Some pictures of My Tummy

Heather, 22 weeks pregnant

A day at the Park

A couple weeks ago, we decided to go to a local park on the weekend, since it was SO warm out! I think it was around 70 that day.

Here's some cute pictures of the boys and Jonathan playing around!

My new diaper bag!!

On Thursday, me and the boys went out to breakfast with "Aunt Allyson", to Cracker Barrel! It was so much fun :) Unfortunately, once in a public place with my diaper bag, I suddenly became aware of its disgusting and ugly state. Quite embarrassed that people had to look at it on my shoulder, I promptly informed Jonathan that I need a new diaper bag, when we got home. He blew it off, and said I was trying to spend too much money.

I told him that I would look into making my own, with some leftover scraps of fabric, and pretty yarn. However, for the size of diaper bag that I need, I quickly realized that I didn't have enough fabric OR yarn for the project. Ugh. I did some online looking, and found out that Walmart had quite a few options for $10. Jonathan said ok, but I had to wait a couple weeks, just so I wasn't jumping into anything. LOL! Silly Jonny :)

SO, Sunday rolls around. We were serving in the nursery for church, and I hung up our diaper bag on one of the pegs. About 7 other kids came in, and we had a nice wall-full of diaper bags. When it came time to give the children back to their parents, and we started collecting diaper bags one by one, Jonathan suddenly gasped, and said, "HEATHER! Is that OUR diaper bag!??" I said it was, and he gave the most disgusted look I have seen in a long time, and QUICKLY took it off its peg, and then proceeded to ashamedly say how embarrassing it is to have such a gross looking diaper bag.

Guess where we went on Monday? WALMART!
Guess what we got? A NEW DIAPER BAG!!

North Carolina Zoo

We had a wonderful time a the zoo! We decided that instead of some romantic outing for Valentine's Day, that would most likely end up unromantic because of our two little munchkins, we would take the family out on a trip to the zoo! We got there as it was opening, and were probably the 3rd car in the parking lot. It drizzled a little on us, but mostly we were sheltered by some of the exhibits, so all was fine! It ended up being a beautiful sunny day! Our first snack was under a gazebo, and we had some hot chocolate to ward off the cold....mmmmmmm!!!!

Our lunch was in one of the pavilions, and it was so nice to bask in the warm sun! By the time we were done, the kids were getting cranky and tired, but the layout of the zoo required us to walk ALL the way back, the way we had come because the other parking lot/shuttle was closed down. So, we decided to treat ourselves to a drive back to the other entrance via tram...and it was free!! Just so everyone knows how long it would have been to walk back...it took us about 10 minutes to get back to our begining entrance, and the tram wasn't going slow!

Back at the entrance, Jason was SO excited when we decide to let him "Drop a Penny"! He chose the imprint, and put in the two quarters and his penny, and Jonathan helped him crank it through the machine. He was just thrilled when it dropped, and he saw the Lion imprint. We decided to get two, because it was just so cool, so we got the elephant on a different machine, where you just have to push a button. Jason loved that too though, and when we walked to the car, and I asked to see one, I was planning on keeping it for scrapbooking purposes. 10 seconds go by, and he said, "Um...I need my penny back.". Serves me right for thinking I could snag his prized possesion so soon after recieving them!

Tyler had fallen asleep in the stroller, so we just popped him in the car, and Jason fell asleep before we were off the zoo property (which takes about 5 minutes). Not including gas, the entire trip cost us only $21.02! Because of winter pricing, we were both $8, and Jason was $4, the pennies lost their .02 value, and it cost $1 to imprint them. Parking was free, the tram was free, and so were our snacks and lunch :) I call that a frugal and fun Valentine's Day, wouldn't you?

"Where's Tyler!?"

"THERE HE IS!!!"

Tattle-Tale

Tyler has become the little tattletale in our family. Not only that, but he also tends to boss Jason around, or correct him after I am done correcting him.

The other night, I was laying with both boys in our bed, and Jason had been told not to get up. He suddenly sat up, to which I promptly told him, "Lay back down." very sternly. He flopped back down. Tyler turned on his side, towards Jason, and said VERY sternly, "Jas, ay dan." I told Tyler to turn back over, and that it was none of his business, to which he responded by promptly flopping onto his back and laying very quietly.

I just about died of laughter!!!

Tyler also often runs to us, and dramatically bangs his head with his hand, says "bong", then points towards the direction of the house Jason is in, and says, "Jas". What's so funny, is usually he hadn't gotten bonked on the head! Usually Jason either pushed him away from the TV, closed Tyler out of their room, threw a toy at Him, or took something from him.

