Pumpkin Patch Day Dreamin’

Last year I made the outfit below for Dutch as my inspiration for getting his pumpkin patch outfit (because everyone knows that babies have to go to the pumpkin patch to have their picture taken regardless if you purchase a pumpkin or not).  As I start shopping for him this year I’ve started thinking about ways I can get my Little Peep and Teeny Peep to match next year. 

This was my fall fashion inspiration for Dutch, my Little Peep, last year…..

Baby Boy Pumpkin Patch- 2014 by darbyhawley featuring an orange costume

I think Dutch looked absolutely precious last year at the pumpkin patch, though I will admit that it was way too hot for what he was wearing.  He ended up being striped down to his diaper after these pictures.  #newmomfail
Here is my inspiration for this year:

Fall Baby Boy- 2015 by darbyhawley on Polyvore

If Teeny Peep were here this year (which I’m glad she isn’t because I want her to keep baking in my tummy for a lot longer) I would have her dressed in something like this:

Fall Baby Girl- 2015 by darbyhawley featuring hair bow accessories

My mind is still boggled that next year at the pumpkin patch I will have a 2 year old and a 9 month old.  I seriously still cannot comprehend that concept.  If my first year as a parent was any indication, I wont comprehend it while it’s happening next year either hahahaha.

What are you favorite baby clothing brands?  I feel pretty good about where I get deals and clothes for boys in the styles I like, but I’m a total novice when it comes to girls.  So friends, please, teach me about little girl fashion!

Fall LWTH Festivities Round-Up

Fall is a southerners reward for having survived summer :-)

Despite the temperatures, according to the calendar, last Wednesday was the first official day of fall!!!! My favorite ‘ember months and fall festivities can officially commence!  And by “officially” I mean that I can participate in public without guilt or public shaming lol

Last week Dutch and I decorated the house for fall and had a blast.  Today I want to dip into the LWTH archives to revisit some of YOUR favorite fall LWTH posts:

Floral Pumpkin Centerpiece

Fall 2012 Hawley Home Décor

Jack O Lantern Alternatives

Fall 2013 Hawley Home Decor

Pine Cone Wreath DIY

When the cooler whether strikes sometimes we have dryer skin, so here is an awesome skin scrub:

Oatmeal Coconut Cookie Scrub

Fall Monogram Wreath DIY

Fall Scarf Organization System

Fall 2011 Hawley Home Décor

Coffee Candles DIY

  Fall Swag DIY

I can tell, and I’m sure you can too, from these pictures that some of those posts are from deep in the LWTH archives lol Oldies can still be goodies though, right?  Okay, it’s fall, and you have some suggestions to get you started so it’s time to celebrate fall! Happy Monday!

Teeny Peep Bumpdate- Week 22

Oh wow, check out those cheeks!  Growing face!!!

Bumpdate with Dutch at 22 weeks

Date: 9/19/15
How far along: 22 weeks
Fruit-size comparison: A papaya
Developmental milestones: Teeny Peep’s eyes have formed but still lack pigment in the iris.  She is developing a 12-12 sleep cycle about now.  I can tell she wakes up in the afternoon and is very active at night.  This might be a sign that she will have her nights and days mixed up when she arrives.
Maternity clothes: Yep….I think this will be the same for the rest of the pregnancy ;-)
Weight gain: I think I’m up about 2.5-3 lbs.  I have an appointment this week so I will get the official read out then. 
Stretch Marks: I've got plenty of kisses from heaven from carrying Dutch.  I applied lotions and such daily with that pregnancy, but to be honest I don't think I'm even going to try to prevent future stretch  marks.  I absolutely love these badges of honor and I'm so proud to wear them.
Sleep: Oh yes.  I’m sleeping good and loving it!
Best moment of the week:  This week was a great week, but I think the best part of the week was sharing the news that Teeny Peep is a girl.
Movement: She is definitely moving more, and her movements are becoming even more predictable.  Her kicks and punches are still very gentle.  However, based on her location being so very low right now, I can tell that these kicks are going to be very painful when she gets stronger.  Sometimes she kicks me now and I can feel the sharp pain of kicking my bladder ripple through my entire body and even into my teeth.  That isn’t very often, but I can tell that soon it will be painful.  I felt her flip head-down this morning but I don’t think she stayed that way. The Mr. has also now felt her bumping from the outside, and we can see her moving around.  She is always kicking the left side of my belly button.
Cravings: Wow I think what they say about sweet cravings with a girl must be true!  It is so hard for me to say "no" to Kirklands european cookies with Belgian chocolate and mocha frappuccinos.  Like so.hard.
Gender: Teeny Peep is a girl!
Belly button: It’s getting very flat, and a part is beginning to poke out :-)
Wedding ring: On, and my hubby had it cleaned for me, so it's extra sparkly!
Anything making you queasy/sick: Nothing!
What I miss: Still babywearing Dutch.  I was given a mesh sling to carry him in and he seems to like it, but I’m hoping to find a woven wrap so that I can carry him on my back.  Does anyone know of someone looking to pass theirs on?
What I’m looking forward to:  I have another doctors appointment this week & I’m so looking forward to hearing how our little girl is growing.
Labor signs: Nooooo! Thank goodness!
Symptoms: I guess it is about time to say this, but I finally feel pregnant.  Throwing up multiple times everyday for 19 weeks didn’t make me feel pregnant (just sick), but now I feel pregnant.  I think mostly because my belly is getting bigger causing me to get worn & out of breath quickly.  I wouldn’t say I feel bad though, I really do feel great, but I do feel pregnant.  I feel Teeny Peep moving all the time and it is just a really enjoyable (but slow moving) part of pregnancy.
Nursery: There isn't going to be a new nursery.  We plan on having Dutch and Teeny Peep share a room.  It's not that we don't have the space; we do have another bedroom, but we would like our kiddos to share a room when they are younger.  We're thinking this will be a great opportunity to continue building character with our children.  And to be honest, Dutch didn't move into his nursery until he was eight months old, and even then only for a few hours a day until he was 11 months old, so the new baby will probably stay in our room about the same amount of time and then we will do a transition of some sort.  Of course we don't know what it is like to have two children and exactly what it will be like, but this is how we think we are going to try to start.
Emotions: Joy and excitement all week.  A much better and balanced week compared to last week.

