I call 'shotgun!'

The long-standing tradition of 'calling shotgun' when entering a vehicle goes back to the old west and the days of the stagecoach.  Riding shotgun was a position of danger, being the man next to the driver who carried a shotgun to ward off bandits.  This person was the primary target of anyone who wanted to attack the stagecoach.

Today the position is slightly less precarious, but murder may still be attempted in some families where one sibling manages to think of calling it first for too many days in a row.

In a family with a large number of kids, we have solved the problem by calling multiple guns.  Shotgun is still the traditional position of being next to the driver.  'Squirt gun' is the driver's position.  'Machine Gun' is the seat behind the driver.  Then there is the 'mini gun,' the 'gatling gun,'  the 'water gun,' the 'air gun,' the 'potato gun,' and the 'marshmallow gun.'  Last and certainly not least there is the 'pop gun.'

For some reason the kids seem pleased with their roles of such titles, but I fear that soon the names alone will be insufficient and actual weapons are going to be needed.  I just hope marshmallows and potato bits don't start spattering against the windshield while I'm driving to say nothing of airsoft pellets or lead.

Sylvia's Wedding

Well, the wedding is finished and the honeymoon is over  John goes back to work at 5:30 tomorrow morning, and Sylvia takes up her role as a housewife and online tutor and freelance writer.
She also now has to clean up the mess at her house.  Some rude people managed to get hold of a key (as the property manager and owner of the house, I don't have any idea how it happened) and stuffed their pantry with 170 balloons.  (Yes, we counted them).  They also rearranged some of the furniture, and hid a few hundred mayo packets throughout the house.
Of course, it wouldn't be proper to leave out the Peterson family chicken, and these unnamed persons very cleverly rigged up the chicken so that when the bedroom door was opened, the chicken would begin it's song-and-dance routine.  Wish I would have had a video of that!


Anyway, here are a few pics of the wedding prep and other random shots.  I was busy during the wedding so I didn't take any then, but will get some posted later.  Complete wedding pics are now on the website here:  http://www.weddingwire.com/weddings/3943431/wedding_new_website#!/website/3512910#website-page-3512910


John with Sylvia's brothers and cousin playing Risk.

Sylvia still refusing to go to bed.

Cousins refusing to go to sleep.

Nancy digging deep for the 16th gallon of ice cream.  (Sorry I haven't figured out how to make these photos come out straight.)

Wedding orchestra.

C4, the ring-bearer.

Rosemary, the flower girl.

The stand-in groomsman after one got sick and couldn't make it.

Sylvia, cousin Camryn, others

Rehearsal vows.

They didn't have a cake at the wedding, so Mrs. Phillips had them cut the red jello at the rehearsal dinner.

Food prep for the non-reception.

Leif sampling the food.  He did this a lot.

Cousin Ethan doing the grapes.

Knut and Thor not sampling the brownies.

Cousin Sloan carrying some of the Oreos.

Unfortunately, John got dehydrated, and had to throw up after the wedding, but before photos and reception.  He recovered enough to get through it all, and even did their First Dance, which was some lively swing dancing set to Piano Guys music.

Uncle Travis with his much better-looking brother, the Father of the Bride.  (Me).

Cousin Camryn (right) with a good look-alike friend, Sarah.  (And a random photobomber).

Change of Command

Sylvia has been the regular blogger of the family, but as she's getting hitched in a couple weeks, somebody has to take over.  By unanimous decision, I've been voluntold.  Anyway, here's my first post as admin:  The birds in the back yard are very angry at my cats, for they just caught a bird and are slowly torturing it to death.

That is all.

The Final Insanity

Since not a single one of my siblings is showing the slightest interest in taking over this sadly-neglected blog, this may very well be the last post, unless my parents decide to exercise their supreme authority and add "blogging" to the list of school assignments for their students this fall. Thus, here are some final small scraps of insanity--

Gloria: Is your brain bigger than Ivar's?
Rosemary: Yes. It's bigger than Sylvia's.
Sylvia: My insults are coming back to haunt me. I told her the other day that she needed to get a brain.
Mom: So she got one...and it's bigger than yours? 

Cecily: Maybe Papa has two brains and they fight all the time!
Mom: That's why he gets headaches.  

Cecily: What did I click on this time? "...Criminal eavesdropping..." 

Mom: you're just so pickable!
Papa: I'd like to be DIS-pickable. ...Wait.  

Thor: Are we in Centralia?
Gloria: No; we're in Odin!
Thor: Boy; that policeman back there sure is lost!

Sylvia: Guys, what should John and I have for our first dance song?
Cecily: The chicken dance!
Thor: The bunny song!
Knut: The Imperial March.  

Sylvia: ...Your brain is so cool!!
Knut: Most people don't use that word.... 

