P stands for Papa

I feel the need to make an announcement. For the last TWO solid weeks, I have slept like a baby! The last time i did that was, well, I think when i was... A BABY! I fell asleep and stayed in a nice peaceful slumber for a good 7-8 hrs each night. It was bliss. But for any of u who are paying attention to the time on this post u will notice that I am back at it again. I awoke at my normal time (before the birds) and probably won't go back to sleep until tonight. That's right folks, I'M A FREAK! But i come by it honestly. My maw maw, My Uncle Sam, My brother Ryan, and my Papa are all crazy insomniacs like I am. As a matter of fact, my uncle Sam will probably read this post tonight at this crazy hour because he too isn't sleeping!!

My lack of sleep makes me think of my papa each night I get up and wander my house in the quiet. What's that??? You can't believe I get up and walk around. If u slept as little as i did, U would get up too. When I lived at home, it was not uncommon to get up at a random time and run into another family member who was also NOT SLEEPING! No sneaking out of the house for me and my bros... waaaaay to easy for someone to catch u!

I grew up calling my dad "papa". Saying the word dad just doesn't even sound right rolling off my tongue. If i was to say, "dad" to refer to him, he wouldn't even look up. It would be like him saying... "hey, amy" while standing next to me and trying to get my attention.

My papa is awesome with a capital A. I am my father's child. Here are a few of his RockStar traits:

1. Very Funny--he can make me laugh so hard
2. Great Husband to my Mom
3. Great Provider
4. Hard Worker
5. Always on Time (that's where i get my crazy-ness for being promt)
6. He always picks "the winning team"
7. He is a man of great integrity in a world that where that no longer matters much for many
8. If his children suddenly become interested in some type of activity... he will be the first to begin to research it so he can be a part of what u suddenly love.
9. He is a competitor!! Now that his days of sports are over, he gets just as competitive when he use to cheer us on. When I was at the state power lifting championships in HS I could hear his voice louder than any other yelling my name and cheering that I could do it.
10. He knows how to make me feel special as a daughter!

My mom and I laugh, because when people meet me and then meet my mom they usually comment about how much we look alike. My mom always responds with, "uh, u need to meet her dad!" and it's true, I strive in many ways to be like my mom, but when it comes to my papa... I'm just a natural at the job!! Love u Papa!! Happy Father's Day!!!

If Mother's Were Flowers, I'd Pick U.....

(Noni and Carter 2006)

I have a great long term memory. I can remember where I met people, what they were wearing and what conversations we had.  I can remember the games my brothers and I would play for hours on Sunday afternoons because we weren’t allowed to play in the neighborhood.  I remember holidays, moving to new places, and the classrooms that I learned in and the children I sat next to.  I also remember growing up with my mother.  To Describe WHAT MOTHERHOOD IS TO ME means going back to the beginning of my memories.  I remember getting hurt, and no matter the size of the injury, getting the most understanding and sympathetic comfort from my mom.  I remember when projects were due by one particularly demanding 3^rd grade teacher where I had to make murals of the artic, and salt maps of Africa, and dioramas of the pully stystem, and science experiements that took hours and hours to complete, my mom was always there making the late night runs to the store for supplies and helping me glue the final touches to each masterpiece (beacause that’s what they were, MASTERPIECES!).  I remember sitting down for dinner and when my mom realized there weren’t enough French fries she would forfeit her own to give so the boys and I could have more.  I remember thinking, “wow, this mom stuff looks pretty tuff, I don’t think I can do that!”  I remember being at a football game only to realize I forgot my dance pants or a hair bow I needed for my performance, my mom was always there with my back-up.  I remember her bringing me my lunch to school that I forgot on the kitchen counter some mornings (as a matter of fact, I think she was on first names basis with the lady in the office).  I remember her making me dinner and putting it in a cute three way divider dish and bringing it to the school when my practices ran late with little notes written on the napkin. (pause)   All my friends thought my mom was pretty amazing.    When I was in HS with a very demanding schedule where I wasn’t home much at all, I remember dragging home and walking into my room only to see it was clean, laundry washed and folded and a note on my pillow with the covers turned down that read, “I know u have been really busy, I did your laundry and picked up your room… hope it helps. Love-Mom xo”   Now, perhaps to some, these things seem small, but for someone to give up their FRENCH FRIES meant the world to me!    

