It has to be genetic!

So much of who we are stems from where we come from. We can talk all we want to about where we have been, where we grew up, how we were raised, and all the things we miss about the places we are "from". My little boy, Carter, was born here in Boise, Idaho only two and a half years ago. He has been to California a handful of times, Maui twice, and to a few other non flip flop wearing places, but for the most part-he has been here. And here specifically would actually be Meridian, ID. Not exactly the flip flop mecca of the world. Today when we woke up it was dumping freezing cold rain, so much that our backyard was flooded. Albeit today was not one of more colder days but the wind and rain in the morning made for some pretty chilly temperatures. These are the shoes my dear sweet little carter chose to wear today! Flip Flops! He wore them most of the day too. I was almost proud of him!

That settled it, case closed, when your mommy is a California Girl-you inherit the California gene!

Now, off to organize all the Christmas pictures and lump the December blog post all into one big old story, all while wearing my flip flops of course!

I used to be

I used to be many things...

Thin. Young. Snobby(ish). Selfish (more so than now, amazing huh? Like, how much more selfish could I have been?). Clueless about what being a grown up was. Able to go braless. Didn't ever worry about money or jobs. But what I remember the most is that once upon a time I was cool.

Like put on my ultra low snakeskin print pants and tease my hair cool. Like paint my lips scarlet and outline my eyes in a smoky kohl cool. Like I had my belly button, and ears double pierced. Like I would not even leave the house until 10:30 pm cool. Like down countless vodka and cranberries and dance on the bar cool.

And though I know all of you still think I am the definition of cool (just nod and smile) it hit me like a smack across the face that I am no longer that person. Not even close.

Sure, I may like my beats played fast and my bass down low, but it doesn't matter.
Even though I'm feeling so fly like a G6 (like a G6 like a G6), no one sees me that way.
And I've got my "sporty" GMC Denali to prove it, filled to the brim with car seats and boosters.
I came to this realization the other night as I was bopping along to The ABC's in my cool SUV on my home from one of our umpteenth meals of the season, exhausted and so ready for bed since it was past 9 pm, well almost 9 pm......that's like midnight in New York you know!

Wham! It hit me...I was officially not a party girl anymore, I'm a mom who likes to go to bed early with her body pillow that really needs to be tossed since it will no longer support a pregnancy in this body.

Sure, one might think I may have gracefully given up party girl status after the second or third kid. And if we're talking honestly here, once Tyler and I got married we both became homebodies...more likely we were at a movie (matinee) or just, um, relaxing at home. So I guess I haven't been cool for a long time.

Or maybe I'm just a different kind of cool...

Like a funny mom cool. Like a die for my children cool. Like an addicted to blogging personal details about my life to strangers cool. Like a try to be a great wife cool.

And even though I may not be as cool, or skinny, or young as I was once...I've still got it...just ask the trucker who winked at me while I was in the drive-thru at MacDonald's the other day...


So as 2011 approaches us I am ready to start it off with a bang! I am planning on trying my hardest to stay up until midnight with our friends during a rousing game of Wheel of Fortune or some other really cool game! But more importantly, I am ready to be a cool mom, a great wife, and a fantastic friend in 2011.

Can I please leave a message with Mary?

Carter is 2. He is very good at being 2. Last night he was tired and he was exceptionally great at being 2. The video above is what went on last night. Of course, when you are 2, it is always something, and its usually tired, or sick, or tired and sick. Sometimes I am just sick and tired! Most of the time when Carter throws these little fits, its funny. But sometimes they really get to me and I lose it! I'm trying to be better at that, be calmer, be helpful, be "dry pants", be Love and Logic, be Parenting is Heart Work, etc, etc! Scary thing is, I think it is easy now and it gets really hard when they get older!

