MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Love, Cuba

*Note: Sorry about the tiny pictures...I took them from Mom's camera and can't make them big on my computer...Just squint and maybe you can see :)

Yes, we are the dog people who take their pets to have their picture made with Santa :) While we were home last weekend, Ashley Lane called to let me know that the Vet in Grenada was having Santa pictures on Saturday. So Cuba and I headed up to the clinic Saturday morning while Allen was hunting. Cuba was NOT impressed. Most of the pictures look like he is trying to jump out of poor Santa's lap. This will probably be the first and last time we do doggie pictures with Santa :) This is what Allen came home with the same morning...


I thought Robert and Allen were duck hunting, apparently I was wrong. They were duck AND beaver hunting. I told Robert HE was taking the dead game home with him...we would not be needing it. He gladly took it and told me not to tell Natalie about the beavers. So Natalie, I would stay away from any "strange game stew" Robert cooks for you this week!

One last random thing I will leave you with. Look at what my husband cooked Sunday night. I don't even like ribs and I devoured these!!!

24 1/2 weeks BABY BUMP

I was asked by a couple of far away friends for a picture, so here it is...

I actually think I am bigger than I look in the picture...maybe the dress is slimming? Or it could be the panty hose that I squeezed myself into :) Well anyway, that's Baby C at 5 1/2 months utero. In church this morning, there was a tiny little baby a few rows in front of us. We watched him the entire service as he stretched, grunted and squeaked from his little infant carrier. On our way home Allen said "I still can't believe we are going to have one of those". I think it is just now becoming very real to him. I'm sure it will be even more real after our childbirth 101 class starting in January :) Hope all of you have had a GREAT weekend. We did and have pictures to prove it, but they are on my mom's camera so I will share later!

UPDATE ON BABY CRAVENS

I figure it is about time to update you on the "stats" of Baby Cravens. Disclaimer: I will be using the pronouns "she" and "her" throughout this post. This is no way means that I now that "she" is a "she", but simply because everyone(other than me) thinks "she" is a "he" :)
"SHE" will be 24 weeks (fetus age) as of tomorrow. That means we only have about 16 weeks until we get to meet this sweet baby who kicks and dances all day long! "She" weighs about 1 1/4 pound right now and is about 1 foot long (the size of an ear of corn). As for me, I have felt GREAT this past month! No more food aversions for me, but instead I can eat just about ANYTHING you put in front of me! I am hungry ALL day long :) I think I am finally looking pregnant with this growing belly! I began feeling little flutters of movement at about 17 weeks and those flutters are now flips and flops, punches and kicks that make my entire stomach move in all directions. Baby is the most active at about 5-6 am and 8-9 pm, but I feel "her" all throughout the day. "She" loves music and will dance all around during church worship time and American Idol concerts :) The Doc says everything is looking perfect other than the fact that I am not drinking enough water which is causes several Braxton Hicks contractions throughout the day. I have tried to greatly increase my water intake this past week and have noticed a little decrease in the BHC. I have the glucose screening test in 2 weeks and Allen and I start childbirth classes the beginning of January (he is very excited :)! As for the nursery...well, we have a lot of work to do! We did get the crib bedding in about a month ago and I LOVE it! We are going to use my crib (already checked all the safety regulations and after a few "fixes" it will be perfectly safe), but have not moved it up to Oxford yet. We still have to paint and get a couple pieces of furniture so "she" can have "her" diaper changed by "her" daddy and be rocked to sleep by "her" mommy!

It's beginning to look alot like CHRISTMAS!!!

The tree is up, Cuba's stocking is hung, and we are LOVING being so close to home this Christmas season! Since I don't anticipate many visitors this season (but would LOVE them) here is a peak of our little humble abode...




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Guess who also LOVES this time of year?.?.?.

He loves it for a few other reasons than the pictures above. This weekend he is hoping to fill our freezer with several of these...

and maybe even one of these...


Hope you are all enjoying this Christmas season as much as we are!!!

