HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Nothing makes me happier than dressing my kid up and making her look as ridiculous as possible! I need to take advantage of this privilege as long as I can. It won't be long until she develops her own opinions and expresses them strongly. So, I chose to dress Belle up as a chicken. A chunky, little, waddling chicken.

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays the past few years. My entire family gets together and we all watch the kiddos trick or treat in their costumes. Paul's brother, Marc, came to visit with our nephew Caden. Caden is so good with Belle and is obsessed with Mac. Paul and I love when he comes to visit because he is so stinking hilarious. That boy knows how to get attention and just when to turn on the charm. Love him.

The evening started with some trunk-or-treating at Providence CRC. Might I say that trunk or treating is my new favorite thing. It is the quickest and fastest way to get loads of candy! I think people in neighborhoods should sit at the end of their driveways and hand out candy. It would make the entire process much quicker! The rest of the night was spent be-bopping around Crystal Springs.

Belle's second Halloween was much more fun than her first. Last year, Paul literally drug the stroller around the neighborhood while Belle slept (she was only a month old). This year Belle was in her glory. She was VERY into the concept of getting free candy and having her own bowl all to herself. She had her head in her bowl almost the entire time. I found her with wrapped candy in her mouth that she was biting through. The girl couldn't get enough.


I know this is sappy and cheesy, but I literally love Belle more and more each day. I love watching all of the new things she learns and seeing how she experiences the world. She is walking all over and repeating a lot of things we say. Somehow she learned to wave to people as they drive by. Paul and I took her for a walk today and she waved at every car that drove by and said "hi." I didn't teach her that, and neither did Paul. Where did she learn that? The girl amazes me, not because I think she is so smart, but more because watching her grow up is so fun.

Can't wait for the holidays this year! Belle will actually have a clue what is going on (sorta, right?).

Recent Happenings

Belle is walking and talking like a crazy girl! I has finally hit me that I no longer have a baby, but a toddler. Let me tell you, this girl's walk is a true toddle! She is far from graceful, but so stinkin' adorable. She has finally hit the point where walking is quicker than crawling and she is moving all over the place. She is a much happier and less frustrated girl since she has been moving and grooving via walking.

On top of the walking, Belle is exercising those vocals chords. She loves to repeat things we say. This has required this plumber's daughter to watch her mouth a bit more. I don't have the vocabulary of a sailor, but I have been known to let those cuss words slip when I am stressed, angry, or not thinking. Haha, let's hope Belle doesn't pick up on any of them....yet. Anyway, her vocab consists of: Mac, Mama, Dada, No, Hi, Duck, and Yuck, however I don't know how many of her words she says are deliberate. She definitely knows "uh-0h" and will say it often.

Belle took her first trip to Indianapolis with Paul and I this weekend. Our friends, Dennis and Amber, had a son 6 months ago and we had yet to meet him. Belle and Carson were instant buddies :-)

For those who don't know, Paul and I used to live in Indianapolis. Paul worked for FedEx straight out of college and I moved there when we got married. Indiana was an interesting time for us. I worked an hour from our apartment, and he worked 3rd shift. Not ideal for a first year of marriage . Despite the struggles, we had great friends and a fabulous church. In the end, Paul found a job with Meijer back in GR and we were able to move back. I would never regret our move, but I sure miss many aspects of Indy. Needless to say, it was nice to visit. However, next time I would go for a longer weekend because we were able to see our friends from FedEx, but there was no time for me to get away to see my friends from BehaviorCorp where I worked.

Anyway, not much else to report. Halloween is coming up and I can't wait to post pics of Belle in her costume. My goals as a mother is to make her look as ridiculous as possible on Halloween. I guarantee that I will be successful this year.

BTW, I will post pics of Belle's one year photo session with Kate Krueger soon. It's too late to load pics tonight :-)

Baby Steps. Literally.

I realize I have been awful at updating this blog! I will try to be better!

Tons has happened in that past couple of weeks. We brought Belle to the pumpkin patch, went to Artprize, and Belle has become a wobbly little walker!

The pumpkin patch was cold and windy, but we made the best of it. Belle loved the goats and hanging on all of the pumpkins. Paul and I were way more excited about the donuts. Holy cow. I could have eaten a dozen all by myself! I forgot how good orchard donuts were. My mouth is watering as I type!

Paul and I made sure to make it to Artprize this year. Last year was the first year for Artprize, but we had just had Belle. I wasn't quite confident enough to head out downtown with a new little baby, and let's be honest, I was way too busy at home to think about checking out art. This year Artprize was busy, but fun. We never made it into the GRAM, because the line was WAY too long and a teething one year old was not going to last through the wait. Belle was more into the people watching and loved riding on her daddy's shoulders!

Lastly, Belle is beginning to walk. Watch out world! She has slowly been gaining confidence in herself and took a good little walk over to my scarf this afternoon. I had to share her new found skills!