Carter's

My Boys

2011-09-30T21:19:00.000-07:00

Boys

2011-09-14T19:46:00.000-07:00

We took a few photos tonight. This was one of them, it was actually an alright photo, considering my boys were so preoccupied with playing in the water.

My dad

2011-09-09T06:48:00.001-07:00

My father passed away on August 31st. He will be dearly missed by all. He was my hero and my good friend. I will miss his easy going personality and detailed explanation of how things work. I once asked him jokingly if it was really possible for a house to fly with balloons. He asked if he could call me back, and when he did, he had a detailed analysis and breakdown how to fly a house with just helium. Haha- I love that guy. I will miss him dearly. Our good friends the Whiteheads sent us these great photos. I thought I would share them.

Jada's Baby Pics

2011-02-26T22:07:00.000-08:00

I took some pics of Jada and I thought I would post a few here...

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T18:54:00.000-08:00

This has been a busy year! We had a great one, even though I didn't get much time to update my blog. I guess I should make it a "new years resolution" to focus a little more on it. We'll see. I don't know if I can make any promises. We added Mason this year to our family, and we can't believe we ever lived without him! He sure is a cute kid, though he is also a real MENACE. We wish everyone that reads our blog a Happy New Year and we hope you will come back to see our family grow!

Pumpkin Hunt

2010-10-15T21:41:00.000-07:00

We took the boys to pick pumpkins this year. It was a bit more fun than just running to the store to pick them out. I think they had fun! More pics to come as soon as I become less lazy and process them...

Nelson's Grove

2010-08-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

We went to the park tonight, and I actually took some photos! So here is an update of my boys.

Anchor Bay 2010

2010-08-07T12:07:00.000-07:00

Anchor Bay seemed like a quick trip this year. I only took Cameron and Zachary and left Traci with the 2 younger boys at home. There was no way we were going to attempt camping with a 6 month old baby. We stayed in the "tree House" a small 12x14 foot shed that is on the back of my parents property. We had a ton of fun, even though most of the week the temperature was in the low 50's. We only saw 2 days of sun, and it was greatly appreciated! I didn't know I could be so cold this time of the year! Fishing was a lot of fun from my kayak. I learned very quickly that I need a patch to fight sea-sickness. I didn't do so good in that area. Ugh. Its no fun throwing up off of a kayak. We didn't catch a lot, but we had fun going out and braving the weather and waves. It will be even better next year, now that I have some good experience behind me! Until next year Anchor Bay!

My Brothers little girl, Sadie. She has the most amazing blue eyes!

A picture from top of the hill. We fished mostly around that rock. The water was pretty rough most of the time. This was also one of the 2 days that we got any sun.

Zachary

Cameron

A few fish I caught

My brother with his pedal driven Hobie Kayak.

One of the fish we caught. Most of them were pretty small.

Cameron and Zachary at the Saturday Party.

Cameron and Zachary

A picture just to show how cold and foggy it was most of the time!

Brian washing out my Kayak after he rolled it in the surf. LOL

Some of the fish we caught.

My Dad, who is doing great!

Anchor Bay Sunset

Amber's DELICIOUS potatoes that she cooked in her dutch oven

My parting shot after my last day of fishing.

Who is who?

2010-06-04T21:11:00.000-07:00

Time to guess!! Which one is Mason, and which one is Zac?

iPad + Velcro = LOVE

2010-05-22T09:25:00.000-07:00

Another funny yet good idea! ...I have the velcro, anyone care to give me an iPad? LOL

First Kayak Trip

2010-04-25T15:47:00.000-07:00

This was our first trip out in our new Kayak. It was a lot of fun. I think we are going to have a lot of great memories! Good thing no one went overboard on this trip! I have posted the rest of the pictures on my CcarterYak blog if you want to see them...

Mason's Blessing Day

2010-04-11T15:35:00.000-07:00

New Blog

2010-03-06T15:07:00.000-08:00

I started a new blog- called CcarterYak . We are getting a Kayak for tax returns this year, and I plan on spending some quality time on it with my family. I am really excited, so I am going to try and update my new blog weekly, with a current "status" of one of our trips, a favorite kayaking video I might have run across, or a review of some of the products I might be using. Check it out, and leave me any comments or ideas you might have! Happy Kayaking!

Mason Nicholas Carter

2010-01-30T15:59:00.000-08:00

Mason Nicholas Carter. Born January 20th 2010 at 1430 hours. He was 6 pounds 6 oz. and 20 inches long. He has been doing great... sleeping mostly during the day...and sometimes at night. We love him so much, and he is an amazing addition to our family! Jenna Nelson (Jenna Nelson Photography)took photos of him today, and we love them!

Why we shouldn't leave soda out in the Car.

2009-12-27T21:09:00.000-08:00

The title says it all. It got real cold last night and the soda in the back of the van didn't last. Oops!

Cameron's Baptism

2009-12-26T23:15:00.000-08:00

I promised updates, and this is a long overdue one. Cameron was baptized a few months back. It was an amazing experience. I am sure proud of him. We bought him his own set of scriptures, which he loves.

School Photos

2009-12-19T12:22:00.001-08:00

Amber got on my about updating the blog. She is so right- I really need to be more on top of things! Anyway, the boys had their photos from school, and I never got around to scanning them until today! So, here is the update! :p

Ling Cod Dinner

2009-11-08T21:48:00.001-08:00

Amber sent us some great recipes for the fish we caught this summer. Those inspired me to make up a little recipe of my own! It really wasn't much, and it was lacking a few things that I wanted to put in it that I didnt have on hand... but we made it work!

