4 Years!

Today is our 4 year anniversary, and that seems crazy to me. 4 years! It just doesn't seem like that long. We have been really blessed over these past years together, and God continues to watch over us. It's hard to believe that all those years ago, God had picked out the man who would be so perfect for me. Who'd have thunk that I'd meet a boy in Abilene, TX who loves fishing, loves Texas sports, could live on Taquitos and Oreos and Dr Pepper, and that we'd end up living in Dallas, TX. Amazing the plans that God has had for us, and we are so thankful. 

And I thought I'd leave you with some of the pictures Kim took of us this past weekend...

 

Much thanks to Coati Photography for the photos!!

Christmas is my FAVORITE

Christmas at the Craddocks

 

Brandon has become quite the light expert:)

  
 We had such a great Christmas. Brandon's parents came in from Atlanta to spend several days with us, and Kim and Philip joined us late Saturday night. We had a wonderful time. We even had all the cousins and everyone over last night for a big Christmas dinner. It's so good being with family, and I feel like I've been part of the Craddock family forever. We have so much fun together. And it's just about impossible not to stop and realize how incredible blessed we are. God is so good to us, and we tried to take some time to think about the reason that we celebrate this time of year. It's amazing how a pregnant teenager all those years ago gave birth to the baby boy who gives us hope and joy in life. And I think that getting together with family and friends to love on each other is exactly what Jesus was all about. Again this year, we were honored to have so many of the people we love in our home for the holidays.

 Christmas morning

 Above: Brandon's crazy family (photos courtesy of my father-in-law Chris Craddock)

Kim took some family photos of us after on Christmas this year. This is one of my favorites.She is such a good photographer, so if you haven't checked our her work, you SHOULD. To see her work (and more from our photo shoot), check out Coati Photography HERE.

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

Umm SERIOUSLY?

It is far too cold in this world. It was 26 degrees outside this morning when I left for work. 26 DEGREES. How does this happen? Every summer in Texas it gets so hot that I actually start to get excited about the cold weather, which is really saying a lot if you know me at all. But now that the cold has officially arrived, I am in shock. About 40 degrees is my breaking point, especially in Texas where the wind just whips through your heart and soul. But this is approximately 14 degrees below that. Help!

Just wanted all you Tennesseans and Georgians and Alabamaians (hm?) and everyone else to know, IT IS CRAZY COLD HERE. Keep us in your prayers and please call periodically to make sure we haven't frozen to death. I mean, at the very least, this cold of weather warrants some pretty snow and maybe a snow day. But is that what we're dealing with, no. Definitely not. We're suffering through the "I can't find enough clothes in my closet to layer enough to make me warm" kind of weather. But at least I know what I want for Christmas- a set of battery-powered heating pajamas.

Porter!

 

So if you've talked to me at all recently, you know I've been counting down the days until this little man came to visit me. Beth and I have been best friends since middle school even though life has put us in different places. So she and her sweet baby came to visit me, and we had such a great time. Other than the cold and rain, it was the perfect weekend. I had so much fun playing with Porter...9 months is the most perfect age:) We shopped and cooked and made yummy chocolate candies, and even went downtown with a couple of my girlfriends here to see the Christmas Children's Parade. It was very very cute. Bailey has LOVED having Porter here. Not only has she been following him around and doing whatever she can to get into his room while he's sleeping, but her new favorite spot in right underneath him at meal times. I could go on and on, but we just had so much fun... I just couldn't get enough of that sweet little boy!

   Beth and Porter, we are so so glad you came to visit. Thanks for braving the chaotic travel issues to come see us- it meant so much. We loved having yall here. Miss you already!

Happy Birthday

FOR SOME REASON, THESE FEW POSTS DIDN'T PUBLISH, SO HERE THEY ALL ARE AT ONCE...OOPS:)
Happy Birthday Kathy!!!
 My mother-in-law's birthday is today, and I just wanted to wish her the very best. And since we can't be there, I just wanted to post a couple of our most recent favorite videos from YouTube so maybe it'll make her laugh. You might have already seen them, but you can always use a good laugh :)

Thanksgiving

We had such a great Thanksgiving. We went to Nashville and got to spend several days with my family. We had two big Thanksgiving dinners with family, visited with lots of neighbors, put up the Christmas tree, watched movies, played cards with Matt and Ashley, did a little shopping, and of course Bailey got to play and play and play with Shelby. It was the perfect visit.

So we "convinced" Damon that we all dressed up in honor of the Pilgrims and Indians on Thanksgiving and this is what he showed up wearing... LOVE IT!