I love you mom!  If I can turn out to be half the woman, wife, and mother u are... I WILL FEEL TRULY BLESSED! 

Happy Mother's Day to all of my wonderful friends and family. 

what's new??

i have a little bird that is chirping in my ear telling me i am not blogging enuf. I will agree. I will apologize for not doing it more often and promise to be better... but the next time I'll be on here will probably be mid spring... SORRY, JUST TRYING TO BE REALISTIC ABBY! But a girl can try and there's gotta be an award for that. So what new with the crew???

Noni and Pop have moved from California.  After 31 yrs in the military, Pop decided to retire.

They live about 5 miles away (or 12 minutes with lights and traffic).  How do we feel about it????

We give it a THUMBS UP!

Note --only two children in that photo are mine the Skull and lacrosse stix and the surf champ--

After being here only a few weeks my dad (Pop), was notified to say he was being honored with the Legion Of Merit Award.  A 3 Star General From California flew in just to present it to him.  The Medal is the highest award given out that is non war related.  It was "for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements".

(we took pics that i will have to get from the rents to post in my next mid spring blog post)

The C-man has learned to use a child proof lighter.  I'm just waiting for the day my house is burned to a crisp over an "unknown" accident.... I don't think i need fire insurance... more like 'Carter Insurance'

Noni and Pop's move was bitter sweet.... 3 days after they arrived, we said goodbye to uncle Ryan who moved back to Cali.... We are all pretty bummed about it.  As u can tell from the photo... he is pretty bummed too!

And this is how i feel DAILY....



But never fear... a light bulb went off in the ol noggin and I have made my life more organized and tranquil indeed.  So listen up mom's and ladies whose lives are so busy and not slowing down any time soon....

I began to pre-make my dinners in large quantities and freeze them!  I have a 3 month calendar planned out with a menu for each night.  Some meals are more staples than others and they may be listed once a month, other meals are a little more complicated and require more work so they are listed less.  Keep in mind, my husband does not like casseroles, or soup (but i can sometimes get away with a potato soup or chili from time to time if i'm lucky!)

I made up my first weekly menu with grocery list and went to the store.  I purchased a large quantity, I think of 25 disposable casserole dishes from Sam's...(they were super cheap $6 or $7) and my other bulk items.  I also purchased several boxes of freezer quart bags, sandwich bags, and gallon size bags.

Here's an example of a weeks menu:

White Chicken Enchiladas

Lasagna

Taco Salad

Chicken Parmesan

Quiche

Hot Dogs, Baked Beans, Chips (sat night)

Roast,Rolls, Mashed Potatoes, Salad (Sunday dinner)

then on Fridays (because i don't have to be at the gym that day), I make all my meals.  When i make the enchiladas and Lasagna I make enuf to fill 3 casserole pans to freeze of each (for later use).  When i make Chic Parmesan I thaw the chicken, coat the chicken and bread the chicken and freeze on a cookie sheet.  I buy 3 1 gallon cans of tomato sauce and make my marinara sauce in bulk and freeze in separate quart size bags for easy access.  (note- i use marinara sauce for my pizzas, chic parm, base of my chili with extra spices of course)  Once the chic is frozen individually i place them in a gallon size bag together and take out the necessary chicken the night i want to make that meal, I cook the pasta and add a bag of marinara from the freezer.  My quiche I make in advance (3 at a time) and freeze in the pie crust so that the only thing i need to do is take it out of the freezer the night before and place it in the fridge and let it thaw overnight and thru the next day until it's time to make dinner.  Then all i do is pop it in the oven and make a salad to go with it.  Hot Dogs are easy and require little prep, but I do the same for BBQ beans as I do for marinara... I buy the gallon cans of bush's beans and doctor them up with caramelized onions, bacon, brown sugar, and mustard, then i divide it into 3 bags and freeze.  The night before I pull bag from freezer and place in fridge.  The next morning I put the beans in crock pot on low and let it cook till dinnertime...Grill the dogs and u are done.  As for taco salad I buy my ground beef in the large tube at sams and cook almost all of it into taco meat.  I sautee the onions, brown the meat, drain and season.  Then i divide it into quart bags and use it for taco, red beef enchilladas, chili, burritos...etc.  I just dump the frozen bag into the crock pot the morning of and let it thaw and slow cook until dinner.  EASY PEASY PEOPLE!!

