Crompton Family

Library Day

2011-06-06T08:37:00.000-07:00

Today is our library day. This is something that is totally FREE (as you all know) and can bring so much excitement to Ethan! He loves going through all of the books and saying "this one, momma." Most of the time I am having to put some of the books back due to them being way to old for him and wordy but I still enjoy his enthusiasm about getting a book for us to read at home.

Today I am also thinking about purchasing a little pool (not free but in the end it feels like something free to do). I really like going to the pool with him but it is so much work to get everything in the car (hoping I didn't forget something) and driving somewhere where I have to pay to get in. At this age, he doesn't mind just a little puddle to splash, it's all the same to him - water!

Why be Bored When There are Lots of Free Things To do???

2011-05-28T06:49:00.000-07:00

Now that it is almost summer I have tried to think of some cheap things for Ethan and I to do outdoors in the morning to early afternoon. We spend a lot of time at the rose garden down the street from our house but wanted to explore other parts of Raleigh that will be fun for both of us.

On Thursday we headed to an arboretum not too far from us and while I enjoyed looking at all the beautiful plants & flowers, Ethan was also able to enjoy himself by running around, hiding & watching the fish in the fountain. Next time we will definitely pack a lunch! What I loved most about it, it was FREE!

I think this summer I am going to try and find all the things Ethan and I can do for FREE! Sitting around the house is not really my thing but I am not looking to spend much money either on his & my entertainment. If anyone would like to join me in this adventure, please do!

I will update my blog on all the things we are planning to do.

Showering my Friend and Her Baby with Butterflies!

2011-05-23T07:01:00.000-07:00

This weekend I had the honor of throwing my friend a baby shower! Surprisingly, it didn't take up much of my time to plan and prepare (maybe that is because I have done it more than a dozen times). Here are some pictures of it!

Road Trip to Florida

2011-05-18T09:13:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Ethan and I tagged along with my parents to Jacksonville Florida for a visit with my sister and her husband. This is how the entire trip went down:

Thursday: We left around 9:30am and drove only stopping for lunch at Cracker Barrel - yummmm! We got to the hotel around 5:30pm to get our things settled in. The hotel was not as nice as I would have liked but it didn't really matter in the end because we didn't spend much time there (next time we will not do priceline's choose your own price). Sarah and Dan had prepared a delicious tortilla soup for dinner so we ate with them and visited until we could no longer keep our eyes open (I think that was at 8:00pm...haha!)

Friday: The guys were gone all day watching golf while us girls spent the day at the beach and pool. I could not get Ethan out of the ocean! He loved it so much and hardly even played with his beach toys! I am glad he did really great and that we were all able to enjoy ourselves. In the evening we went out for dinner to a hole in the wall Italian restaurant (don't remember the name) that a friend recommended we eat while in Jacksonville. It was alright. I think my family had better dishes than me...

Saturday: We headed to St. Augustine for the day. It was so much fun remembering going there when I was a child! Ethan loved the fort and loved watching the soldiers fire off the canons. It was a little bit of a rocky start for Ethan due to me forgetting to bring the stroller and him having to walk or us carry him but after an hour or so he settled down and just let whoever carry him around. We ate at a Spanish influenced restaurant called Columbia. It was sooo yummy! I wouldn't mind going back just to eat there again! It started pouring down rain so we headed to do some shopping and the guys took off with Ethan to get ice cream. Dan grilled steak to perfection and Sarah Beth made twice stuffed baked potatoes to end our day.

The weekend was packed with things to do but it was so relaxing and fun! It gave me just a little taste of the vacation we are going to have in CA this June! I can't wait!

Lots and Lots of Butterflies!

2011-05-05T06:27:00.000-07:00

My friend is having a little girl and I am so excited I get to host her baby shower! The theme is butterflies. She is using red as her main color but is also using pinks, blues, greens, and yellows are well.

My projects I am starting to work on are a mobile and cutting out 100 paper butterflies. I have only done 20 so far! I still have to finish the mobile but I have already cut the butterflies and now just need to get some felt balls and finish putting it together.

I will post more of her shower as it comes along!

The bottom butterflies are for the mobile. The lightest one is pink, not white. I cut these out too.

Stafford House Living Room

2011-05-04T10:46:00.000-07:00

Finally, the living room is coming together! It has taken me a while to figure out what I want to do with the space. I am glad how it is turning out. We were wanting to originally go for modern (maybe one day) but the "look" we have gone for suites that style of the house much better.

Here are some before pictures of the living room:

Here are some more recent pictures. There are still a few things I would like to do to the room like find old wooden buttons to put in one of the frames on the wall, purchase a few new frames to refinish the ones I have for the book shelf and make throw pillows for the couch. Other than that, I think/hope the living room is done.