If you've never had Ling Cod before, its something to see. The actual fillet is close to a florescent green. It wouldn't show up for pictures, but it is a bit unnerving if you didn't know it was normal! It does turn white while being cooked though...

I just tossed together some bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, and a little melted butter to make the crust. I then dipped it in the egg mixture before I put it in the bread crumbs. Pretty basic. I wish would have added some parsley and garlic to it, if I had any on hand. -Maybe for next time.

We cooked it for about 20 minutes, and it turned out great! I was in a bit of a hurry to eat, I was starving! Thus, the pictures didn't turn out so great(kind of blurry). It was a first attempt at photographing food. Kind of fun! Thanks again Amber for the recipe's! The fish was great!

10th Anniversary

2009-10-24T14:05:00.000-07:00

We just had our 10th Anniversary this week. Our original plan (10 years ago!) was to be in Hawaii on our 1oth... Obviously, that didn't pan out! We ate Breakfast in Sundance at The Foundry Restaurant. It was really good! My father in law watched Jacob so the morning breakfast could happen(thanks Dick!). Our afternoon was spend at home waiting for the boys to come home from school. Gabby, our lifesaver, babysat for us at night, so we could go see a movie and go out to eat. It wasn't Hawaii, but it was a lot of fun. It has been an adventurous and wonderful 10 years, here is to the next 10 with my best friend Traci!

Our Newest Video

2009-10-23T06:55:00.000-07:00

Great Vacation Memories

2009-08-30T10:33:00.000-07:00

I still have so many pictures of vacation, that I will never be able to post all of them. We spent an afternoon and evening with my sister and her husband at their house. They have an amazing pool and back yard. We were so grateful that they would have us over. It was a ton of fun. They really are the nicest people. Thanks for the fun time guys! Oh, also, thanks for the great fire pit/stove- we are totally enjoying it!

Zac can Ride a Bike!

2009-08-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

Zac learned how to ride a bike yesterday! We are so proud of him. He wouldn't take any help from us. He was so determined, he wouldn't give up! It probably took about an hour or so, and he had it. The look on his face was priceless!

I forgot one!

2009-08-02T21:32:00.001-07:00

Sunday Night: Close ups

2009-08-02T21:09:00.000-07:00

So, as I have said before, I am still figuring out the mechanics of my camera. I took some macro shots on my vacation, and I thought that they turned out o.k.

The Power of the Ocean

2009-08-01T19:52:00.001-07:00

We never really appreciate the power of the ocean. The waves at Anchor Bay are relatively small. I know that the sea turns "upside-down" (as we call it) but us land creatures don't really get a chance to see it go crazy like it did the last 2 days of our stay. It was amazing. The waves were so big, that not one of the fishermen from the campground even attempted to launch any of their boats. Seriously spectacular. It was just "jaw dropping".

Favorite photo, Friday Edition

2009-07-31T22:02:00.000-07:00

The first picture has been my favorite one, as of today. I think I am going to use this one for our canvas picture that we want in our living room. I think it will turn out nice on a big 3x5 foot canvas(give or take a little!) The second one is a collection of 3 or 4 photos that I stitched together from the Point Arena Light House. Let me know what you think!

Friday Night Vacation Post: The Kids

2009-07-31T21:43:00.000-07:00

Looking through my photos, I noticed that I didn't get any great pictures of my sisters children! (sad, hu?) So I am a little bummed about that. I must say though that my favorite picture out of these is Sadie. She is really photogenic, and it doesn't surprise me that her photo turned out so well. Brenden, Brian and Melissa's oldest boy, was buried and turned into a sports car. Anywho, these are the best that I have found. Some of them are not the clearest of pictures, but they work! I'm still learning the functions of my camera! Go Sony Alpha!

2 More Favorites

2009-07-30T23:09:00.001-07:00

Here are 2 more favorites from today. It amazed me at how big the swells got on Friday. The waves were huge! I managed to take a TON of wave photos, but this one struck me when I saw the difference between Cameron and the wave. -Don't forget that this wave is a little ways off, so its even bigger than it looks!!! The second photo is of some of the shops at the top of the hill in Anchor Bay. I don't think anyone ever thinks about taking a picture of them, but I thought it was a bit "different" to paint them such bright colors...

60's Hippie Party

2009-07-30T22:41:00.000-07:00

This years theme was a 60's Hippie Party. It turned out to be really fun. My dad called me around 2 weeks before we came out, and suggested I be a San Francisco Tactical Swat Officer. I guess he had a few "run ins" (hahaha) with them in the 60's and they were a pretty big part of San Francisco. I didn't really think that it was that great of an idea, and frankly thought that it would go off like a dud. To my surprise, I was the big "hit" (no pun intended) at the party! I had more than a handful of people come up to me and tell me they clearly remembered encountering the S.F. Tac squad and didn't have the fondest memories of it... They had a good time poking the stick at me. I even got a few chants of "HELL NO WE WON'T GO!" lol They really liked that I used a garbage can lid as a shield, and that I purposely misspelled Squad as "Squid". Overall, it was another great party. Thanks to all the LLC Members who put all the work into the decorations and catering the food- great as always!

