My girls

I am playing catch-up a little bit with all of these photos. I wanted to post them for my family because I am a slacker and I have not sent pictures out yet- I have had them for 2 months! These are Paige's 1 year pictures that I had done at JCPenney. I was so worried that she wouldn't cooperate and take any good pictures but she was so much fun and there were a lot to choose from.

Babies are the absolute cutest at this age, I am loving it!

Addyson had an end of season soccer party in the beginning of June. All of the girls went to Libby Lu and got makeovers and then went to Picture People and got their pictures taken. All of the girls had such a good time together. I am so glad that she has some great girls on her team!

The Lil' Divas with Coach Lance.

Unfortunately Coach Lance has had about enough 6-7 year old girl drama he can take and has decided not to coach for the 3rd year. However, his wife Marianne is gonna take over so we are excited to be able to keep the team together as long as we can.

Breakfast for dinner

I love me some breakfast! So what is better than breakfast for breakfast? Breakfast for dinner! Dave and I are not in aliance with the breakfast for dinner idea, he is never really enthusiastic about it. Monday night Dave was in Mexico City for work and what did I make for dinner? You guessed it, Breakfast! I got this great idea for a fun spin on breakfast from HERE. The kids looooved it. Not only did it taste yummy but it was a lot of fun for them to create their own concoctions in their pancake cups. They ate more than I have seen them eat for a long time.
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Ethan wanted to take a picture of what he created.

The Lee Family Reunion- all 44 of us!

We are back from Canada, it was pretty hard to leave! 8 days still wasn't enough time be away from work, responsibility, and good ole Texas heat and scenery. It was an amazing trip, we loved every minute of it. We weren't able to fly out on the 4th because the flight filled up at the last minute but we were able to get out on the 5th quite easily. We spent Saturday and 1/2 of Sunday in Calgary and then we headed off to British Columbia to Lake Shuswap to check into our wonderful cabin. All of Dave's 13 siblings, 2 brother-in-laws, 5 sister-in-laws, 9 nephews, 9 neices, 1 mom and dad, and 1 grandma were there- basically a whole lotta people!

My sister in law Rebecca got special Lee Family Reunion shirts made for everyone, thanks Bec they looked great!
Our view from the deck of the cabin, it was so nice to go out on one of the many patios and just enjoy the mountains, the lake, the green grass and trees, and the perfect weather.

The patio was decked out with hammocks and swings galore- Paige loved the dolphin swing.


(Ethan sword fighting with Spencer and Ben)
Ethan loved having boys around to play with, he doesn't get that much at home. I have never seen him wrestle and playing rough as I did last week, it was fun to watch!


(Addyson, McKenna, Kayla, Amber, Desiree, Salina, and Charity)
There are a ton of girls around Addyson's age, so she also had a great time playing with her cousins. They would wake up in the morning, have their breakfast and disappear for hours.

I love this picture!

And this one.

We were lucky enough to be able to use Dave's brothers family boat while we were there. We all had the oppurtunity to ski, wakeboard and do some tubing as well. I have only had the chance to attempt skiing like twice in my life so I was excited to give it another try. Too bad I am such a looser and couldn't get up- dagnabit! I have excuses though! I did get plenty of tubing in, always a blast.

Because there were so many people staying in the house and we didn't want to overload the septic tank we were supposed to bath in the lake. That was pretty hard to do because the water was cold, so I just hopped on the tube and held on for dear life while the driver did their best to dump me. Once I got dumped I washed up and was good to go.

(Addy, Kayla, and Salina- crazy girls)
All week I was working on Addyson, convincing her to try tubing and she stood her ground said NO WAY! Mid-week some of my brothers-in-law rented a couple of jetskis and I conned her into riding with me. After her ride on the jetski, she had a need for speed and was begging to try tubing. She couldn't get enough. I am so glad that she tried it because it always makes me so sad when she misses an opportunity out of fear- besides I aint raising no wussies! Ethan, didn't try the tube but not out of fear, he just had no desire to get in that cold water! I told Dave that we had to get a good family photo while we were on vacation and this what I got, not really what I had in mind but oh well.

We visited a couple of local farms while we were there. The kids were able to see how cheese was made and check out all of the livestock.

Ethan feeding the llama

Paige getting a little freaked out by the hungry horse

We were inspired by the movie"Dan in Real Life" and decided to have a family talent show. Dave showed off his gift of singing Karaoke and Paige was his backup dancer. The girl loves to dance! Addyson showed off her Yoga moves and Ethan told some jokes. It turned out to be a great idea and a lot of fun- good job Steve and Mabel!

