I SPY...AGAIN

Do you remember when I had the I Spy with my 4th of July race picture? Well, here is another one to entertain you for a couple days while I'm in transition. The house is boxed up and Kylan loads the truck tomorrow morning. I can't believe the time is already here to move and of course that means that I will be out of the blogging world for a couple days, just a little warning for you frequent visitors. =)


I spy a nest of Killdeer eggs, do you?

Our Own American Idol

The David's have nothing on Keion!

Kylan and I are always amazed at the courage Keion has. He got up in front of his entire class and sang the National Anthem by himself, to make the choir group to go sing at a semi-pro baseball game. NEVER, would I do this, even if I could sing in the slightest, which I cannot.

Keion is such a great kid and I love that he will do the things he wants to, without fear from what his peers might think. If only he will stay like this!

Farewell BBQ

Today, after church, we got together for a BBQ with the Olson's and Allred's. It was the last time that we could all get together before we move. It won't be long and the Allred's will be moving to Las Vegas. In order to keep the tears at bay and be happy about leaving, I reassure myself that I will see all of them again. The Olson's will only be a couple hours away and the Allred's will be in Vegas, who wouldn't want to make a trip to Vegas??? =)
These two families are awesome and our friendship doesn't end here, we will be friends forever!
Does that sound like a Junior High note you would pass at school or what? My BFF's.

Rachel, myself, and Jen.

Us.

The crowd at dinner. Kylan was trying hard to get around my fat head.

BBQ pictures.


Nothing like a little Midwestern game of corn-hole!

The two little ones were having a great time trying to catch ducks and fish.

Travel BBall Party

We had the travel basketball party last night. I know the season ended sometime ago but this seems to be the time that we always decide to get together. I'm glad that it happened before we moved. One more week and we will be out of here =(
There are so many wonderful things that I could say about this group of people that we have come to love.During the basketball season, they become just like family. We spend a lot of time and weekends together and it's great that we get along, or life could be pretty miserable.
The party was mainly for the team but they did do a little something for Keion, since this was his last time he would be with all of them. It almost makes me teary eyed writing this.
Some of the parents put together a picture frame and had all of the boys sign it. It was awesome. He also got a few other gifts that were awfully nice. I even got a thong from my friend Nancy!
Ok, so it was a book thong (I know what you were all thinking!) and a gift card to Borders. It was extremely thoughtful of her and it just made me realize how sad it is going to be to leave behind the friends we have here. I'm just grateful for all the memories we have made that we can take with us no matter where we go. We also aren't too far away so we will be back to visit.
We love all our friends in Jackson and will miss them fiercely when we leave.


Here is Keion receiving his picture frame.

A shot of the frame with just a couple of the boys.

The yummy cake Krista had made, so nice to be added on!

Here are several shots from the party and the boys playing outside by the lake. They had such a great time and the Merrill's house was gorgeous.

The Last Of Graduation

Here are the last few pictures of graduation that I wanted to post. So sad that it is all done and over with. Now we are just packing up box after box to get ready for the move. This is the hard part along with un-boxing everything when we move in. I swear this is the last time, next time I'm paying movers to do all the hard work, no matter the cost!!! Enjoy the pictures, and to all of our med school buddies..we love you and will miss you terribly, good luck with your residencies and let's have a reunion in 10 years (a big one, maybe that cruise we missed out on!). Like father, like son!

Uncle Quinn and Aunt Kelli, don't they look too young to be Kylan's Aunt and Uncle? Love you guys, thank you for making it to graduation, it made the day even more special w/you there.

Kylan and his mom. We wouldn't have made it through med school w/o her.

Kirksville Buddies

This is the quick and easy way to post a lot of pictures. These are of our friends we left behind in Kirksville. At least leaving now isn't as tearful!

Book It Now

This is mainly for all of you 3rd year medical student, or more likely the spouses, who read my blog. I guess it really is for everyone, as it has more of our graduation photos.
I just wanted to say that we booked our hotel a year in advance because everything gets booked quickly and we wanted to make sure we had a place to stay for graduation. There isn't much of a selection in the Ville so you must act quickly.
We opted to stay in La Plata at the Depot Inn. Smart choice. The place was awesome. It helped that all 5 of our closest friends from school stayed at the same place. I highly recommend staying wherever your friends are, it is the only time you really have to hang out.
I can't believe the selection of things to do at this hotel. It had a swimming pool, pool table, outdoor basketball court, playground equipment, putting green, bikes of all sizes and a little train the kidos could take a ride in every night. I loved that the building is new, clean and the staff is wonderful. We had a blast playing pool all night and watching the NBA playoff games on the big screen.
I just noticed that one of my pictures is jacked up on this layout but too bad so sad, I'm not going to take the time to fix it and re-download it. Just ignore it and pretend that you don't see it!
These are just a couple sets of pictures of us hanging out at the hotel and having a good time.

Hey friends, I'm so happy we all got to hang out (even those of you that I saw for 2 minutes) everyone looked great and it was fun seeing all the kids and catching up on old times.

Road Trip

I'm not talking about the Six Piece Rock Band from Oshkosh, WI., nor the movie, when I mention road trip. I'm talking about the 11 hour long car ride it takes from Massillon to Kirksville.
This wasn't the first time we have made this trek and I swore the first time we had, that I would never do it again. What was I thinking? I've made the trip twice since then. This time wasn't as bad because we were able to pick up my MIL at the Indianapolis airport half way and it split the trip up enough that it went by more quickly than I had anticipated.
My MIL had the first half of her flight with the McManus', funny that she recognized them at the BBQ on Friday.
Fortunately for us, MIL is a technology junkie and she brought all of her goods with her. We had our own personal guide, Michelle, giving us directions on the GPS , Internet, movies and music. It was almost better than being at home =)
Here are a couple pics of the looooong ride in the car. Some are goofy but we got desperate at times for entertainment. What can be more entertaining than taking pics of yourself???

