Keeping Busy!

I feel like I'm cleaning out my closet with all these old pictures, but I guess things just haven't gone as I would have hoped the last few months in the time management department. I'm not sure I have ANYONE to blame for that, but myself though! But, before I get into what's been filling my hours, I'll narrate these next two pictures! ;) WAY back in October we had a pumpkin carving party for some of Jared's co-workers. As I've mentioned in previous posts, Halloween is a pretty novel idea here in Copenhagen, though the Danes have been embracing it a lot more the last year or so.

I was really impressed at their works of art--a lot better than I usually do!

So my "free" time has been totally absorbed the last few months with reading... yes, I was reading a lot before, but it really did get a bit ridiculous the fall, even for me! The impetus for my reading explosion has been my membership in the Copenhagen Book Club. This is a "by-invitation-only" club that I was fortunate enough to join. There are about 25 members, mostly older women who have traveled and lived all over the world. We meet once a month and choose books to add to our library based on literary reviews... I have definitely been exposed to a lot of really wonderful books. If you're looking for one to curl up with over the holidays, here's a short list of my favorites:

1. Sun at Midnight by Rosie Thomas
2. Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
3. The Future Homemakers of America by Laurie Graham
4. A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian by Marina Lewycka
5. The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
6. Crow Lake by Mary Lawson
7. Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
8. Peace Like A River by Leif Enger

I've actually read about 20 books this fall, but I'd say that those are the best... hope you give one or two a try!

Jared got this stroller for Ruby this fall and she absolutely loves it! For about 3 weeks she used it almost non-stop... surprisingly we don't yet have a rut running around the house, but it's close! Ruby's also been practicing using her potty chair. Unfortunately we haven't made any major practice yet, but at least she's headed in the right direction!

We have also been busy preparing for our Christmas musical at church, "One Small Child". We have 35 singers and we have really had a good time learning the music. It's been fairly easy too, since we all have CDs/mp3s with our parts. So, I've been listening to mine on my mp3 player most days and have enjoyed getting into the Christmas spirit. Jared even has a solo and a speaking part, so it should be fun!

I'll leave you with a picture of Ruby looking rather sad... I have no idea why she's looking sad, probably she just didn't want to smile for us since we were taking a picture. She's getting bad about that--I hate to say it, but she probably gets it from her Mommy! Oh well, we all have our grumpy moments!

Hope that you are enjoying every moment today without a grump in sight!

Old-time Fall Festival

During Fall Break, Frilandsmuseet had a sort of Autumn Festival for kids and families. Part of the event was an old-time market where they had fishmongers, bakers, and various craftsmen selling their wares. One of the more amusing/odd booths was this one where kids could take a turn konking out a cow with a huge hammer. If they were sucessful in killing the cow it would reel back and give a rather sickening last "moo!". It was pretty loud and very popular with a long line of kids waiting for their turn to "whack a cow" the whole time we were there!

In another area there were a lot of hay bales and some stilts for kids and adults to try. I really thought that Jared might give it a whirl, but since Ruby wasn't too interested I guess he decided against it. The kids were also takign turns jumping off the hay bales into a pile of hay--big fun that even Ruby was able to enjoy!

Here's Ruby lining up for a jump!

One of the other events was the Cirkus Zirkus--a two man show that kept young and old laughing the whole show...that is, if you understand Danish! Jared said that it really was pretty funny, but I'll just have to trust him as I didn't catch ANY of the jokes!

I don't have a picture of it, but we also saw some HUGE apples. I've never seen anything like these giants--they were about the size of a pomelo (which looks a bit like a grapefruit on steroids). It was really strange and we were wishing that they had samples, but alas they did not.

Here's Ruby "touching down" after her big jump. I think she must have jumped a dozen times, but then the big boys started jumping a bit crazily and throwing hay everywhere, so we decided to move on.

The most popular activity of the day was pony rides. I swear that line must have had 50 kids in it at all times! Jared wanted to wait and see if Ruby would be able to ride, but I vetoed that idea... I'd rather wait until next year when she actually has some interest in it! Not to mention I don't think that she would be able to or want to hang on for the whole ride around the paddock. She just doesn't have that kind of patience!

I'll leave you with a photo of an OLD farm house. I'm not even sure if it's a thatched roof or a sod on, but it is definitely in need of a serious trim!

Hope everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving and enjoys every moment with their family and friends! We are missing you all today!

Fall Fun...

This year Tivoli was open for Halloween so several of us Moms'N'Tots went over to see the decorations and enjoy the playground. Ruby loves going on this big trampoline! It's filled with air and the big kids can really get a lot of air when they jump. Ruby just "space-walks" about two steps, then falls down--she has a ball though and the kids are really sweet to help each other up (as best they can!).

I have no idea what this ogre was made out of, but he was very gross (and impressive)! He was for sale, but I think you'd have to be a millionaire to buy him (and a bit odd)! There was steam coming out of him and he was generally just really creepy. They also had lots of highschool kids and a few adults dressed up in costumes--witches, fairies, etc. None of the costumes were scary though and there wasn't even a haunted house, so it really was a family friendly event.

One of the most amazing things to me were all the pumpkins! Last year there were really no pumpkins to be found anywhere in Copenhagen in October. This year, every grocery store had them (complete with instructions on how to carve a jack'o'lantern). Apparently somebody figured out that they were missing out on a big marketing ploy to get people to buy, buy, buy. Those pumpkins got bought like crazy and we really saw a lot of jack'o'lanterns around. The bad thing is that so many people live in apartments that the pumpkins didn't last too long sitting next to their radiators! Ours lastest a few weeks on the front step, until the frost came and then ours too hit the compost heap.

We also hosted a Pumpkin Carving Party for a few of Jared's co-workers. I was REALLY impressed with their carving skills. All of them did heaps better than I ever do. I guess it takes patience to really do a nice job... Ruby didn't get to try carving this year, but she did really enjoy all the roasted pumpkin seeds! I used a recipe off of allrecipes.com with salt and butter and Worcestershire sauce. We'll never make them again any other way! That Worcestershire sauce really rocks! I also finally tried preparing my own pumpkin from real pumpkins. I was surprised how easy it was and it really is quite tasty. All of the instructions I read online cautioned against using the big carving pumpkins for baking, but since that's all we had, I tried it and we have really enjoyed it. I've still got about 4-6 cups in the freezer, so we'll be able to have a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving without paying $5/can at the American Store--yum!

Well, I guess that's about all for now. Ruby is letting me know, in no uncertain terms, that she is ready for Mommy to be off the computer. Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving if I don't post again before then!

Our Little Cowgirl

We couldn't resist snapping a few shots of our little cowgirl a few weeks ago...this was BEFORE all the leaves fell and the flowers shriveled up from the frosty weather!

Nana and Bobo found this cute ensemble for Ruby a while ago. The boots are an ebay find--like mother, like son! I'm not sure where Kay picked up the dress, but it's so cute. She has worn this outfit on two occasions now and both times gets SO MANY compliments. She isn't so sure on her feet with the slippery boots on though, so it does keep the running off without Mommy and Daddy down to a minimum! (An extra bonus in my opinion!)

Yesterday, Ruby wore this dress to church and apparently her friend, Carter, thought she looked pretty cute because he ran right up to her and gave her a big kiss on the lips! It was so cute! He did that a few more times, so every time Carter came anywhere close to Ruby after that she was all puckered up just waiting for him to lay one on her! Kids really do do the darndest things! Ruby and Carter are still good pals and seem to get along very well because they aren't really interested in the same toys, so there's no competition. Ruby is BIG into dolls and stuffed animals, whereas Carter is definitely a "car guy".

We have been keeping really busy the last few weeks with card parties with friends (mostly Nerts) and practicing for our Christmas program at church. Claire has been sweet enough to keep all the kids whose parents are singing, so Ruby has been enjoying some extra playtime while Mom and Dad have been enjoying the choir. We have about 35 members in the choir, which is just fantastic for a church our size. Now, we just have to invite all our friends to fill up the audience. Our pastor made up some classy invitations, so I'll be busy passing those out this week to our neighbors, etc. Hopefully we'll have a good crowd because I think that the music is really going to turn out well.

Jared has been busy with the Fellowship Team at church and organized an event for the men and older boys in the church this last Saturday, "Mens Escape". They went out to Dyrehaven for a picnic lunch, mountain biking, American football, Frisbee, and some great times bonding. It sounded like everyone really had a blast--though there were a lot of guys limping around a bit at church the next day! I think that everyone overdid it a bit, but apparently it was worth it! I'm so thankful that Jared joined the Fellowship Team, especially since it's generally just women. They really do need his muscles and height many times and it's great to have someone organizing events for the guys. Sounds like the next event will be a sledding trip in January. Anyhow, I'll have to have him post a few shots up when he has time, or else check out our church website: www.fibc.dk (which Jared is the webmaster for!). What a guy!

100% Girl!

Ruby is 100% little girl, and we love it! She is always amazing me with the things that she was born "just knowing". One of those things is how to be a Mommy. Ruby loves to practice being a Mommy with her dolls and stuffed animals. A few weeks ago, Ruby was helping Jared set the table. When he cam back into the dining room, he found Ruby had set Trixie up on him chair and was "feeding" her from her plate with her fork!

Another necessary evil of being a girl are those daily "beauty shop" experiences. While Ruby doesn't necessarily look forward to sitting patiently while Mommy battles her mane, she does do very well and rarely puts up a fuss once I've caught her. Her favorite thing to do while getting her hair fixed is sort her ribbons, bows, and hair ties. It does make a bit of a mess, but I'll take a mess over a screaming kid any day! Ruby also loves lotion, perfume, and lipstick (chapstick!) and is constantly begging for them. One of our new routines has been that Ruby rubs tummy butter on my belly--trying to tone down all those stretch marks SHE gave me!

We borrowed this stroller a while back for an outing and it has since become Ruby's favorite. I think that the reason she likes it is that it is the same style as her mini doll stroller. Whenever we have gone on walks with this one, Ruby quickly starts begging to get out--she wants to push! Pushing isn't so easy as it is with her doll stroller as she can't even begin to see where she's going. Oh! And just in case you were wondering, we did not put her in the stroller. She climbed in there on her own with Trixie and her beanie bear tagging along for the ride!

One of our best purchases since moving to Denmark has been our bike trailer. I have started using it several times a week for trips to the grocery store. This trip, however, was all Jared's doing. He likes to press the limits of the trailers capacity. Surprisingly enough, Ruby was perfectly content sharing her chariot with pumpkins, diapers and several bags of groceries--what a sport!

And now an interruption of our normal programming...

Although this page is mostly dedicated to our sweet Ruby, we finally got our first glimpse last week of the little kiddo that is soon going to be sharing a bit of the limelight with her!

We were so excited to see our perfectly formed little baby. Right at the beginning of the scan we told the midwife that we did want to know the sex of the baby. For whatever reason, she made us wait until the VERY END of the appointment to find out. First we were able to see a nice profile. Jared commented on the chubby lips and cheeks (a bit of a joke from when we had Ruby's ultrasound).

As the somewhat blurry picture shows... this litle bugger was just rolling and kicking all over the place. The level of activity actually made it somewhat difficult for the midwife to get all of the necessary measurements, but in the end she did and we were given our original due date: April 1st, 2007.

Here's the baby taking a big drink. I think that this picture looks a bit strange really, but the midwife thought that we'd really want a copy, so I'm letting you see it, in case YOU think it's cool!

And here's the news that you've all been waiting for: Ruby's going to have a BABY BROTHER!! I sure hope he doesn't kill me when he's older and finds out I've posted this picture on the internet!

We are all so excited! We were surprised that it's a boy--I guess we just felt like this would be a "girl family", but we're so happy to be wrong. This little guy has been putting me through the paces, first with plenty of morning sickness (much worse than with Ruby) and now with his constant "bouncing off the walls". I love it though and can't wait until Jared and Ruby are able to feel him kicking too.

Dressin' Up and Goin' Out

Ruby has started to enjoy playing her own version of dress-up--she loves to put on hats or wear things around her neck (mostly things that don't belong around her neck!). She has also started to try dressing up her stuffed animals! This morning she was trying to put a pair of her socks on her bear--it was just too cute! Anyhow, here are a few more pictures from the last few weeks!

I think that Ruby looks like a rapper or something in this hat! This hat was actually mine last winter, but she seems to have adopted it this year. She loves that she can put it on herself and enjoys wearing it around the house... and "no", we don't keep our house so cold that she needs a stocking cap!

Here's another shot of Rappin' Ruby!

At first glance, this just looks like a cute picture. If you look closer, you'll notice that Ruby's legs are jammed into one leg "hole". The last few weeks she has insisted on climbing up into her Tripp Trapp all the time. Of course half the time (or more) she ends up in a very awkward position!

Two weeks ago Copenhagen hosted their annual "Kulturnatten" (Culture Night). There were hundreds of activities going on all over the city until past midnight including lots of music, a costumed rollerblade race around the city, and many exhibits. One of the places that we visited was the Vet School where they were giving out free soft serve in their dairy lab, had exhibits on how gummy bears (wine gums here) are made and flavored, exhibits on apples (including free fresh cider), and even some microscopes to look at the critters in our drinking water. Watch out world, I think we have a budding scientist on our hands!

The highlight of Jared's Culture Night experience happened at the big Dairy Expo where he learned how to milk a cow--and then sampled the milk (EEEWW!). The expo was called "Milk in a 1000 Ways" (translated into Danish, of course). They had literally hundreds of types of cheeses, milk, cream, and butter to sample--delicious! We really enjoyed it and only wished that we had the same variety in the grocery stores...

Fabulous Fall

We have really had a very fun (and busy) couple of weeks. We've enjoyed the cool fall days and thankfully haven't had too much rain, so we've been able to get out and enjoy them some. I have SO many good pictures to share, that I'm going to do a few posts of just pictures and captions (since I know that's what most of you like to see anyhow!).

Ruby loves to play with her dollies. Poor Trixie has pretty horrible hairdo after months of being carried around by her lovely locks. Note the angel wings on our little angel!

Our little Cookie Monster! Ruby loves the chocolate filling the best and scraps out every last bit before starting on the cookie--what a mess!

A few weeks ago we met our friends Grace and Nathan (mom and son) down at a park near church. Ruby and Nathan had a ball playing--especially with the pebbles which made there way into every nook and cranny of Ruby's clothes, stroller, and diaper bag!

Ruby's favorite thing to do at the park is going down the slide. She likes to climb the ladder too, but prefers the challenge of scaling the slide itself for her next ride. What a daredevil!

Wheee! What a ride! When can I go again?

A Quiet Couple of Weeks

Greetings from Soborg! We are enjoying a brisk, but clear morning today--hurray! We actually had to turn on the heat last night though as it really has been cooling down quite a bit. Last year at this time (yes, we've been here over a year--can you believe it!?!) we were enjoying lots of balmy and beautiful days. I sure hope that this October will be as pleasant as the last. We could really use a few more trips to the zoo and a visit to Tivoli (open for Halloween this year) before the snow comes.

Jared caught Ruby a few times wearing her new hat. Some of you MIGHT recognize this hat as being her tights last year around this time! Ruby loves to root through her shoes, socks, and tights and generally comes out wearing all of her tights around her neck and head as an elaborate headdress/boa! I'm sure she had some help from Daddy to get this "hat" secure though. You never know what those two are going to get up to. They certainly have a lot of fun giggling together and couldn't love each other any more. I think that Ruby has really enjoyed having extra Daddy time in the evenings (when I'm occasionally napping or laying down). He's definitely a lot more fun than Mommy these days!

Jared made Ruby this little chair out of some scrap wood he found in the garage. This is now Ruby's official "movie chair" and she isn't at all shy about climbing in and then shouting her lungs out until I "get the message". Of course, most of the time I got the message a long time ago and she just isn't getting my response ('no movies today, Ruby!')! I think it would be fun to get a little pint sized table for her and maybe she'd start getting interested in coloring, play-dough, and painting a bit more.

Here's a picture of Ruby eating her apples. It's the only way that I could keep her still long enough to have a picture with me. She sure does love running around outside and especially loves being Daddy's little helper. He always has some little chore for her that has her running from one end of the garden to the other.



Well, I guess there really hasn't been much going on here the last few weeks, so I suppose that's all I really have for you today. I'll leave you with our best effort at a family picture. If you click on the picture you'll see that Ruby is trying to squirm out of my arms. She doesn't quite get the point of waiting around for something as trivial as a picture! Oh well, we're capturing her as she is today. We'll have plenty of perfectly posed pictures in the years to come. So long for now...

Backyard Bonanza

After a very short "Indian Summer" it seems that autumn has arrived in Denmark. Cooler weather and grey skies accompanied by ever-shortening days are a bit hard to take at times, but we have enjoyed our sunny days as well. Here are a few pictures of Ruby "apple picking" in our backyard. I guess most of the apples were too high for her so she decided to try netting a few--thanks to Daddy I'm sure! I'm not sure if she had much luck, but it looks like she had fun trying!