I am so excited about my newest find! This basket was only $11 at Michaels! I have been waiting for it to go on sale and it was worth the wait to only pay that little!

Scooterific!

2011-05-04T05:24:00.001-07:00

We bought Ethan a scooter for Christmas knowing he wouldn't be able to use it for a while but it was a good deal. This past week I watched some girls for a few days and they taught him how to ride a scooter and ever since, he has actually enjoyed it!

Rose Garden in the Spring

2011-05-04T04:58:00.001-07:00

So this past week we have been visiting this rose garden almost every day because all of beautiful roses are in bloom and they are nothing short of magnificent! To think, if I can't take my eyes off of these roses, God is so much more beautiful than that! I won't be able to even think about taking my eyes off of Him!

Ethan LOVES going to the rose garden! The pond is his favorite place to sit and watch the fish or get a stick and splash the water.

2011-04-02T12:40:00.000-07:00

My little man is no baby anymore, that is for sure! Today he started peddling himself on this little tricycle! I am so proud of him! It took a little while for him to even want to do it himself but sure enough, he did it :) Next time I hope to get a picture of him actually riding.

This afternoon we took a nice walk to the rose garden. This is Ethan's favorite place to go. He calls the amphitheater "the maze". I am not sure where he learned the word but it is fun to see his imagination going.

Selling Our Home

2010-06-10T10:54:00.000-07:00

It is strange to think that we might move somewhere else. Since Chris and I married we have been in this house. It has been almost 7 years. Most people by year 3-5 decide that it is time for an upgrade but nope, we have been true to this house and stuck with it.

This house has been perfect for our needs. Yes, it is a little small (about 1200 sft) when it comes to entertaining more than 4 or 5 people but somehow we have manage to squeeze 15-20 people in our home and still had a wonderful time!

If it has been so perfect, why move? While it has been suitable for Chris and I, adding another addition on to the family has made it a little bit more of a squeeze. Ethan seems to be everywhere all the time and it seems that between him and Conrad, there is not much room for running around :)

There is actually a better excuse for our wanting to move. January 2009 was a big month for us. Chris got a new job and we changed churches. They are both in Raleigh now. Whereas before, Chris worked for himself and we went to church not even 10 minutes away. Now most of our new friends are in Raleigh, Chris works in Raleigh and we go to church stuff at least twice a week in Raleigh.

Even though we desire something new, it will be sad to leave the wonderful area we are in. So many memories. We are leaving our old church behind and the people we hardly see anymore. I pass that church building every week and think about the people I was so close to before and now am not. I am VERY happy where God has us now at TCC. No complaint there :) It is just so hard sometimes to close a chapter in your life when that has been apart of you for so long.

I pray all the time for the people who will one day live in this house. That it will be comfortable for them, that they will be able to enjoy it like we have. I mostly pray they will come to know the Lord if they don't already. If they are Christians, I pray they will be a better light than I have been to my neighbors.

I remind myself that people come and go. We might move here or there or around the country, chapters in our life are constantly opening and closing, but God at all times is there and working in my life and my families life, molding and shaping our lives around what He has planned. He is consistent and will never change and I will always be at home and feel comfortable in His presence.

2010-02-24T16:22:00.000-08:00

Gloomy clouds gravitating

Drizzle suffocating the raw air

The beauty of the day is hidden somewhere in the dense fog

Where light is usually found, the color grey has taken over

I hear nothing but the patter of lonely rain drops

Something solemn is weighing

Something...

I hear a voice

"please", you say, "please"

I look over to see something

Something so beautiful

There is no hiding the beauty of this creation

The only thing that is heavy is the gravitation that is pulling me towards you

Light comes in where solemness was imposing

Taking Advantage of a Lovely Day!

2010-02-24T16:12:00.000-08:00

On Monday it was so nice outside that we just couldn't resist going outside! We went for a walk, played in the front yard, in the back yard, on the back patio. It was just so lovely!

Fearless

2010-02-15T11:03:00.000-08:00

I definitely have a fearless son. Lord help me!

Throwing himself off couches full of faith we are going to catch him even if we are on the other side of the room, plunging right into me while I am laying on the floor, trying to climb up gates and almost flipping over, saying the word "hot" while leaning over to touch a candle, standing on top of something I know will end in tragic. The list can go on! One day, Ethan, you will learn! I just hope that one day when he does learn it isn't too painful...ouch!

The best thing about his fearlessness? When he does get hurt I am the one he comes to for kisses and hugs :)

2009-12-01T10:19:00.000-08:00

Ethan had such a fun time at his Curious George party! Thank you to all the close friends and family that came to celebrate with us!