Our Fishing Trip

2009-07-29T22:37:00.001-07:00

I have already posted a few photos of our fish we caught. I ended up catching a Ling Cod on the second day we were out fishing! The weather was pretty poor, very very windy. We still managed to make the best of it and caught one limit (10 fish) and my Ling. It was 8 pounds, 29inches. I was pretty excited that I caught one. In fact, we seemed to do better than a lot of the other people that went out fishing during the week! We were unable to fish on Friday or Saturday, the waves were crashing in the cove and were too big to try and take a boat out past them. Maybe next year! Zac was fascinated by the fish and I think he will be out there with me next year. He was begging to go with us. Anyway, it was a lot of fun, even if we did have a minor mishap.."ahem..."

Day on the Delta

2009-07-29T22:08:00.001-07:00

Jason took us out on his boat while we were in California. It was a ton of fun. Unfortunately, there were not any great photos worth posting of me, except the one on top. Me crashing horribly. Pretty funny! I couldn't help but post Brian's photos of his crash, it was just too cool to not show! Anywho, Cameron was a brave little boy, and tried wake boarding- what a good kid! He actually got up, but fell quickly and didn't want to try it again. Way to go Cameron! I am proud of you! The rest of the photos are of Jason. He has some really cool grabs and of coarse, he is amazing on his surfboard behind the boat. He sure makes things look easy! ...By the way, THEY ARE NOT! :)

When I grow up, I want to be a Seagull!

2009-07-29T21:49:00.000-07:00

I have so many photos that I cant pick which ones I want to post! So here is a favorite of mine that I managed to snap. I need to thank Marvell, for the lense that he let me borrow to get some of these wonderful photos- Thank you. I took this of Cameron while he was jumping over the incoming wave, and it ended up looking like he was mimicking the seagulls! Kind of a neat shot. As always, it was color corrected in Lightroom, my new best friend. We had so much fun, that I don't know if I will ever get all of my favorite photos up!

Anchor Bay Vacation 2009

2009-07-27T16:53:00.000-07:00

I went a bit crazy with taking pictures this year, and ended up with about 700 to 800 photos. I know, its a bit on the overkill side, but I was so interested in capturing the "moment" that I just never stopped. There is such a magic and draw about Anchor Bay for me, that I just cant get enough. The Ocean is a whole other topic- it too just pulls me in, I can't seem to get enough of that either. Anywho, here are two pictures that I am proud of. Fishing was a blast this year, even if the wind kept us from going out where we wanted. I will post the picture of my Ling Cod as soon as I get it downloaded and processed. Hope everyone is doing well!

My First Firework attempt!!!

2009-07-04T22:59:00.001-07:00

I have always been amazed at the beautiful pictures I see that people take of fireworks. I figured that since I now own a DSLR, I might as well give it a try! So this is my first attempt, taking the photo from the Stadium of Fire in Provo. It turned out O.K. I obviously need some improvement, but its a great first start!

My First try at a Panoramic photo!

2009-07-04T22:14:00.000-07:00

I tried to do my first panoramic photo, and it didn't turn out half bad! I had to merge 4 photos to get this, but it didn't turn out half bad!

Why I LOVE Adobe Lightroom

2009-07-03T18:19:00.001-07:00

I just upgraded to Lightroom 2.4. It was a much needed improvement! It has made post editing a breeze, and I have now seen the light and converted whole heartedly to RAW and Lightroom. I now can edit colors, fix problems, export to Photoshop, correct vignetting, convert to JPEG, and more at a touch of a button! Everything is so simple now, its seriously ridiculous. I should advertise for Adobe. Why am I not paid for this???

Provo Balloons 2009

2009-07-03T14:18:00.000-07:00

This was the earliest we have ever made it to the Balloon raising in Provo. 6:30! Our usual time we make it there is around 8'ish (no thanks to me). We had fun watching them and seeing them up close!
On a sadder note, my father has become sick, so our vacation might get postponed. I hope he is able to get better soon. He is in our thoughts and prayers.

Blog Update

2009-06-27T21:17:00.001-07:00

I haven't been posting, but a lot of things have happened. Traci is pregnant! We planned this one, which will be our last. She is having a tough time with this one though. She started feeling sick around 4 or 5 weeks, and it hasn't gotten any better. I feel for her, but I cant do a whole lot, other thank keep on my kids to keep the house clean.
Vacation is in 3 weeks! We are going back to California this year again. We will be staying at Anchor Bay for 6 days. There are a few days before and after that, that we will be in Antioch visiting family, but otherwise it will be a shortened trip. I believe it is a total of 14 days in California (including traveling). It is a needed break, so we are excited!
Soccer has come and gone, and the boys were great sports about it. I think they need a few seasons to get the hang of it, but they seemed to like it, and near the end started to actually chase after the ball!
Anyway, I should have some updated pictures from our trip to Anchor Bay here shortly, so stay tuned!

What NOT to do to your New iPhone 3Gs! LOL

2009-06-27T20:54:00.000-07:00

Zac's Soccer photo

2009-05-01T22:18:00.001-07:00

Zac's soccer photo, I'll try and post a few more in.... "a few days". LOL I have been slacking on my blog, and actually gave up on it for awhile. I think I needed a break, but I might be back from that break, and then again, I might not. Time will tell! :p

Snow Day

2009-05-01T22:03:00.000-07:00

Traci took these photos from the last storm we had a few weeks ago. I adjusted the colors in Lightroom, but they are pretty much untouched. She did a great job! -And should I mention, this is outside of our front door! I think we all need to look out and appreciate what we have around us more often! Seriously.

