At the Playground

Emma's favorite thing to do while in Sisak was to go to the playground that is behind my parents apartment building and play with rocks and other kids. So that is what we did each evening. Mia would come also and join us in the adventure. It was cool to see all the older kids play and take care of the smallest kids-which were Mia and Emma. They all are buddies with Mia of course as she is there all the time but they welcomed Emma the first day and Emma loved them all as well. I can not describe the excitement when we would say we are going to the playground. Some of the pictures can maybe show why it was lots of fun. But Emma & Mia sure did enjoy those times. When it was all said and done Emma would crash in bed each night, totally exhausted from all the play and excitement of hanging out with other kids and being outside (Emma's favorite things to do).

Pictures from Sisak

Here are some photos of our time in Sisak and visiting with friends.

Welcoming party at Marija's garden!

We arrived in Sisak August 1st and the next day which was saturday my best friends from highschool had a little welcoming party for us. Marija has fixed up a part of their back yard with a little garden and nice grass and deck furniture and was proud to invite us all to come and hang out there. It was a special treat because we had some guests of honor as well-Marija's husband Zvonimir-who is currently serving with Peace Corp in Kosovo then my friend Melita's boyfriends Mario-this was his first appearance on a group gathering like this:):):) and my friend Masa with her daughter Anja and husband Vlatko who came from Zagreb for the weekend just to see us.

Everyone was thrilled to see Emma and hang out with her and Emma like a true champ was having a blast with almost no signs of jet lag eventhough this was her first real day in croatia.
The most exciting thing for Emma were all the animals. Marija lives in a little village and has a dog, cat and turkeys. Emma was sooo excited as she loves dogs and this was her first experience with real live turkeys. She has only seen them in her picture books-I don't think they even show them in her Baby Einstein McDonald Farm video. She got a little startled when they started making noise but quickly warmed up to them even though I personally could not stand the smell (even for a short time while taking some pics).

Emma and Anja enjoyed the little pool Marija set up for them. That was an awesome refreshment for a hot day. Since Emma loves the pool there was nothing better to win her heart.
We had some nice food (thanks Zvona for grilling) and girls for making all the differenct sides and a delicious cake (melita-i did not even know you are such a baker).

It was a great day and we enjoyed hanging out with everyone. Chris liked it a lot too because unlike when we have parties at our house, he did not have to do anything but simply enjoy some beer and good conversation.
We miss them all now that we are back in the states!

More pictures of Plitvice.

Click for larger pics of Plitvice:

Plitvice Lakes

On the way back from the beach we stopped to see plitvice jezera, which is national park made up of a series of lakes and waterfalls. I have always wanted to visit the lakes but each time that we've come to Croatia in the past it has been in the winter and not a good time to enjoy the water. We walked for 3 hours looking at different lakes and waterfalls. We saw the lower lakes. To see both the lower and the upper lakes would take at least 7-8 hours. It was amazing. One of the lakes we saw was 47 meters (154 ft) deep. The water is crystal clear and the waterfalls are beautiful.

The view from the start of the hike.


Emma loved looking at the fish and the ducks. The water was so clear that you easily see all of the fish.



A view from a boat we took across one of the lakes.


A family photo.

Ruth and Erfon visit us in Pirovac

While in Pirovac my sister Ruth and her boyfriend Erfon visited us for a couple days. They are on a trip backpacking through Europe for two months. It was fun to see them both. We rarely see Erfon and had not seen Ruth since Christmas. Emma enjoyed hanging out with Ruth and was comfortable with her in no time. You can see some pics Ruth took here and a video here.

Ruth and Erfon


Emma and Ruth.


Emma was thrilled to hang out with Erfon:)


Back with Daddy, happy again:)

More from Zadar

Click the slideshow to see more pictures from Zadar.

Visiting friends in Zadar

One day we visited the town of Zadar. Andreja's best friend from university, Ivo, and his wife Tina live in Zadar. It was my (Chris) first time in this beautiful city. We had a lot of fun walking around and enjoying the sights. One of the coolest things that they have is a sea organ located in the shore. It is a musical pipe organ that is played by the sea at the water hits the shore. (for more about it go to http://www.oddmusic.com/gallery/om24550.html). We also enjoyed seeing Roman ruins and Saint Donatus' Church which was build in the 9th century. The foundation is actually build on Roman ruins.

Emma sitting on Roman ruins in from of the church.


Us with Ivo and Tina.


Family photo


By the sea.