Now, I turn my title of "Blog Moderator of Doom" over to my father and resign myself to a life of wedding planning, moving, and logistics for the next 15 days. (No, I'm not counting; why do you ask? 0:)) *exaggerated sigh* Flowers, flowers; here I come--who started all these silly traditions, anyway? Also, how many can I break before people start getting mad at me?

It's going to be a switch moving from a family of 11 to a family of 2...as I begin stocking up the house with "essential" groceries for John, while my mother shops for our family, this difference is quite glaring. For example...

Cereal for the soon-to-be Phillips family for about a month: 

Cereal for the Peterson family for about...two weeks (max):

Yeah; I don't envy Mom her grocery bill...

Anyway...goodbye to the Peterson blog; it'll be interesting to see whether anyone picks it up again.
Adventure awaits!


(Yep; I'm going out on a majorly sleep-deprived brain. I'm so sorry. I'm not sleeping till after the wedding. My sincere apologies, and I hope you haven't been mentally scarred for life.) 

Wherein I bow to social expectation and make a public announcement.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words...

The poor guy who, though wonderful and wise in every other way, is sadly mistaken if he thinks he's chosen a deserving girl, is John Phillips.


Answers to anticipated questions: 

YES, he is the sweetest, kindest, and most amazing guy in the world. :)

The wedding shalt be in early August.

We do plan to stay in the area (for the next few years at least).

He's been courting me since November.

Yep; my dad HIGHLY approves! (Though he did threaten John with his chainsaws right before courtship began...)


He proposed "under the stars, way out in Iowa, as we were being driven around by a chauffeur." At least that's the "official" story...

(Yes; the rumors are true--he actually proposed in the back seat of his parents' truck on the way to a robotics competition! And yet he still managed to make it incredibly sweet and special. ;))

(The Robo Raiders had wayyy too much fun teasing us and taking "selfies" with us in the background...)

And NO, this is not an April Fool's day joke! I just have really bad timing when it comes to posting. :P

A New Addition...

Ivar Elijah Peterson, 7 lbs 9 oz, was born just half an hour ago. :)

Ivar was very reluctant to leave his place of warmth and safety!

Leif's New Talent

Apparently Leif has now added flying to his many other ways of scaring his mother and entertaining his siblings...

More Insanity

One does not simply convince her siblings to write a blog post.

A day may come when I manage to bribe them with enough chocolate to make them actually do it...but it is not this day! I don't wanna blow that much money on chocolate right now. So...insanity.


From Florida

Grandma: So that way, two people always win? That doesn't sound like fun!
Ethan: Yeah, 'cause then you'd have to split the money!
Sylvia: Why are Petersons so mercenary???
Camryn: Yeah! We're the only normal ones. Who can hug correctly, and who like to be on teams.
Sylvia: ...I also told you that if we won, you could have the money...
Camryn: Oh yeah. Right.

Ethan: Failing is the word of the past. Like, yesterday.

Camryn: I just shot the moon and won!!!
Ethan: That's messed up. Pass me the M&Ms.

(Leif takes the M&Ms)
Ethan: Hey! Put those back! We earned those!
Knut: Yeah! By failing!

Ethan: No, I don't need M&Ms right now. I'm not depressed. I only need M&Ms when I lose...which, knowing us, won't be long...

Ethan: If you shoot the moon, you have to use something awesome.
Knut: Like a nuke!

Knut: We need consolation fat.

Knut: Ethan, we failed so bad.
Ethan: Pass me the M&Ms.

Camryn: Did you ever get any prize money?
Ethan: Nope...
Camryn: Aww...
Ethan: Can I have a dollar?
Camryn: No.
Ethan: Can I have a hug?
Camryn: Sure.
(Later)
Ethan: I was really just trying to pickpocket her.

Camryn: My book is calling to me... It's saying, "Read me!!"
Knut: Shut up, book!

Mom (as Travis displays his pyromaniac tendencies): I think you and your brother are related.
"I want you to think about the logic of that statement," Mother...

Home...

Sylvia (memorizing Psalm 119): I look on the faceless --FAITHLESS-- with loathing...
...Yep. I have a reverse lisp.

Sylvia: I agree with you sometimes.
Cecily: No you don't.
Sylvia: Yes I do! ...Wait.
(both burst out laughing) Sylvia: YOU SET ME UP!!!!
Cecily: Of course I did.

Cecily: My face is more amazing than yours. Face it: my face is more amazing.

Cecily: One time Knut was telling Thor about Dr. Who and Thor asked what it was about, and Knut said, "a doctor," and I asked, "who?" and he LAUGHED!! And it wasn't even supposed to be funny!

Cecily: He's like, "WHERE'S ALL THE FOOD? WHERE'S ALL THE FOOD?" He looks like a distressed penguin.