Graduation

We can hardly believe we're at the end of law school. It's been a long haul for all of us, but I am so proud of Matt and all the work he has done. It has been amazing to me to see him stretch and grow in so many ways -as a husband and father, as well as a student -these last three years. I love you, Matt!



(He's the one walking across the stage with the tassels on. He graduated magna cum laude.)

We are also soooo grateful for the love, support, and prayers of our families through this extended ordeal. We couldn't have done it without all of you . . . or at least not and have stayed sane.



(Yikes! I look like a big blob --and I still have two more months to go.)

April Showers of Blessings

Matt took the Patent Bar on April 27th (and PASSED!), and since he hadn't had any time to study up to that point, the kids and I evacuated our apartment to let him hunker down with his MPEP (Manual of Patent Examining Procedure). Where to go for a week and a half? Grandma's, of course! We got to spend a few days in San Antonio with Matt's family. Grandma took us to visit some beautiful botanical gardens, and the kids had fun helping out in Grandma's own backyard garden.

When the kids woke up from naps Friday afternoon, Aunt Rachel surprised them with Easter baskets! And the Easter Bunny made an early visit to the backyard. The kids were so excited! Michael knew just what to do, and it didn't take Sadie long to figure it out. (Sorry, I forgot my camera so I don't have any pictures! :(

Saturday morning, we headed back to my folk's place for our family's annual Easter reunion and egg hunt. We had a ton of people there and LOTS of kids for the egg hunt this year. My brother Jeremy even came down with his family for an extended vacation, so we got to spend lots of time with them.

The kids took their egg hunting very seriously.





Ever since, when Michael says his prayers, he includes the phrase "Thank you for the Easter hunt."



Fun Stuff:

Michael enjoyed the chocolate fountain a little too much . . .



and Sadie enjoyed her broccoli a little too much.



Egg dying, of course.



Feeding the horses became a daily ritual.





Popie trapped an armadillo in the garden. --The day after, there was an article in the newspaper about how they spread leprosy. Yikes!



We took the kids on their first real train ride. We missed the first train we wanted, so we got to play around the station while we waited for the next one.

Big Kids



Little Kids



I think this one's funny because you can see me taking the picture in the door's reflection.





The conductor was really nice and let each of the boys blow the horn.



The train took us all the way downtown. As we walked to a park to eat our picnic lunch, we passed a fire station. One of the fire fighters called us over and asked if the boys would like to see the inside of the fire engine. Yes!!! What a fun, impromptu tour! She even flashed the lights and blew the horn for us.





When we finally came home, Jeremy and Megan followed us down to Houston, and we got to spend a few days playing with them here. We went to Herman Park,

(The boys loved the "bamboo forest" in the Japanese Garden,


and of course the play area was a hit.)


took a boat tour of the Houston Channel,

(This was so cool! We sailed past HUGE tankers and cargo ships from all over the world being loaded and unloaded. --And it was free! The Houston Channel Authority gives free tours twice a day for tourists.)


and went to Galveston beach. It was a gray, windy day, and the beach was covered in seaweed, but it didn't phase the kids one bit.





I am so glad my kids have cousins their ages to play with! What a blessing it is to have such a wonderful, loving family!



In mid-April, Matt and I got to attend the Houston Law Review's formal banquett. The week before, I had won a make-over at our ward's Young Women's Girl's Camp auction, so I spent all day at my friend Emily's house getting all primped up for the evening. It was the first time I've ever gotten an up-do, and she also gave me a hair cut, manicure, pedicure, and did my makeup. It made for a long, but fun day.



This is sooo cute! To get the kids ready for Easter --and focused on the true meaning rather than the egg hunt and candy --we reviewed a simplified version of the Easter story before bed each night. By the end of the week, they both had it memorized. Sadie especially loved rolling the stone away, and now whenever she sees something round (e.g. a dinner plate), she rolls it back and forth saying "Jesus resurrected!

