Her first BIG Family event

Her first BIG family event...

Tamara has attended many parties since she arrived home.

Numerous Birthday parties for children and adults. Large family dinners, the holidays and of course her Birthday party.

This was her first BIG party.

One of my little cousins got engaged and the family gathered in full force to help Christina and Chris celebrate their love.

Congratulations!

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The Happy Couple

Christina and Chris

Their first dance.

Below.. Tamara watches from the side lines.

She's warming up.

Katie comes by and asks her to dance

These two danced for 4-1/2 hours

They danced

And danced

And danced some more.

and more.

and more.

pretty cute no?

Baba and Dido tried to dance with Tamara

but there was no competing with Katie.

Christina and her Daddy (Uncle Nado) dance in a spot light dance.

Tamara and Daddy dancing.

Never too early to start practicing for her wedding. lol

Traditional Croatian dancing. Things can get a little crazy out there. It was a bit of a challenge keeping Tamara and Katie safe.

Auntie Olga takes matters into her own hands and takes the girls for a spin.

Round and round they go... when they'll stop no one knows.

Good work out Olga? ;o)

Tamara is so wound up.. Daddy tries to dance with her.

Katie cuts in... again. lol

A challenge keeping the girls on the side lines.

They both wanted to be where the action was.

Cousin Amanda dancing with Tamara.

Amanda and her boyfriend Andy dance with the girls.

Christina dances a traditional Croatian line dance with some of her friends.

Another spot light dance for the happy couple.

Time to get a little crazy.

Tamara.. tired .. no nap today.. past her bed time.

Mommy makes her take a break. She pouts for about a minute while she plays with some flowers.

Mommy and Daddy dance with Tamara.

A nice way to round off the evening.

This post is truly challenging Blog Spots limitations. ;o)

I wanted to post all the videos for family who had asked if I would. And give the rest of you an opportunity to experience a Croatian American party. Complete with crazy relatives, music and dance. Sorry no food pictures as it disappeared too quickly. ;o)

Enjoy!

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Wa La a new baby to play with

Wa La a new baby to play with.

Tamara loves babies. Imagine her surprise when one suddenly appeared at our door.

Mommy can we keep it?

Many of you may remember our old neighbor Barbara.

Well she's a proud Grandma these days and came by to show off her new grandson.

What a cutie. Tamara didn't want to let him leave.

When I see Tamara with babies I feel a slight twinge of guilt that she doesn't have a younger sibling. I know she would really enjoy and benefit from having another little one around.

It would also be nice for her to have someone when she's older. I imagine being an only child growing up can't always be easy.

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Mardi Gras at preschool.

Tamara models her mask for me.

She loves her arts and crafts projects.

Loves to dress up.

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As I mentioned before this year was not a very good year for snow and snowmen. While I was out shopping one Saturday Tamara and Daddy were making snowmen in the driveway.
When I returned I found this adorable little snowman family waiting for me.
Tamara was a little disappointed when they disappeared the next day. All she found was a little wet spot. :o(

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New Rain boots. Had to try them on and of course dance in them.

Action shot..lol

First soggy day we had to test them out. Yup.. they work.
She is a cutie!
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Here Kitty Kitty

Here Kitty Kitty

Here Kitty Kitty Kitty... she says now.

I was hoping to capture this on film for you but well.. you know how 4 year olds are.

We'll get it.. sooner or later.

Tamara loves to help so we've given her some chores if you will to give her a sense of responsibility and belonging.

One of the things she likes to do is feed the kitty cats.

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Below Tamara fills their bowls

She tries to get every last morsel out for them. She's very persistent.

Tamara cuddles with her Fur Real Kitty

What is she thinking?
What does a kitty say?

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A hidden talent perhaps?

A hidden talent perhaps?

Tamara loves her Baby Grand piano. From the first time she sat at the piano on Christmas day she somehow seemed comfortable with it. Knowing what it was and how do use it. Which in it's self was somewhat odd. As any parent of a preschooler will tell you capturing those special little moments is not easy. 4 year olds are often described as having the attention span of a Nat. lol

Below Tamara seems to be writing / composing her own music? Very cute to watch and especially exciting as she is starting to play on her own more often. Yay!

Enjoy!

Pretty cute stuff .. no?

What do you think... Piano lessons in her future?

A hidden talent perhaps?

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Put your dancing shoes on...

Put your dancing shoes on...

Tamara loves to dance and sing. She loves music.

When we heard that there would be dancing at my cousin Christina's engagement party we just had to practice. So Mommy dug up an instructional dance DVD that was designed for weddings. At first Daddy thought I was a little crazy suggesting it but Tamara loved it and practiced for hours with Daddy and I.

Below Tamara puts on her shoes in preparation of her dance lesson.

Go like this Daddy

These two are so cute together. Lots of giggles and they actually did start to get the steps.

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Let's Bowl

Let's Bowl

In February Tamara was invited to a little boys Birthday Party at the Bowling Alley.

Her first off Campus preschool related event. She was excited. Another party Yay!!!