Bad Puppy!!!

Yesterday afternoon, I walked in the house to find the Christmas presents that were under the tree unwrapped.

The Evidence:

The Suspect:


Our sweet puppy has turned into somewhat of a handful these past few days. Today, Allen and I walked in from dinner to find all the magazines in the house in the middle of the den floor and shredded. Maybe he is going through adolescents? Maybe he knows a baby is coming and he is already seeking attention? :)

Sorry for the lack of posts lately...I am hoping the Christmas spirit will inspire me to post more! Also, we are slowly starting the baby's room, so I will definitely keep you updated on the transformation!

IT'S A..........

Only our doctor knows :) Allen and I went to the dr 2 weeks ago and surprisingly, the doc was able to tell the sex of the baby! It was the hardest thing in the world to say, "No thanks, we'll wait" when we were asked if we wanted to know what it was :) Our baby has grown SO much! He/she was kicking, punching, and squirming throughout the entire ultrasound. I'm afraid we are going to have a very active baby :) We go for our big scan next Wednesday. Here is a picture of little baby (Allen thinks he/she looks like an alien, I think little baby looks more like a jackolantern).


In other news... Allen will be running the NYC marathon on Sunday! He has trained so hard and I am so proud of him! We leave Thursday and will get to celebrate our 1 year anniversary a week early while in the big apple. Allen tells me almost everyday that he hopes our baby loves to run like he does. I think this little foot looks like a runner's foot! What do you think? :)

Cuba's new backyard...part 2

The last post I told you all about how wonderful our new backyard is and how much Allen and I (and Cuba) love it. Well, I take it all back. Yesterday afternoon, after a week of rain, I took Cuba out to play in our "great backyard". After playing for about 5 minutes, I walk over to little Cuba to nudge him away from a mud hole he found. That's when I decided not only do I not love our backyard anymore...I ABSOLUTELY HATE it! Inches from my foot and Cuba's little nose was a rather large SNAKE....Make that a water moccasin! I screamed and ran faster than I have ever run in my life. Thank goodness Cuba thought it was a game and playfully ran after me. Allen was inside and I think he thought somebody was after me. He went out to check out the situation telling me the whole time he was sure it was just a king snake. After "checking it out" for a several seconds, he changed his mind about the whole innocent king snake thing. He went to borrow the neighbors hoe and returned with not only the hoe, but also the neighbor who verified Allen's conclusion that it was indeed a water moccasin. Seconds later, the snake's head was chopped off and his body was thrown over the fence....YUCK! Therefore, until the rain stops and the grass can be cut as short as possible, Cuba and I will take his potty breaks out in the street!

Cuba's new backyard!!!

Here are a couple pictures to show you how much Cuba LOVES his new backyard!!! He loves it so much and the grass (which he eats) that he threw up grass all day long yesterday...LOTS of fun...especially when you have carpet throughout the house :)

"Every good and perfect gift comes from above" James 1:17

It is finally time for us to make this announcement to the blog world. Allen and I are THRILLED to tell you that we are expecting Baby Cravens to arrive the end of March!!! We cannot explain how excited we are about this little baby! We are almost 11 weeks along and saw a strong heartbeat a little over 3 weeks ago. I have been feeling not so great since about week 6, but know that ii will be well worth it come March 31st!
Other news....we are moved in and settled in Oxford! We absolutely love our new house as does Cuba! Allen is doing great at his knew job and really likes all the guys he works with. I just found out today (officially) that I will be working part time at an outpatient clinic seeing pediatrics. It is a GREAT job and Allen and I feel like God has does more than provide for us. We feel so unbelievably blessed!!!

HOME SWEET HOME!!!