We took advantage of a not so great day on the lake day and went to a cute little place called Enchanted Forest where an old couple carved and built fairytale figurines and houses. It was pretty cold and wet but the kids loved climbing through all of the houses.

I told Paige to give the big bad wolfe a hug but she decided to give him a kiss

Ethan just hanging out

On top of a huge treehouse

There are so many more pictures that I could post but I am trying to contain myself. We had such an awesome time and are so grateful that we could have the opportunity to make it to Canada, it has been a while. I am grateful that the kids had a chance to spend time with and get to know their cousins and that I could get to know some of Dave's sibling and their families and little bit better. I love family time. A big fat thanks to Jenn and Joyce for making it all happen!

The best day ever!

So, for those of you that have kids you may be familiar with an episode of Spongebob Squarepants called "The Best Day Ever" where SpongeBob thinks that he is going to have the best day ever and his day starts out by going to the Krusty Krab. The Krusty Krab is closed, so he goes to Sandy's house. Sandy's dome is leaking, so she can't do karate with SpongeBob. He goes to Jellyfish Fields with Patrick, but Patrick breaks his net and has to borrow SpongeBob's. SpongeBob ends the day by going to Squidward's clarinet recital. SpongeBob forgets his ticket and finally gets in at the end of the show. Squidward and the others notice SpongeBob is sad and they put on another show for him. You can watch the video HERE

My kids have seen this episode probably one too many times and in the show SpongeBob sings a little tune to The best day ever! When my kids have a really fun day they will sing this little song. When they are having a bad day or if something bad happens they will sing the words "The Worst day ever."

I found myself singing the little tune of the worst day ever just about an hour ago.

As many of you know I have been working a ton this last month. I have been saving up for some away time with Dave and getting very little sleep and quite stressed out. Tomorrow I am leaving for a 10 vacation to Canada where we will be hidden up in a cabin on a lake in the mountains- I will not mention there will be about 50 other people in that cabin, I am trying not to think about that part. Anyway, I have been so excited because a vacation is what I NEED! So, it is my last night at the hospital before we fly out and it is(excuse my language)Hell! The minute that I walk through the hospital doors, many of the lights go out. The ER is packed and most of the computers don't work, along with the fax/copier. Our ER is paperless, meaning everything is done on computers- all charting, labs, radiology etc. We have had Medhost go down many times before and there is backup for such a case but not the whole computer!Not only is most of our electricity out, but we have like 5 admits at one time, a full waiting room and our assigned medicine Dr. for the night isn't admitting and we don't have anyone to admit these patients. Anyway, I won't go into how fun that 2 1/2 hours was until they got the electricity up and working, but I wanted to walk right out those doors, drive home, and crawl into bed! I just kept hearing that tune in my head "This is the Worst Day Everrrrr."

I am so excited for tomorrow when I will hopefully be singing "This is the Best Day Ever" on my way to Canada for some good ol' family time!

BTW- if you see on the news tomorrow about an intoxicated man in a hospital robe who was hit by a car running in the streets, I am so not responsible!

Have a Happy 4th of July and I hope that all of you will be singing "This is the Best Day Ever."

I hope that it is full of awesomenimity!

Oh, and be careful with the fireworks guys, don't be like this kid that just walked in with a roman candle in his eye!

My mom's wedding

I am finally able to post pictures from my Mom's wedding last weekend, thanks Erin! My mom did a great job decorating and planning, it was really beautiful. Congradulations on your marriage and I hope that you two will be very happy together. I love you tons!

The beautiful Bride

Mom and I

Ken, Kevin, and I walking down the isle. With the Peterson family there is always laughs. We didn't have a rehearsal so it was hilarious when we walked down the isle. We were weaving and squeezing through chairs and tables that were set up on the other end of the room, but we made it to the end. The funniest part is my mom and older brother Jeramie took the same route we did. Anyway, it made us laugh!

Mr. & Mrs. Cameron cutting the cake

The grandkids on the Peterson side

The fam

A whole new fam!

Congrats on your marriage!

Warning: Family time may cause bodily harm!