Rare Photos

2009-03-09T18:29:00.000-07:00

Its been awhile since I have posted. I honestly feel kind of burned out about posting. Either that, or I am just extremely lazy. It could be the latter. Anywho, Traci was digging through some of the photos that we have, and she came across this rare photo of my grandpa. I miss him a lot, and I am sorry to say that I don't have too many photos of him in my life. He was a great fisherman, and this photo just proves that he knew where and how to catch fish.
The second picture is of him on his way to visit Anchor Bay (Northern California). I guess he had stopped and found something to film on the side of highway 1. Not real interesting photos to anyone else, but never the less important to me!

St. George Part 3- More Photos!

2009-01-21T22:10:00.000-08:00

So these are the remaining that I dare convert over. We had so much fun. I think we will start taking regular trips to St. George in the winter. Why stay up here and be miserable in this snow???

St. George Part 2

2009-01-20T22:03:00.000-08:00

I ran out of time tonight, so I only had a few minutes to post this family picture... More to come soon....

St. George Weekend

2009-01-19T20:21:00.000-08:00

We went to St. George this weekend with Traci's sister and her husband. We had so much fun, it was really hard coming back! The weather was phenomenal and we couldn't get enough of it! We left on Saturday morning and stayed Saturday night and Sunday night. TJ and I went golfing on Saturday afternoon and again on Monday morning. I think I am a fan of golfing! It was a lot of fun. Anyway, I will include more photos, once I figure out how to convert more of them from my RAW format. I think I understand the benifit of RAW now, with this photo here being the guinea pig. It is pretty cool!

Our Neighborhood (Playing with RAW)

2009-01-11T20:00:00.000-08:00

So I started to play with RAW a little. This photo is mostly correct... well... the orange is a little "too" orange on the left side of the photo, but its close enough. I don't totally understand how to edit RAW yet, but hopefully I will figure it out. A friend of mine suggest I do the complete switch over and stop using JPEG all together, but I guess I am still not getting it.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-22T04:46:00.000-08:00

These last couple of weeks have been really busy. I know, its just how Christmas is, but for some reason, it seems a lot busier this year than in years past. Anywho, I wanted to just tell everyone Merry Christmas, and that I will catch up on everything this coming weekend.
On a quick note, I went to the Las Vegas Bowl this last weekend. My friend "Jeff Smith" invited me, it was a ton of fun. I have never- let me repeat- never, been to Las Vegas. So it was really cool to see the strip, even though we didn't have time to stop and walk around. It was a fast 1 day trip: down on Saturday, back on Sunday... so not a whole lot of time. Anyway, hope everyone's Christmas is great- and I will catch up with photos and stories sometime later this week...(I hope!)

Some Favorites

2008-12-17T18:48:00.000-08:00

Been a few weeks...

2008-11-29T09:43:00.000-08:00

A lot of things have happened, preventing me from updating our blog. I really don't like to write a whole lot; I am more of a visual person. I prefer photos over reading- so here is a quick recap of what we have been doing: I took Thanksgiving week off. Yeah for me! At the same time, we found out Zac had to go in AGAIN to have tubes put in his ears. At the same time as that, the doctor took out his adenoids. That was on Tuesday. We were blessed to have a quick recovery, and by Wednesday he was running and playing like nothing ever happened. Thursday was Thanksgiving, and my brined Turkey turned out great. Thursday night, Traci's grandpa passed, and we are preparing for the funeral. Amongst all of this, we managed to go to American Fork Canyon for an hour or so and test out our camera. So here are a few photos or so of our week... give or take a few days...

Year Book Yourself

2008-11-15T14:05:00.000-08:00

My friend Nathalie did this and I thought it was totally funny. So I had to try it out for myself. I am a bit embarrased to say that I graduated in 1992, because it really isn't a great look! Then again, what year is??? So I had to try out a few different decades.. Have a good laugh on me!

1952

1964

1970

1972

1984

1992

1998

Blue Eyes

2008-11-13T21:34:00.000-08:00

We bought our camera today! A DSLR Sony A200. We love it- it is so nice! Now we just need to learn how to use it with all its features! Anyway, we were testing it out, and taking pictures of everything we could see...the floor, our feet, the couch, each other... The boys ended up being the focus since they kept saying "pick me! pick me! I want to be in the photo!". But anyways, it looks like this camera does a better representation of color(and I think the 10 megapixels help!). So here are a few pictures of our boys eyes. We love how blue they all are. We feel very blessed to have healthy children. The photos turned out great, but you really need to click on them to enlarge them. Then you can really see their beautiful eyes in action.

Goodby leaves

2008-11-08T22:47:00.000-08:00

Its a sad day when the leaves fall. I guess its just that time!

Like Father Like Son

2008-11-08T22:44:00.000-08:00

Jake is only 18 months- but every chance he gets, he comes over to the computer and bangs on the keys, obviously copying me. Am I creating little computer monsters? Basically. Basically.

Halloween Costumes 2008

2008-11-03T15:38:00.000-08:00

Here are our Halloween costumes that we chose for 2008- I think they turned out really great! Cameron was Ob1-Kanobi, Jake was a Dragon, Zac was Alvin, and I was a Skeleton. Of course, I had to starve myself for a few weeks to get the desired effect for my skeleton costume- Man- was I hungry!

Pumpkin Carving 2008

2008-10-28T17:15:00.001-07:00

This is the first year that Cameron was able to carve his own pumpkin. It was soooo nice! For some reason, it went a lot smoother than years past. Maybe its because we finally have it down. You think? Either way, it was really fun. The kids really enjoyed themselves.