My days are a bit tricky between teaching class right smack dab at dinner prep time, helping with homework, and ball practice for 2 children, PLUS Wednesday night church activities, and monday is FHE, etc.  We were eating out way too much and my life was suffering in more ways than one.  This takes a little time once every few months to sit down and plan out menus but there is something liberating about not having to freak out when ur little one says..."what's for dinner mom, i'm hungry!"

I'll post more meals I do soon...(soon is a relative word on my blog, okay?!?!)

Before i sign out let me give a brief example of how this has helped JUST in this last week.  The missionaries from our church called monday morning and said i wrote on the calendar last month to feed them that day, ofcourse i didn't remember and i had a packed day.... So i pulled a lasagna from the freezer that i made 2 weeks ago and sat it out to thaw.  Later in the day I cooked it and dropped it off with garlic bread and salad...viola ladies... it's amazing!!!

Disney Part II: Funny Faced Rides

My family is crazy.  We laugh at silly things when we are all together, make funny inside jokes, and act just plain SILLY....!  So when you combine the happiest place on earth with my family you get all sorts of randomness!  When we ride roller coasters and a picture is being taken.... who knows what you'll get.  Sometimes we coordinate what we will do and other times we "DO WHAT YOUR HEART TELLS YOU TOO!"-- yes, that is what we say when it's "free choice".  Let me give you some examples of pictures done in the past. 

On Tower of Terror my brothers once grabbed a news paper and cell phone and one pretended to read the paper  and the other talked on the phone while the elevator dropped them over and over again.

Another Splash Mountain moment was when all three of my brothers put their shirts on their heads while the boat dipped and it caused the shirts to go flying.

Here are some we took this last time.  Mind you two of my brothers are missing from this trip, so it was left to the four of us to carry on the tradition... and... Joe helped too!

On This One I was riding solo and decided upon a nice nose plug, mouth open look while my fingers are in a spread out position.  (Space Mountain)

We aren't on a ride, rather just getting off space ranger spin.  Ofcourse no explanation needed... we are locked up with the evil emperor zerg and are a bit terrified! We need Buzz lightyear to save the day!

This one we purchased at the front desk. My parents of course have the traditional arms above your head look, my dad with the too cool for school hat on backwards.  Lucas is actually sitting next to me and laying on the floor out of fear of the ride?? NOPE! Out of fear he will get wet.  Ryan and I chose the "I'm so scared, that i had to hide my sisters face instead of my own" look.... and naturally I'm throwing up a trade mark... HANG LOOSE w/ my Papa!

The poor people that get stuck on rides with us... are we going down something scary here??? nah, just watching the song of the south show.

More crazy un related poses on the ride.

OK, this one i tried to snag with my phone, but had a hard time.  We are on rockin roller coaster.  Lucas' face is priceless, ryan is talking on his phone... and i forgot to open my eyes.  I forgot how fast this ride is, so i closed them when we took of here.... again, with hang loose/ rock on hands!

This is me at animal kingdom after riding the river rapids.  Did everyone else look that wet????? NO!  I was the only seat that got stuck under every waterfall and every gush of water possible.... I was SOAKED!  That shirt and shorts grew about 10 inches in length because they were so wet.  Each time i took a step i dripped water everywhere! It was hilarious...!