Last weekend was a big day for my mom, she got herself hitched! She will furthermore be called Carma Cameron, kind of a tongue twister but we are very happy for her. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures to post because I couldn't find my blasted camera(don't worry it was found)! Now I am left to rely on my sister-in-laws to give me some pictures and then I will be able to post photos. Erin & Les hook a sista up! Anyway, being that my family is so great and supportive and stuff, all 3 of my brothers with their families(minus 2 kids) were here. We are a family who loves to play games. We will stay up until the wee hours of the night playing games. Oh, and did I mention that we are all very competitive?! We decided to play a favorite game of ours called spoons but with a twist. Instead of sitting in a circle and putting the spoons in the center of the circle we made it a little more difficult. We passed the cards around at my kitchen table where there was 1 spoon and the remainder of the spoons were in the other room on the couch. Once someone got 4 of a kind and grabbed that spoon on the table all of the rest of us had to run into the next room and try to get a spoon. It is a miracle that none of us ended up going to the hospital with something broken because it got a little crazy. We had rug burns on our knees, nearly dislocated shoulders, sore necks, a little whiplash and some good bumps and bruises but it was so much fun! I am pretty sure that we will be playing this everytime we get together! I love my family, we always have so much fun together! I can't wait until we can all get together again, love you guys lots!

Drama in the ER

I have been considering starting a new theme of posts for my blog entitled Drama in the ER
describing some of the funny stuff that goes on at my work. Hopefully there won't be any HIPAA violations and I won't get fired. I will title this story as "Panda, Panda, where are you?"

I am sitting at my desk, working quite busily(it was a crazy night in the ER) when my call light goes off for a patient. The patient is frantic and states that she can't find her stuffed animal. I am thinking, maybe she has a child in her room with her,I know how Addyson gets when she can't find doggy. Then she proceeds to say "I know it isn't medical but I NEED my stuffed animal, I have to have it to hold." What!!!???? Is she serious????!!!! She is 36 years old!!!

We told her that we would look for it so of course we needed a description but did we really need to know its name??? She said, "it is a black and white panda and its name is Panda." Like we are going to wander around the ER calling out Panda, Panda? The PA was able to calm her down when he found Panda underneath the patient in her bed, whew!! It made me laugh! I sure hope this isn't Addy in 30 years, yikes!

My rant on Dr. Boothe & vegetarianism

Let me just start off by saying that I am incredibly happy with my new vision. I am still having some serious anxiety over the moola that I payed for it, but I am glad that I did it! Okay, so now for my venting session....... Let me start with a little story of my visit to Dr. Boothe for a post-op appointment this week. I had a SCHEDULED appointment for 1:30p.m., when I arrived I was told to have a seat in the waiting room where I sat for ohhh... about 45 minutes. Then when they finally called my name I was brought back into what I like to call "the dungeon" where they took a very quick look at my eyes and sent me to yet another waiting room. I was lucky to even get a seat in this one! There were a ton of people waiting to see whom, you might ask, not Dr. Boothe he just treats ya and streets ya. We were all waiting to simply see an opthamologist or probably an optometrist, I seriously doubt that he hires "real Dr.'s" to see his patients. How long did I wait in this waiting room you might ask ohhhh.... another 45 minutes!!! What the heck, I work in an emergency room where people just walk in off the street with "emergencies" like hand pain for 5 months and they get seen by a Dr. quicker than that! So, after counting all of the people who were called back before me and realizing that it was more than I could count on 2 hands I figured I could be there for a really long time and I had to get to work. So, I quietly slipped out and told the "workers" that I needed to get to work was there anything that they could do. Well, after a few dirty looks they were able to get me in right away to see who I needed to so I could be off.
So, where does the vegetarianism fit into this story??? Well, it got me thinking about how I somehow signed up to get my eyes done at factory where I get to get herded around like cattle, stuffed into small spaces barely able to move, mistreated, demoralized, and feeling completely dehumanized! Now I am feeling kind of sorry for those poor cows who feel like this their whole lives, and they didn't even sign up for it! Should I swear off the meat that is produced from such cruel treatment?? I don't know about that, but I sure thought about it! Okay, maybe I am a little sensitive but people I spent good HARD earned money, I don't deserve this treatment. So for anyone out there thinking about getting their eyes done at Boothe Eye Care and Laser Center, please for the love of Christmas go somewhere else! Go to someone who gives a crap, not slimeball Dr. Boothe! Was that harsh?? I'm sorry, but I do feel better:)

