Hostage Negotiator

Helloooooo from Florida!! We're here safe and sound and are getting all settled in. We got here on the 6th and had a hectic first few days but we're all adjusting well and we really love it here so far. The weather is beautiful (although they say a cold front is moving in for the rest of the week and the high will only be 72). Bummer. Hahahahaha!! Our neighbors are great and everyone here seems so friendly. We picked a great spot to be living our first year. The community we live in, called Abacoa, is very family oriented and always has different activities going on. We took Ruby to the town's Easter egg hunt on Saturday where they also had a little petting zoo and a green market where you can buy fresh bread, veggies, seafood and lots of other yummy things from local vendors. We got some wonderful fresh Tuna for Doug's b-day supper. We also love that we're just a quick 5 minute walk from the Roger Dean Stadium where the minor league baseball teams play. Our local teams are the Jupiter Hammerheads and the Palm Beach Cardinals. Doug is also very excited that we can see the golf course from our house. :) I'm hoping to take lessons this year at some point. We have an empty guest room that's just waiting to be filled - any takers? :)

Ruby is just amazing! She is still going pee-pee on the potty at least once a day and is starting to speak in sentences now. She learns so fast, sometimes I can hardly believe how much she retains. She has taken to saying "silly mommy" a lot and is very excitable. If you ask her anything, like, "Ruby do you want some milk?" she says "OOOHHHH, YESSSSSS!!!" She does that for just about anything and I just love it. She also has started saying "ummm" before she says anything which has made me realize just how much I say it. Along with the sweet, enthusiastic Ruby we have the independent, pre-terrible two Ruby. I find myself doing negotiations all day. "If you get in your car seat, we can go to the park later; if you get out of your carseat, you can have a jellybean; if you get in the bath, we can use the Elmo bubbles; if you get out of the bath; we can wash our hands with the froggy soap..." and on and on it goes! I think I could probably do a good job at being a hostage negotiator by now. It can get exhausting but the sweet, fun, excitable Ruby makes me forget about the difficult times. But I must say difficult lightly, she's really an easy child. Here are some pictures from the past few weeks. We were invited to our neighbor's house for Easter dinner on Sunday so Ruby got to wear a pretty dress and I finally got to put a real bow in her hair!!

Love to you all, I'll be updating this a lot more regularly now that we're settled. Enjoy the pics!

Playing with her new Elmo potty. As you can see, she dressed herself that day.

That's a nice look for you, Rubes.

I look fabulous, I know it!

First time carrying an umbrella.

Of course we had to stop to play in the mud puddle.

Lexi, Ruby & Sam. One last sleepover. :(

Waiting for Daddy at the ATL airport.

All dressed up for Easter. Thanks for the hand-me-down Lexi!

BOW!

Yummy chocolate bunny from Auntie Em.

Chocolate overdose.