January

Ringing in the New Year (technically Dec 31, 2023):

This year we decided to Ring in the New Year with something a little different.  We went Night Skiing!  Bolton offered an afternoon/evening ski pass for the day.  Aleks and Evan arrived at the mountain a bit early to get started as their excitement to hit the slopes just couldn't be contained any longer.  The local weather had limited some of the remaining natural snow, but the mountain had done a great job of creating their own snow to make up for it.  The skiing was still a blast!

Tanya met up with them a bit later in the evening.  We three enjoyed skiing the well-lit slopes of Bolton until 7pm that night.  Then, we waited at the bottom of the mountain with everyone else as Bolton's "torch lighting ceremony" began.  We watched in awe as a red fiery 'S'nake made of skiers & snowboarders holding flares flowed down the slopes. This was followed by a quick shuffle over to the bottom of the neighboring slope where an epic fireworks display started which finished off the event!

We all left the mountain feeling like we may have found an annual family tradition!  At home we enjoyed some New Years Eve sweets from our favorite bakery (Sweet Simones in Richmond, VT) and watched the Time Square New Years Event until the ball dropped.  [Aleks tried her best to last til midnight, but ended up going to bed earlier so Tanya and Evan recorded the last 10 seconds of 2023 to show her in the morning.]

January 1st - 6th, 2024:

The first week of the new year was filled with ups and downs.  Our furnace continued to struggle and refuse to heat our apartment to our satisfaction.  So, for the third time, Evan contacted someone to come and take another look.  And, finally, someone was able to figure out the heart of the heat issue and save us from the cold temperatures that were soon to follow.  

Aleks had a nice, short, 3-day school week to ease herself back into the school routine following her 12-and-a-half day Christmas break.  She enjoyed seeing her friends and teachers after the break and got right back into the swing of things without a hitch!

Tanya finally returned to the soccer pitch after a two-and-a-half month hiatus due to an unfortunate (and quite nasty) ankle sprain/fracture.   It was a momentous occasion (despite Tanya feeling a bit nervous).  She had a great time and the team was so excited to have her back!

During the week Evan, Tanya, and Aleks enjoyed ice skating and playing "hockey" at the outdoor Mater Christi Rink of Dreams together.  We even played under the lights for a little extra ambiance!  Evan continued his "playing on the ice" later in the week, this time indoors at Leddy Arena, with some broomball.

January 7th - 13th, 2024:

Aleks continues to amaze us (especially our saxophone-enthralled cat Rogue) with her increasingly incredible saxophone playing!  We love to listen to her practice and watch/hear her grow as a musician.  She has come such a long way in such a short time and we are so excited to support her on her musical journey!  

We had a great dinner at Koto Japanese Steakhouse with one of Aleks' best friends Myles and his family to celebrate Myles' 11th birthday!  We enjoyed some sushi and hibachi along with many laughs.  Aleks gave Myles a heartfelt present, which made both of their mothers' hearts melt.  It was a wonderful way to celebrate a birthday!

The next day we got to enjoy some more snow on the slopes of Bolton.  Despite all of the rainfall in Williston Bolton was covered in snow like a winter wonderland.  Aleks and Evan hopped over every bump and weaved between every tree as Tanya followed right behind (or alongside) filming periodically as they went.  Tanya's new ski goggles helped her to catch all the best shots.  It was a blast and we're already looking forward to our next opportunity to hit the slopes again!

January 14th - 20th, 2024:

It was another active week for the Makhlina-Ecksteins!  Evan picked Aleks up after her half day (in honor of MLK Jr.) with a Starbucks surprise.  Later on the two enjoyed playing hockey together at Mater Christi's Rink of Dreams for an hour or two before Aleks went to sing at her choir practice with the Greater Burlington Children's Choir like she does every Monday afternoon.

The week continued with Tanya, being the super-mom that she is, initiating the summer programming rat race and signing Aleks up for a couple of exciting summer camps.  More to come on that front over the next few weeks, but for now Aleks can be expected to make a farmtastic return to New Village Farm as well as another lap around the mountain biking track with Little Bellas.

Evan had a graduate student from UVM's CSD Program (his alma mater) start working with him this week.  She will spend her final semester of her graduate career exploring the halls of Milton Middle School with Evan as her guide.

Evan and Tanya each played a soccer game during the week, which they each thoroughly enjoyed.  They finished off the week with a Friday-night Broomball game (for Evan and his team, The Mighty Chucks) and an Escape Room (for Tanya and her cardiology co-workers).  Then, they spent their Saturday night enjoying some delicious homemade chili and a fun, new Harry Potter cooperative board game with some of their favorite friends.

January 21st - 27th, 2024:

Tanya and Evan enjoyed some Waitsfield treats on Sunday to start the week off sweet.  Thank you Canteen Creemee Co for your delicious buffalo chicken sandwich and smores sundae!

As the frigid temperatures started to subside Aleks enjoyed more ice skating after school (she seems to be immune to the cold) and Tanya played her fair share of soccer as well (indoors, however, as she is not).  Unfortunately, Tanya's week of soccer was cut short during a pick-up game on Friday where she somehow got a nasty laceration on her leg from someone else's cleat (it is still a mystery as to exactly how it happened, but the scar above her right knee will remain proof that, either way, it did).

Evan was able to reconnect with his long-time mentee Ali, who seems to be back in VT - finally!  They had a great time catching up and Evan is looking forward to getting together with him again soon and, hopefully, seeing Ali's kids then too (including Evan's goddaughter Sabrina, her younger brother Jalil, and their youngest brother Jamal). 

Tanya was surprised with a lovely little treat to celebrate a very special day of the year - Saint Tatyana's Day (annually celebrated on January 25th in honor of Tanya's namesake).  

And finally, we ended the week with another celebration of Aleks' good friend Myles - this time, at the Sparetime bowling alley.  The festivities included bowling, pizza, cupcakes, some arcade games, and an epic round of Lazer Tag (that, of course, the parents participated in as well - seeing as someone had to show those kids who's boss).

January 28th - 31st, 2024:

The end of January came quick!  The final days of the month lead off with a couple of soccer games for Evan (cheered on by his loving wife, still recovering from last week's temporary setback, and daughter) and resulted in a couple of Wins to show for it.  It seems the right good luck charms go a long way.

The next day Evan registered to become a Girls on the Run assistant coach for Aleks' Mater Christi team.  Aleks participated in Girls on the Run last year and raved about it all Spring.  The moment it ended she was already looking ahead to the start of the next season.  This year, Evan thought it would be fun and exciting to join her in this experience and Aleks agreed!  Now that Evan is an official coach, he also gets to include the following message in his family Blog:

“The opinions expressed here are solely my opinions and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Girls on the Run International nor Girls on the Run Vermont Council.”

(Rules are rules...)

After school on Tuesday Aleks auditioned for the Mater Christi Days and Dreams Play (for the second year in a row) and then enjoyed ice skating with her friends at the Mater Christi Rink of Dreams.

Tanya made sure to get every last minute out of the month of January.  She finished the month off at 11:59pm, sitting in front of her computer at the dining room table, anxiously (and exhaustedly) waiting for the clock to strike February, so that she could rush onto the Petra Cliffs website and sign Aleks up for her first ever rock climbing SLEEP AWAY CAMP!  (Note: Mission Accomplished!)