Girls Weekend

I had the weekend to myself while Brandon went on a fly fishing trip (go figure). So I took the opportunity to put up Christmas decorations, make cookies, and play loud Christmas music all weekend. And of COURSE I planned a girls movie night, so here is a picture from our Twilight outing on opening weekend. Love that these girls are not at all ashamed to be waiting with me in a very long line for the movie of the century! So much fun, even though a few of them are Team Jacob:)

Broken Bow 2011

This past weekend was our annual camping trip to Broken Bow with the Lee family. Despite a very disappointing Rangers loss on Friday night, we had an amazing weekend in Oklahoma. It was so fun being away from the city, away from cell phones, away from...heat We hiked, canoed, and ate some of the best food we've ever had on a camping trip. The dogs played, the boys fished, and the girls, well, just enjoyed being together with our boys and our dogs. Here's a few more pics from our weekend...

Happy Birthday Brandon!!!

My hubby is 28 years old tomorrow. TWENTY EIGHT. And I can't help but be sappy and sentimental because of it. I just feel so blessed to get to grow old with this guy. He is a better man than I deserve, and I can't imagine my life without him. It's crazy how much we're really grown up together over the past 8 years since we first met. He's my best friend and I thank God every day for bringing us together so that I could fall in love with this man. Brandon I love you more than anything!!! Hope your birthday is wonderful.

Time to Accept It

It's time to accept it- we are Texans. Brandon and I are finally changing our phone numbers to have Dallas area codes, both starting with 972. So we are growing up and facing our fear of commitment.  I have been in denial for years that this would be a permanent residence, but this just seems like the right time since we were changing phone stuff anyways. After all, we do own a home here and don't see ourselves moving anytime soon.  We both finally got tired of people asking where our phones are from and having to explain why we had Abilene and Atlanta numbers. So there you have it, our lives are changing.We have to learn to accept it, and so should you (as in, make sure you have our new numbers). If we have your number, you'll probably be getting a text to let you know our new 972 numbers!


I can't even talk about the Rangers right now, but I just ask that everyone please send good vibes to Ian Kinsler and the rest of the boys tomorrow night. Tonight was very upsetting, and we're all really hoping for a big win tomorrow night.

Worst Blogger Award

Yeah I realize. I really do. But there's just nothing I can do about it!!! Life has been busy. Good busy. No, great busy. This past month has absolutely flown by, but it has been wonderful. We just feel so blessed to be at this place in our lives with the friends God has placed with us. Our schedule stays insane, but we're loving every minute of it. Here is the series of events since my last blog...by date of course:)

Sept 6- Brandon's Mema's birthday. She is by far one of the strongest, independent, most faithful and selfless  Christian women we know- love you, Mema!

Sept 7- Lindsay's Shrimp & Grits at Small Group- don't know how I never had that before but it was goooood

Sept 8- Final touches on repainting the foyer/front door

Sept 9- Dinner with John and Erin at Russo's, Brandon's new favorite place
Sept 10- Brandon's parents anniversary- in Hawaii to celebrate 30 years of marriage- Congrats!!!
Babysit with Erin and Lacey then movie night
Sept 11- Kristyn's Willow Tree party and 1st Cowboys Game of the season with friends:)
Sept 12- Ally came over for our favorite show Most Eligible Dallas and no, I don't apologize.
Sept 13- Parenthood back on TV and of course, I cried like a baby. Best show EVER.
Sept 14- Lacey cooks for small group- helped her burn the spaghetti- who knew that was even possible!?!
Sept 15- Help Lassens on their guest room, Brandon so obsessed with the Rangers
Sept 16- Pizza at the Lees and what better friends to watch such a stupid movie with
Sept 17- Failed attempt at H&M, ended up getting coffee with Ashley- been missing her! Dinner with Annette and Jacob at Blue Goose
Sept 18-  Shop with Amanda in McKinney, Veggie Lasagna at Lindsay's might be the best thing ever, FINALLY got some rain but the power went out
Sept 19- Take dinner to Daulton's and see baby Garrett
Sept 20- Parenthood makes every Tuesday so perfect
Sept 21- Bacon + my stove= lots of smoke during Small Group
Sept 22- 2hr Grey's Anatomy, still love it
Sept 23-  Moneyball with the Mobley's and Rangers CLINCH the series!!!
Sept 24- Go to the Ranger's Game vs. the Mariners...Brandon in heaven
Sept 25- Recruit such a good friend to help with sprinklers/planting in the front yard, cook dinner for the boys
Sept 26- 1st Home Cowboys Game- yikers Romo!
Sept 27- Parenthood, again
Sept 28- My Memommy's birthday- one of the biggest influences on my life- hopefully I can have her same strong, faithful, independent, hard working, loving spirit in my own life. Love you Memommy!
Sept 29- Dinner in Ft Worth with Ashley, Callie, and Meagan in town from Farwell! Miss you girls so much!