Anniversary -Nine years

2008-10-26T19:35:00.000-07:00

This weekend was our nine year Anniversary. I haven't posted for awhile, and I don't have any new pictures of us to post, but I thought that I would at least say a little about our fabulous weekend. We ended up booking a night at the new Marriott Hotel in Lehi. It was originally expensive to stay there, but I found out they give a huge discount to state employees. I don't think any of our Hotels have been as nice as this one. It was wonderful.We also decided to go to our favorite Restaurant "Harvest" at Thanksgiving Point. It too, like always was terrific. If you ever have a chance go and eat there, do it. Its what some of my friends call "Fancy Food"- but I love it. Always have!We also went to a movie, GhostTown. If you like "The Office" then you'll love this movie. It has a lot of dry humor and I think it takes awhile to get used to the main character, but overall it is a really good show. Anyway, we just stayed for that one night. It has been 5 years since we have been able to get away from our children overnight, so it was great.

Funniest Video

2008-10-17T22:45:00.000-07:00

I don't normally post this kind of stuff.... We'll, actually, I'll post almost anything... But anyway, this is a great video- and I am sure everyone can relate. Everyone has either witnessed or been near to this crime of fashion. Sick. ...I am for sure buying Traci her own pair for Christmas. That would be soo cool!

Facebook Profile

2008-10-17T21:18:00.000-07:00

I did it. I started to get hounded by my co-workers for not having a profile on Facebook. I broke down yesterday and did it. Its not that bad and actaully better than MySpace. It is more like... a MySpace for 30 year olds. LOL I have come in contact with some people that I haven't talked to for close to 10 years! It won't replace my Blog here, I like this set up way too much to drop this, but it is a good supplemental to what I already have. I think it was worth it, and you should try it too, if your daring enough! Its just a good way to find those people you have lost contact with over the years. Be it from High School, the Mission, or College. Check it out.

School Pictures 08

2008-10-11T16:22:00.001-07:00

Traci just got these school photos back. I haven't used my scanner for awhile, and it took a little bit of time to get it warmed up. I think they turned out great. I didn't even have to touch them up! Of coarse, you are always biased towards your own children. Anyway, I just can't believe they are getting so big!

Provo Canyon to Heber

2008-09-27T19:52:00.001-07:00

Fall is our favorite time of year. We love going through the canyons and seeing all of the beautiful colors that there are. My personal favorite is Logan Canyon. If you have never seen it during the Fall, your missing out. It is a must see. Anywho, we took a trip through the Provo Canyon today and went up to Heber to get a shake at Granny's. We all shared an Oreo shake and then watched the boys play at the park that was just around the corner from the restaurant. I think they had a lot of fun!

Finally Microsoft! Its about time!

2008-09-20T13:17:00.000-07:00

I love Apple. Their commercials are great. They are simple yet they totally stick it to PC's. Well, finally Microsoft strikes back. Its about time. The whole Jerry Seinfeld idea was a total joke. They dropped that and went with this. There was a comment that I read about these latest ads that sums it up for me: "Very cool. I particularly like how they took on the Apple ads but didn't sink to that level. Bravo MS for being creative but not juvenile..." Check it out, its actually not bad.

Update- I found this on AppleInsider. Hmm. It doesnt surprise me. 1 Step forward for Microsoft, 3 steps back. Nice one Microsoft. Nice one.
"Metadata found on Microsoft's creative copy used in its 'I'm a PC' ad reveals that the graphics were actually produced using Macs running Adobe Creative Suite 3. After the details were published on the Flickr photo sharing site, Microsoft scrambled to polish off the embarrassing details last night." (Link)

School Carnival 2008

2008-09-20T10:35:00.000-07:00

The boys had a blast at the school carnival. Traci had to work, which was unfortunate, but thats life! Anyway, the boys had a lot of fun playing the games and eating pizza. It was a successful event! ...Especially because I was winging it alone. Traci sure makes it look easy!

Evolution of our House/ Project #2 and #3

2008-09-14T07:32:00.000-07:00

Somehow, I got wrapped up into doing another big project. Its really all my fault. I wanted the stupid front entry way torn down, and I have been complaining about it since we bought the house. So back to painting the house, project #2. We purchased primer this week and got everything ready for painting on Saturday. Friday, I got off of work earlier than anticipated, so I came home and tore down the entry way. My neighbor (thanks Eric!) helped me replace my beams for my porch overhang and around 2:00 p.m. I started to paint. The primer is a bit lighter than our actual color, but it will work for now unitl we can save up for the actual paint. We love that it is a different color from our ugly "dirt" brown that we had, but we both feel that the porch has made a massive improvement in the appearance of our house. Traci helped out with everything on Saturday. From feeding the children and me, to scraping and painting. She was a blur. I would be painting, and ask for a window to be taped up, and she would have it done before I could even realize. She was amazing. Thanks Traci!

Here are a few photos that we dug up from before we purchased the house until now.

This is a picture of our house the week before we bought it and moved in! Notice the nice 2 tone paint job he had going on... Was he trying to set a trend?

This one was from our first or second year, before we had all of our cement ripped out and replaced... We had to paint that entry way- we hated it, but at least it was uniform in color.

Friday before demolition...

