While Nico was hosting a Super Bowl party using the basement home theater, Jeanine hosted a birthday party for her friend Irene. Only women choose seaweed salad and sushi as a birthday food. Apparently they also had a liberal dose of wine because they all came down to the basement and were dancing to the Bruce Springsteen half time show in front of all the teenagers.

Nico opens his second match with a very impressive 5-point move called a gator roll, which he initiates from a front headlock. Jeanine and Maya, now in attendance, get to witness his 5-2 victory.

Nicolai draws the five-time defending champion in his first match. Despite the 9-2 loss, Nico puts in a great performance as his teammates and spectators look on. Each wrestler’s left arm is labeled with their weight in case you noticed the marking on his bicep.

This morning, Nicolai and I left the house before 7 AM to make weigh-ins for the Big East Wrestling Tournament held at Nashoba Regional High School. Nico is wrestling in the 85# Elite Division (Novice, Select, Elite) which included some of the best wrestlers in the state.

I coaxed Jeanine and Maya to search for bald eagles with me today. We found two adults and two juveniles on the Merrimac River near Newburyport. Between the cold and wind, photography was a challenge but I did manage a few reasonable photos of these majestic birds.

Any thoughts as to what we have pictured here? If you guessed baby canine teeth from Maya you are right. She braved a trip to the dentist this morning to have these stubborn little fellows extracted. Now that she has been defanged, I will now have the advantage when wrestling with her for the next several months!

Nicolai woked on a video for a science class project this evening. He has taken over my study and computer to edit the footage he shot with his friend Oliver.

Maya is responsible for decorating this Pavlova which we enjoyed for dessert this evening. School was cancelled for a nasty winter storm which deposited a slick combination of snow, sleet and frozen rain. I asked Maya what inspired her to make this creation. She told me she was bored. I am thinking of ways to make her bored again tommorrow.

The entire family was gathered on the couch this evening watching American Idol (not great TV I know, but it is something we all enjoy doing together – we try and predict the stars and the duds before they sing). No one can seem to recall what got Jeanine going (she says it was a story about my past) but she could not stop laughing.

 
Nico picked up a nice medal for his grappling efforts on Sunday.

 
Maya is an excellent student and even though she has much less homework than her brothers, she is quite diligent when she focuses on it.

In his opening match, Nico faced an opponent who had beaten him 5-0 just last week. After that match we reviewed the video and learned from each mistake. Nico did not repeat a single one and today defeated the same boy in impressive fashion. Nico almost wins by fall (wrestling term for a pin) but his opponent is saved by the bell.

Once on the mat, Nico proceeds to score several back points on his way to a solid win in the second round.

By maintaining absolute wrist control, Nicolai is able to emerge from this precarious throw in a very favorable position.