As I went to sleep last night all I could think about was the fact that Jesus was once 2. I worry a lot about making sure my kids grow up to be good people. The last thing I would ever want to hear goes something like this......"Oh those Compton kids, they aren't people you want to associate yourself with" or something like that. I can't even imagine the pressure Mary had trying to raise Jesus. I'm sure he had tantrums and I'm sure he was really good at being 2 as well. It makes me laugh to think of Jesus as a 2 year old! I'd love to be able to talk to Mary and hear all about how she felt trying to raise God's only son. Needless to say, she did an impeccable job! Thanks Mary!

Tanner, on the other hand is 4 and he is very good at being 4. He never ceases to make me laugh! When we got home he wanted to put on his "comfy's" and relax. As he got his "comfys" on, he insisted I take a picture of him with his shirt back because it was silly. So, that is the above picture, and it is really silly. Then, he went over to the fridge and got himself some water and put it in a coffee cup, he then went over to the pantry and grabbed some crackers and took it into the family room. He told me he just needed to sit and drink his coffee for a little bit to unwind. Wow. I know I have said those exact words myself! I thought I should pour myself some "coffee" and join him!

Tanners crackers and "coffee"! So cute!

<

Happy 6 Months!

Hadley is 6 months old today!

The last 6 months have been full of changes in our little girl! She has gone from a little tiny infant who does nothing but eat and sleep to a big little girl who loves to laugh, squeal, chatter, play with her brothers, roll over, feel her toys and blankets, play in her exersaucer and of course eat and sleep. She has always been such a great eater and sleeper! I was so blessed with that! Not that I couldn't have handled another non-sleeper, but this is so much nicer and WAY EASIER!!! Thanks for the gift of sleep sissy!

Hadley! Happy 6 Months! You chew on your tongue a lot. You might be teething or you might just like to chew on your tongue.......or you might be hungry! We are going to give you rice cereal for the first time this weekend! We borrowed cousin Caden's high chair for this monumental occasion! I know you will love eating cereal as this past week you have sat in the high chair with us at dinner each night and gazed longingly as we eat took bites of our dinners! You are ready for it sis and we are excited for this next phase of your life! Diapers look out!

At 6 months your eyes are still blue but we have a feeling they will turn green someday! You have very little hair so you wear headbands and hats which you love (and so do I!)! You are a beautiful little baby girl who I know will grow up to be a beautiful woman someday! You go in for more shots on December 16th which is when we will find out just how much you weigh and how tall you are! The doctor will also make sure you are hitting all your developmental milestones and ease Mommy's mind!

You have such a fun personality! You are the star of our family right now! We all just love you so much! Mommy has not left you for more than about 2 hours in your whole life! Its crazy to think we are together all the time. I wouldn't change that for the world sissy! You are a terrific & happy little girl to be around!

One of your main talents right now is sleeping. You are a rock star at sleeping! Whether it be at night or the naps you take during the day, all I have to do is lay you in your crib and you snuggle right down, coo for a little bit and then fall asleep! You are adorable and I could watch you sleep for hours! Lucky for me, you usually take a 2 hour nap in the morning and 3-4 hour nap in the afternoon! I've got lots of viewing opportunities!

Did I mention that you snore? You snore a little bit and it is so cute! You also love to sleep on your belly. You always have, since day 1! When we were still in the hospital the nurses noticed you liked your tummy one night while we were co-sleeping and they came to check on us! We had a small chat about it too. Lucky for us, we had some amazing nurses! Tummy sleeping and co-sleeping and all the other different ways to sleep are quite the hot topic right now! I was so afraid and I dared not breathe a word of that to anyone for fear of hearing all the horrible stories that come along with tummy sleeping these days! Not really something I wanted to hear while I was still in my post partum baby blues (aka crazy) phase! I just had faith in God that he would protect you, I will never stop having faith that he will protect you your entire life.

Your brothers think you are something special! They love to hold you, kiss you, hug you, get you toys, and talk to you! They smother you and you love every minute of it! They are also very protective of you and only want the best for you. Try to remember this when you go out on a date! Mommy and Daddy have been so lucky to have 3 little kids who all love to be around each other! As you get older you will find the bond that you have as siblings will grow even stronger. Mommy and Auntie Cammie have a very strong bond that the 3 of you will also have with each other later on in life. I pray for that special bond and friendship everyday. Family is sacred to me.

The Snow!

We woke up yesterday morning to snow, snow, and more snow! I think when it started snowing the night before last, it didn't stop until late yesterday afternoon! It was crazy! Tanner is a snow fanatic! He just loves to be out in it and can stay out for hours which is a delight for me! Carter on the other had, gets cold quicker and can't seem to keep his gloves on so his hands start "singing" which I think translates to "stinging" in our language! It might be due to the fact that after I spend what seems like an eternity getting the 2 of them all bundled up in their bibs, coats, hats, gloves and boots that he has completely undressed himself! The only item of clothing Tanner seems to take off is his hat. While all this is going on, the two of them are asking over and over a hundred times "Is it Christmas??" "Is it Christmas??" "Is it Christmas??" "Is it Christmas??" When I answer "No, not today." They respond by saying "It has to be Christmas because there is snow!" (over and over and over) and they are jumping up and down and yelling and inevitably someone starts singing Silent Night. It makes it really really difficult to get all their snow clothes on! It exhausts me just getting them ready to go outside! Is it almost summer???

Hadley is just too little for me to let her just be out in the snow! I took her out for a brief minute so she could touch the snow and see what it was all about! She shivered and wasn't too sure about the cold feel it had! It was so cute!

A classic photo of Carter with what is left of the items of clothing I put on him-just his boots and hat. This kid! He tests me to the end of the earth and back sometimes! He was able to be outside for 15 minutes due to the fact that contrary to popular belief, boots, thin jammies and a hat do not keep you dry and warm in the snow. Sorry folks!

Carter trying to ride his tricycle in the snow!

Tanner and Carter


Tanner with a HUGE snowball!

Tanner learning how to throw snowballs!

In the process of making a snow angel! He's doing it the Compton way!

The Scene of The Crime

My Nightstand.

I am supposed to be cleaning out the house and packing stuff up today. I'm not. I'm updating the blog instead. Partly because I'm not sure how long we will be without Internet during the move, and partly because of my nightstand. Yesterday, I was a touch overwhelmed. I needed to start going through the house and getting rid of all the unimportant things that I have not gotten rid of in the last 4 years. I was purging. I'm not really the best organized person out there and I really don't even know how to be which makes it difficult! One of my friends last night told me its how our brains are wired! We are either organized or not, its a right brain left brain thing. I am NOT the side of the brain that is organized! I tend to rather fly by the seat of my pants and just have faith that everything will fall into place! It always seems to too, which is a tremendous blessing! But back to the nightstand. I was trying to purge and adapt a new lifestyle that would hopefully help me be more organized in this next chapter of my life. This was before I knew about the brain thing and that me being organized might just be a hopeless cause! I had made my way through the house to our bedroom. Now, for those of you that don't know this, since we moved into this house 4 years ago my top nightstand drawer has never closed. The design flaw of these nightstands is that the drawers don't come out and the nightstand itself is just a solid box so if you are messy and happen to drop an unknown object back behind the top drawer, it will no longer shut all the way. Well, I was on a mission to get that drawer to shut! I was also super curious to see what had been hanging out back there for the past 4 years too! Tyler was going to be so happy with me when he came home to see that my drawer was shut all the way! It was going to be monumental! I shoved my hand and arm back in there and retrieved about 15 pictures from when Tanner was just a week old and then I got my hand on the culprit.......a plastic bowl. I didn't know what color it was, if it had any characters on it, or best of all, if it had food in it! As I tried to remove my hand and arm and bowl I realized I was stuck. Oh shoot! I had been so pleased with myself about 15 minutes prior to this incident. I put both the boys upstairs with a bowl of popcorn and a movie on for some quiet time and Hadley was napping in her crib. That NEVER happens all at the same time! I usually have at least one child up and needing something. So, I am stuck in the nightstand and the phone is not in the cradle on the nightstand where it usually is and I can hear my cell phone receiving a text message from in the laundry room. Oh shoot! I tried to yell up to the boys and I got no response. I tried again-Carter yelled back down "I is good!", not what I was hoping for. I yelled again, this time with no response. So, back to my hand. It kind of hurt, I tired and tried to get it out. I was watching the clock and I had now been stuck for 20 minutes when I finally freed my hand and arm by wrenching it out. The bowl was orange and it had a lion on it and 3 Cheerios in it. I threw it away and guess what, my top drawer shuts all the way for the first time ! My wrist hurt, but the pain seemed to go away later in the evening and I forgot about the incident. I forgot about it until this morning when I woke up. It really hurts today!!! Which is why I am not packing and cleaning like I should be, I am updating the blog and waiting for the Tylenol to kick in! I am keeping my cell phone on my body at all times just in case I get stuck somewhere again.........listen for your phone........it might be me calling you to help me get unstuck!

Thanksgiving Weekend Festivities

We had a terrific 4 days of Thanksgiving Festivities! We spent Thanksgiving day (of course I forgot my camera) with family. First we went over to Tyler's parents house and had a fabulous early dinner with all of his family. Tanner and Carter played with cousin Caden and had an absolute ball! The 3 boys play so well together, it just warms my heart! While that was going on, the men were watching football and the girls played Quarters around the table. It was so nice and relaxing! After that, we headed over to my moms house for dinner, more football and more playing! We have so much to be thankful for!

Friday, Tyler, the kids, and I had a relaxing morning in the house and then headed out to brave the crowds! We went downtown and had lunch at the Ram and then hit a few stores to price out items we would like for our new house. It was a great afternoon! That night was the BSU game and little did I imagine I would actually stay up to watch the game in its entirety but I did! It was a nail biter!

Saturday we woke up bright and early to head downtown again for the Christmas Parade! It was snowing and freezing! Hadley and I made it for about 15 minutes and then went back to the car to wait for the boys to finish watching the parade. They joined us about 30 minutes later. We didn't make it to the end of the parade to see Santa due to the weather and having to go potty! Who knew how much little boys would love to go potty in the snow! Its a whole lot of fun and excitement, let me tell ya! We came home for a bit and then headed out to Costco for a TV. I feel like we are always buying TV's but that is another story for another day! With hot dogs in hand, we walked the TV aisles until we decided on the perfect TV. I love Costco. We headed home for a little bit of quiet time and then we picked up Mimi and were off to the Festival of Trees for dinner and Santa!

Tanner and Carter watching the parade go by.

On the way home from the parade, the boys got really tired and the car was nice and quiet!

Festival of Trees with Santa! Carter ran right up to Santa and told him he wanted a monster truck! It was so cute! Tanner was full of information for Santa, some which applied and some which did not apply! This was Hadley's first Santa experience and there were no tears! Christmas will be pretty magical this year as Tanner really knows what is going on and Carter is following his lead and getting into the season as well!

Sunday, Hadley got baptised! We met up with family and friends at church for the occasion! She wore a dress that my Grandma made for my sister Cammie when she was baptised at about the same age as Hadley. That was so special! Maybe someday Cammie will have a little girl who can wear that dress, and maybe someday ( a really really loooooooooong time from now) Hadley will have a little girl who will wear that dress too! We all headed over to Mimi's house after church for brunch which was so much fun! After brunch, we headed out to the train depot for some pictures! The elevator at the depot was open and running and the kids got to go up and take in the view of the city! They loved it!

Hadley and Pastor Phil

Hadley being baptised!



Hadley and Mommy

Cutie Hadley-Roo! We love you so much!!


Hadley and Mommy!

A sneak peak at Mom's Christmas card picture! Here's the crazy gang!