Saturday, painting and setting the beams

Project #2 2008- Painting the House

2008-09-07T20:39:00.000-07:00

We decided that our house couldn't wait another year to be painted. Its in pretty bad shape, as you can see by the photo. Our neighbor friends let us borrow their power washer on Saturday and I did the honors. It was a heck of a lot easier than scraping it by hand, and it only took me about 3 or 4 hours. Now the painting part. Arg. I really hate painting- with a passion. This time around, we hope to spray the house instead of rolling it. I'll post more updates as soon as we make some more progress.

1-2- Tie your Shoes

2008-09-07T11:02:00.000-07:00

Cameron learned how to tie his shoes this morning. I must admit, that boy of mine picks things up really quick... that is, when he puts his mind to it. He learned to tie his shoes in a matter of minutes, probably out of frustration. I think he was tired of having us do it for him. He was the same way when he learned to ride his bike when he was 3. He wanted to be a big boy so bad- He learned how to ride without training wheels on his first try, and hasn't looked back since! We are sure proud of him- way to go Cameron!

Back to School (last week!)

2008-08-31T08:42:00.000-07:00

I havent been very on top of posting- so here are a few more late photos. The main reason I have posted these today, is that I have been having a blast with these new Actions for Photoshop! I know, I agree that the ones I used are a little bit much, but they are so much fun! Anyway, I will hopefully keep a little more on top of posting... (unlike other people that I know...... hmm-hmmm- CAMI!)

Long overdue Birthday Post

2008-08-31T08:12:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Cameron! I know its late- but its the thought that counts, right? Right?

Equestrian: Worst Olympic Sport. EVER.

2008-08-17T09:03:00.000-07:00

Before I discuss my opinion of this terrible sport-
let me first say to all the people who are going to bash me and call me a jerk- I love horses! So don't think that I am an animal hater! Let me get started...
So I turned on the T.V. a few days ago when I got home from work to watch some Olympics. I have found myself watching more than I ever had in my life this time around. I can't account a reason to this, other than I find it fun to see us winning more gold medals. Call it patriotism, call it arrogance, it might just be a little of both. Anyway, I didn't find the usual channel that I have been watching the Olympics. I ended up finding another channel, that said it was "showing" the Olympics.
Little did I know, that it wasn't really the "Olympics," but a dog show. O.k.- more like a horse show. It was the Olympics, but it was a bunch of people trotting their horses around an arena of sorts. That was it!
My point is this: The Olympics are about personal strengths, running... swimming.... gymnasts... even badminton is considered a personal strength. I recall, when I was a wee little tike, in 4-H we would "train" and raise animals to show them at the County Fair. This is where we would see the Horse show. How in the world did this get to be an Olympic sport?! If I train my dog to roll over, do I get to go to the Olympics and show my dog rolling over and shaking hands? NO. That would be a dog show. So why do we have to sit through someone riding a poor horse and say that is a physical atribute? The horse does all the work, and a rider collects the glory. That's a weak excuse for a sport, if you ever ask me. I'm up for banning it. What a joke and a waste of my time. I hope I never have to see another dog show- errrrr- horse show in the Olympics again.

Tired Yet?

2008-08-03T20:51:00.001-07:00

I hope I am not tiring anyone with our vacation photos! I think we just had such a good time- there are tons of photos that haven't been posted yet! I'll stop here- I won't bore anyone else with our photos... I wanted to just get these last few from the tide pools and river trip. I think that there were just over 410 photos taken during the entire trip! My sister in law Amber, also posted a few photos that I took- so If you want some more abuse- she has posted a few good ones too!!!

This was our first crab that we found- it just happened to be this small!

This was our first hermit crab that we found

This star fish was busy eating something that resembled a Japanese Abalone...

This was the only orange starfish that I found- I found about 11 others, but all purple

This is our friends son Tony- I think its Zac's long lost twin!

Zachary Carter Photo Shoot- Take 1

2008-08-02T20:21:00.001-07:00

Traci wanted to take a few photos of Zac before we had our foot long grass cut. Zac immediately started to make poses, like he was in his own little photo shoot. That kid kills me.

Prison Issue

2008-08-02T17:43:00.001-07:00

I heard that the Prison was cutting back on the throw away spork packets that are handed out with meals. It included the usual-salt, pepper, folded paper napkin, and your all and inclusive spork. I think that everyone should have a spork. They are they best invention, and why does it only exist in institutions? The prison quit ordering the packets, and everyone was issued a florescent orange spork. I thought it was only the inmates that got these.
Well, I ended up doing an overtime shift last night and this morning, I wanted some cereal. No sporks! I guess I just wasn't issued "my" spork yet! I then had a great thought- maybe I should get one for each of my boys, and then they wouldn't have to use any more silverware!
I'm a genius.
Vote for me.
I'll make sure each and every one of you, gets your own, personal, SPORK.

1 forgotten photo

2008-07-31T14:15:00.000-07:00

Sorry, forgot about this one

Home

2008-07-31T14:06:00.001-07:00

We are home. I have been putting off posting it all day. I am in denial. Do you think there is some type of counseling I could take? "Vacation is over denial 101"

Beach Shots

2008-07-31T12:32:00.000-07:00

I can't post all the photos that I love, but here are a few that I really like.

ARRGG!!!!!! Saturday Pirate Party

2008-07-31T11:26:00.000-07:00

The Annual Anchor Bay Party was this last Saturday. This years theme was Pirates! Before I forget to mention it, the decorations were phenomenal! Part of the stipulation to go, was that you dress up according to the theme. Everyone agreed that this was by far, the best party they have had. The party usually stems from the annual Salmon Derby/Contest, but fishing for Salmon was prohibited this year by the Fish and Game. As you can see, that wasn't going to stop this party! It was a lot of fun, and the kids couldn't contain themselves. They were excited to go a week before it even happened!

