hard habit to break

Boy, I've been out of the habit of keeping a blog. And it shows.

Things are good! Tonight I got my 8th student in my voice studio. I'm so blessed to have found a job that I USE my degree, and I LOVE! Really, you should try it. It's very rewarding. Last week I had 5 students, this week, 8! And probably more on the way! What's even more special about this number is that it reaches a goal Philip and I have had for years for a monthly income. God is so good to remember our requests and honor them when we honor Him!! Praise Him for His provision and endless love!

Jude is cute as can be. He's 5 1/2 months now, rolling, scooching, grabbing, and sitting (until he loses his balance). He has the cutest laugh and loves smiling so huge at everyone! We're finally figuring out a good schedule, too. If you remember, he started sleeping 10 hours at night at about 2 mo. Then he got sick and the time change happened and it totally messed him up. He started waking up 2-3 times at night again and kept that going until last week when Philip and I decided that was enough of that. We tried crying it out (sorta) during the night, but he would wail and scream so hard... Then last week I was talking with a few moms that made me realize that now since he's waking at about 4am, he probably is legitimately getting hungry, since he goes to bed at 8. So, the last few nights I've gotten up, fed him, and he goes right back to sleep for several hours.

Also, we're in the process of weaning. I love breastfeeding and think it's absolutely the best thing for a baby. But there just comes a time when, well, it's just time. I have peace about it. And it's almost been 6 months. Deron went 8 months. The thing is, I just don't think I'm making enough to satisfy him completely. So, we've been playing around with supplementing and such, and he's been SO happy! He's also eating cereal and veggies! What a big boy!

Isn't it funny how the big milestones in life have to do with food and poop? Think on that.

I'm still working out at least 4 times a week at my awesome gym (I love it there). I really love the people I'm around, most of them encouraging and interested in you. I've had so many people tell me how good I look and how I've lost weight (I wish...) since I came back after having Jude. Truth is, I still have about 8 pounds left to get back to pre-pregnancy, and it's proving quite difficult. I'm not obsessed, just wanting to find something more. I've started little by little to start running in addition to my normal classes during the week at the gym. Even if I get there 30 min. early, I can knock off a few miles and challenge my heart. It feels great to have a new challenge!

Deron is at his new school (at our church). He's loving it, making new friends, and surprising his teachers. He's such a smart kiddo. And he's reading now as well. I'm so proud! And he's such a sweet big brother. And Jude laughs and smiles and talks to Deron like he wants to be just like him. It's great!

Well, there's an update for you all. Blessings!

a year in review

goodbye 2009, it was a great ride!

January - I started my last semester of college and spent it student teaching. I realized I did not want to be an elementary music teacher (kudos to those that are!) and did not want to be a working mom either. So much stress! Deron had to stay in daycare and I hated to leave him there all day! We also let everyone know we'd be welcoming another little Crumpton into our family!

February- More student teaching. We had the annual Valentine's Banquet at the church- always a fun event.

March- Deron turned the big number FOUR and we found out our little jelly bean was a boy! We let everyone know his name in a birthday card to Deron at his party. I made a train cake that turned out really "Eastery".

April- I was student teaching at a high school in town and liked it a lot more, but still realized that teaching in a classroom was really not something that excited me.

May- Graduation!!! Finally, 9 years after starting (with a few "out" years in between, I finished my degree! It was amazing to have my grandparents in town who had never seen our house. And most of my family. I felt so supported and honored. We also received a van as a graduation present which put my mommy worries at ease!! (We'd been with only one car for over a year and a half, and I did not know how we would handle traveling anywhere with 4 people and all of our STUFF!)

June- Deron and I spent the majority of the month at the swimming pool, soaking up rays and keeping occupied! Philip took the first summer class ever. Philip and I also took our yearly "getaway" weekend trip just the two of us to Dallas. We had a wonderful time without our wonderful bug, eating at great new restaurants and exploring.

July- I turned 27. Geez. I never want to be a person who is ashamed of her age- I think it's silly. But it just amazes me that I'm already there. Philip took more summer classes, so we couldn't go on vacation. :( I had a wonderful baby shower in Abilene with tons of special friends. I'm still so honored that Erin and Tamara came out from Dallas!

