the sprinkler

Every kid has memories of playing in a sprinkler as a kid... we decided to give Deron his first memory of that...


Even with the fun we had, I got eaten up! Darn those mosquitos.

Love that kid.

Fall 2007

We've had some requests to update everyone on just what we are doing these days...

Philip just began working full-time at our awesome church as the technical director. Basically, he's wearing several hats right now, but here are some examples of what he's doing: He just finished building and setting up a brand new server for the church. He also oversees all of the sound/video/lighting equipment that the church uses. He trains people as they serve in that area during services and maintains the equipment as well. Our church also just bought new software that he is in charge of setting up and training the rest of the staff. Most of all though, we are excited that God has brought such a fantastic opportunity in his life for a job such as this. He has always told me that he wanted to work in a church, possibly doing technical "stuff", and this is right up his alley. Our pastors are so excited to have him, and he is so excited to work under such amazing people...

Last semester Philip was teaching piano lessons and various "general computer" lessons to several people, but this has been stopped due to the sheer amount of time that is in a day, and protecting his precious time with his family and for himself!

Philip and I are both starting up school... uh... Monday... Philip is still going at it full-time in his music theory/composition degree. He is on such a great track grade-wise, with a 4.0 GPA on the horizon. I have no doubt that will happen. Fall '09 is his anticipated composition recital date, so clear your calendar's now! It will be amazing! I am so close to graduating, I can taste it, and it tastes SO good... Looks like it will be Spring '09 when I graduate, which means 4 more semesters. I am only taking 2 classes at a time in order to spend as much time with Deron as possible. Last semester flew by so fast, I am anticipating these next 2 years to be similar.

I have just recently taken some of Philip's load at church. He started out on staff as the full-time janitor. (Note: As our pastor puts it, if your ministry doesn't start out cleaning toilets, it will end UP in the toilet! Just an emphasis on having a servant attitude in every level of ministry...) Because of his emerging leadership and time constrictions, I've taken that job from him. :) But I prefer the title "Cleaning Lady". This will be temporary, as I don't have a whole lot of extra time either! But we are so thankful for the extra income and the flexible hours, and I'll get to work in the same building as my husband! It's not very demanding either, which is why I agreed to it.

Our house is on the market... our house
Actually, it's not OUR house, but Philip's parents have graciously allowed us to live in it since we've been married. We are very excited for them to be able to sell it. And we are also very excited to see how our awesome Lord will provide, after all, He is our sole provider.

Deron is so much fun at this age... he's talking a LOT, and surprises me everyday at what he knows! (Ask him when you see him what a tuba, an accordion, a clarinet, or a drum is... he knows them all!) He can count to ten, he knows all of his colors, he loves to dance and sing!! He loves orange juice, oatmeal, muffins, waffles, apples, and breath mints ("meeps"- not to be confused with "mip" which is milk... which he also loves). He loves going to the pool, playing outside, drawing and worshiping. Seeing him grow up makes me SO excited to have another little one to raise up to love the Lord.

So there you go! Our new life in a nutshell... pray for wisdom at this new place in our life, and pray for us to receive the full blessing that God has promised to all of us!

summer pictures

School is about to start and the endless hot and muggy days will soon be over (thank goodness!- I am much more a cold-weather person.. what am I doing in west texas?!) Anyway, since we just started this blog, here are some pics to peruse from our summer. Some from our 4th of July spent with family at the lake, some from my awesome 25th birthday party, some from church events with our other family...
...if you haven't kept up in awhile, here's a quick overview...
ENJOY!

the park

An eventful day at the park. Someone tell me if this is strange to you...

So, the kiddos are playing, among the hoards of YMCA camp kids that have just invaded the playground. I'm standing, keeping a mother's eye on my 2-year old, praying he doesn't get pushed over and trampled by the older kids... and this sweet boy comes up, DS in hand, and starts asking me questions:

"So... who's that?" (pointing at Genesis, my niece lying in the stroller)
"Well, that's my niece."
"Oh! That's nice. What's her name?"
"Her name is Genesis"
"Wow! Pretty name!"
"So... is that your kid?" (pointing at Noah, my nephew who was walking towards us)
"Nope, that's my nephew."
"Ahhh..."
"That's my son." (pointing at Deron)
"So... how old is she?"
"She's about 9 months old..."
"Oh. How old is he?"
Noah replies... "I'm five!"
"Oh! That's good... I'm eight years old."
--keep in mind here, he's just standing in front of me asking questions--
"So.. What is your last name?"
"Well, ours is Crumpton, and theirs is Harvey"
"Oh... wow... So, do you have a brother and sister?"
"Yes, I do. A brother and a sister."
"Wow! How old were they when you were born?"
"Well, my brother was eight and my sister was five. Do YOU have any brothers or sisters?" (Trying to get the conversation turned in his direction.. I don't know if I've ever been this interesting to a stranger before...)
"Yes, my brother is 28 and he has a wife named (something.. I forgot..). I have a niece and a nephew. So, what is your mom's first name?"
"Marjorie."
"Wow! That is beautiful!!"
--this conversation goes on and on for probably 15 more minutes.. question after question after question. I told him he was probably a very smart kid because he liked asking so many questions (at least that's what people told me as a kid).

The thing I liked most about this conversation though, was that he was so respectful! He is the type of kid that mom's want their children to be like, at least in the way he could relate to an adult. I learned a lot from this 8-year old boy:
1. You shouldn't be afraid to talk to strangers; (most people are just normal people--obviously, use judgement, but that goes without saying)
2. Have your conversations with people be mostly about THEM, and not so much about YOU.
3. Even if you aren't running around with the other kids, you can influence people that are standing around watching in probably a much more real way.

*************************************************************************************
Another event happened at the park worth mentioning... Deron was walking around, playing on the playground; I was always searching him out among the myriads of kids. I found him under a platform of the playground standing in the midst of 3 elementary school-age girls. I called him over to me, mainly to get him out of their way. The looked at me and shouted, "He's NICE! He's really nice!" Now, if that doesn't make a mommy proud...

hello world

Well, I guess it's time to conquer yet another facet of internet technology (maybe a few years too late) and join the blogging community! Check here for updates on our family, exciting milestones for Deron, and fantastic pictures!! It might just be me that posts mostly, but every now and then you might get a little blurb from Philip... he's a busy man... we shall see. Hopefully this will keep everyone up on what's going on with us from week to week, and we would love to hear from you as well! Blessings...