10 Year Anniversary!

We kicked off the Thanksgiving weekend Wednesday night with little celebration for our 10 year anniversary! We went to dinner and a movie, just the 2 of us! It was wonderful! So much has happened in the past 10 years; lots of trials and tribulations, 3 kids, 7 different vehicles, and topping it all off we are moving into our 4th home today. Its been a whirlwind of fun! When I look back at our wedding picture, I can't believe how my love for Tyler has grown. I love him so much more now than I did that day. Marriage is such a leap of faith and I am so happy I took that leap with Tyler! We are tackling life together and I couldn't have asked for a better man to share my life with! I am so excited for many more years to come!

Anytime, Any Place..........

I'm sure you have heard that phrase a hundred times in sports. Coaches seem to use it frequently meaning they will play any other team anytime and any place, and win (hopefully). Our family is big college football fans and so the phrase gets tossed around a lot around here!

Every time I hear it, I think of my parents. Anytime, Any Place, and about ANYTHING. Seriously, anything. It can be the dead middle of the night, or on a sunny day, they can be at home, work, in the car, or on vacation, and it can be about something ranging from totally awesome, to earth shatteringly horrific. The amazing thing is, they listen with love and do not judge. Then they do something even more amazing, they help, all this happens with total and complete love and compassion.

I took this for granted growing up, I know I did, I just expected them to be there for me all the time, and they were, without hesitation. I don't really know why, but I assumed that when Cammie and I grew up and were out of the house and married, that maybe the love for us as their children would be less or much different, but it's not. They seem to love us even more as adults and love our husbands and children too! Its wonderful! Now, even with a family of my own, I need them just as much, maybe even more, and now there are more of us that they have to be prepared to have an "any time, any place, and about anything" conversation with. I kind of think they even want too as well! It is the most comforting and safe feeling in the world to know that we have these wise loving people who have experienced lots of the same things we experience to turn to about anything and they show love and compassion. I don't know how they do it!

When I talk with my Dad he just breezes through everything with such grace and simplifies things which is always a weight off my shoulders. My mom is such a strong woman and has an amazing gift of being able to fix things. She makes me laugh when I am done "filling her in on something" and she takes a deep breath and then her mind goes to work on "fixing"! The deep breath she takes she probably doesn't even know she does it, it is just another way that makes me feel safe, and having her as another person to confide in feels great.

When Tanner was born, I finally understood the love that a parent has for a child. I wondered how I could have enough for more children. We do have enough love, more than enough, because we now have 3 of our own to love and worry about. Luckily, that love never fades away, it just grows and gets stronger. I can only hope that Tyler and I can be that same type of open, loving, anytime, any place and about anything parents for our 3 kids. If they wrote a book, not only would I buy it, but I would actually read it!



Thanks so much Mom and Dad for being such wonderful parents and grandparents. You both are truly wonderful role models for me!

Happy Birthday Chris!

Chris turned 28 and we went to dinner at Epi's! Fun times and great food! Chris didn't know where he was going to dinner and he also didn't know we wold be there! It was a surprise!

Chris and Cammie as they walked in to Epi's! Cammie looks more shocked than Chris does!

Chris, Grandma, Me, Tyler, Mom and Cammie. Hadley was either in her little car seat or being carried around by Chris.

At no other restaurant will the owner carry around my baby while we eat! Chris held and cuddled Hadley and gave me the chance to eat and enjoy my family! Hadley had the best time walking around the restaurant, going in and out of the kitchen, and visiting with the other guests!

Chris and Cam!

Hadley, Tyler and Ashley!

Mom and Hadley!

Epi Chris with the Birthday Boy, Chris!

Mom, Hadley and Cammie!

Chris and his delicious birthday cake!

...............Make a wish!

Grandma, Hadley, Cammie and Ashley

A New Breath

This is a reblog from a friend, who simply put, hits the nail on the head. Thank you April!


