Deko's visit (this is a post from last June, but Blogger changed settings recently and messed up the order of my posts!)

Deko is here for a couple of weeks, and Semina is in Sarajevo visiting home.
Sonja is especially cuddly with deko.  We all thought it was amazing considering she hasn't seen deko in a while--since a year ago, in fact.  But she'll get up from the couch where I was reading to the kids before bedtime saying that she was going to sit with deko in the living room.
Since deko got here, and I've been on vacation from work, we've gone blueberry picking, bicycle riding, swimming (lessons), movie watching and beach going (Clearwater).

The kids are into puzzles recently.  I got them a few new ones and they are constantly working on them, especially Sonja.

 

New schools for all kids (this is really a post from last August--Blogger just changed their settings (again!) and messed up my blog!)

Nikolas is our kindergartener this year at Hidden Oak Elementary.
I was worried that he would be sad missing his friends from the old school, most of whom remained there, but he embraced the school for 'big kids' much better than I even would have imagined.  He is proud to be there, he does well and gets awarded for it (more than other kids, apparently, which makes him feel even more proud).   I asked him what he likes best, expecting him to say going to the library.  Instead, he said, going to the computer lab.
He is finally sharing more information on what he did at school than he did over the previous few years.  I guess he finally does something more than just play.

Sonja and Michael are very comfortable at their new school, their teacher Miss Krissy says--and how wouldn't they be when they came along to pick up Nikolas with me a bunch of times.  Sonja is still a social butterfly: there are twin boys in their class who are usually moody and grumpy and don't want to play with anyone, EXCEPT Sonja.  She is the only person in school who can pull them out of their shells.
Cute things that they say:
Sonja, at night: 'Pricaj mi vuka i kepicu.' (Tell me the Little Red Riding Hood story)
Mikica: krastavac (he means skakavac); grah (prah, carobni prasak)

Thanksgiving

Nikolas's school organized a Thanksgiving lunch for the kids and making of turkey hats.  Here is his class:

 

 For Thanksgiving we visited aunt Anne and uncle Butch, as usual.  We had a wonderful, relaxing and fun time with them.  Aunt Lucky and cousin Kevin were there too with aunt Lucky's famous Irish coffee and Kevin's girlfriend's pumpkin cheesecake and pecan pie.  She is a dessert queen!

Nikolas is enjoying the drive down to Orlando:

The kids loved watching movies in aunt Anne's bed every day!  Here they are, not even blinking:


 
Meanwhile, here is mommy enjoying the sunshine and quiet on the back patio: 
 
... until the kids' movie inside was over:

Where is the turkey?

 Some photos that Sonja took: