Running, Jumping Through the House!

Ruby has been busy, busy, busy these days! Running, climbing, jumping, talking, singing, or just plain making noise. She seems to feel that there ought to be some sound issuing from her mouth at all times. Interestingly, we've noticed that both Ruby and Carter are also using their sign language again! It seems that if they feel that they are being ignore (or are being ignored!) they like to emphasize their point by wildly doing the sign along with the increasingly loud word. It is SO TRUE that you must validate every single word that comes out of a toddler's mouth or they'll repeat it until your ears bleed! Here's a sample conversation with Ruby when I get her out of her crib from nap time.



R: Hi, Mommy! Hi, Mommy! Hi, Momm-

B: Hi, RU!!! How did you sleep?

R: Ruby, seep. Ruby, seep. Seeep! Ruby! RUBY SEEP!

B: Yes, Ruby slept! Are you ready to get up?

R: Ruby, up! UP! OUT! OUT!!!!

B: Okay, okay, okay. You're out. Let's get you changed.

R: NO RUBY CHANGE! NO RUBY DI-PA! NO, NO, NO, NO!

B: I'll tell you what...



How quickly we transition into the bargaining stage....



Meanwhile, we have been enjoying having our friend, Brett, stay with us for a while. He will be rejoining his wife, Sarah, in the US this Monday, but needed a place to stay for a few days after his lease was up on his apartment. I'm not sure how cheap the "rent" is though since he's had to put up with a grumpy toddler and stinky baby! Ruby seems to be having trouble getting through the day without a few time outs lately... Pretty typical toddler "testing" phase I think. Max, on the other hand, is having some serious STINKY issues. I've come to the conclusion that something I'm eating is giving him tummy trouble. We don't have lots of poopy diapers, but we do have lots of stinky air! Every time anyone holds him they are certain he's just blown out his diaper, but no, it's just yet another record breaking toot!

My chore today is getting all of Max's paperwork filled out for our appointment at the U.S. Embassy on Monday. Believe it or not, this was the first time that they could get us in to turn everything in for registering Max's birth abroad, getting his social security number, and finally his passport! So, this is his passport photo (as taken by Mommy). Jared has since cropped it in photoshop and a friend is printing it out for us. Sure is a LOT easier than going to a bunch of places to see if they can figure out how to take an infant's passport photo like we did for Ruby. I'm just praying that I filled out everything correctly and that everything will go through quickly. Jared's folks are coming in August and we'd love to be able to leave Denmark for a long weekend while they're here... we'll see though!

Well, I'm off to shop in the rain. If anyone is getting tired of their hot, sunny weather, send some this way! We've had 60s and rain for a week and that's all that we see in the extended forcast. YUCK! Where are we? Scotland!?!?