"She's turning her life into something sacred:
Each breath a new breath.
Each moment, a new chance.
She bows her head, gathers her dreams from a pure,
deep stream and
stretches her arms
towards the sky."
-Monique Duval

Setting out to begin a blog came with the greatest of intentions to "be true" in what I spoke about, the person I am. I've managed to keep the intention yet have always felt a sense of hesitancy to share it 100% for fear that it might be perceived as "dull" or slightly "self-absorbed". This hesitancy got the best of me these past few weeks. Sitting down to write a post left me without words. Yes, I love to share quotes but I also love to share my thoughts and observations of my life and my passions.

You know I love books. But, you don't know to what degree or about the path of self-education I am currently traveling on.

April 2010. I made a promise to myself relating to my physical well being that I have not spoken of. It's a promise that has changed my life in ways I never imagined.

These are just a few of my personal aspirations that have been kept snuggled inside my heart wanting so badly to be set free and shared.

"Be faithful to that which exists nowhere but in yourself." -Andre Gide

Yesterday I sent a quote out into the world. A very special quote that needed to be sent out. A reminder to myself. An urging to let the world know me as I am. A setting free of those aspirations and passions I've guarded closely to my heart. Letting go of the fear of being judged or thought of in a certain way. Once I recognized (or remembered) my initial intent for creating this little blog as a way to record my journey and that it only mattered how I perceived it, was I able to let the concern of being judged go.

Just thinking about a few blog posts I've wanted to share and now will makes me giddy with joy. Gone is the hesitancy. You can take me or leave me in all my funny little imperfections and quirkiness.

"Your own words are the bricks and mortar of the dreams
you want to realize.
Behind every word flows energy."
-Sonia Choquette

So, my friends, I am so very excited to share my dreams with you, my passions, my journey. All the things that bring such harmony and grace and energy to my life.

Me.

The Best Pumpkin Seeds. Period. Ever.

Compliments of my friend Lisa........these are the absolute yummiest!

2 cups raw pumpkin seeds
1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 TBSP. butter, melted
1 1/4 tsp. seasoned salt

Preheat oven to 250

Rinse seeds, pat dry. Add sauce, butter, and salt in a bowl. Add seeds and stir until evenly coated. Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet.

Bake 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until crisp, dry, and toasted brown.

Tired Little Sissy

Sissy gets so tired sometimes while she is playing that she just falls asleep in her exersaucer. I was in the kitchen getting dinner ready, the boys were playing on the computer, and she was playing in the exersaucer right by them because she wants to be involved in the action as well! I thought I heard snoring and couldn't figure out where it was coming from. I realized that it was her and thought it was hilarious! With 2 wild big brothers, she can sleep anytime anywhere! If you turn up the volume, you can really hear her snoring away!

Halloween Hysteria!

This Halloween rolled around very quickly as we had just gotten back from a week in Mammoth! I really love Halloween and had actually forgotten it was Sunday night! Nothing was going to stop me from taking the kids out however! We were actually supposed to meet some friends at Reflections Church for their Halloween festival and then head on down to Harrison Blvd to meet up with more friends at their party. Next year. That would have been a bit ambitious after a 10 hour drive! This year we just stayed home and trick or treated in our neighborhood which turned out to be really impressive! Thank goodness my mom reminded me and we were able to have Mom and Cammie over for dinner and then some Trick-or Treating! Saguaro Canyon really put on a show this year! Tanner and I were game to go out and really canvas the neighborhood, we had to rope everyone else in! Especially Carter. He was in no mood to go out, he was exhausted, but he pulled through for candy! It was hilarious hysteria with the two boys, let me tell you! Of course, I am right along with them pushing them! It was so much fun! Tanner was running from house to house while Carter preferred to have Cammie push him in the stroller! Hadley was just along for the ride and I can only imagine her trying to keep up with her big brothers next year! We had a blast and trick or treated until it was too dark and cold to do it anymore!

Tanner, Carter and Daddy at the Haunted House down the street!

Tanner running away yelling "I got some good candy for you Daddy!" It cracked me up, especially since I was more the instigator! I love candy!!