After a LONG vacation from the blogging world, I'm back with HUGE news!!! Allen and I will be Mississippians AGAIN in 2 1/2 weeks. We are making the move to Oxford! Allen was recently offered a new job in Oxford and we thought that this a great time for us to get back to our homeland :) Allen assures me that he will never be seen wearing rebel red :) The house pictured above is the cute rental home we found just outside of Oxford in a quiet, cute neighborhood. It is perfect for us...we could not be more excited about this move!!! Allen and I have a a great summer with lots of "mini-vacations" and my goal is to update all of you on our summer by the end of the week...promise not to take anymore long vacations from the blog world :) Good night all!!!

New York Marathon, Here We Come!!!

Allen found out last week that he made it into the New York Marathon! It is on November 1st (a great trip for our 1st anniversary) and the training has already started. Bad timing with the 105 degree heat index we have had for the past 4 days here in Nashville, BUT that doesn't stop Allen...

Allen is pretty safe in that he wears a water belt to stay hydrated and he always has on his road ID wristband. If any of you out there are runners (or love a runner) this is a must have. It has Allen name on it and my cell phone number so he can be identified and I can be reached if anything were to happen.

So for the next few months, the road may see more of my hubby than I do :)

MOTHER'S DAY WEEKEND!

Mom, Dad, and Cade came up to Nashville for the weekend. The girls had a GREAT time at Signature Nail Spa having a relaxing morning of manicures and pedicures. It is probably a good thing that a place like Signature does not exist in Grenada or Mama would be broke :)


Allen, Daddy, and Cade had a fun filled day of skeet shooting, Bass Pro shopping, and floor buying (for B'ham house soon to be on the market!).
Saturday night the grill master cooked us steaks at Meagan's house for a perfect ending to a perfect day!
The Grill Master...

Enjoying the Grill Master's masterpiece...


It was a GREAT WEEKEND!

If anyone is looking for a new home in Birmingham, a GREAT 3 bedroom/2 bathroom is going on the market this weekend...

RECIPE SWAP!!!

I'm in need of some new, yummy, simple, cheap and somewhat healthy recipes! I am somewhat stuck in a rut when in comes to dinner ideas...I think we have fajitas, tacos, and spaghetti at least once a week (I don't mind, I love all 3, but I think Allen in getting tired of my dinners). Anyway, I ventured out last night with a new recipe (a VERY simple recipe) and it turned out great so I thought I would share.
Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry:
1 bag of frozen stir fry veggies
Chicken cut into cubes or small strips
Whole wheat spaghetti noodles
Teriyaki sauce (found in the ethnic food section of the grocery store)
pepper

Marinate your chicken in the sauce and put in a large skillet (in hot EVOO)
Cook chicken until no longer pink
Add frozen veggies to skillet and turn to med-low
Add a bit of Teriyaki Sauce and pepper
Cover and simmer, stirring every few minutes
Cook until veggies are cooked (about 8-10 minutes)
Boil noodles and drain.
Mix noodles and stir fry. Add sauce and pepper to taste...ENJOY!

Now for Dessert!!! Orange, Apple, Strawberry SMMOTHIES!

1 apple peeled and cut into cubes
Handful of strawberries cut into pieces
About 1-2 cups of orange sherbert
A little milk
A cup of ice
Mix well in a blender and enjoy and VERY yummy and healthy dessert, snack, or breakfast!
Now I have shared my very easy recipes with you so it's your turn to share some (easy and cheap) recipes with me.

I'm BACK!!!

Sorry about the month delay of posting. I guess Allen and I haven't been doing anything exciting lately :) BUT, we had a GREAT weekend with siblings last weekend so that's what I'm going to share with you. Kyle (Allen's bro) came into Nashville on Friday for a fun filled, somewhat laid back weekend. Friday night we had a great dinner at Blackstone Brewery with the Munselle's. Awsome food and fellowship (as always with this couple). Saturday, Allen, Kyle and I took the top off the jeep (actually I had no real part in taking the top off the jeep) and rode for HOURS around Nashville. Wish I had a pic of what my hair looked like after that ride. Saturday night, we had tickets to the Billy Currington concert...suite tickets! Thanks Kathryn (& Deloitte)! Here are a few pics of the night...
M & T sitting on the railing of the suite...you can't see it, but the stage is directly behind us.

