Nikitas and Maxim blog

HAPPY BIRTHDAY dad!

Dad is turning 30 today. We quote the late George Carlin because he says it best of all:

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.

"How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key.

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.

"How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life...you become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony. YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would! So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.

You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday! You get into your 80s and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; "I Was JUST 92."

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!"

A very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to grandma Margarita! We thank her for taking good care of us and for acting silly to make us laugh. We love you very much grandma! --Maxim + Nikitas

Happy 44th Inauguration Day! Mom, Nikitas and I are going to watch the President's inauguration live on CNN with grandpa. It's going to be evening here in Cyprus during the inauguration ceremony. It's exciting to be a part of this historical moment as American and European citizens, even though we are really young and won't remember a thing about it! - Maxim

C is for cookie. M is for Maxim.

Sesame Street has been teaching me numbers and letters. I can recognize the letters: M, J, C, and O!

I can count from 1 to 10, although not in the same order as you count from 1 to 10. I'm a bit of a rebel!

My favorite muppet is Cookie Monster. My mom's favorite is Grover.

It's amazing to think that Sesame Street was created before my parents were born. In fact, when my dad was born, the show had already been on the air for 9 years! Yet the show, although dated in its music & sociocultural references, is as great as ever in teaching kids numbers, letters, words, values, and important things such as finding an EXIT door, crossing the street safely, and believing in yourself. And, most of all, it's funny and fun to watch!

--Maxim

How exciting to be writing our first blog entry! We'd like to tell you about the new donkey we adopted in December at the Cyprus Donkey Sanctuary in Vouni village. His name is Beau and he is 11 years old. He had been abandoned near Limassol and was found eating beans belonging to a rather irate farmer. Beau is an unusual color for a Cyprus donkey--he is more of a typical Eastern European grey color. He is a cheeky, strong chap who enjoys chewing the grooms' shirts while they are cleaning his paddock. For those of you who remember the donkey we adopted last year, Yiannis One Ear, he is doing well and sends his regards. Here is a picture of Beau!

Welcome to the new site of Nikitas and Maxim!

It took some work for dad to redesign our site, so we hope you'll enjoy it. This site features a blog with tidbits of news and philosophical thoughts from Maxim and Nikitas, as well as photos and videos.

You can use the RSS feature to subscribe to our news and to receive automatic updates to your RSS reader (if you are using Microsoft Office 2007 you can read the updates in the RSS section of Microsoft Outlook). If you need clarification on how to use RSS, just send us an email.

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Thanks and hope you will enjoy visiting us here!