This year has gone by so fast for us and to think about our little boy already being 1 is crazy : )

It seems like just a yesterday we got an email saying we were chosen and that the birth mother wanted to meet us. We were so nervous Michelle wouldn't like us. We drove almost 3 hours to meet her and our agent for lunch. After that it has been such a whirlwind! Ethan's birth, bringing him home, watching/helping him learn so many things, feeling the joy in our hearts when we see his beautiful blue eyes, hearing his cute laugh. Oh, our baby is growing up!

We cannot wait to see what God has in store for Ethan. He has already saved him from a rough life he would have had here on this earth. Our prayer is that he will come to know God one day and recognize Him as his savior.

Life

2009-10-28T09:26:00.000-07:00

As I am thinking this week about my father-in-law who is dying of prostate cancer, another family member whose mother-in-law is very sick and on a ventilator and a special women who left this earth almost 3 years ago and today would be her birthday (Cheryl), I can't help but think about life and death and what it means to me.

Life is nothing without God. Yes, our lungs are breathing and our heart is beating but what is sustaining our souls? Nothing that is beating or breathing or flowing through our veins can keep us living forever. It all eventually gives way to death. BUT, if our souls are LIVING then we don't have to worry about breathing or if our hearts are beating. Don't get me wrong, I praise God for my health and I am glad for all the moments I have left on this earth, but God wants us to live on forever, with him. I want to live forever with him!

I don't want to think that my life matters so much on this earth for reasons that are pointless. I want it to matter in the way that I am living a full life that is for God who is my sustainer -my creator, the one I live for, the one who is my protector, the one who gives me strength, the God who loves me so much that I trust when my day comes he will give me peace and my family comfort and healing.

Please pray that God will give peace to my father-in-law who is in the hospital and strength for the family while we face these hard times. For my friends who are thinking about their beloved wife and mother. That they will continue to trust him. Also, for a distant relative whose mother-in-law is also sick.

John 5:24
“I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life

Mr. Adventure

2009-10-21T07:35:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how one minute they aren't very mobile and the next you can't even keep up with them!

Ethan is Mr. Adventure! From one room to the next he is pulling stuff out, climbing on his gate, crawling through the chairs and playing tug of war with Conrad. It is all quite a site! A big mess for me to clean up too!

For Ethan's birthday I am planning a Curious George party. We will have it at a park near our house with close friends and family. I am planning to have some fun crafts for the older children and there is a big play ground so all the kids will be able to have fun. I am trying to find someone to make a Curious George cupcake cake. If I can't, then I will just get a cake and I will put George cake decor on it. I can't believe Ethan is about to turn the BIG 1!

Things Ethan can do:

Stand by himself for a little while

Give a High Five

Point to you where the light is (lamp or overhead light)

walk with a walker you push

dance

wave...sometimes

exploring his high pitch squeals

Ethan 9 Months

2009-08-18T05:27:00.001-07:00

If a 9 month old was able to run around liked he owned the place, that would be my son! Ethan is everywhere and screams out some kind of noise to show he is here and lovin' life!

What's happening with Ethan. He is 9 months old now. Weight is 20 lbs. Can't keep up with his crawling around and climbing on things! Eats like a growing boy. Has 2 teeth now!!! Hates going to bed at 7pm. Ethan says momma more than dadda now...hehehe! He is such a happy boy most of the time and there are so many other things I could go on about him.

This past weekend we were visited by Chris parents for 5 days. We had a nice time and are very happy they were able to make the trip even though they had a lot of airport problems : ) They came to celebrate Zachary's (Ethan's cousin) 1st birthday. Sadly his birthday party had to be cancelled due to Anne coming down with a contageous virus. Most of the family still celebrated his birthday so it ended up being a nice time anyway.

Let's Just Call This My First of Many

2009-04-28T06:03:00.000-07:00

Training my children, wiping hineys, feeding faces, washing faces, kissing boo boos, wiping hineys again, Ah... glorious nap time...oh wait... why are they up?, training my children again, feeding faces again, wiping hineys again, breaking up fights, training my children again... Amazing really, but I really do love being a mother!...But nothing compares to being a wife... don't get me started on the joys of that! :)

This is what one of my friends on FB wrote yesterday. Although I am not doing all of that as of right now (soon to come I am sure), I feel like I can relate to it! We are mommy, nurses, maid, hiney wipers, coach, ref, pschologist,and more! Even though that sounds a little negative I can't wait to be that with Ethan! Every day is so different from the next and it is so far better than anything else!

I am looking at a picture right now in front of me that I took of Ethan sitting in one of our chairs. His smile is just so sweet and he is so adorable looking. I am actually thinking right now "He is MINE! He is ACTUALLY MINE!" I really do hope that all moms think that way about their children.