 

That's Ryan with the covered face, Joe is hanging himself with his Disney lanyard and i have a typical open mouth pose that says... TA-DA!

Here is a classic that must be framed on my Disney wall....

See no evil, Smell no evil.... and JAZZ HANDS!

--LOVE IT!--

My family rocks!  I love laughing with them, and i can't wait to laugh with them all the time once they move here!  I can hardly contain my excitement! 

Now this last picture I'm posting is really fuzzy and frankly a really awful picture of myself, but my face is not what i want you to focus on.... Right after i took this picture Joe told me there was a snake at my ankles, when i turned around i didn't see it, but my dad sent this picture to me tonight and said if you blow it up, you can see it in the right corner.  Now for those of you that know me, and know me well, you would know of how terrified i USE to be of snakes.  Should that of happened 5 years ago i would of dropped to the ground and rocked in the fetal position while sobbing like a baby...! NO LIE!! However, my husband, that happens to like snakes, has helped me fight my terrible phobia and I'm pretty good about them now, they really don't bother me at all.  Check it out!

Let's Talk About Dad's

The men that i celebrate on Father's Day give me much cause for gratitude.  The first is actually affectionately known as "PAPA".  My mother grew up speaking french and called her father Pappa, so we carried on the tradition in our home. 

My papa is a stud helicopter Pilot.

He has been deployed and fought in wars for over 30 yrs of his life.  He keeps the State of California Safe, by running all the fire operations in the sky.  The next time you watch Fox News and See Helicopter's Dumping water over the the high blazes, it's either him or a mission he's conducted. 

 

He is in charge of operations for the entire state of Cali to rescue people on the sides of mountains for hikers in the summer and skiers in the winter months.  He flies his helicopter with precision as he maneuvers it as close to the mountain as possible in order to get the rescue done.

He is at the top of his game!

Did I mention he is an amazing griller too?????

He can grill anything to mouth-watering perfection!!! MMMMmmmm, I can almost smell what's cookin'!

You can't see what's on his grilling apron, but it says in bold print across the top, "POP" because he is the pop to my three little boys who love him so much!

He takes super care of my mom.  To this day you can tell every time he looks at her that he is in LOVE! ,,, and what says love more than allowing her to have over 130 pairs of shoes in her closet?!?!?! (it's a long running joke in our home!)

I LOVE MY PAPA SO MUCH! HAPPY PAPA'S DAY!!

The Other Man in My Life, Is Joe!

Did I marry him because he is great at putt-putt????

While he is good at knocking that ball over all those obstacles, I didn't marry him for his great athletic skills!

Did I marry him because, like me, he rarely takes a serious picture??????

While I know it's hard to believe that I didn't marry for his "photogenic" abilities... this is not why I married him.

Did I marry him because of his Christmas-tree-picking-out skills???

Hmmmmm? Not particularly, but i will say, he has great taste in picking out almost anything... take a wife for example!

So why did i marry the man that I would spend forever with?

I married him because he is funny.  FUNNY is a must for me!!

He makes me laugh so hard, that i feel like my sides are going to explode!

I married him because of his love for children.

He isn't afraid to take our boys to work with him to give me a quick break.   He is a fantastic father to our children.  He loves them and cares for them and wants to spend time with them!!

I married him because he has drive and a very strong work ethic!

He is a terrific builder!  He has done well for himself without the help of dual incomes.  I can remember a time when he left home at 4 am and came home at 9-10pm in order to allow me to stay home with our children.  I have never worried about him doing what is necessary to help our family move forward!!

I married him because even though it doesn't come from his mouth in the exact words, I know that he thinks the sun rises and sets with me and our family!!

Happy Father's Day Babe!!

There is one more father I'd like to give an honorable mention... and that's MY FATHER IN LAW!  I have the privilege of being able to live near him and have really gotten to know him.  What a great man he is as well!! He loves my boys so much!  He loves his son so much!! He tells me each time i see him how much he cares!!

Happy Father's Day John!