My Daughter, the Cusser

So, I have been debating writing about this for fear that there will be a small handful of people out there who may judge my poor parenting skills or turn their nose up at me. I finally decided that this blog is mainly for me to document our life: the good, the bad, and the ugly. This is one of the more ugly parts of it, but I also find it somewhat humorous as well. Paul and I do not have a perfect marriage, I do not parent flawlessly, and my child is not the poster child for perfection.

I do not swear a lot. I have a couple words here and there that I may throw around, but generally I have a clean mouth. I do, however, say s**t more often than I care to admit. I drop something, I stub my toe, I dial the wrong number, I burn dinner and usually I will throw around an "Oh s**t!". I blame it on growing up in a plumber's family :)

Well, clearly Belle has picked up on my foul mouth. Once I thought she may have said it, but then assumed I was hearing things (wishful thinking? Denial?). Well, the other day she dropped a glass and it broke. Clear as day the girl uttered "oh s**t.". Paul looked at me. I looked at him, and we both busted up laughing. How can you not laugh at those words coming out of a 2 year old's mouth?

I was praying this was a one time occurrence, but she said it when my sister was watching her, when we had friends over the other day, and at my neighbor's house. Goodness! Do I really say it so often that it has stuck with her so well?!

Needless to say, not a proud parenting moment. I think about her saying it in church nursery and the workers looking at me when I pick her up as the parent of the "little cusser."

So, now we try our best not to laugh and give her better options like "oh bummer" or "oh man.". In the meantime, I think I better work on these new options for myself as well. Nothing like a hard lesson on how impressionable those little minds really are.

Mother of One to Two

Lately I have been really trying to savor the best parts of being a mother of one. I know life is going to take another big adjustment with the arrival of baby Evelyn (yes, that is her name...no secrets here). I am so excited to meet her, hold her, smell her, but at the same time I am petrified about what the change is going to be like.

I am not one that does well with change. When things are working well, I like them to stay that way. Obviously, many things will be changing when I become a mother of two. I am mentally trying to prepare myself for this and to tell myself to go with the flow. I am so excited for this change, but it still offers so much unknown.

Right now, I love, love, love my mornings with Belle. They are so relaxing and a good way to get started for the day. It is literally almost the same routine every day. She wakes up, gathers everything in her crib (this is such an ordeal because she may have 5 blankets,a sippy cup, and a stuffed animal and she is determined to carry them all on her own. I should also mention that I rarely wake up before she does right now. My alarm clock is hearing Belle chatting away in her room.

We head downstairs and I drink my coffee, check emails, and she watches some good ol' Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while she sits in her Dora chair and drinks milk. She is at that stage where the characters ask questions and she responds...she is also very good at saying "oh Toodles!" Breakfast soon follows for both of us, some playtime (Belle usually climbing furniture and jumping off) and then an hour after we wake up (depending on how early) we start to get ready for the day. Nice, relaxing, and familiar everyday.

Other things I know will change are the ease of leaving the house with one kid, trying to share my attention with two kids, no more sleeping all night and back to the newborn zombie stage, as well as just getting used to the logistics of two. I am so scared I won't be able to juggle the demands of two without becoming a crazy person. I know I will have moments I am overwhelmed and I just have to remind myself that "this too shall pass," and focus on the blessings around me.

I cannot wait to share more of my love with another child, and watch Belle as a big sister. She already loves to rock her babies, and always wants to help when other babies are around. Paul has already proven to be a great father to Belle, so I am sure another girl will come natural to him. I so hope that I allow myself to take in all of the blessings of a new child without getting bogged down by my own fears and insecurities. Hopefully the second time around proves easier than the first because I will have more confidence in myself as a mother.

Maybe I should call Michelle Duggar for a little advice.

Headed to the U.P.

Our neighborhood is all sorts of fabulous and amazing. Paul and I truly hit the jackpot when we found this house! Our neighborhood is full of young couples and kids, and the best part is that we all like each other!

Our neighbors, Sarah and Damon, have parents with a house in the U.P. on Lake Michigan. We all picked a weekend and headed up there. 8 adults and 9 kids in one house! Surprisingly, the mass chaos didn't bother any of us and we had a great time. We swam, Belle played on the beach, we did some kayaking, and at night after the kids went to bed the adults sat around the campfire and we honestly laughed until it hurt.

Right now I am trying to cherish (I know it sounds cheesy) of these last few trips as a family of 3. Adding a baby is going to make future trips more chaotic and require more packing....all of which stresses me out a bit! We have only three more months until this munchkin makes her debut and I feel like time is flying!

Next big trip is to San Francisco with the Thompson side of the fam! Unfortunately Belle won't be coming, but the thought of traveling with a two year old while 8 months pregnant....add a 4 hour time change, and I might not make it mentally! It will be a great trip for Paul and I to get away for a bit and not have to worry about naps and diapers. We love San Francisco and I can't wait to get back there!

Now, some U.P. pics. Aren't the kids cute in their tye-dyed shirts?!?!

Zoo Trip

I was bound and determined to bring Belle to the zoo this summer. She has formed a fascination with animals and knows a crazy amount of animal noises!

Belle loved it, but was very timid. She wasn't so sure about getting out of the stroller, but eventually warmed up to it when she saw her cousins running around.

She thought the petting zoo was great until a big ol' pig tried to sniff her face. Needless to say, the poor girl had a bit of a traumatic meltdown and wasn't so sure about any animal at that point! Even looking at the bear in his pen was too much for her. Thankfully the African drums and chimps made her forget about the pig and she seemed to enjoy herself more.

Huizinga Camping Trip 2011

Wow, am I behind on posting the happenings of this summer so far! We have been busy, but I have also been trying to figure out how to maneuver around this iPad. It is tougher than you would think! So, the next few posts are a quick snap shot of our summer so far. First, is our annual camping trip with my family.

This is the second year that my family had gone to Tri-Ponds campground in Allegan. We love it! There is a huge playground, a pool, a swimming pond, a petting zoo, as well as a pond where Lily, Gabbie, and Alexa spent tons of time catching frogs and tadpoles. The campground is small enough to let the girls run around, but still has enough activities to keep them occupied.

Belle was much more fun this year than last. Last year she was just learning to crawl and was right in the middle of teething. This year she was one active little girl who was obsessed with the ducks and liked to play in the pond.

We have learned that Belle has a love for animals....for the most part. I think she is fascinated by different animals, but isn't always so certain of them if they try to sniff her. You will read more about this in the "zoo" post to follow. There were three ducks that roamed the campground and Belle would follow them around all day if we allowed her to.

Overall, the week was great fun. It is sure busy running after an almost two year old, but exciting to watch her try out the playground, feed goats, and even scream when we try to get her to swim in the pool. She is definitely showing a fearless nature in some areas and real fear in others. Just all part of her personality that we love to learn about (most days :) ).