Brooklyn 2010

Old Cowboy

Our Luka is 3! Luka visited the Fort Worth Stock Yards in February where he was captured! Hum, I might need to invest in a jailhouse.

Tata, Mama & Danijela cannot imagine life before Luka. You were born April 10, 2007 in the wee morning hours. You came fast & furious. We'll never forget that night as long as we live. You came out like a pistol & haven't stopped since. Oh, right, you are a cowboy after all. I've asked Danijela countless times & she doesn't remember life without you.

You love us.
We love you.
You are crazy for horses.
You are stockpiling guns (oh!).
You play with your barn & stable daily.
You are the official house alarm clock.
You bless us with crazy, amazing smiles.
And you are a daredevil.

To be honest, you prefer to play with your big sister over all your "manly" toys if it means being with her. Keep smiling & giggling. We don't even mind the tantrums (for the most part). Tata & Mama only want the best for you which aren’t necessarily what you want. Shocker! Trust us. It's all out of deep, unconditional love for you.

Our Girl

This series of images are my Danijela favorites.

In 2001, we planned to start growing our family. This was to occur following my one (and only) marathon. While in Dublin, Ireland after the race I celebrated my 35th birthday. After two years, I became pregnant with twins. No assistance. No kidding. Warning: After 35 years a women is more likely to conceive multiples. Sadly, I miscarried at 13 weeks. It was a tough.

Shortly after, we planned a European vacation. My parents were visiting days before we left. I don't know why, but took Mom to the drug store to purchase a pregnancy test. I was a few days late, but anticipated nothing. One quick trip to the bathroom & I said, "Well, I'm pregnant." We kept our plans & put our trust in God. We were in Europe one month. I was sick in Europe one month. First we flew to Belegrade, Serbia. This was Dejan's first time back to his village since leaving at the country at age 11.

It's a tradition when you enter a home you are greeted with a shot of šljivovica. It didn't seem to phase anyone I was pregnant. There's actually a strong belief it can cure countless aliments and possibly prevent me from miscarrying. One afternoon I was given a glass and passed it to Dejan under the table. He saved me many times. He took great care of me then and now. I'm glad we went for him & his family . We travelled through other parts of Europe. But I'll be the first to admit I wanted to be sick and pregant at home.

Thunder of Photography

A little girl walked to and from school daily. Though the weather that morning was questionable, she made her daily trek to school. As the afternoon progressed, the winds whipped up along with lightning.

Her mother was concerned she would be frightened and feared for her safety. The mother got in the car & quickly drove along the route to her child's school. As she did, she saw her little girl walking along.

At each flash of lightning, the child stopped, looked up, and smiled. More lighting followed quickly and the little girl looked up and smiled. When her mother drew up beside the child, she lowered the window and called, "What are you doing?"

"I am trying to look pretty because God keeps taking my picture."

Words from Luka

I want you to cut my finger off!
He was crying & repeating it over & over. Somehow he hurt his finger. He got it in his head that if I cut it off everything would be better. I gave him a plastic knife & said he could cut it off. He wasn't up with that.

Get under the sheeps.
Luka is our house alarm. While he does have a big bed he typically chooses to scream, "Is it morning yet?" from his upstairs room. Luckily it happens around 7am when Tata needs to start moving (minus the weekends). The last few mornings I've gone upstairs & he tells me to get under the "sheeps" with him. We giggle a whole lot as Mama ruins her back.

Don't look at me! (LOUD)When Luka knows we're upset with him quickly he puts on the "mad" face. He makes his statement & ensures we see his disgust. Then he turns his back to us. I try not to laugh & usually succeed.

Mama, my pen*s is BIG!
This one is recent (potty trained). The first time I ignored him. I wasn’t sure what to say & didn't look. Today, before nap, he needed to go potty. Sure enough he said it again. Lucky me, I had to hold it (we have target issues). It was rather long. I still didn’t know what to say so stayed silent. Need to talk to Tata tonight.

I gun you!

Whoo! We've graduated from "I pow pow you!" (with the tiniest plastic gun ever) to "I gun you!" And, while still a toy, the guns are now guns. Personally, it's horrifying to me. Deda let's him watch Westerns. Deda is also where our boy gets his guns.

Walk with Me

It was a long walk from innocence to suffering that I didn't even understand. I'm not sure how many times it happened. The images tell my story as a very young girl. I refer to it now as my "walk of shame."

Hear me now.

It's not my final destination.

Praise God and Him alone.