Happy Women's Day

International Women's Day, though largely unknown in America, is a big enough deal here to earn everyone a three-day weekend. Both boys had their third-quarter concerts, featuring songs dedicated to their mothers, grandmothers, and female classmates for the holiday. That meant dressing up all spiffy - here's Sebby in Daddy's bow tie, ready to take cards and chocolates to his teachers.

Misha looked adorable in his new haircut, tie, and gaping tooth hole. When the photographer snapped his photo, the photographer asked him to close his mouth!

Here's Misha in his classroom just before heading down to the performance room. Upon seeing me standing in the doorway, his face lit up.

Misha recited his poem, which was a cute one:

Temno, mne svetlo (It's dark, for me it's light.)

Zamarozit, mne teplo (It's cold, for me it's warm)

Yesli mama riadom (If mama is nearby)

Smotrit nejnem vzgladom. (Watching with her gentle gaze.)

Quite true. I remember when I was little, every night I'd ask my mom to sleep with me, and she'd stay on sitting on my bed for a few minutes. When Misha was younger, he asked the same thing, and now it's Sebby, asking in his sweet voice, "Mama, can you stay with me always?" and hugging me tight.

Sebby proudly recited his poem about inviting the girl students to a partner dance, then danced away happily with Adela.

Don't you love it how kids keep waving at their parents in the audience?

For Women's Day itself (March 8), I met up with lovely women Saule and Anara for some pizza. The kids (Misha, Sebby, and Alihan) played in the jungle-gym play place, gobbled pizza, and had a duel with what were once beautiful roses for the ladies.

With Saule

With my boys

With Saule and Anara

Traditionally, Women's Day brings bad weather, as was the case this year. Even though just two days prior we were riding bikes and scooters and basking in the presence of spring, the weather quickly changed to rain and then snow. But at least we got to make one final (maybe) snowman.

 I guess it's now obvious that the boys have no currently-fitting, non-galosh footwear.

Sebby is a bit disappointed that he can't go as fast on his scooter as Misha can go on his bike, but Misha is so good about riding slowly for Sebby, looping back, and letting Sebby decide what path to take. And when Sebby falls down in his attempts to go too fast, Misha consoles him:

And then the snow:

But it's warming up again nicely now!

Of course, somewhere in there, after February ended but before March began, was my birthday, for which I made a lovely chocolate cake with a chocolate-pudding style frosting. We sampled the frosting, and then without waiting to dig out candles, dug right into the cake. Yum!

Misha gave me a card which I thought was a birthday card, and then I realized it was a card reminding me not to forget his birthday and telling me that he would like a chocolate brownie cake. Ha! That sounds like something out of Calvin and Hobbes. 

I promised to keep up on the gap-tooth photos, so here are some more of Misha: