June conference, the two teams for Nikita's chess tournament, and farewell presents for Ivan's teacher. One of the presents was an apron with the kids' handprints. I never thought I would get so crafty!
Speaking of craftiness, I crocheted a blanket and hat (my first real crochet project!) for the expected child of my other brother. I'm confident nephew #3 will be smart because the blanket was made to "This American Life" and The Economist (wink). I wasn't sure, however, that I was going to finish the blanket in time because the first row of the first granny square took me two hours. Thankfully, the other 15 squares were made more quickly (about an hour per square), and so cheerful in sock monkey colors.
Finally, I end this post with the Bo Ssam I made, inspired by this NYT article. I never microblogged so much about a dish, and I took a photo (below) only because some Facebook friends requested it. You can see how tender the pork was. This fabulous (yet easy!) dish is definitely something I will make when expecting guests.
