Ian and Fiona

September 2009

August 2007

Ruby's favoritist friends are Ian, 5, and Fiona, 7. They go to our church and are close family friends that are super supportive of RUF. So supportive, in fact, that they have already "arranged" for Ruby to marry Ian, so they joke (or maybe not so much).The other day the kids were playing dress up over here and decided to put on a fashion show. Ruby could not have been more proud, as you can tell by the picture. She just loves having them over to play. She is so proud of her room and her toys, it is such a joy to watch them interact. They play so well together and I enjoy seeing the progression in how they have taught Ruby how to play with kids, as she usually is played with by students. I also enjoy overhearing "conversations" such as the one below:

Ruby (showing Ian a ball of hers): This ball has princesses on it. There's Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty and Jingle Bells (pointing to Belle of Beauty and the Beast, which she's never seen, but I think I told her who it was)

Ian (with a puzzled look): Um, I don't think that's her name

Ruby (very matter-of-factly): Yes it is, that's Jingle Bells

Ian (shrugging his shoulders): Okay (fading as he moves on to something else)

Maybe not such a bad arrangement!

One Foot Out the Door

I can't believe Ruby's off to preschool (actually, she started the first of September, little late in posting, as usual). Yep, she's 3 (and 9 months) now. I missed the opportunity to salute her on this blog when she turned 3 in January, so I think now's a good time to update you all on what she's about these days. While she still watches the usual kids programs and movies she has moved on to bigger and better things. First, it was Mary Poppins (or Mary and Poppins, as she calls it) and just about two months ago she settled in to watch The Sound of Music with me one night (Yo-de-le-i-yo-de-le-i-yo, as she calls it for her favorite scene with the puppets). She loves it! Nothing makes me happier than hearing her in the other room singing These Are a Few of My Favorite Things or Do-Re-Mi! Seriously, not exaggerating when I say it has brought tears to my eyes, I just love that movie so much and have such fond memories of watching it with my family when I was little or hearing my dad play any number of the songs on the piano while we got ready for church on Sunday morning. Speaking of church, she loves it and sits through the whole service like a big girl. She is more than fawned over at our RUF bible studies and is so spoiled by them all. The other day at supper with the grad students I am told she had a number of the male med students singing the little mermaid (the part where she is singing the scale as she gives the witch her voice, you know- ah ah ah, ah ah ah) just to get her to sing it! What a sight!

She has adjusted exceptionally well to no longer being the only child and absolutely adores her little brother. She is his biggest cheerleader, literally- we made up a cheer to get him to roll over and I hear her chanting it to him as they lay on the floor together. She talks up a storm and says so many hilarious things. Yesterday, she was hugging Lincoln and said "you're such a sweet boy, I wish I had a brother like you!" She is a foodie, definitely. She eats all manner of things, is a lover of cucumbers, salmon, and mushrooms, and the only thing I can think of she won't eat is tomatoes. She loves to cook with me, do "crafts," pet animals, and do pretty much anything I can convince her is exciting (I don't know what I'm going to do when she discovers some things aren't as exciting as I make them out to be). She is sweet and crazy, both at the same time. I feel so privileged to call her mine and feel both excited over and saddened by the fact that she's such a big girl now.