Food & Fellowship

Anytime there was a holiday or some occasion to celebrate Micah and I would naturally have our family (Master's Commission) over to the house.  Well now that Master's Commission is over we've decided to broaden our family circle to encompass the youth leaders that work with us in Axis.  So we're having a few couples over to the house... I just love when we have company because I get to cook a nice meal and I get to bake some sort of dessert:) 
Here's what's on the menu:

Lasagna/Bread/Salad
Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 (29 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 12 dry lasagna noodles
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 pint part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef, onion and garlic; drain fat. Mix in basil, oregano, brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles, and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, or until al dente; drain. Lay noodles flat on towels, and blot dry.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, parsley and 1 teaspoon salt.
4. Layer 1/3 of the lasagna noodles in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover noodles with 1/2 ricotta mixture, 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese and 1/3 of the sauce. Repeat. Top with remaining noodles and sauce. Sprinkle additional Parmesan cheese over the top.
5. Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

I figure after a heavy meal like Lasagna we need something a little lighter for dessert so we're gonna try this (made my own tweeks so we'll see how it turns out):

Strawberry Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 pkg of Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie mix
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 egg
• 
  
• FILLING:
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 cups crushed fresh strawberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Put butter in a microwave safe bowl and melt.  Once melted, crack egg in the butter and whip. Next pour it over the sugar cookie and mix well.  Spread in a pizza pan.  Cook for 14-16 minutes. Cool completely.  
2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Spread over cookie. 
3. In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and crushed berries until blended. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Cool slightly. Spoon over cream cheese mixture then arrange sliced strawberries on top. Refrigerate until serving.

Looking forward to our food and fellowship! 

Time to Lower the Crib

I think it's time to lower the crib!

Delicious Snack

Not sure what to call this but it is quite a delicious snack! (Thanks to Kirk)

• Crackers (Triscuts are best but I had to substitute Ritz)
• Mustard (just a dab)
• Lunch meat (I used turkey & ham)
• Cheese (I used swiss & cheddar)
• Salsa

After you assemble in order the ingredients are listed, warm in the microwave approx. 25 seconds to slightly melt the cheese. And ENJOY!

Determined to crawl!

Texting

So I just figured out how to text to my blog, this is cool!
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Learning as we go...

We're constantly learning as we go... Micah and I decided to make a small tweak in something we were doing with Mack... we'd been taking Mack to his room to change his diaper and to put him to sleep.  But sometimes he isn't too fond of either of those things; so we have started to spend a little more time with him IN his room playing as well as reading. The big idea is to get him used to HIS room and not see it as a place that he dreads.  Today we were working on crawling and getting used to being on his tummy. So far it's been working great!

Reading to Baby is one of the most soothing interactions you’ll have. Turns out it’s a bonding experience with benefits, improving vocabulary, reading readiness, focus, and attention. As with adults, reading contributes to a child’s general knowledge of the world. You can start as early as birth on this together-time activity that’s truly powerful for both of you.


Micah and I did just that, we began reading to Mack as soon as he was born and he loves it.  He gets so excited, especially when we read his Bible to him. It's never too early to start pouring the Word of God into your child!

Cooking at the Crump's

Once a week at the Crump household Micah and I have started cooking together... something fun to do while spending quality time together. So after a walk in the park (with 96 degree weather), we stopped by the grocery store to pick up a few items for our meal tonight.

Here are the boys, shopping... well Micah is shopping and Mack is snacking.

With huge tortillas, homemade spanish rice, chicken, black beans, avocado, sour cream, cheese and fresh home-made salsa we had our rendition of Chipotle burritos!

And it tasted yummy!!!

In the mood to bake

So I've been in the mood to bake lately although it tends to get me in trouble with the husband (and the scale), but having company is always a good reason to bake right?  Well Micah decided to have a staff meeting at the house this afternoon and of course he always wants coffee and snacks.  So I got my reason to bake...

Almond Poppy Seed Bread

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 cups white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/8 cups vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 1 1/2 teaspoons butter flavored extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon butter flavored extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 
  

Directions

1. Mix together the flour, 2 1/4 cups white sugar, baking powder, salt, milk, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla and eggs. Mix in the vegetable oil, poppy seeds, 1 1/2 teaspoons butter flavoring and 1 1/2 teaspoons almond flavoring. Beat with an electric mixer for 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Lightly grease 2 loaf pans or 6 small loaf pans. Bake 45-60 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cool for 3 minutes and top with the orange glaze. (*if you don't have 2 loaf pans a 13x9" pan will work just as well and 45 minutes is usually adequate)
3. To make Orange Glaze: Mix together 1/4 cup orange juice, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon butter flavoring and 1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring.

Well I hope you enjoy if you decide to try your hand at baking.

Mack - 7 Months

I'm a little late in getting this 7 month post out but I guess it's better late than never... Around 30 weeks, a baby has the memory and cognitive ability to figure out what's going to happen next. If Mack hears the garage door open at 5:30 p.m.,he kicks his legs in anticipation of daddy's arrival home from work. When he hears me pop the lid off a baby food jar, he gets excited and squeals because he knows it's lunchtime. Mack relies on sensory input -- sounds, smells, sights -- to figure out what's going on, in part because he's such a keen observer of his surroundings, and in part because he loves repetition and routine so much that he's quick to pick up on it. I've always got to be prepared, though, for a minor meltdown if he gets it wrong. 