Sept 30- Camping at Lake Tawakoni- of course the boys figured out a nice way to watch the big game
Oct 1- Shopping for the day at Canton, then back to cook dinner over the non-campfire
Oct 2- Laundry and house cleaning and napping
Oct 3- Cook dinner with Ally and watch Most Eligible Dallas
Oct 4- Take food to the Harms and meet sweet baby Lylah
Oct 5- Finally cool enough to cook Taco Soup for Small Group :)
Oct 6- Get addicted to Pinterest, ugh
Oct 7- Movie night with Brandon- he'd never seen Fight Club!
Oct 8- Plant 15 shrubs and some pretty flowers in the front yard- GORGEOUS day, just in time for rain:)
Watch the Rangers play for the ALCS with friends
Oct 9- Pinterest party at Suzie's
Oct 10- Start painting the office
Oct 11- Finish painting the office (finally the last room in the house to have pretty walls!)
Oct 12- Kristyn cooks an amazing Mexican Lasagna for small group, the boys celebrating the Rangers' big win
Oct 13- Memommy and PopPop, Mom, and Aunt Marlea come to Dallas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oct 14- Off work, took them to the 6th Floor Museum and met up with Brandon for lunch
Oct 15- Toured South Fork Ranch and had a fun time cooking old recipes with Memommy




Oct 16- SICK, Memommy cooked me soup, and then Memommy, PopPop, and Aunt Marlea head to OK to see Zach and Julia. It was sooo good to have them here.
Oct 17- Off work to hang out with Mom, visited the Arboretum and the amazing Pumpkin Festival, find out Zach and Julia are having a baby GIRL!!!
Oct 18- Take mom to the airport, sad to see her leave
Oct 19- Rangers in World Series Game 1- never seen Brandon so nervous, didn't end well
Oct 20- Rangers won, thank HEAVEN
Oct 21- Mom's Birthday!!! Love you so so much, Mom. You really are the best. XOXO
Date night with my hubby at Primo's and of course, Bass Pro Shop
Oct 22- work on a Saturday-boo, watch Rangers in a heartbreaking loss
Oct 23- Rangers win woo wooooo, Happy Anniversary Jess and Jonathan!

Oct 24- Rangers won again! We just need one more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                            

Whew, what a great month! Now, let's go RANGERS!

Labor Day with the Cousins

We had a great time this last weekend with my cousin Zach and his wife Julia. They came to visit from Oklahoma for a few days with their adorable dog Marco. Saturday night we went to the FC Dallas soccer game in Frisco, which was soooo much more fun than I expected it to be. I felt like we were at a mini version of the world cup. Zach has always loved soccer, but I had no idea there was such a following in Dallas. We had a good time playing with the dogs and talking about them becoming parents in a few months. You can't tell it from these pictures, but Julia is pregnant with their first baby! So we had a great time talking about baby things and trying to find something to eat that didn't sound repulsive at the time to the little preggo:)

Here are a few pictures from our weekend...

 And of course we took a few pictures of the dogs because they love eachother...

So glad yall got to come visit...can't wait to hold that little baby in a few months!!!

This is gonna change our lives...

I am in love. With. A. VACUUM. For my birthday, Brandon let me get a new vacuum. But this is not just an ordinary vacuum- it's a housekeeper named ROOMBA. We were needing a new vacuum since ours is, well, awful. We had heard about Roomba before but felt that surely it wouldn't work...but we were quickly convinced once some friends told us how much they love it. I mean, come on. It's genius- a robot that goes all over my home to collect the dust and debris, then returns to it's charging station to be ready for the next time I feel like vacuuming. Amazing. I guess you know you're a grownup when you get this excited about a vacuum...

 

Here it is in action

Summer House Projects

Foyer Update:
Last weekend we decided to do something we've been wanting to do since we first walked through our house more than two years ago- get rid of the ugly tile in the foyer. We had the hardwood floor laid, then we painted and Brandon did the baseboards. Here's the before and after...

                                                                       BEFORE:

Ok so this was wayyy before (when the previous owners lived here) but it shows how ugly that tile was up next to the wood floors.

 Also take note of the baseboards made from window casing. Eww.

                                                      AFTER: 

 These pictures don't really show it well, but it flows seamlessly in the surrounding wood floors :)

                                                So glad to finally have that little project done!

Guest Room Update:

I still haven't posted pictures of our guest bedroom, but we finished it a couple months ago. Brandon made me a shelf and I made a cushion headboard I'd been wanting. I don't really have "before" pictures- it was really just a white white room with and ugly old fan and nothing on the walls. Anyways, here are the  pictures of the finished product...

So this is where you can stay when you come visit!!!

Clarksdale

On our way back from the beach last weekend, we made a stopover in Clarksdale, MS- home of the Delta blues, Morgan Freeman, and most importantly, Brandon's grandma. I had never even been there before, so it was great to visit her home and her town. We had such a great weekend with her and Max, and I was sad we didn't have a little longer to be with them. Here's a few pictures from our weekend...

 

 

 So if you haven't read this book, you should. It's great. And it just so happened that a lot of the filming for the movie was in downtown Clarksdale. Here are a few pics of that...

 The four of us eating at Morgan Freeman's restaurant "Ground Zero"

Brandon and Max left their mark