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I have to be honest here.. Mommy doesn't bowl. In fact I haven't tried it in over 20 years. During my BB era.. that would be Before Bruce.. I went bowling on a date. Threw the ball once.. broke 2 nails and said. "Nah... not my sport". You have to keep in mind back in the 80's breaking a nail was a devastating and expensive event.

Anyway Tamara seems to enjoy the sport and since the rails are up for her... Mommy should be able to keep it out of the gutter. ;o) So we will probably take her again on some rainy afternoon.

~

Below Tamara looks for guidance..

"What do I do Mommy?"

"Beats me Baby Girl"

"SO I just throw the ball?"

Tamara sits with her classmates. Time for Pizza.. which she won't eat. She only eats white pizza. Seems to have an issue with tomato sauce? Weird as she likes tomatoes and Ketchup.

Tamara with her little friend.. hug. So cute together.

Most of the girls hug Tamara every day at school. Especially if she leaves before they do. They have actually lined up and waited their turn. Very Sweet!

Tamara picks up the ball while her buddy Zachary plays in the lane next door.

Time for cake

This is Tamara's first attempt at Bowling.

I asked one of the other Moms that actually has bowled the last 20 years to show Tamara what to do. A free lesson. ;o)

A learned something here. Expect the unexpected at all times. Now I know what it feels like to have your heart stop.




Tamara's 2nd throw / roll. I think she's getting it.. don't you?

Zach and Tamara.. side by side bowling their first time together. Notice neither one paid any attention to the ball. Cute stuff.

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So Tamara attended her first preschool Birthday party for a BOY, her first attempt at Bowling.. no broken nails by the way. lol.

I was very impressed by the invitation. Instead of gifts they requested non perishable food for a local food bank. When I asked the Mom about it.. I was curious as I wondered if 4 was too young for the kids to "get that". The mom explained that the Birthday boy was her 3rd child and she has been doing this with her kids for years. So her little 4 year old was very agreeable and excited about doing this to help others.

Way cool... no?

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Oh Crepe

Oh Crepe

Tamara loves crepes or Palacinke as they're called at Babba's House. About a month ago I made some crepes. My parents happen to stop by and Baba (Croatian for Grandma) noticed how much our little girl loves crepes. Now every time we visit them Baba whips up a batch for Tamara. Yummy!

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Below Tamara licks the beaters from the yummy cheese filling Mommy made.

Messy but every lick is worth it.
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Below Tamara and Mommy read together with a Leap Frog book.

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Tamara takes her "barking.. noisy" little puppy for a stroll.

She loves to dress up. Even this day which was to go to the pediatrician.

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Time to come out of the closet

Time to come out of the closet...

OK.. now that I have your attention..lol

Tamara loves to help around the house. One weekend we decided to redo her closet. She got a little nervous when we started to take all her clothes out of it. She got this little pouty look like "can't I keep them?" We explained that we were putting them all back in a little while and she was fine. Helping daddy unpack the boxes, sort parts and handing him parts and or tools when he needed them. The project took twice as long to do but we all had a lot of fun doing it together.

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Below Tamara measures her closet.

Unpacking parts
We're finished.. Tamara looks over the finished project.
Yup... yup.. they're all there.

"Where did this skirt come from?"

It will break my heart when Tamara out grows some of her outfits. And the morning she spurts out of her size 8 shoes. So cute and hardly worn. I just have to remind myself that growth is good. She can't be 3 feet tall forever. My baby girl is growing up so quickly.

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Happy Belated Valentine's Day

Happy Belated Valentine's Day

Tamara's first Valentines Day and she was excited.

She helped Mommy put treats together for her class and was ready to hand them out to her preschool class.

Above is her Valentines Day card that Mommy helped her make for her classmates and teachers.

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Below Tamara is all dressed up for her Valentine's Day preschool Party.

Carrying her treats she can't wait to go.

"Mama come on"

At home on Valentine's Day

Tamara being super sweet.

Smile for the camera

Doing steps.. she needs close supervision but she's doing great.

Cupid brought her a dozen balloons and triplet puppies (Fake.. stuffed ones of course)

Mommy hasn't lost her mind yet...lol... yet.

Tamara in her usual playful mood enjoying her balloons.

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See we're catching up.. we're halfway through February.

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300 days and counting

300 days and counting..

Amazing how time flies when you're having fun.

300 days ago Tamara came home.

Landing at JFK after a very long journey.

I remember how wonderful she was the whole way home. So great in fact the flight attendants asked if their paperwork was wrong. They were alerted that there was going to be a newly adopted 3 year old on board. They couldn't believe it was her.

She was the best behaved kid on the plane. They also said they never would have guessed she was adopted... that we looked so comfortable together.

~

Thought you might get a kick out of these pictures now.

Below Tamara and I flying home 300 days ago.

Tamara recognizes her room from the photos and runs in 300 days ago.

Too cute!

She still loves her bed after 300 days, nights and nap times. Yay!

Unpacking Toys with Daddy 300 days ago

Yup... 300 days home in the USA.. 300 days and counting!