Remnants from the Pirate Party

2008-07-31T10:31:00.001-07:00

I put this together, its my dad. My mom teases him about not having a chin- but I dont see the problem. Maybe because I too, don't have a chin??? Hmmm....

Favorite Picture

2008-07-29T10:20:00.001-07:00

Here is my favorite picture from our trip

Wednesday...Last Week

2008-07-29T09:38:00.001-07:00

Here are a few photos from Wednesday. I have so many, I just cant figure out which ones to use! Anyway, these stuck out to me, so I am now showing them to you... There are a couple of signs in there that made us laugh as we drove out there. The truck one was great- its even funnier what is written on the bottom, if you can figure it out... The Cow is from the sign pointing to the Sears Point Raceway. Enjoy!

End of Day Fun

2008-07-28T23:37:00.000-07:00

Today we just traveled. =Back to Antioch. Cameron got that Flu bug right as we left Anchor Bay, and was throwing up the entire day. That poor kid. I hate to see my kids in pain. We got back at around 5 p.m. and got settled in for the night. Jason had talked about maybe taking out his boat tonight, so I called him to find out if he was still up for doing it. I guess he was already packed and ready to go! Before I forget, Traci is the BEST WIFE EVER!!! She let me go out with my brother while she watched over Jake and Cameron. I took Zac, as you can see in the photos. It ended up being just a quick trip, but wow- it was amazing! These photos are a little out of order of our vacation, but I wanted to post something...

End of Week 1

2008-07-27T20:22:00.000-07:00

I got a little behind in my posts. I honestly have been enjoying myself WAY too much. If heaven is anything like this, lets go, because I AM READY. I forget how blissful(is that a word?) Anchor Bay really is. It has been a long time coming for this trip, and everything has been great.
On the downside, there have been a few "hickups" along the way. -Doesnt everyone have those on family vacations? Honestly, I think everyone does, but no one cares to admit it. We will! Zac got sick on Wednesday morning. He threw up all over Nathan, my brother and his carpet. I was really worried about him, but he seemed to snap out of it after one more little episode later that morning. Well, silly me to to think that it ended there! Friday night, we had the entire family up at the coast(minus my sister and her family... so i guess it isn't the entire family then, is it?) and Jason, my brother made Dutch oven blackberry something or other... We had a wonderful dinner- and at around 1030- the sickness hit me. Blah. Lets just say i was visiting the plastic lined brown bag outside of the tent every hour until about 5 that next morning. It was pretty nasty. So that had me down and out all of Saturday, and Traci caught a touch of it on Sunday(today). She hasn't been throwing up like me, but she feels pretty lowsy. Hopefully this is the end of it, even though I know Cameron is the last to get it.
So I cant post photos here at Anchor Bay, the wireless link is pretty weak, so I will have to get some up when I get back tomorrow. Either way, I have 200+ photos to sort through- and all of them are great, so its going to be tuff job picking which ones I want posted!
Tonight is our last night, and I will truely miss this place until next year. I recommend it for anyone that is in the Northern area of Califonia to visit. It holds a special place in my heart.

Day 2 Part 2: San Francisco Giants Game

2008-07-23T11:19:00.001-07:00

Day 2: San Francisco

2008-07-23T10:50:00.000-07:00

San Francisco was a fun day. We didnt get there until about 2 p.m., but we had a lot of fun, and loved every minute of it. We followed up the Warf with a San Francisco Giants game. I loved it. I wish I could go more often! Anyway, there are tons of photos, here are a few for now...

Clocks.... Can you hear me now?

2008-07-21T22:43:00.000-07:00

My mother has taken to collecting clocks. I went through the entire house and photographed each clock that actually chimes or makes an "animal" sound of some sort. There were more than this, but the others didn't "chime" each hour. Anyway, I had to show the proof that there were hundreds.....(o.k, I won't exagerate, 18) CLOCKS that chimed one after another each and every hour. I think its kind of funny, but every hour it seems like one of the boys end up saying "what was that?" and act like its the first sound they have ever heard in their life.

The Effects of Driving for 12+ hours

2008-07-21T14:59:00.000-07:00

Zac and Jacob are out today. Those kids are tired! We dont blame them, except that anytime we start to fall asleep, they seem to wake up or scream just enough so we dont get any rest. Oh well... Thats vacation for you! We kept a small tally of a few things while we were on the road yesterday, and thought we would post them... I felt inspired after reading Camerons blog the other day of his " 95%"

Times Zac asked "Are we in California yet?" =26

Rages of Gas Prices from Utah to Antioch California: $4.15 to $4.35

Times Cameron asked for a new activity while in the car: 12

Times Jacob fell, and actually got hurt: 4

Times I complained about not having any good shoes to walk in: 7

Times Traci loved and commented on the Sierra's: 21

Times I yelled at the kids saying "DON'T MAKE ME TURN THIS CAR AROUND!" : 8

Day 1- The big Hurdle

2008-07-21T13:09:00.000-07:00

We originally planned to stay in Reno Nevada overnight. When we arrived, it was only 4 p.m. and we noticed the kids were doing soooo good! Not wanting to jinx the good behavior, we decided to make the big push to my moms house, about another 3 or so hours(depending on trafic and how many times we ended up stopping). It went really well, until we switched off onto highway 113 from highway 80. About half way down 113, a Ford Expedition full of children pulling a trailer with 2 horses somehow lost its rear wheel doing about 40 mph. It was a miricle that the truck didnt flip. The truck ended up in a ditch on its side with the trailer still atatched to the truck, it too on its side. We stopped and did what we could to help. We set out the few flairs that we had and directed traffic on the tiny 2 lane road until EMS responded. We felt blessed that no one was hurt or injured, including the horses. Even with all of this- the children still did great until we arrived at my parents!