Happy Father's Day, a little late

I wanted to tell Dave Happy Father's Day because his Father's Day was probably not everything that he dreamed it would be. I set my alarm a little early in hopes of getting the kids up and making Dave a great breakfast but for some reason it didn't go off. I worked on Saturday night as usual and he turned my alarm off because he wanted me to get some sleep- so thoughtful. That is Dave, so selfless always thinking of everyone else before himself. Dave went out on Saturday night for a movie marathon with some friends and didn't get home until around 1:00a.m. then he was up at 3:00a.m. to deliver papers and he was worried about ME getting sleep. Anyway, he didn't get a special breakfast but he did get to take a nap and have some time to himself. We had a nice dinner and Addyson taught our Family Home Evening lesson- which she did an awesome job. Sorry Dave that your Father's day wasn't everything I wish it would have been but I wanted to tell you how much I love you because I know I don't do that enough. You are an awesome father who always brings fun and laughter to our home. You work so hard for our family and take on so many responsibilities. You are a great example for all of us and your faith and testimony of the gospel is very inspiring. I am very blessed to have a husband who is so devoted to his family. The kids love and adore you and I know that Ethan wants to be just like you! I hope you know how much you are loved and appreciated!

I did it!

This is what my cornea looked like during surgery- weird!

I did it, I got Lasik! I still can't believe it, it is kind of surreal but I did it nonetheless- there is no turning back. I went in on Friday for a 1:00 surgery and came out seeing super. Okay, so fun fact about me- I sort of have a problem with fainting, it happens a lot. Well, now I have one more fainting experience to add to my list. Why don't I go down the list for you of all of the embarrassing moments that I have had when I suddenly pass out.
#1. High school P.E. testing. We had to run a timed a mile. When I was done, I sat down and passed out. I got to go home for that one!
#2. After giving blood.
#3. Getting a tattoo. Yes, I have a tattoo ya'll I got it when I was 17 and newly on my own. While I was sitting in the chair and they were etching a tattoo on my back hip, I took a nose dive and smacked my face on the ground. I got made fun of for that for a while.
#4. I gave plasma when I was in college to pay for food and such, 2x a week. I probably passed out about 5 different times while the needle was imbedded in my arm. I kept going back though, $40 week was a lot for a starving student.
#5. At work in the ER, I was witnessing and assisting with a central line, there was lots of blood, and the room was really hot. I suddenly hit the wall and slid down to the ground scaring the crap out the Doc and getting quite the bump on my noggin. For some reason no one asks me to assist them anymore. I still get made fun of for that one too.
#6. The latest........ so I am sitting in the opthamologists chair while he is making some marks on my eye(not exactly sure what he was doing). This is the last step before I go into the surgery and I think that I am getting really nervous. I had a stressful morning and didn't really get anything to eat. I suddenly start feeling kind of funny and I sit back and tell the opthamologist that I am feeling faint. The next thing I know I am waking up with a nasal cannula in my nose giving me oxygen, one guy holding my head back(apparently I was seizing) and the opthamologist holding my arms and straddling my leg to keep me still. Embarrassed much, Yes! It took a lot for me not to just get up and run out of there. Maybe I have permanent damage to my brain from all those times as a kid when we made each other pass out- I know stupid!
Anyway, I am amazed with the results! I am already seeing 20/20 and they say they will likely get even better over time. Isn't science amazing!
Am I the only one who has these fainting stories? Please tell me that some of you have had similar experiences?!

Summer kickoff- Camping and Dave's Birthday

This weekend we headed up to Lake Texoma for a fun family campout with some friends of ours, the Lovrens, and some friends of theirs as well. We got there on Friday evening and had an awesome camping spot that had a little trail that led right to the water, so of course the kids wanted to get in right away! We set up camp and then Dave started feeling pretty sick. He was the only one in our house that had not gotten the stomach flu, so I was afraid it would hit him this weekend and it did. Luckily, one of the people we were camping with is a chiropractor and had a lazer that he used to help speed up the healing process, I was skeptical but it worked. Dave was over it within a couple of hours, pretty amazing. It was a rough nights sleep as always, we really do need to buy ourselves a nice air mattress. We woke up to a beautiful day, the weather was perfect. We had a great day of fishing, swimming, and just loving the outdoors. Dave's Birthday was on Saturday so we tried to have a little celebration- too bad his cake got a little soggy from slipping into the melted ice in the cooler, but it actually still tasted pretty good(just really moist). We stuck around late on Saturday and had some smores and drove back home to sleep in our own comfortable beds. The kids are already asking to do it again! Paige ate a lot of dirt and rocks over the weekend, everytime I looked around she was shoving handfuls of dirt in her mouth- I don't get it, she won't eat her vegetables but she WILL eat dirt!She was a hard one to look after, always going where she wasn't supposed to and she wanted to be in the campfire so bad!