Mack's fine motor skills continue to grow more sophisticated. He's comfortable banging, shaking, dropping, and throwing his toys. He's even mastered quite well the use of his thumb and fingers (instead of just holding stuff in his whole palm). It takes most babies until about 12 months before they master the pincer grasp -- between thumb and pointer finger -- to pick up teeny-tiny things such as Cheerios but Mack has got it down at 7 months!

As those hand skills develop, I'm curious as to whether Mack will be right-handed or left-handed. Although some babies start to show a preference for one side as early as 3 months of age, most use both hands equally throughout the first year -- so it's not unusual for Mack to suck his left thumb one day, then uses his right hand to roll a ball the next. (Statistically, more than 70 percent of people are right-handed, although Micah's parents are both left-handed, so we'll see with Mack).

Mack is becoming quite stable on his own in a sitting position but every once in a while we still have a tumble, usually when trying to reach for something. Not quite ready to stand although he likes being pulled to an upright position.

We've got quite the vocals around the Crump house as Mack has been very excited with the pitch at which he can squeal as well and the new formation of consonants and vowels he's discovered; ba, da, and ma. Of course with the repetition of them it sounds like he's saying "mama" and "dada" though there's no actual association yet. We get excited about it anyway.

Here's a few pics from the past month:

Mack playing in the laundry basket

Mack loves his daddy

So happy

Working on the tummy time

Playing in my new pool

Sleeping

My friend Tristan

June in Review

Usually June is a busy month for us at the church and vacation is not likely to happen, however this year with the commencing of Master's Commission we were able to get away for a few days.  There happened to be a Gust Family Reunion (mom's side) on June 12th, so we scheduled our vacation around that and headed to KC. Mack and I actually flew up two days before Micah while he stayed back to host a couple previously planned events with our youth group.  I was a bit nervous traveling alone with Mack for the first time... but he did amazing, in fact everyone around us on the plane commented on how well he did! Well instead of just telling you all about it let me narrate with some pictures (that new camera sure came in handy;)

Plane ride

Grandma Donna

Playing after a long morning traveling

Grandpa Kirk

Great Grandma Mary (Donna's mom)

Great Grandma Ocie (Kirk's mom)

Grandma Tammie (my mom)

Uncle Adam (my younger brother)

Papa Garry (my step-dad)

Uncle Corey (my older brother)

Mack with his cousins Zarek, Syleii, Azariah & Malaki (Corey's kids)

Fishing with Papa

With 1 shower, 4 adults and 5 kids we were able to all get ready and be out of the house by 8:30 am - now that's impressive if you ask me.

At my family reunion

My family

Great Grandma Gust (my mom's mom)

My parents

Just having fun

We also got to see our friends Cassie & Kasey and their new baby Judah

It was a great trip overall, in fact I think I could've stayed a little longer, though it's always nice to get back to the comfort of your own home and not have to live out of a suitcase.

In our youth group we started what we are calling Vertical Summer. Vertical is designed for students to gain Biblical knowledge through relevant teaching, and first-hand experience serving and giving. On Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am-12noon, AXIS is be the place for high school students to go vertical in their walk with God! Vertical Summer will culminate with a trip to Schlitterbahn!

We had the privilege of seeing Micah's sister, Veronica (from El Salvador) for a few days.

Well, there's so many more pictures from the month I could share but I'm sure you've seen enough pictures with Mack in them:)

May in Review

Okay so this is a little later than normal but as my little guy gets bigger I'm not able to sit as much (he's as active as can be but not quite on the move just yet).

One of the highlights of this month for me was being able to dedicate Mack to the Lord on Mother's Day.  In our church we don't baptize babies because we feel that baptism is for believers who understand the decision that they are making.  (Following the example of New Testament believers and Jesus Himself, born-again believers should be baptized in water. Baptism does not save a person; it simply symbolizes what took place in a person's heart at the time of salvation. Jesus died and arose from the dead. Water baptism symbolizes for the believer his/her sharing in Jesus' death and resurrection, illustrated by a believer's going under the water (dying to the old way of life) then rising from the water (entering into a new life in Jesus), symbolically washed clean from sins forgiven by Jesus' death on the cross.  Because Jesus instructed His followers to be baptized, baptism is an act of obedience. While it is not necessary for salvation, water baptism demonstrates submission to God. At Palm Valley Church, believers are immersed just as Jesus was, and by doing so, they are publicly acknowledging their faith in Him.) I said all that to say, we dedicate babies. Baby dedications are a way the parents commit and partner with the church to raise their child according to the Word of God to the best of their ability. It was a very special moment for Micah and I as parents.

Mission Master's Commission officially graduated it's last class on May 22nd. It was a bitter-sweet moment for many of us. It still doesn't seem quite real...


May 23rd Mack turned 6 months. His 6 month check-up went great - weighing in at an even 16 pounds (a little under average but perfect for him), and measuring an average length of 26 3/4 inches. He also did awesome with his immunizations this time around.  


On Memorial Day we decided to head down the road to the beach with a couple of friends - Mack wasn't too fond of the water but he enjoyed some zzz's in the shade.  My camera fell out of my bag and broke that morning but thankfully a friend captured Mack concked out. 

The next day I went and got a new camera... can't have a baby and not be able to catch all those precious moments.