This cold, rainy day calls for chicken and dumplings. These are crock pot style, so they’re easy peasy.
Because I’m not actually eating chicken and dumplings anytime this week, beware they’re might be more food posts. I’ll live vicariously through my recipes. 
One of my goals for this year is to spend at least one night a week with Mr. Gray. We jumped right in the first week of the year with a date weekend–take that, date night! We even threw in Friday (which also happened to be our twelve-year-going-out-aversary) to boot!
We headed north, checked into our hotel, and tailgated all afternoon before heading to pick a little Cotton at Jerry World.
About the time we were walking into the stadium, I got this little jewel.
I can guarantee you he picked that outfit himself. The kid loves his Aggies!
In we went! We were hoping for a better turnout than the last few appearances in Dallas.
A better turnout we got!
The awards presentation left a little to be desired, but the numbers on the scoreboard certainly didn’t!
Saturday, Mr. Gray planned a surprise day for us. We ate, we shopped, and then we went to Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth followed by dinner at Del Frisco’s–one of my absolute favorites! It was a perfect day; he planned it with me in mind for sure!
The trip back to the hotel was pretty exciting; I didn’t check the map and sent us on our merry way–to OKLAHOMA! No, really. We got as far as Denton. Yikes! Definitely the longest wrong turn I’ve ever taken. We finally made it back, with plenty of time to rest up for church and a little lunch before heading south.
While we were en route, Annie took Baby Gray to shake hands and hug babies at Jax’s birthday party. I’m so grateful Bean sent this while they were there.
This photo is so him. It embodies everything about him. I love it. I loved this weekend.
It seems fitting that on this Cotton Bowl Friday (BTHO OU) our fashionable post features football looks designed by our very own, Baby Gray.
If it’s not used for playing football, he’ll just find a way to make it so.
Such is the case with almost everything Baby Gray owns. If it goes on your head or across your chin, it’s a helmet. If it goes on you chest or back, it’s a jersey. Just make it work–somehow–into the football realm. Then be sure you get tackled.
Also, a cape is not really always a cape, but usually a helmet. Just to clarify.
Not sure what football purpose this ear warmer serves, but he was lovin’ it Christmas Eve. He even phoned a friend or two via Reveille.
And, yes, he really puts all this on himself (or asks us to if he can’t actually do it) and describes it.
I feel like lately I’ve been chronicling or lives and doing less talking from the heart. While I’m sure our lives are oh-so-exciting, I do want to share a bit.
A while back, someone told my mom that they don’t always read what I write, but when they do, they always come away feeling like I’ve got it all together. Then, shortly after, a close friend of mine (as we were dying laughing at something else I had done) said I needed to start including some of the funny in my writing because without it, it just looks like I have it all together.
While I would love to have it all together, I can assure you, no matter what I write, I do not.
I think I sometimes get so caught up in making sure the memories are here for Baby Gray (and, who am I kidding? He’s a boy and probably won’t care) that I forget to include the parts where God’s grace–along with some friendship and laughter–is truly what gets us through. I don’t always include the parts where my temper got short and I snapped at my son or husband. I don’t always include the parts where I put myself out there in my writing, and a friend who knows me well enough to know I won’t let her help if she just asks to help disguises it as something she likes to do so I’ll let her bail me out so we’d all have less stress (anyone else out of breath on that one?). I don’t always include the really good ideas I have that Mr. Gray essentially ends up doing for me because I’ve got too much going on and I’m a globby spray painter. That’s all just in the last two or three weeks.
Oh, or there’s the time I was supposed to cue the music at the end of our friends’ wedding ceremony. Yeah, not a good one to goof.
I’m going to start adding in the real-life-don’t-always-have-it-all-together parts. That’s part of our story. That’s part of who we are. Most importantly, it’s the grace that we’ve been given that catches us when we’re not always the best person we can be. When we stumble and fall, it’s grace that picks us back up.
Ahhh, Christmas.
We had such a fabulous time (minus the part where I insisted we complete our Christmas Eve traditions with a really tired boy; just wait for the photos) celebrating and spending time with family throughout the Christmas season.
As usual, we kicked things off with the Tinsley family, and we had a blast! Aunt Carrie brought some rockin’ gifts, Baby Gray was more than excited to see Mr. Mischief and WBT, and Santa brought marshmallow guns for everyone! We forgot to take our annual family photos, but I guess that’s just an excuse to get everyone together again sooner than later!
We headed to Revolution for a Rockin’ Christmas Eve’s Eve! Santa stopped by, and, once again, Baby Gray wasn’t scared!
Next up was our Gray Christmas, which was a little scarce due to illnesses all around. We made the best of it, and Baby Gray certainly didn’t miss a beat.
Until he did.