This seems to have been an odd year for our fruit trees. We had a plum tree loaded with fruit, but it all seemed to ferment on the tree and really wasn't edible. Then the largest apple tree never put on more than about a dozen fruit and I don't think that the quince tree did either (both of which were loaded when we came last fall). The small "Christmas apple" tree, however, has been loaded with smallish apples that Ruby LOVES! The only problem is that she isn't very discriminating when it comes to apple selection--the first one that catches her eye is THE ONE, whether or not a snail has just been dining on it--YUCK!

I think that it's surprising that she happily munches right off the apple and will even go on to eat the seeds and stem if you aren't careful to watch her! On the other hand, if I cut the same apple up, she isn't likely to finish more than a slice or two. I guess she's just a hunter and gatherer at heart and only wants to eat what she finds on her own! Another odd habit that she has picked up is that she'll only eat a banana if it's still in the peel. If I dare to take it out or slice it up, she won't touch it. These are the oddities of toddlerhood that can drive you half crazy if you aren't careful to see the humor in it all!

Jared brought me out last weekend to take pictures of him and Ruby with his two "prize" sunflowers. I would guess that they are about 9 or 10 feet tall and are really beautiful. They have put up with our schizophrenic Danish summer like champs and are easily as big as the ones we grew in Idaho. I would like to save the seeds for snacking on this winter, but with a whole week of rain in the forecast, I'm afraid that they might rot before they get big enough to dry...we'll see. On another "backyard update", I'm sorry that I kind of gave up on following the tadpoles this summer. Our pond got overtaken by duckweed and it really just got too hard to keep track of them. From what I've seen, there are STILL lots of tadpoles in there that never did mature. Jared said that he's seen quite a few frogs around the pond, but I guess I've never been at the right place at the right time. Maybe next year...

I'll close with this picture of Ruby sniffing the sunflowers. Smelling flowers is one of her favorite outdoor activities (well, that and digging!), which makes for v-e-r-y l-o-n-g walks!

If you think of us way over here in Denmark, say a prayer for us and our little family. I've been sick a lot over the last few weeks, which has made things hard for everyone. Hopefully, things will shape up in the coming week and I'll be back to my old self! Hope you're enjoying the first day of October wherever you are...

Frilands Museet- Part Two

I'm finally back for the second (and final) installment of pictures from the Frilands Museet. The weather has been beautiful this week and we've been very busy running around town doing this and that. On Tuesday Ruby got to spend the whole day with Carter--big fun! In the morning we had Moms'n'Tots and then in the afternoon I had my Book Club meeting so Claire kept Ruby for me. I had brought a casserole over for Claire to stick in the oven, so we all got to eat dinner together too. THEN, I went through all of Claire's maternity clothes to see which ones would work for me (I'm a bit bigger than her!). It was SO nice of her to lend them to me and I sure will appreciate it once my belly starts growing!

Yesterday, we were able to have a newlywed couple over for dinner that just moved to Denmark a few weeks ago. We really had a great time and enjoyed the luxury of being able to play games without listening for crying babies (well, Ruby was here of course, but fast asleep!)! It's hard to believe how fast the time has gone-- here we are married 4 years with a beautiful daughter and another little bean on the way. Time really does move faster the older you get, doesn't it?

Well, enough waxing philosophical... let's move on to the pictures!

The museum offers these horse-drawn carriage rides throughout the grounds. This is probably a pretty nice way to see the park, especially if you aren't up for a lot of walking. The only down-side is sitting behind those stinky horses! Ruby did enjoy watching them go by as you can (sort of) see in this picture. She kept up her "neighing" as long as the horses were in view.

Here is an old farm house from 1773. We didn't go in, but were impressed with how nice it looks after over 200 years!

This workshop is Jared's "dream shop" with every plane and chisel he could ever want. This carpentry shop was part of a family business that was in existance up until the 1980s and included a sawmill.

This amazing barn/house combination has the tallest thatched roof I have ever seen! It was even more impressive from the inside.

This house was used as a lace-making school. The most interesting part to me was the glass balls which they used to intensify the candle light that they worked by. With the short days throughout the winter months, this really had to be difficult work. I think I would have gone blind before I was 30 (of course I'm nearly blind now!)...

This last picture is of Jared and Ruby looking at the sawmill (well, at least Daddy's looking at the sawmill!).

According to the weather forecast we've only got another 2 or 3 days without rain before the deluge starts again, so I guess we better go out and enjoy it! Today, we have slated a trip to Tivoli--hurray! Hope you all have a wonderful day wherever you are!