Either way, Tyler is definitely taking this younger brother job VERY seriously, and filling every qualification to make him an ideal "Annoying younger brother" for Jason :)

p.s. Half the time, Tyler hits or grabs something from Jason first, which Jason responds to either whimpily (Crying, "Tyler took my toy"), or else finds revenge by returning the offense (Sternly, "TYLER! Give that BACK!")....all to which Tyler promptly runs to tell us about in the same old "bonked head" fashion :)

Crock Pot Recipes

Here are TONS of Crock Pot Recipes a friend just sent me!!! I haven't even looked at all of them, but it is so cool that there are so many options :) Have Fun with it yourself, and I will too! I'll probably let you know which ones I try, and if they were good or not :)

Crock Pot Beef

All Day Crock Pot Beef
Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry
Beef and Pasta Casserole
Beef Diablo
Beef Fajitas
Beef Ragout Over Rice
Beef Tips
Beer Braised Beef in Crock Pot
Burritos Crock Pot Style
California Tamale Pie
Cattleman's Beef and Beans
Cheeseburger Sandwiches
Cheesy Meat Loaf
Chili Beer Brisket of Beef
Classic Swiss Steak
Complete Crock Pot Dinner
Corned Beef and Cabbage
Country Swiss Steak
Cowboy Casserole
Cranberry Pork Roast
Crock Pot Beef Burgundy
Cr ock Pot Beef 'n Peppers
Crock Pot Beef with Mushrooms
Crock Pot Beef Roast
Crock Pot Cabbage Rolls
Crock Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage
Crock Pot Creole Steak Strips
Crock Pot Delight
Crock Pot Easy Swiss Steak
Crock Pot Enchiladas
Crock Pot Fajitas
Crock Pot Fajitas II
Crock Pot Italian Beef
Crock Pot Meatballs
Crock Pot Rump Roast
Crock Pot Sauerbraten
Crock Pot Spaghetti Sauce
Crock Pot Swiss Steak
Crock Pot Taco Casserole
Fiesta Tamale Pie
Glazed Corned Beef
Glazed Corned Beef #2
Harvest Dinner
Harvest Pot Roast with Tomato-Wine Sauce
Hot-and-Spicy Sloppy Joes
Lean Crock Pot Beans
Nina's Beef and Beans
Pot Roast Dinner
Old Time Beef Stew
Pot Roast with Noodles
Ranch Style Beef
Reuben Casserole
Roast Cooked with Coke
Roast with Veggies
Sage Pot Roast
Salsa Swiss Steak
Savory Pepper Steak
Savory Stewed Beef
Slow-Cooked Beef Stifado
Slow Cooked Pepper Steak
Slow Cooked Steak Rolls
Slow Cooked Swiss Steak Supper
Slow Cooker Italian Spaghetti Sauce
Slow Cooker Lasagna
Slow Cooker Swiss Steak
Slowly Deviled Beef
Smothered Steak Strips
Spaghetti Sauce Italiano
Spicy Wine Pot Roast
Stuffed Cabbage Casserole
Stuffed Pasta Shells
Swiss Bliss
Swiss Steak
Teriyaki Steak
Three Pepper Steak
Three-Way Beef
Yankee Pot Roast and Vegetables


Crock Pot - Pork

Casserole in the Cooker
Chicken Lickin Good Crock Pot Pork Chops
Chinese Style Country Ribs
Country Pork with Mushrooms
Cranberry Pork Roast
Crockpot Apricot Pulled Pork for Sandwiches
Crock Pot Festival Sausage
Crock Pot Hawaiian Pork
Crock Pot Pork Chops Supreme
Crock Pot Sausage & Potatoes
Crock Pot Sausage and Egg Casserole
Crocked Cherry Pork Chops
Polish Kraut and Apples
Pork Chop Delight
Pork Chops and Mustard Sau ce Potatoes
Pork Chops with Corn Stuffing
Pork Stew with Vegetables
Rosemary Potato Pork Chops
Sauerkraut Supper
Slow Cooking Pork Chops
Soy-Glazed Spareribs
Super Easy Pork Chops
Sweet and Spicy Kielbasa or Polish Sausage
Sweet 'n' Sour Ribs
Sweet 'N' Sour Sausage



Crock Pot - Poultry

90s Style Crockpot Coq Au Vin
Bacon Wrapped Chicken
Baked Cajun Chicken
Baked Chicken Breasts in Crock Pot
Basil Chicken
Broccoli Rice & Chicken
Caf?? Chicken
Cantonese Sweet & Sour Chicken
Caribbean Chicken
Cheesy Crock Pot Chicken
Chicken & Cherries Jubilee
Chicken a la King
Chicken and Cherries Jubilee C/P
Chicken & Rice Casserole
Chicken and Artichoke Casserole
Chicken and Dumplings
Chicken Breasts Supreme
Chicken Creole
Chicken Crock Pie
Chicken Curry
Chicken Curry #2
Chicken Curry Hurry
Chicken Hearts Crockpot
Chicken in the Crock Pot
Chicken Marengo
Chicken Merlot with Mushrooms
Chicken Ol??
Chicken Paprika
Chicken Parisienne
Chicken Parmigiana
Chicken Sesame
Chicken Stew
Chicken Stroganoff in Crock Pot

"Cloth Diapers"

Well, as many of you have probably heard, I have reverted to old school, and am now using the dreaded "CLOTH DIAPERS" :)

Actually, these diapers are far from what people might think when they envision a cloth daiper. Let me say, since buying our complete "stash" (as they call it in cloth-diapering world), we have saved around $400 in diapers. Shocking, I know!!