Alphabet Scripture Flashcards {Free Download!}

I don’t know if I would consider myself a homeschooling mom yet.  Dutch just turned one so I figure that the Mr. and I have some time before we have to make that decision.  However, I can say though, that the majority of the activities we chose to do with Dutch tend to be as educational as possible.  I do a lot of research and do as many homeschool activities for babies and toddlers as I can.  Every afternoon we have educational time with a book, a scripture, a song, and some sort of activity (art project, field trip, etc.).  I found these {FREE} scripture note cards as I was making letter flashcards for Dutch and we have really enjoyed them.  So easy and affordable! I printed off the cards, mounted them onto construction paper, laminated them, punched a hole in the corner and placed them on a ring.  It is so easy to just print the cards off and start using them.  It’s really a simple way to just start practicing scripture with your kiddos.  I have also found that since I mounted mine on different colored construction paper, I can ask Dutch to pick out a verse based on the color.  So these cards are not just great for letters and scriptures, but also on learning colors.

Aren’t these flash cards awesome?

And the fact that they’re FREE?!?!?! Um yesssssss! 

I’m all about simple and easy ways to make sure that my focus is on the lesson, not on the prep, and these flashcards are perfect for that.

Go get yourself your own copy here! :-)

Chicken Tagine

When the weather gets cooler and evenings are busy as the sun sets earlier, this is such a perfect weeknight meal for the fall!  I’m noticing more and more that I need fast meals during the week and I’m not willing to sacrifice flavor or the health of my family for a fast meal.  To make this meal takes less than 30 minutes (I promise!) and this recipe is a true winner around here!

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken breast
Salt & Pepper
2 tbs vegetable oil
2 tsp garam masala (note on this spice)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbs all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth (I use 1 cup water and a chicken bouillon cube)
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
½ cup dried apricots, quartered
15 oz can chick peas, rinsed
cilantro
Couscous (I use regular New East)

Directions:
1. Salt and pepper chicken then grill or sauté.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in garam masala, garlic, ¼ tsp salt until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Stir in flour until lightly browned (about 1 minute).
3. Slowly stir in broth, scraping down any browned bits. Stir in tomatoes, apricots, and chickpeas, and raise temperature to medium-high. Simmer until apricots begin to soften (about 5 minutes).
4. Reduce heat to low and add in chicken. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. During the 10 minutes, prepare couscous.
5. To the chicken mixture, add 2 tbs chopped cilantro, and season with salt and pepper.
6. Serve chicken over the couscous and garnish with cilantro.
7. Enjoy!

