We just had Aida with her family over for a week!
The kids played great together: Nikolas, Sonja, Michael, James with Basti and Emma.  Despite the language barrier and a slight difference in ages, they got along wonderfully.  Sonja and Emma drew together and made bracelets, Basti was tumbling with the boys, piggyback-riding, making tents out of living room furniture and blankets, everyone stayed up late watching Star Wars before passing out, and during the day they went to the pool a lot and a few more places like the beach, Zoo, museum (James did not like live butterflies in the museum at all!).

We miss them a lot!

General updates:
James is into Winnie the Witch books and the classic stories, esp. Snowwhite and Puss in Boots.  I had one Croatian version of the Winnie the Witch, and then I ordered a collection in English--he knows which is written in which language so he was able to ask daddy to read him the English version.
James already spelled all of his friends' names last fall, and now he writes his names very well.  He never flips letters (S is usually the one kids tend to flip left to right in the beginning, but not James).  He picks up everything he hears at home or school.  His music teacher says he is the one who carries the melody when the kids sing together--he knows all the words, his pitch is on point, and he is not shy to sing loudly.
He is also good at expressing himself verbally: he tells me exactly what the plan for the day is: 'Kad dodjemo kuci, mama, daj mi zvaku i onda hocu da gledam Strumfove.  Onda kad padne mrak, ja cu da obucem pidzamu i onda cu da jedem i ti ces da mi citas i onda cu da idem u krevet.'  (When we get home (from school), I want a bubble gum and to watch the Smurfs.  Then when it gets dark, I'll put pajamas on and eat dinner and then you'll read to me and then I'll go to bed.)  For any variations in the day, he likes to give me an overview if it should include something that he wants.
He remembers phrases and words so easily.  The other day daddy must have done something that he told the kids not to do, and James's response (in daddy's words from before) was, 'But you are daddy--you can do what you want', which is one of daddy's phrases.  Or, as I was reading a book to him last night, I omitted 'snow' from 'snow boots' in the Winnie the Witch story, and he stopped me and corrected me ('cizme za snijeg').  He even helped the older kids with the Serbocroatian version of a few English words that they couldn't remember.

Play at James's school