We were going through a costco box of diapers about every 1 1/2 months (for Tyler), and about 2 pkgs of large dipes for Jason every month. That comes to about $55 month..and since we started when Tyler was 6 months old...that comes to approximately $550 that we WOULD have spent on Diapers. Instead, we spent only $90 on ALL the diapers (14 of them). SOO...around $400 savings. that sounds good to me!

True, we use 2 tbsp of detergent every other day for laundry, but that hardly is a drop in the bucket...no punn intended :)

The picture above is the style our new baby's diapers will be (and are the style and brand that the boys' dipes are now). They fit so well, hardly anyone notices he isn't wearing disposables! (No big Diaper-butt)

Baby Micah will have small diapers (handmade by aunt Lizzy), and half will be a dark chocolate brown, and half will be a sage green color. The inside is gonna be white soft fabric called suedecloth, and we are buying snap pliers and creamish snaps for them. Oooohh!! I am so excited! Teeny-tiny dipes for my newborn baby! The BEST, is that Lizzy is gonna size them to our cousin Anna's baby, due in April, so they will really be able to fit a newborn correctly.

I am Quite Excited!

Below is what the "inserts" look like that you put in the pocket diaper.

Also below are pictures of the brown outer fabric that will be waterproof, the white suedecloth that will be on the inside (against baby's bottom), and also the snap pliers that we will use to apply the snaps to fit baby perfectly!

Tools pictures

Here are the boys in our backyard/woods :) Jason got this whole tool set from Grandma Hawkins, and he has been DYING to use it! Today, while I was hanging up diapers, I decided to let him have some fun. He put on the hat, I helped with the tool belt (which fits PERFECTLY by the way), and he set off. Is it any wonder, that his favorite tool is the hammer??? Hm...

I figured, let him have it out with the stump, and he might not notice the car or storage shed as potential demolition objects.

Tyler was content to follow Jason around, all the while sporting the clear eye-protector glasses. Yeah, he put those on himself, too. He did keep trying to steal a screwdriver from Jason's belt, but usually couldn't grab them before Jason would turn or run off.

Jason's Tools

His Name...

After much deliberation, and checking multiple sources to make sure we weren't name-stealing ungraciously...we have decided to name our little boy,

Micah Steven Hawkins!!!

Woo-hoo! I am so glad we finally agreed and settled on the name. I feel SO much like this is his name, and it already has such a dear place in my heart...I just knew it was meant to be when I heard the name...but, like I said, we just had to do some "checking" ;)

Ultrasound Pictures

Here's some pictures from the Ultrasound!

"ITS A BOY!"

Baby's Face/body

Baby's Profile/spine

The baby is a.....

BOY!!!

Due date: July 3rd, 2009

Name: Uh...working on it :)

Chicken soup for Heather's Soul

Stupid title for a blog...but I am SO happy!

If anyone knows me, they know that I hate chicken with bones. Hate touching it, looking at it, and eating it...raw OR cooked!
So, when deciding what to have for dinner last night, I opened the fridge and realized I had a bunch of thigh/leg pieces frozen that really needed to eventually get eaten. At the time we got them, Grace was with us and Jonathan & I figured she could de-bone them for us. She is gone, and only Heather's hands remained. Ugh.

I decided to make my own recipe for chicken soup...complete with shredded, de-boned chicken. I would close my eyes and do it if necessary :) I boiled the chicken, and then put it on my cutting board. The first piece, I was like, "ok, I can do this..". By the third piece, I was so near puking that I took a break to do laundry, and work on the rest of the soup (the chicken stock, potatoes and carrots, spices, etc.). I came back to the chicken, and remembered that there IS an easy way out there with the least steps possible for de-boning the chicken and getting the certain chunks of meat off.
I started methodically doing it...yanking off all the skin/fat at once, stripping the leg bone all at once of its meat, and then grabbing the thigh and ripping the meat of with my hands (I had previously been shredding the meat off with a fork, incase you were wondering).
It was so fast! I had a much better time with the last 2 pieces!!!

So, then I added some cooked rice to the pot, and put everything on a slow boil...OHHH...it was so good, and I am delighted at how healthy too :)

So, Heather braved the bones, tendons, and veins in the chicken, and came out successful! Yay!