California or Bust

2008-07-19T17:23:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow we start our trip to California. We should be gone for almost 2 weeks. I cant wait to see the Ocean again and bask in the California sunshine. It has been 4 years since we (as a family) have been to California. I think he highlight of our trip will be Anchor Bay and the Giants game we are going to on Tuesday. I'll do my best to keep posting how we are doing while we are gone. -No promises though!

Officially Done

2008-07-19T16:49:00.000-07:00

Proof that the sprinklers work- and the timer is also working! Now I can go on vacation without having to worry about the lawn dying!

FINISHED!!!!

2008-07-12T15:57:00.000-07:00

Karate Finals/ White Belt Test

2008-07-12T15:43:00.000-07:00

Cameron and Zac took a Karate class this summer. For their final, they had to do some of things they were taught and then punch through a wood board. They were sure excited to do it- and I am proud of them for accomplishing it!

Day ?? of Project Backyard 2008

2008-07-12T15:33:00.000-07:00

I have been at it ALL WEEK. I don't think I have checked my e-mail once this week- and I haven't been in the house more than 5 minutes straight (unless I am sleeping...) Anywho, It has been a crazy week! I am now just getting updated on my posts- so I'll have more soon!

Day Spa/ Pool closure wont stop these kids!

2008-07-08T21:30:00.001-07:00

Carter Day Spa/ Pool is closed for Renovations

2008-07-08T21:17:00.001-07:00

Day 1 (give or take 4 days)
We needed to tie into our main line. If you didn't know, I hate all forms of plumbing. In case your wondering, I don't consider Sprinklers part of plumbing. Tying into the main line is a little above my experience level, so I hired out the hard part, and just dug my own hole. The hole kept getting bigger and bigger, and is now being refered as the Carter Day Spa and Public Pool. Thankfully its done, and leak free- even though this photo looks like there is a major leak.

Project 2008

2008-07-08T21:07:00.000-07:00

I promised Traci she would have a back yard.... 5 years ago. So I figured I better get on it- I am afraid that she might leave me if I put it off any longer... She's fed up. Last year was the shed, and I am so glad its done (thanks honey!) - I couldn't have done it without you!
Welcome Project 2008! -The yard project. It basically consists of Sprinklers and Grass in the back yard. As you can see from the photos, there is nothing. Actually, there were weeds, and lots of them, last week. Anywho, I want it done sooner than later, so I am shooting for this Saturday as the Finish date. Wish me luck!

Fourth of July

2008-07-06T07:39:00.000-07:00

We attempted to go to the Balloon Launch again this year. I vowed that I would be ready by 7 a.m.- but it still wasn't good enough. It was already over. Next year, we'll just camp out. Either way, it was still fun, and we went to breakfast at Kneaders Bakery (which I love). Anita invited us to a BBQ at her house. We had a great time visiting our family. The food, fireworks and company were great! Thanks Anita. We also attempted to stay out late and watch the fireworks, but the kids were actually complaining that they were too tired to watch and begged to go home! Oh well, at least they saw a few minutes of it!

Rock Band Weekend 101

2008-06-29T19:47:00.001-07:00

My boys love listening to The All-American Rejects. They will usually dance and jump around, but today I found them in the kitchen- in their new positions of their "Band". Zac was strumming along while Cameron was singing the chorus to Jacob in his high chair. I couldn't help but take a few photos, it doesn't do it justice though- they were too cute playing and singing along ...even though they weren't on key...

Skipping Grades

2008-06-27T21:00:00.000-07:00

I am so glad that life isn't like skipping grades! I really feel that this boy (if he could), would skip to age 6 in a heart beat! He wants to be BIG! He just wanted nothing but to sit on Zac's bike. He wouldn't get off either. He's killin' me!

Beginning Of Summer

2008-06-23T22:09:00.000-07:00

Kids are Creative!

2008-06-23T21:16:00.000-07:00

Secretly, I didn't know Zac wanted a Lizard. He found one of my bungees and hooked it to his plastic lizard- and PRESTO! His new Pet. If I haven't already mentioned it, he seems to get a new "pet" every week or so. Last week it was a Dolphin stuffed animal. So this week- he hooks up his little lizard and told us it was his pet on a leash. He took him for a few walks(thank goodness! I would hate to see that thing show any more teeth if it got angry!) and insisted on taking him out to lunch... with the leash on. He was so proud to pose for a picture with his new found pet. If this is as bad as new pets get for my boys- bring it on!

Before and After

2008-06-14T18:51:00.000-07:00

Traci took Jacob in for his hair cut today. As you can see, he was needing it pretty bad...

Day in the Sun

2008-06-14T18:39:00.001-07:00

We took the dogs outside today, and they had the time of their lives... at least for 15 or 20 minutes! They quit soon after exploring around, and took the afternoon off! Diane also came out and decided to take Gizmo (he's the only awake puppy in the last photo). Decisions-decisions! Its funny, I decided this morning that Gizmo was my favorite. He is so calm and relaxed! So I thought it was a good pick!