Teeny Peep Bumpdate- Weeks 21

Bumpdate with Dutch at 21 weeks

Date: 9/12/15
How far along: 21 weeks
Fruit-size comparison: Teeny Peep is the size of a carrot, and from our appointment this week weighs 13 oz.
Developmental milestones: Teeny Peep’s digestions is really working this week on developing.  She has already manufactured all of the ovum she will need for her entire life (about 6 million).  Her eyebrows and eyelids are developed now- crazing to think that she will put mascara on those beautiful lashes one day.
Maternity clothes: Oh praise the Lord for maternity clothes. lol  I spent a great deal last week online updating my maternity wardrobe.  I love dressing this bump!  I think I’m good….for now ;-)
Weight gain: Still only 1 lb., but maybe 2.  I’m pretty thrilled about this.  With Dutch at this point I was up 9 lbs so I feel like I’m doing pretty good at staying at a healthy weight gain.  I imagine that a big boost of weight is coming soon though.  I’m finally starting to get ravenous.  While we were grocery shopping today, I told the Mr. if I didn’t get some food right now I was going to eat the entire store. Dramatic much? lol  When I’m hungry, I’m hungry, and I want to eat NOW, so I know that scale is going to start ticking higher for me.
Stretch Marks: I've got plenty of kisses from heaven from carrying Dutch.  I applied lotions and such daily with that pregnancy, but to be honest I don't think I'm even going to try to prevent future stretch  marks.  I absolutely love these badges of honor and I'm so proud to wear them.
Sleep: Ehhhhhhh not the best.  I don’t sleep much but I’m functioning pretty well.  It takes me a while to fall asleep, I have plenty of potty breaks, and I’m up early; however, when I’m sleeping, I am sleeping like a rock.
Best moment of the week:  Well by far this week, the best moment was our doctors appointment!  Since we knew this might be a long appointment we had it early in the day while Dutch was in school. My scan with him was a little over 2 hours so I didn’t want him to feel trapped in a small room if it ended up being a long scan again, which ended up being a really good decision.  We got ushered in really quickly and had a great tech.  The tech got her heartbeat right away (135) and started looking for gender so that we wouldn’t have to wait.  Unfortunately, Teeny Peep is currently breech and really really low (which I could have told you that without a scan lol) so it was very hard to see her profile.  She does not have a lot of space and is curled up so tightly that getting a glimpse at her internal organs was a big challenge for the tech.  Right now she has her knees tucked so tightly into her chest and her chin is tucked down too so she looks like a tiny ball.  Teeny Peep demonstrated some of her stubborn personality by refusing to move no matter how much she was pushed on, or which side I was laying on…….or even when the tech flipped me upside down on my head.  Because of this, I’m going hardcore with my labor exercises to make sure she flips head down and doesn’t get stuck in the breech position.  I know we have time for her to flip but I’m going to do everything I can to get that to happen soon.  Anyhow, the tech gave my stomach a break (thank goodness!) and measured everything else that he could.  We loved getting a virtual tour and seeing that everything looked normal.  I had been praying for a boring appointment and in that sense it totally was textbook boring :-) The only excitement was trying to get her to move for some pictures and for her gender reveal.  We she finally started wiggling, the Mr. looked and said “It’s a girl!” before the tech could make the official announcement.  So it was a great appointment checking out our little girl for a couple hours, and I think we're still on a high from seeing her.
Movement: Oh yes and I love every single ballet movement.  I swear this week, late one night, I not only felt her kicking on the inside and outside, but I saw bulges on my stomach.  I even recorded it with my phone because the Mr. was asleep.  I know that he is going to get to feel her soon, I just have to have them both awake and in the same room at the same time.  She is sitting on my right side and I can feel all of her kicks on my left side (exact opposite of Dutch) generally in the late afternoon and late evening.
Cravings: I don’t think too much of anything is a big craving, I just love food in general again.  I’m already looking forward to my own personal Thanksgiving feast!  I remember the holidays with my last pregnancy …..I truly believe that every holiday season should be spent in stretchy pants!
Gender: Did you see our post on Monday!?!?!?! It’s a girl!  Teeny Peep is a girl!  We are pretty sure that we have settled on her name.  We had a really tough time before we knew the gender narrowing down names for boys and girls  The only name we could agree on was a girl name, and the Mr. said that that was a sign she was going to be a girl.  So we’re practicing with it for a while to make sure this is the name for her. 
Belly button:  It’s starting to poke out a little.  I had a halfie with Dutch: half of my belly button would poke out but never the entire thing.  I think this time I will get a full-on outtie…..I am honestly looking forward to that and was sad that it never popped out with Dutch.
Wedding ring: On, and about to get sparkled up this month.
Anything making you queasy/sick: Nothing that I can think of.
What I miss: I still miss being able to wear Dutch.  I've been looking for some used woven wraps or even a sling that I can borrow or purchase because Dutch and I love babywearing so much.  My belly has just gotten too big for the forward wraps and carriers that I have.  So even though I'm no longer on pelvic rest, I'm still trying to find a way to wear him.  Hopefully soon!
What I’m looking forward to: I don’t know if this is pregnancy related or not, but I feel like we had a great report with the doctor this week, we’re over half-way done with this pregnancy, and the summer heat is starting melt away into the holidays.  I feel like I can breathe a little bit, and I’m looking forward to just enjoying and embracing everyday of this fall and winter.  I’m looking forward to being pregnant this season, to having fun with my family, and to making the every day a special day.
Labor signs: Nooooo! Thank goodness!
Symptoms: I’ve got some heartburn but nothing like I did when I was pregnant with Dutch.  I can go days without the symptom; however, I think that's probably my biggest symptom these days (besides the obvious growing bump of course). I think my symptoms finally caught up to the second trimester bliss and I’m honestly feeling great.  I’m going to enjoy it while I can lol
Nursery: There isn't going to be a new nursery.  We plan on having Dutch and Teeny Peep share a room.  It's not that we don't have the space; we do have another bedroom, but we would like our kiddos to share a room when they are younger.  We're thinking this will be a great opportunity to continue building character with our children.  And to be honest, Dutch didn't move into his nursery until he was eight months old, and even then only for a few hours a day until he was 11 months old, so the new baby will probably stay in our room about the same amount of time and then we will do a transition of some sort.  Of course we don't know what it is like to have two children and exactly what it will be like, but this is how we think we are going to try to start.
Emotions: Oh goodness this week has certainly been an emotional roller coaster.  I have been extremely high and extremely low and bouncing back and forth.  I even annoyed myself this week!  I’m not too much of an outwardly emotional person; the majority of my emotions are kept to myself but I can definitely tell I’m like a bouncy ball.  Maybe what they say is true for me, that when your pregnant with a girl you’re a lot more emotional?  Or maybe it was just all of the anxiety associated with our anatomy scan this week? I’m looking forward to next week being a bit more balanced!