Just a Cute Picture

Just wanted to share a cute moment. Michael watched me pick Sadie out of her crib after nap time today, and he decided that he wanted to pick Sadie up too. . . Only, she's too big for him, and she didn't seem to appreciate his efforts to pick her up. So I sat them on the couch together, and that seems to satisfy them both.

Peanut Butter Anyone?

Just thought I'd post this. Matt has been volunteering every other weekend at the peanut butter factory for the last 2 1/2 years.

http://newsroom.lds.org/article/more-than-peanuts-for-the-hungry-in-houston

Spring Break

I must admit, I never actually thought it would happen. But Matt took a whole week off for spring break! And even more special, he took me on an anniversary get-away trip to Wimberly. It was only two days, but we packed as much as we could into those days! We visited art galleries and antique shops in Wimberly and Boerne, a glass-blowing factory,



a bonsai exhibit, and an olive orchard. And of course, we found time for a few walks together.



As much as I love my children, I have to admit, it was nice to have a little time away to just be "Jennie" and not "Mom." And when we got back (A million thanks to Matt's family for watching the kids!), the kids never even seemed to miss us. . . . I think we'll have to do this more often!

The kids are learning to play pretty well together. Now that Sadie is a little older, she tags along with Michael and enjoys doing pretty much whatever he does. They love playing puppets,



playing with their farm sets, reading, having picnics outside, making towers (Dad helped a bit with this one),



coloring, playing with play dough, helping me "garden" (ie. water plants), and making "pillow nests."



In other news, Michael is now officially a "Big Boy!" (In other words, he is potty-trained!) After his third birthday, we decided to just go cold-turkey and take away all his diapers. I have to admit, I was scared, but it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. We've been working with him for the past year, and when it came time to make the switch, he seemed to know exactly what we expected. Way to go Michael!

It's a Girl!

It's official. Baby Compton #3 is another little girl. We are thrilled! She and Sadie will be close in age and have lots of fun together.


At one point during the ultrasound, she appeared to be waving at us. I guess she just can't wait to join her new family.

Busy February

February was a very busy month including Valentine's Day and Michael's third birthday!


For Valentine's breakfast, I made heart-shaped toast with red sprinkles. --It was a big hit.


Matt planned on taking me out on a romantic lunch date. But when babysitting fell through, it turned into a family event. We did a little shopping (What does a loving, student-couple buy for their romantic Valentine's gift to each other? A new, high-quality can opener from William Sonoma, of course!), then went out to lunch at Pappa's Burger. Following lunch, we opened cards and "treats." I surprised Matt with the biggest card I could find. Sadly, even a giant card can't fully express my love.



We made a trip to San Antonio where Grandma took us to the S.A. Livestock Show. It was sooo fun.
What with the baby animals exhibit,




the tractors to climb on,


the pony rides,


the milking exhibit,


and the Vlasic Pickle Stork,


the fun never ended!


Then, we headed north to Leander to celebrate Michael's birthday with my family. There was a burn ban in effect, so instead of a bonfire outside, we roasted hotdogs over the fireplace. --It was almost just as fun.


We also got to ride around the park on the train.


Michael wanted a Bob the Builder birthday party, so Uncle Stephan and his friend, Jen, created a masterpiece of a cake complete with workmen, bulldozers, and plenty of dirt.




It was a very fun birthday!


When we got home, we celebrated again with Dad.


The highlight was the amazing racetrack Dad got him. It's flexible, so you can bend it into ramps and loops.--Heaven for little (and big) boys!


More cute pics:

When the big cold fronts came through last month, we were a little anxious for spring, so we had a few indoor picnics. (Now that the weather is beautiful, we've been having outdoor picnics just about every day for lunch.)


Michael went through a phase where he was obsessed with flashlights. We finally gave him his own little flashlight, and every night when we'd go in to check on him, we'd find him curled up under the covers, fast asleep with his flashlight still glowing.


Another favorite pastime is getting spun and flung on the couch by Dad.


Sadie always seems to have a smile on her face. She is such a happy little person, she's an absolute joy to have in our family!