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The Big Thaw

The Big Thaw...

This winter seemed longer then usual. The storms were shorter but colder and icier. I kept hoping for an old fashioned Nor'easter but it was not meant to be this year. There was not one snow fall that produced enough "play" snow. The kind that might spark a snowball fight, building a giant snow man family in the front yard or was suitable for a sleigh ride. Sounds unbelievable doesn't it? Yeah I had a hard time explaining it to Tamara as well.

Picture you're putting you 4 year old to bed. You tell her "When you wake up we'll have snow.. we can build a snowman" Oh boy did she get excited. In the morning you discover you only have a few inches of snow covered with several inches of ice. And it's only 14 degrees and windy. She wakes up ... looks out the window and all she sees is snow. Every thing is white and pretty and look there's a spot for my snowman. It took a while to convince her that it wasn't such a good idea after all. One day I actually picked her up walked out onto the front porch so she can see what mommy means by too cold. As quickly as we stepped out she was ready to come back in again. At least that put an end to the constant and consistent nagging to go out an play. I refuse to argue with a 4 year old and as we all know reasoning with them is not always effective.

So this year she only wore her snow boots a few times which was disappointing. Her snow suit once. And her Lillian Vernon snowman kit is still new in the box.

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Below Tamara explores her first puddle. Seriously. There was a break in the cold one day in February. We took her for a walk and let her putter around in puddles.

Sounds so exciting doesn't it?

Mommy my shoes are wet

Doing what kids do

She still LOVES her shades

Cool .. the water moves when I walk

What did you say Mommy?

During our walk... "Come Daddy"

Love this picture.. she looks so small walking with Daddy.

Back home it's time to change. All that puddle jumping got her pants wet.

Time to play with her Tigger game.

Playing Dentist with her doll's (they have matching ones) flash light.

Open up Mommy.

Tamara seems to have a passion for helping people. She has consistently shown an interest in medicine. If I had to pick a career for her today I would have to say a Pediatrician. As she loves babies, children and yes her Dr. Some how she seems to understand that Drs. help people. This week when I took her in for a shot as we pulled into the parking lot she said "Mama Ouch" holding her arm. I said "Yes... small Ouch... but we have to do it so you stay healthy." She was ok with that. She happily went into the office. Greeted the staff. Started playing with a 6 year old boy that was in the waiting room. The boy told us he wanted to be a Dr. I asked him what kind .. he didn't know yet. I told him that Tamara wanted to be a Dr. too. "Maybe you two could start a practice together?" "Hum... I don't know about that" replied "I don't know what a practice is... I'll have to ask my mother first" lol. He then brought over a play Drs. kit. Took Tamara's blood pressure although he couldn't get the cuff on correctly. After that it was Tamara's turn. She put the BP cuff on perfectly... pumped up the cuff... checked her watch and nodded "OK" with a big smile.

Once inside the examination room .. she was pleasant.. agreeable and held her own arm for the shots.. yes there were 2.

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Yesterday we watched a Shirley Temple film that Aunt Olga had loaned us. I totally forgot that little Shirley for some reason played an orphan in most of her pictures. Everything was fine and Tamara enjoyed the show until this horrific scene where the little girl is taken... actually ripped out of the arms of this old light house keepers arms. The movie ends on a happy note as you would expect of Shirley's movies but that scene stayed with her for hours. She suddenly became very weepy and wouldn't let me out of her sight. Not even to go to the mailbox with Daddy. By dinner time she had pretty much come out of her little funk stage. Thank goodness.. we've never had her respond that way before. So it was a little freaky. So there are two more movies to the series. And for a split second I thought.. ok.. if she sees Shirley in 2 other movies maybe she'll understand that it is only make believe? And then I thought.. NO she might think this poor little girl... they always take her away from the people she loves.

I find I have to remind myself from time to time that she is adopted and what she has endured during her first 3-1/2 years. She's adjusted so well to us, our family and our way of life.. but we have to beware that underneath this cute little girl is hyper sensitive to situations that might reflect back to experiences she's had or perhaps fears may happen to her. Acceptance, stability and structure are all very important to her.

I actually watched a few hours of movies taken in Tbilisi the other night. Something I really haven't done before. Movies of our first night together, the foster home, the baby house visit. Movies she will not see for years but movies Mommy and Daddy need to watch once in a while to remind us how truly incredible her progress has been.

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So last night getting ready for bed I noticed a deer tick crawling on her leg. She played ball with Daddy in the back yard earlier in the day. Mommy of course freaked. Got the "thing" off. Disposed of it and checked her thoroughly for any other invaders. Followed with a Bubble bath. and an unscheduled linen change. Yup... ticks freak me out.. especially when it come to Tamara. This is the 2nd tick episode we've had with her. Last fall I found one that had just attached himself. Eeeek! Time for some chemical warfare out back.. time to call in the professionals. Obviously the deer fencing and home gardeners tick control products are just not enough.

Tamara enjoying her Bubble Bath.

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Much.. much.. more to come. Stay tuned.

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