Keion has the koosh life. He had access to anything and everything he could possibly want plus grandma was in the back to cater to his every need. Spoiled rotten.

I wish I had it like this when I was growing up. Bacon cheese burger, fries, soda and a movie..in the car! All I had on road trips at that age was 7 brothers and sisters all crammed in the back of a pickup truck, with the shell on top and carpet on the floor, and all of us fighting one another for the raw hot dogs. Gross but true.

Obviously we made the 11 hour trip both ways and are alive to tell about it. We survived and we all still love each other, even after that much time in a confined space. I don't plan on taking in long road trips any time soon.

We're Back

He made it! Kylan is officially, Dr. Peterson.
The past few days have been a whirl wind, just like the past four years of med school. It was such a wonderful feeling to see Kylan walk across the stage and receive his diploma. There is nothing like having a goal for over 15 years and then finally accomplishing it. We are so proud of him for his hard work and success and know that he will be the best ENT ever!!
This is what happens when it is all said and done...you go crazy (holy smokes, look at my tongue)!

Be ready for an onslaught of posts. I have tons of pics to share and many adventures to tell from our trip.

Thank you mom, Quinn, and Kelli for making it out to graduation. You made the day even more special by being there.

Gearin' Up For Graduation

I can't believe the time is here. Kylan graduates this Sat. We can hardly wait. We are excited to visit the Ville and see all of our good friends. I can't tell you how many fond memories we have from our first two years of med school. We met so many amazing people and formed friendships that will last a lifetime. In our returning to the Ville, I thought I would post some pics. I'll try to keep up with the blogging while we are gone but I can't make any promises.We want Kylan to know how proud we are of him and this accomplishment, and I will be bragging and posting all about it soon =)

Happy Mother's Day

Mother's Day is always fun. I love my home-made cards that Kylan and Keion make me. This year, Keion's was classic. The best part about is, he was not trying to be funny. I couldn't stop laughing when I read his card. He is way too honest! (I'm going to have him do something really hard and painful!) You just gotta love this kid.

Happy Mother's day to my mom and mother in-law, as well as all you other women in my life, who really are super!

Bumblebees & Butterflies Boutique

My sister in-laws (I mention my in-laws all the time on here!) friend just opened a boutique and I thought I would share the link with all of you.
I checked out the site and they do have a lot of fun stuff. They even have those adorable Baby Legs I've seen some of your cute kids wearing. I'm not sure how the prices compare because I've never purchased them but it seems reasonable.
I'm all for supporting you stay-at-home moms who start up your own business. I don't know how you do it, but good on ya!
Here is a little description of what Bumblebees & Butterflies has to offer:
Everything from Hats for Men, Women and Children, Gift Baskets for Every Occasion, Relaxing Spa Products, Designer Inspired Sunglasses, Flip Flops, Princess Dresses, Tutus, Dress-Up Accessories, Handbags, Jewelry, Hair Accessories, BabyLegs, Blankets, Throws, and much, much more.
They are offering a 10% discount for orders over $75.00 through the month of May. Use discount code Spring10.
Go check it out. Support those creative, stay-at-home mommies.

How To Make Your Own Laundry Detergent

Because Keion has allergies and sensitive skin, I have to be careful about the types of detergents I use. One of my cousins sent me this link on how to make your own laundry detergent. I'm wondering if any of you have ever attempted to do something like this? I'm thinking about giving it a try, detergent is expensive and I'll cut costs wherever I can. I'm just not sure if it is worth the hassle especially if it starts to irritate Kei's skin. I'm not doing this anytime soon but let me know what you think and then I'll decide if I'm going to do it or not. Thanks for your help.

The Places We've Been..

I wanted to find a way to document all of the places we have lived since we've been married. I originally wanted to use an idea I got from a picture my brother in-law took of his parents backyard. They had a beautiful yard and the picture was awesome.
I thought I would like to do something like that. Well, it turns out that some of the pictures of our backyards, aren't so cool.
So I decided to take pictures of all the front doors of where we have lived. The only one I am missing is the door from Kirksville. Fortunately I will be able to get that one this next week.
I just changed the photos to black and white and framed them in all the same frames.
I bought a couple extra frames so that I can continue the pictures for a couple more moves.
I'm banking on at least two more before we are PERMANENTLY settled.
I also used NOTHING 2 FANCY to print the city names in vinyl along the bottom. The girls who do the vinyl are awesome and you can't beat their prices. They are also super quick in getting your product to you. As you can tell, I highly recommend using them for any project you might have. I'm going to use them again when I do Keion's headboard for his bed.


Here are the before and after pics of the doors. (Seattle-we lived in the borderline ghetto area)
(Massillon)

(Grand Blanc)

I tried to take a picture of the three that I have finished. I have the perfect spot to hang them in our home. I might put a sign above them, that my sister in-law made me, that says: Home is where your story begins...

I haven't decided for sure if that is how I'm going to display them but I'll be posting pics once we get moved in to show the house. You can see how they look then.

Now all I have left to do is get table top books of all the states we have lived in. We will have a big collection!

They are so expensive for the ones I want (of course) so that is going to take more time. Let me know what you think or if you have done something similar or different. I always need new ideas and I have to steal them from others because I can't come up with them on my own!