Kathryn and Phillip Spencer breaking it down to Billy!

BROTHERS!!!


We had a great weekend and hope Kyle comes back soon!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY! Kauai and more...

KAUA'I

Sorry it has taken me oh so long to blog about our trip last week. We got back Saturday afternoon and were welcomed back to the mainland by Allen's family! They spoiled little Cuba rotten while we were gone. I was so excited that they were able to come up and see our little house :) Anyway, I STILL am suffering from jet lag, therefore have put blogging off all week. Enough about that and a little about the trip. We would have stayed forever if we had not missed our little puppy so much! I GREATLY recommend Kauai as a long get away for anyone who is wondering where their next adventure should take place. It truly is paradise! We stayed active most of the time (imagine that with my sweet hyper husband), but Allen did allow me some down time on the beach and by the pool. We stayed at the Grand Hyatt on the south shore and were treated like royalty by all of the staff. Here is a picture of the view from our table at breakfast every morning.

Breakfast was one of our highlights of everyday...it was WONDERFUL!
We never completely got on island time, so we were at breakfast around 6:00 every morning and were able to see the island "come alive". Most mornings after breakfast we walked around the resort or down the beach and then while Allen went for a run I took a good book down to the pool :) We did lots of driving during the day. Here is a picture of Allen is our Mustang convertible (he surprised me with the upgrade to convertible and we both agree it was WELL worth it!).

Most of our tan came from hours spent in the car just riding and looking...anything from a tour of a coffee plantation, watching whales from a lighthouse lawn, checking out the grand canyon of the pacific (Wimea Canyon), hiking to a lookout on the north shore, and eating shrimp tacos at a great itty bitty shrimp shack all came as a result of just "riding around".






The island is truly spectacular in the fact that there is a little of everything! Beaches, mountains, farmland, pastures and of course Allen wants me to mention great golfing. We spent an afternoon on the Poipu Bay Golf Course (home of the Grand Slam) and Allen played great! I was the cart driver and photographer. Here are some of our favorite pics from the course...




On of my favorite activities was the sea kayaking. We went with a group of 4 other people (including 1 guide) and spend about 4 hours in the ocean (paddling about 9 miles) and 2 on secluded beaches! I will admit it was MUCH tougher than I thought it was going to be, but worth it! About 10 minutes into the tour we paddled right into a pod of about 100 dolphins. They surrounded us, jumped out of the water, swam under our kayaks, and pretty much just showed off for about 10 minutes. We got some great pics with out underwater camera, but I will have to post those later since I don't have them on a cd yet. Later in our trip we saw a sea turtle and paddled about a 1/2 mile out, then jumped in to snorkel where a point of volcano comes up (this made me incredibly nervous since we were so far out and I just knew that a shark was probably right behind me so even though this was very cool, I couldn't really enjoy it). For breakfast and lunch we surfed our kayaks onto secluded beaches for an hour of eating, snorkeling, shell finding, and coconut busting...here is Allen eating the coconut he spent at least 20 minutes trying to open on a rock :)

The last 30 minutes of our tour, everyone (except me) saw a little shark swimming beside us. I am glad it happened at the end of the trip. I was a nervous wreck trying to get our kayak in without flipping :) Overall it was a great activity (and I was sore for days after it!)!

Our last full day, we decided to cancel our snorkel tour and instead head out on our own...so glad we did. We found a little beach on the south shore (where some of the tours you pay big bucks for take place) rented $8 snorkel gear and took off. I have never snorkeled anywhere other than Destin, so it was quite an experience. I LOVED it!
There is still so much more to tell you about, but I think I've written enough for now. I'll leave you with my favorite picture of the trip. This was taken at The Beach House (probably one of the best places I have EVER eaten) on our last night.

Hope you enjoyed this little glimpse of our honeymoon!
Look for more pictures of the trip next week on my first "Wordless Wednesday".