What I’m Lovin’ Wednesday: Lunchskins

First of all, I just want to thank everyone for their kinds words and congratulatory wishes for our gender reveal on Monday.  Thank you so much for sharing your joy with us :-)  Your support and encouragement mean so much to us.  Thank you thank you thank you!

Okay, I’m just dying to tell you about Lunchskins by 3greenmoms.  I stumbled across this product when I was searching for something on Amazon and wow it was an awesome shopping moment.  I really like this company and their mission, and their product truly stands on it’s own.

Lunchskins are like reusable ziplock baggies….and get this: THEY ARE DISHWASHER SAFE!!!  Wahoo!  Eco-friendly bags that will save you money and you can just throw them in the dishwasher?!?! Oh thank you Lord! lol  I use these durable baggies all the time when I pack food for the pool, the park, church, or even the days Dutch has lunch at school.  There is even a place to write your name so they wont get lost (or stolen because they're so awesome people are going to want to steal them; I promise!).  I don’t take a lunch to work anymore, but if I did, I would definitely use these for myself.  They are so easy to use and come in so many cute designs and sizes (check out the other options here). 

These baggies are so easy and fun to use, but there are also some other awesome products that I’m just dying to try, like the wetbags for our cloth diapers and the lunch tote.

My only negative comment on the product is truly a personal one: the name is a little creepy to me (though timely with Halloween around the corner?). I don’t know, I think the word “skin” and any meal should never be in the same sentence ewwwww.  In my opinion, the name of this product has a lot to be desired, but the function is awesome.

So if you can get passed the name, which I hope that you can, you’re really going to love these baggies!

What products have y’all run into lately that you think I would like or just NEED to try? Please help a mama out :-)

Obligatory Blogger Disclaimer: I was not paid for this post; I just really like this brand. All opinions are 100% mine.

It’s a…… {Teeny Peep Edition}

Just like we did with Dutch’s (or Little Peep’s) gender reveal, we took a poll to see what y’all thought Teeny Peep would be.  We showed you the old wives tales and let you vote.  Check it out:

Old wives tales: 60% girl and 40% boy
Social media: 77% girl and 23% boy

For both Little Peep and Teeny Peep the majority voted girl, but this time y’all screamed girl lol I just think this is all so sweet and I’m so grateful for everyone voting; it was super fun to read all of your comments and why you thought which gender Teeny Peep was going to be. Thank you so much for playing along.

So who is joining our family in January?!?! 

What will Teeny Peep be? A he or a she?

It’s a girl! Teeny Peep is a girl!  Again, the Lord has given us a precious gift, and we are beyond grateful!   So let the fun and planning begin!!!!!