7 Month Pics of Belle

I know, I know. Infant pictures are supposed to be newborn, 3 months, 6 MONTHS, 9 months, one year. Well, I was waiting for this black tutu to come in the mail, so Belle's 6 month pics have become 7 month pics. Let's be honest, Belle didn't have any HUGE milestones between 6 and 7 months.

These pics were taken by Anne Jansen, and they turned out so cute. She really captured Belle's personality, as well as her chunky body! I love her cellulite and all of the rolls in her body! I keep telling people that there is no other time in one's life where these things are perfectly acceptable, let alone adorable!

So, enjoy the following pics. I know there are a ton, but I couldn't pick which ones to post so I am putting them all up here for your viewing pleasure!

You Are Invited To A Virtual Crafty Moms E-Party!

Due to all of the comments I received about Belle's tutu in her pictures, I felt I would host a party for Crafty Moms Blog so others could purchase these adorable tutus and I would earn some credit on their site! The party start tomorrow. Check out how the virtual party works and let me know if you have questions:

You are invited to a virtual Crafty Moms party!

When:

Thursday, April 22, 2010-Thursday, April 29,2010

Hotess:

ME! Betsy Thompson

A virtual party is as easy as 1-2-3!

Here is how it works:

1. Click on the link! Visit www.thecraftymoms.blogspot.com to check out all of the cute hair bows, tutus, pettiskirts, accessories, etc.

2. Choose your favorites! Decide what you would like to order and email Terre at craftymoms@live.com letting her know what items you would like to purchase.

BE SURE TO MENTION MY NAME, BETSY, IN YOUR MESSAGE!!

Terre will send you an email asking how you would like to pay (paypal, check) and to verify the order.

3. Your items will be mailed to you 7 days or sooner!

If you have any questions feel free to contact Terre at craftymoms@live.com or Betsy at bhuizinga@gmail.com.

**If you are interested in hostinga party, I will earn additional credit!"

Belle is 7 Months Old!

Belle is growing like crazy and developing more of a personality everyday. This past month she has mastered the art of sitting up. She laughs more and more and will often flash me a smile where she closes her eyes and tries to smile so big that it has to make her face hurt! I love it! She has started to do this head bob thing, especially when she is in her booster seat, where she bobs her head to the left like she is in the movie "Night at the Roxbury." Little girl cracks me up! Belle is definitely experimenting with her vocal chords and still screeches and screams, but has also begun to do a lot of "ba ba ba" da da da da."

Ironically, Belle is still not rolling over! Haha, that girl can sit up no problem, but rolling over has proven to be something she is just not into. Although, I feel like she is supposed to be doing this many people tell me not to push it because the sooner she starts moving, the sooner I will be running around after her!

I keep looking in her mouth for a tooth to pop at any moment. So far there is nothing. I can't wait to see her with a little tooth! Maybe by the time I give her 8 month update.

All in all, I fall in love with her more and more everyday. I think she is the coolest, most fun person to hang out with...not to mention the cutest. However, I could be biased.

FIRST PATTERN POST!

I know this is sort of redundant and ironic, but I am writing to tell you that I made my first pattern post on my crochet site, The Dainty Daisy! It is seriously a major basic pattern, but it is the first time I have passed along one of my own patterns, so I'm excited! The pattern is for a preemie beanie. You will not believe how hard it is to find a good preemie hat, so I made my own and wanted to share it with others who want their hats to don the heads of those teeny tiny babies. If you are a crocheter, please feel free to give me feedback on how easy the pattern is to follow. If you aren't a crochet, don't worry about reading the lost, just admire the hats below :-)

New Blog

For those of you who follow my blog, I am planning on starting another blog purely for all of my crochet (thanks Lindsy G for mentioning this a few weeks ago in a comment). This is not to say that I won't post pics of my newest creations here, but I want to start offering a few free patterns I have come up with, and I am not sure how many of you are TRULY interested in knowing how to crochet a preemie beanie or a headband. Some of you may follow due to the crochet piece, but I am assuming most of you are here to read about my family, things that are happening with Paul and I, and occasionally to see what I may have created. I am positive that there will be some overlap, but I feel it is time to free all of you who aren't so much into the crochet :-) My new blog will be www.thedaintydaisyblog.blogspot.com. You can visit this blog to sign on as a follower (please do!), but I don't have anything posted quite yet. I promise I will have something soon. Thanks so much to those of you who find my life interesting enough to read about in this blog, and I hope you will follow along in my other blog if you like to know what my hands are crocheting!

Just 'Cuz She's Cute!

Just some pics of Belle at the zoo. Everything goes in the mouth!!! Belle clearly was unaware of the animals, but she was very into her toys and her buddies Maya and Maddy :-)

Happy Easter!

Naked is cool...so is fat.

Hey Papa!

Today was tons of fun! Paul's brother and sister, Marc and Monique, came over to visit and spend Easter with us. Paul's mom and dad are in Africa on a mission trip, so we asked Marc and Monique to spend the holiday with us. I was SOOO excited to put Belle in her adorable dress (that my sister in law, Stacy, got at the Carter's outlet for $3!!), and to put on her headband and booties. Oh, she was so stinking cute.

Church was fabulous and I was reminded just how much Christ has done for me. It's sad that I have to be reminded of this at Easter rather than celebrating His sacrifice this everyday. It's hard for me to do this each day, but I know I must. I know I would die for Belle, and I understand the sacrifice He gave. Although, Christ suffered IMMENSELY, and I can only stand in awe of what He did for me. Seriously, I am a HUGE sinner, and I know I disappoint God daily. Thank goodness that I am set free by Jesus and the life He gave.

Anyway, after church we headed to my parent's place in Kalamazoo and hung out with the family. Can't beat steak, cheesy potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls, and chicken. Seriously, we are SO Dutch. Belle seemed to enjoy her first Easter, and I thoroughly enjoyed how cute she looked in her dress.

I am one blessed woman and I thank God for what He has given to me. I am by no means perfect (I cuss when I'm mad, I take my anger out on my husband at times, I avoid cleaning my house, I would like to lose 10 lbs, insecurities can get the best of me, etc, etc, etc), but God has sure given me much to be thankful for. Paul is a fabulous husband and Belle is my favorite ever (although I might think differently when she is 16 and has the same sassy attitude I had with my mother at that age).

Happy Easter, ya'll!

Baby Booties and a Headband

I finally finished making up my own bootie pattern, and I must say that I am pleased with the final product. I tried them on Belle's feet and they looked so adorable! I wanted to eat her little toes! I decided to pair them with a headband...this also was so stinking cute on Belle's head! I promise to post pics of her tomorrow in her entire Easter outfit. My next step is writing out the patterns so I don't forget!

Mixin' and Matchin'

I believe I came up with a GENIUS idea! Why make people settle for one flower color? So, I decided to make my flowers detachable and allow my buyers to buy whichever color they want and however many they want! The upside is that the flowers also double as a hair barrette. PERFECT huh? Here are some of my creations:

If you can't choose one, put them all on!

Hair barrettes--Dual purpose!

Which one to wear...