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!

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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!