More pics from Murter

Click the slideshow below for more pictures from the fun at Murter.

On the beach at Murter!!

One day we went to this beautiful beach near the town of Murter. It was on an island right off the coast. The water was so clear that you could see the bottom from any point, even where it was at least 50 feet. It was awesome. This beach also had a small part with sand where Emma and Mia could walk and play with their beach toys.

Emma and Mia getting ready for a swim.


Jakov, Emma and Andreja waiting for some pizza at a cafe right on the water.


Emma loved playing with Kristina. Kristina and Jakov are neighbors from Sisak who have an apartment on the beach in Pirovac. They were right next door from where we were staying. It was fun to hang out with them. Emma is a huge fan of both Cristina and Jakov.


The beach and the beautiful clear water.

Hanging out in Pirovac

We stayed in Pirovac and spent a lot of time on the beach.


Tuki (The brother-in-law) grilling some meat. IT was delicious!!!


Emma loved playing in the water with the rocks. She had one mishap when she was bitten by a little jellyfish. She didn´t cry but just pointed to her leg in discomfort. The sting went away after a day. She´s a trooper.


This is the view from our spot.

More from Šibenik

Click the slideshow below to see some more pictures from Šibenik.

Šibenik

We went with Andreja´s parents to the town of Šibenik to walk around and enjoy the sights. It`s a beautiful little city. The main church was built in the 1400s. Emma loved walking in the square and chasing people.

By the water.


Emma making some new friends.


The church of Saint James. Built in the 1400s.


The square where Emma was running all over.

Playing Hide & Seek with aunt Mateja

Going to the Croatian Coast

On Monday (August 4th) we went to the town of Pirovac on the Croatian Coast with Andreja's parents (Baka and Deda), sister (Mateja), brother-in-law (Tuki), and neice (Mia). It took 7 hours by car with an hour stop in the middle. It would have gone faster but when we reached a 3 mile tunnel under the mountains it took one hour to go 2 miles because of the traffic. Emma did great on the ride. She took a couple naps in the car and enjoyed a lot of snacks. Once we arrived we headed straight to the beach to enjoy the beautiful adriatic water. Although the water was cold, Emma loved swimming and sitting in the water playing with rocks (the beaches are made up mostly of small or large rocks). We found a great spot along the beach that had good shade for the little ladies under a couple palm trees. Emma and Mia enjoyed sitting and playing with their beach toys. We'll post some more pictures later.

Getting ready to go.


Two cousins, Emma and Mia.


Emma's first time in the Adriatic.


Emma and Mia playing in the shade.

Traveling to Croatia

Our day to leave for vacation in Croatia has finally arrived. Chris is done with the BAR and we were off. The traveling drama started when my mom told me that Lufthansa (company we were flying with) is on strike. At first they were not canceling flights so we did not think much of it. But the day of our trip i tell chris just randomly to call and make sure our flight is still on and we find out that our flight is canceled. At this point it is already 2pm and they tell us that we were rebooked on a different flight that leaves at 4pm. then they said that we will not make it since we do have 40 minute ride to the airport. Nobody informed us about this or anything. If we did not call we would have no lcue. Anyway, chris was able to get the lady to book us on a flight that leaves the same day ging through Belgium. We spent a couple of hours on the counter and made the flight barely because our infant tickect for emma was never reissued.....Long story short we made it and we were glad. Some of our luggage didnćt for a few days but when it finally came we were glad. Grandpa Tom was of huge help at the airport keeping little emma entertained while chris (mainly) and i were trying to figure this situation out.Emma was a great little traveler. She greeted every person on the plane with a wave and a smile, some were tickeled and woken up by her, but all in all she was a star and people have enjoyed her. She slept for 5 hours and then also on Brussels airport in the stroller (which was a first time for emma sleeping in the stroller) and was so great. Time change was not too big of a deal either and we did not have to wake up and play at 3am. Thanks God for helping emma and all of us have a pretty easy transition and travel. And also for that extra seat for emma to have for herself. Here are some pics from the plane.

I found the light at the end of the tunnel!!!

The BAR is over!!! Praise the Lord!!! I took the Georgia BAR exam to become an attorney on Tuesday and Wednesday last week (July 29 & 30). It was a long test with 6 hours of testing each day. I am cautiously optimistic that I passed, but I won`t get the results until the end of October. So we will have to wait and see. I feel like a huge weight is lifted from my shoulders. That feeling that I always should be studying no matter what time it is or what I am doing is gone. It`s an amazing feeling.