Cammie pushing Carter!

Trick-or-Treat!
Mimi and Hadley

Tanner with our favorite neighbor boys Talon and Jaxon!

Tanner AKA Spidee making a web!

Carter the Spiderman! The pink sippy cup really adds to the costume!

Mammoth Lakes, CA

We just got back from a wonderful week in Mammoth Lakes, CA. We met up with my Dad, his wife Sue and her daughter Stacy, husband Gabriel, and their two boys Gabriel and Noah. We had so much fun together! We stayed half of our trip at The Village and the other half at Snowcreek. We talked, laughed, cried, ate, went on hikes, ate, relaxed, woke up to snow one morning, and thoroughly enjoyed each other! Did I mention we ate?

The snow was a treat! I know Tyler and Tanner were ready to go skiing. The mountain was open last year on October 13th so we kind of thought that maybe just maybe a storm would come in for us and make skiing possible, but not this time!

It had been about 5 years since the last time we had been to Mammoth. I had really forgotten the total grandeur and beauty of Mammoth. The vivid colors, the amazing smells, the familiar places that bring back so many great memories of my childhood, and the absolute huge Mountain that is and can only be Mammoth. We need to go back more often.

This was the first time we had met Stacy and Gabriel and their kids. We LOVE them ! They are just great and I am so blessed to have them as part of my family! The little cousins all played wonderfully together! I'm not going to totally omit any tantrums or little squabbles that came along with the trip....they were there too, but the kids just loved each other as well! We all have so much in common with each other. I feel lucky to have gained another sister who stays home with her two little boys as well who I can bounce ideas off of and also just vent when the days get rough!!

I took way too many pictures and posted way too many as well! We can't wait to go back again soon Enjoy!

Tanner with a snowball the morning we woke up to snow!

Noah and Gabriel with Hadley. I think they need a sister!

Hadley "the body" Compton

Noah, Tanner and Gabriel

Sue and Dad at Lake George

Carter. He's having a melt down! No trip is ever complete without meltdowns!

Tanner and the "cute little baby tree!"

One of the Twin Lakes

Dad and Carter

Dad and Hadley during nap time!

The toy that occupied the boys the most! They had a ball with this!

Tanner and Carter

Tanner and Carter

Dad and Sissy after a hike!

Gabriel, Tanner, Noah and Carter after our hike to Devils Post Pile!

Tanner and Carter with their rocks!

Carter, Grandpa and Tanner sitting on a tree bench!

Sue skipping with the big boys!

Me, Hadley, Dad and Stacy

Tanner, Dad, Tyler and Carter

The awesome Devils Post Pile!

Tyler, Carter, Ashley, Hadley, Tanner, Stacy, Gabriel, Gabriel and Noah

Carter, Noah, Gabriel and Tanner

Hadley having a bath in the kitchen sink!

Dad and Sue cooking up a storm!

Tanner and Carter

Captain Awesome!

Carter along with high jumping Tanner!

Tanner and Carter

Another beautiful spot in Mammoth!

Carter and Tanner at Twin Lakes

Snow on Chrystal Crag

Hadley! She is such a chunky monkey!

Hadley snoozing with Grandpa! Something she loved to do!

Stacy and Sue!

Gabriel, Tanner, Carter and Noah playing games!

The 3 flags by "The Mammoth". I thought they looked so beautiful against the crisp blue sky!

Tanner and Carter with "The Mammoth"! I have about 28 years worth of pictures with Cammie and I by "The Mammoth". It was so much fun to put my boys up against it and take their picture! It brought a tear to my eye! Hadley would have joined in but she can't sit up yet! It will be really fun when Cammie and Chris have kids who can also join in "The Mammoth" picture!

Tyler and I at Lake Mary. 10 years ago in August he proposed to me right in this very spot! It was so much fun to come back! Can't believe it will be 10 years of marriage this November. It has gone by so fast and I love him more and more every day!