August- Our beautiful beetle bug, Jude, was born. Right on time (thank you, planned c-section). He is the biggest smiler you've ever seen and such a cuddler. I can't imagine our family without him now. Deron started pre-school at Cornerstone Christian School where I taught music for a semester a year or so ago. He made some great friends and really started excelling in reading and math. I also started teaching private voice lessons to high school students in Abilene. I found out that this is what I want to do. I love it for so many reasons! By the end of the semester I have 5 students.

September- At 5 week postpartum I started -slowly- working out again at the gym (where before I was student teaching, I was working out 5 days a week). I was so anxious to be back! I had done BodyFlow (yoga/tai chi/pilates mix) several times a week up to 2 weeks before Jude was born, and I really think that helped recovery immensely. Philip started his last semester of school with a whopping 16 hours, working full-time at the church, preparing for his senior composition recital, co-leading a Connect Group at our church, and trying to be an attentive daddy, hubby, and partner. We knew it would be the toughest semester yet, so we just bit it and moved forward with infinite understanding and grace. We also attended a marriage conference in Colleyville by Pastor Jimmy and Karen Evans on financial intimacy. It revolutionized our outlook on our finances!

October- Pretty much the same... rehearsals for Philip's recital started taking up several evenings a week on top of schoolwork and homework and studying. It was really hard with a newborn in the house to stay on top of everyday things, but we kept going. We made a commitment to have a weekly date night a year and a half prior to this, so that was an easy consistent getaway for us every week. Thank you, Jesus!

November- Philip had his senior composition recital which turned out wonderfully! I was so proud of him for his talent and excellence! And some of my family were able to come out to support him, which was awesome. Also, the HSU orchestra premiered a work Philip wrote, which was a total blessing. He had submitted the score just with the intent to get it read through! Jude got sick for the first time this month, with double ear infections, a staph infection, and a weird diaper rash. Since then (and still), he has not slept through the night. It had been a typical 10-hour stint for months! *sigh* We're working on that now. Deron also caught a yucky stomach bug.

December- Deron finished up at Cornerstone, I went on break from teaching, and Philip GRADUATED!! We held a nice reception for him at our church, and he received enough money to buy a nice computer he's been wanting to build. (In fact, as I write this, he's researching and salivating over the parts he's bought and I think I see a leg-twitch of excitement.) I am so proud of him in so many ways, and want to brag that he graduated with a 3.99 GPA. (He only received one "B", and that was because when he dropped out, he had such a high average in one class that with missing everything else in the semester, he still ended up with a "B". We decided he shouldn't take it again just for the prestige of a 4.0). What a smart guy!! I also got the opportunity to lead worship at our church at the beginning of the month, but got a yucky stomach bug so it had to be postponed until this month. This is a dream for me, and I'm so fortunate to be a part of a church where the leadership wants to stand with you and facilitate you reaching your highest potential and dream! I received for my graduation present a guitar (I lovingly call Firebird), which I am so excited about it helping my dream of leading worship come even closer. Philip and I also celebrated 6 awesome years of marriage to each other! We're anticipating a nice long trip to celebrate just the two of us in February. Yay!! Jude started rolling over and scooching all over the floor. Christmas was a great holiday, with lots of snow (even my first blizzard warning!), and new traditions with our own little family. It is so special to create these times with my husband and our sons. I've absolutely LOVED having a husband around. It's wonderful having him here to play with Deron so I can attend to Jude, and seeing their relationship blossom. He's such a loving and great daddy! And finally, New Years Eve was spent with great friends, and ended with communion and "speaking forth" things for the New Year. Our new season. We welcome you, 2010.

As Pastor Jaycee from YFN always says.... "The best is yet to come!!"

a new season

Wow. What a whirlwind has happened since October...

November held Philip's Senior Composition Recital where he premiered 7 new pieces ranging from voice and strings to choral to electronic to saxes and strings. It was so amazing to hear his talent and get to "show him off" to our family and friends. He has such a gift.




The end of November we headed out to my parent's house for Thanksgiving. We had so much fun meeting our new nephew, Mason, who is just about 6 weeks younger than Jude. There were 6 kids under 7 in the house for 2 days! Whew! The funny story from Thanksgiving was that I made the turkey, since I have for several years now, but never for my family. So I did it this year (I use Alton Brown's recipe... YUM), but I forgot to bring our probe thermometer that stays in the meat with the cord that comes out of the oven to the reader. So I had to use my parent's normal meat thermometer. Fine. Until I realized two hours into cooking that it was not reading. So I pulled the thermometer out to check it, and the whole end of it had broken off INTO the bird! We didn't know what to do! Call grandma, call my aunt who's a nurse, call poison control! My sister-in-law ended up calling poison control and they said as long as we just eat around the red liquid, we should be fine. And we were. And the bird was delish.