Poor baby was so tired he didn’t want to leave. He crashed on the way home, but then I insisted we get things ready for Santa when we got home. He was not in love with that idea. We made it through, though, and the photos are funny. It’s all good–even the fact that he didn’t wear his Christmas Eve gift pajamas, which is part of why I made him do the whole rigamarole.
We woke up to family time and room-temperature food (I started cooking way too early) with a tree full of presents that LC wrapped (because she’s the best) to save me some time.
It was a fabulous morning.
Side note: we looked really cute and matchy-match in our red plaid, but I didn’t have anyone take a photo of us, so no one will ever know how cute we truly were.
Baby Gray took a nap while Mr. Gray and I got things ready to go to Aunt Cookie’s. We ate good food and sang Happy Birthday to Baby Jesus. Baby Gray ate all the cookies he could handle, and finished off the Chex Mix to boot.
We finished our celebrating with sleeping boys on the car ride home, the way we so often do. It was a wonderful season celebrating Christ’s birth and making memories with family.
Today marks the beginning of a new year. It’s a fresh start. Time to start anew. I like to start the year with something to work toward, and a list of goals seems to be the way to go. These are in no particular order, just things I’d like to make part of my lifestyle by December 31, 2013 (in addition to what I’ve already started in 2011 and 2012; I like to keep building).
1. I will use our story to reach others for Christ. Somewhere, someone needs our story. That is why it was given to us. I will work to use it as a testament of God’s promises to me when the going got tough. I won’t keep secrets; I won’t bury it because it’s easier. I will use it.
2. I will prioritize family above work. Working from home, I sometimes have trouble turning work mode off. I will make it a point to keep work behind family time.
3. I will build bridges. I won’t wait on people (family, friends, etc) to come to me to make things better. Life is too short. It is a two-way street, but I will do my fair share.
4. I will spend [at least] one night a week, uninterrupted, with my husband. Location, school, schedules, and whathaveyou sometimes make it hard for us to pull off an actual out-of-house date night. We’ll do at-home dates and call it a compromise.
5. I will work to incorporate Spanish words and phrases into Baby Gray’s vocabulary. I’m no Spanish whiz, but I know enough to get him started. Mr. Gray and I would like for him to have some foundation for use later.
8. I will make it a point to pour into my relationships. I want to be present in my relationships. I want to be the type of person who pours into a relationship, rather than always taking out. I will speak my husband’s love language. I will get up early to have breakfast with those who don’t have lunch breaks. I will take dinner to friends who are sick, have new babies, or just because. I want the people in my life to know I value them.
Well? Sometimes I was awesome; sometimes not so much. When times got tough, though, and they did, our friends definitely came through for us. I am so blessed to have each and every one of them.
The wrap up: I definitely had room to improve on these; I didn’t do as well as I would have liked. I am always working to build myself into a better, more Christ-like person. I want to continue to do that.
We have had many people reach out to us and tell us they hope 2013 treats us better than 2012 did. I have to be honest when I say that the events of 2012 did not make the year as a whole bad. We had many great things happen this year. Tons. We had something really hard, unimaginable even, happen, and it’s changed our lives, but it hasn’t stopped them. It hasn’t put a damper on all that we say and do. We are here to use that circumstance to reach others for Christ. It’s not always easy, but it’s what we are called to do.
I know I say this every Friday, but this kid cracks me up! He’ll wear anything. He always looks cute, though.
I can only hope he was channeling his inner Bob Stoops for insight on how the Ags are going to BTHO OU next week. He’s still got on plenty of Aggie gear to cancel it out.
Oh, winter wear.
This cutie was ready for his helicopter ride!
Isn’t he handsome? He looks like such a big kid when he wears his new boots (which he has for pretty much every step since he got them; glad we let him pick out what he wanted).
We have had such a great week resting and spending time with family. Baby Gray will be sad to see Mr. Gray is back at work today. He loves being able to spend extra time with him.
We returned from our final Christmas celebration last night. Gifts are slowly being put away, and our routine is easing back toward normal. We all slept soundly in our own beds last night, with the comfortable noise of the sound machine lulling us all to sleep.
Despite all that, I just can’t help but feel that jumbled word-vomit-into-my-journal feeling again. It’s like someone took the emotion knob and cranked it to high. I’ve got thoughts and feelings that just need a way to escape, and the tip of my pen seems to be the only solution.
I keep clinging to the same promises, and they’re still good. They haven’t returned void. They won’t. I’m glad God is so much bigger than emotions–that He’s big enough for anything I might be feeling. That he knows my inmost thoughts and cares about the details. I’m glad He has abundantly blessed us. That no matter what the circumstances, He is good; He takes care of all His children.
From our home to yours, Merry Christmas!