Addyson's smores smile

Ethan and Hunter
They had a fishing derby for the kids on Saturday and it was awesome. They provided all the tackle and bait and the kids loved it. Ethan was pretty sad that he didn't catch anything, in fact her was heartbroken so I will be taking him fishing again soon I think. After the fishing derby they had games and a great lunch provided with prizes. Addyson won a prize and all of the kids got goodie bags full of fishing equipment. It was a lot of fun.


Me, Paige, Libby(the other baby), and Kerrie
After fishing we headed to the beach, the water was really really cold but of course the kids didn't mind. Paige playing the dirt again, it never got old.

Ethan was so excited about Dave's birthday. He remembered as soon as he woke up that morning and was the first one to wish him a Happy Birthday. He was also so excited to sing to him- he loves his dad! Happy Birthday Dave, we love you and hope that you had a good Birthday.

Addyson and her friend Alice

Family photo op

School is out!

Addyson had her last day of school on Thursday. Unfortunately it got cut a little short due to a nasty bug that has been making its way through our house. The nurse called me at about 12:00 and said that Addy had a stomach ache and that I needed to come and pick her up. So, Addyson didn't really get to say goodbye to her teacher like she wanted to and I didn't get any fun "last day of school" pictures but Mrs. McCormack did give all of the kids a really cool collage of pictures through the year with a poem on the back- which is where these pictures came from. Addyson had a great kindergarten year, she loved it! She learned so much and made so many friends. She sadly grew up a lot as well, but it is always fun to watch. Mrs. McCormack was an excellent teacher and we were very lucky to have her. When I picked Addy up from school she said "Mom, I am really going to miss Mrs. McCormack, I want to visit her a lot." Awwww!

Addy and the best teacher ever!

Mrs. McCormack's kindergarten class 2007-2008

To get Lasik or not to get Lasik, that is the question!???

As most of you know, I am among those who require assistance in the vision department. I wake up in the morning and I have to immediately put my glasses on or pop my contacts in to be able to see very far in front of me. My glasses are completely bent out of shape, I can't keep them from falling off of my face! My contacts dry out and bug the crap out of me most of the day- Texas allergies only make it 10x worse! My eye Dr. says that I have to get disposable contacts because(okay, I don't really know why)he just says so. So, every 6 months I am supposed to spend about $150-$200 on contact lenses and every 2 years I have to spend $165 on a new exam. I have officially run out of disposables and my 2 years is up so I am looking at spending at least $300 to get new contacts. Day after day I hear commercials on the radio about Lasik, "we offer interest free financing, monthly payments as low as $30." Oh, I want it bad!!!! I know that Lasik would probably cost somewhere between $2,000 and $3,000 but won't I end up spending that anyway? Wouldn't it be so much better to spend it on the convenience of good vision everyday, morning & night? I have to make a decision now, and I am torn. I want the Lasik but do I have $2,000-$3,000 to spend- no way! Do I really have the $ to spend $300- $600 a year on contacts, (not to mention I need new glasses)- NO, but it is easier to swallow for sure! What would you do?

Random catch up stuff

I hope that everyone had a great Memorial Day! We had a fun and relaxing day. My mom took Addyson and Ethan Sunday night and spent the day with them on Monday, so Dave and I got some much needed time together. We watched the movie Becoming Jane- which was quite sad and a little disturbing, however I think I liked it. Then we woke up on Monday and headed to our wards annual pancake breakfast which also included a 5k run. Dave and I decided (well, mostly I decided for us) that we were gonna run it. We pushed Paige in the jogger stroller and we did it- Yea! We were able to get a few things done and some relaxing as well. The kids came home around 5pm and we picked up some pizzas and headed to our community pool where the kids had a blast swimming! I am excited for another summer full of swimming and enjoying the fabulous sunshine.

Paige loved the water, I can already tell that she is going to be a lot like Ethan in the water- fearless
Addyson is turning into a pretty great swimmer!

Addyson was gone Friday and Saturday with her cousins so Ethan got some one on one time with Dad and what did he want to do? He wanted Dave to play in the sprinkler with him and the slip and slide. He got this slip and slide last year for his Birthday but he had a hard time figuring out how to slide on it without injuring himself. He figured it out and now he loves it- in fact he is standing right next to me right now looking at this picture with swim trunks in hand asking if he can play on the slip n slide.

Addyson finished up her soccer season last weekend. She had a great season and even scored a goal her last game. She started out the season pretty timid but towards the end she got a lot more sure of herself and realized what she was capable of. Her team won all but 2 games I think- way to go Divas!

A pic from Chuck E Cheese on Ethan's Birthday

Dave pulling a Britney Spears while we were at a stand still in traffic for 30 minutes- I know random but I like the picture.

Have a great week!