December 12th, Philip graduated summa cum laude from HSU!!! His graduation was something so incredibly special: not just because it's a wonderful accomplishment and it's been a hard road, but this completes a long season of restoration in our family. Three years ago we decided it was time to go back to school and finish what we had started. Also, it marked a completion in God restoring what the enemy had stolen from us way back in our "retro-hippie phase" as we lovingly (or not so lovingly, really) call it. As soon as he walked across that stage, we both felt a HUGE burden lifted. No more weekends literally filled with homework, nights coming home from work at 6 and studying until bed, no more school or working on Fridays(!), etc, etc. I don't really know if anyone really knows what it's like. Feeling like a single parent, having double the amount of work to do just to make the sacrifices you have to because you've made the decision that it's just going to have to be that way for awhile. What an amazing and glorious day graduation was. To those contemplating dropping out of school for whatever reason.... don't. That's all I have to say about that. Your education is so important. No, it's not the most important. But it is important. And definitely worth it. We're just so excited to start a new season....

December 13th, Philip and I celebrated six wonderful years together! What a great weekend it was! Lots of celebrating goin' on. I sure love that man. And I know he does me. And that is a wonderful feeling.

Christmas came next. We'll start with the BLIZZARD that blew into Abilene on Christmas Eve. Yes. Blizzard in Texas. Weird. We had about 6 inches of snow and lots of wind. It was so fun to play in and a great day for it all to blow in, since we didn't have anywhere to go. Our communion service at our church got canceled, but we decided to do it as a family anyway. What a special time! We read the Christmas story out of Deron's Bible and explained again about who's birthday we were celebrating. Then we read the Last Supper out of his Bible and talked with him about the sacrifice Jesus made for us so we could have abundant life. His little heart is so moldable. It was awesome to see his mind and heart turning, thinking about the things of the Kingdom. Then we prayed together as a family, under the lights of the Christmas Tree and decorations. What a sweet time... then we watched a G-Force and had ice cream. It was cute. :)

Christmas Day was exhausting. Beginning super early (thank you, Jude, who still is not sleeping more than 3 hours at a stretch *sigh*), we got up and opened our presents to each other. Notable gifts include an incredible wall hanging that says "Be still before the Lord"- I've been wanting decor that has scripture on it to adorn my house with the Word!- and a new Harry CD. Philip got a great t-shirt that he's been wanting that says "I heart Katy" :) and a mousepad that says "My name is Philip and I am a Ninja".... you have to know him I guess... oh, and a binary clock. Look it up. Deron and Jude got lots of toys and clothes and books. Typical.
We forged the icy roads after that and had Christmas and lunch with Philip's family which was fun! Then we took off for Irving and finished celebrating there. But of course, what is a get-together with my family without some singing? This time, my sister printed out some Victoria motets for us to sightread just for fun. Are we weird? It WAS fun! I like telling people of the family reunion we had about five years ago when my aunt borrowed a few octaves of handbells from their church and we all played them for fun. Anyway, the day after Christmas we went to visit Erin and Clark and their kiddos (with one more on the way!!!!) at their new house in Dallas (conveniently right across the street from Northpark Mall and Maggiano's!) and then went to pick out my graduation present with my mom and uncle.... a new guitar!! I've never had one before and have always wanted one of my own for many reasons. Anyway, it's a Takamine, gorgeous and easy to play. It has a rich, mellow tone and is now my very own!! I'm very excited!

We are back home now and are enjoying it immensely. I can't wait to get back in the groove and see what awesome things God has in store for our family and me!

One thing I do know though, I am making a huge effort to spend more time in His presence. Not just quiet times, not just prayer, though these things are important. I want to abide in Him. I want to be constantly near to Him. Anyway... more on that later...

Have a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!!

spelling

Deron is quickly learning to spell. He's quite an impressive speller, if I do say so myself. He's definitely surprised Philip and I both several times. What a smart kid we have!

Last week bug was in the bathtub and he shouts, "Mom! Come look! Popsicle!" I came in and saw this attempt. How cute is this?!