Cold Morning, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

Nadia and the boys are shown above walking to school on Friday morning. Belgrade had temperatures all last week in the 40’s and 50’s (10 degrees C). The boys have learned to put their hands in their pockets and to wear hoods to keep warm. It is strange to have a mud room full of boots, jackets, and sweaters after living in the tropics the past 6 years.

Last week we went and bought rain gear. The boys (and Nadia) love their boots and rain jackets. Ocean loves to be bundled up and is so quiet in the stroller when she outside. Ollie seems to be adjusting to the cold better than Owen, perhaps Owen has been in the tropics for longer. The cold weather continues with gray skies and scattered showers until later in the week. Everyone tells me that this is unseasonably cold weather and it should warm up again before winter.

We had a short week of school after the conference. Nadia and I celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary by going to the mall and buying gum boots. We were married September 17, 1999 in Coral Gables, Florida at the courthouse there. We celebrate more our anniversary of when we started dating – Halloween of 1997. It was a busy week with two girls’ soccer practices for me and a building consultant in from the US State Department. The school is designing the new middle school which will be put on the high school campus. Construction is to begin in March of 2009. More on that later.

Ocean, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

Ocean is standing next to the lion statue on our doorstep. We have the lion theme with our front entrance. There are two lion statues
and then a brass lion door knocker. I guess being a Detroit Lion fan it is appropriate. The statues are a bit battered as you can see and that is appropriate also considering the Lions NFL history. After last week’s opening week loss to the Falcons, it looks like it will be another long year.

Ocean’s birthday is coming up in two weeks. She is developing quickly and comes up with a new mannerism or habit every day. She stands quite a bit but does not walk yet. Both the boys didn’t walk until after their first birthday. We shall see. She is so smart and figuring out how the world works. She is also quite demanding and knows what she wants.

It was a super hard week at school for me. I had four night events Monday – Thursday. On Monday I helped Liz with the senior college application process talk, Tuesday we had the middle school open house, Wednesday was the high school open house, and on Thursday the PTA had a wine and cheese evening. I didn’t get to bed at my usual 9:00 PM and it showed. I learned that the next time that happens, to take a nap in the afternoon. I will be able to function better and make less mistakes.

Oliver is doing better at school. He is getting along well with his classmates. Owen is a superstar and liked by everyone. His reading level was tested at 2nd grade. We have him in kindergarten this year and it is good because his social and maturity level is at kindergarten. We would prefer him to be one of the top students at his level rather than in the middle of the pack in a grade level ahead.

Nadia is feeling more comfortable in her classroom. She was a bit intimidated with the IBO program, but has found out that it gives her structure and pushes her, but she is still able to do things that have been successful in the past.

We finally got our house deed notorized. It was tough to find the time to go downtown to the embassy, especially with such a busy week. The papers went off DHL on Friday so hopefully they will arrive in Iron Mountain and we can close. It will be sad to lose the “house of our dreams” but glad not to have the burden of mortgage payments and upkeep. I’ll post more on the house later.

Well, it was a cold, rainy weekend. Temperatures were in the 50’s and there was a steady rain. Friday night we walked down for ice cream and we passed out at 8:30 PM exhausted. Saturday morning I cut the grass before the rains came. We then went to the embassy commissary but it was closed. We then went to Delta City and walked around the mall. Nadia cooked a good meal for us at night and we went to bed. Sunday morning it is raining again. I did some paperwork and cleaning around the house. I cooked breakfast for the kids and we had a nice morning together!

Above is Sophie and Ocean Sunday at Ada Ciganlija. Sophie and her sister Eve are daughters of my friend and colleague Tim. They both love watching and playing with Ocean and it has been really nice to spend time with them because of this. Ocean loves the attention and it gives Nadia and I a break!

It was very hot this weekend and to beat the heat we headed to my favorite place in Belgrade. I call it “Sport Island” because it really has every sport imaginable there. It is like a northern Michigan lake, but with lots of cool stuff next to it. There is a strip restaurants, coffee places, etc. next to the water. Behind this there is a bike trail that goes around the entire island. On the island there is a golf course, baseball diamond, rugby field, clay and hard court tennis, multiple soccer fields (mini soccer, artificial turf, etc.) paint ball arena, beach and regular volleyball courts, etc. Sunday we weren’t allowed in the water at first because they were holding the student rowing championships. The kids loved to see all the different countries flags and uniforms.

This week is tough due to two Open Houses (middle school and high school), a senior university night, plus a PTA wine and cheese. I have to attend all of them. We had the first day of girls’ soccer practice and it went well. I am the girls’ middle school coach. Owen came along and was the ball boy/manager and loved it.

That is it for now, very tired…

My mother complained I don’t put up enough photos of my daughter Ocean so here she is Mom! Ocean is now officially weaned, off of breast milk and formula. She drinks regular milk and eats just about everything. She has my appetite and refuses very little food. She is standing up often and is on the verge of walking. She should be on her own in the next few weeks. She is such a girl and I love the differences between her and the boys.

It was my Dad’s birthday Saturday, Happy Birthday Dad! He turned 76 years old and is still very sharp and active.

We had a relaxing Saturday, our first real break in about a month. I took all three children down to the US Embassy Commissary. The US staff of ISB has access to the store. It is full of US products without the 18% sales tax of Serbia. You can get a lot of stuff, for example I bought Cool Whip, Cheerios, Maple Syrup, etc. It is much cheaper to shop there so we’ll continue to take advantage of this service. They also have food items you can order and we’ll order a Thanksgiving turkey! Nadia went market shopping with some colleagues from school. Saturday night we ate outside and went to bed early. It was a good family day and we spent heaps of time together.