Flirting with Mutiny

Scotty says "no pictures of my ass on your blog" then "Please?"
Too Late, I say :) A bit of a reprieve for y'all before I get my wood-choppin' gifs done!
***note to Mark & Karin: upload videos to google, please? they didn't transfer well!***
Anyhoo, here are some non-arse photos of the Peterson Madness.
In this first photo, Andrew is front and center. This is Scotty's little brother, Andrew. No matter what you hear others calling him, Andrew is his name. Got it? Andrew is the smart one, with Scotty holding all the cuteness genes. Funny, even after being dropped (via some cool wrestling move on Scotty's part) on his head on the basement concrete, complete with diagnosed concussion, Andrew's still known as the smart one. I think he appreciates the sentiment. Though maybe not today, as Morphine and Percocet take away his ability for anything but gratitude for the lack of pain he's feeling after back surgery yesterday. Later when it's drinking time, I'll toast Pete, oops, er, Andrew and his speedy recovery. Scotty is oh, so very Scotty in this picture. It's nice he's not doing the Ace Freely face ;) Note that our token Brit is unbunching his undies for this American Family Fete :D

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You wouldn't know it from this picture, previous incarnations of these two have led folks to believe they're not as uptight as their clothing might hint. Former Freakin Hippies, in fact, at least that's what I hear. Makes more sense that they've got background making us tolerable and sometimes even entertaining!

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When you cross the street to water the neighbor's flowers (which you're prone to do in Kalona, IA) it's not just cars you have to be on the watchout for, it's also the horsey treats the Amish Buggy Pullers leave along their path for ya!

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I look like such a little kid in this picture. Don't know why, I really like this pic!

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Tall people can take pictures from such amazing perspective! I'm jealous!!
Note Buster and Ginger are in the backseat, awaiting the long drive home :)

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Our sunset on the drive home...

Shoes

Shopping for appropriate wedding attire. Yeah. Not so much fun for me. Scotty either. Luckily, I discovered JC Penny had sundresses for $20! We stealthily snuck in, he wandered while I tried on. Cheap AND petite! We couldn't find pants for him there, so we headed to Target, armed with the giftcards awaiting him at his mother's since Christmas. He got pants and I got shoes. Yummy, yummy brown and pink shoes. To match my new dress. I was really cute! No pictures of Scotty and me. He was all sweaty and freaky, something about social anxiety ;) He gave me Crown Royal and his blessing and went home to sleep. I danced in my cute shoes for a while longer.

I caught the boquet

Again! this time, I'm willing to share, they did bounce off Annie's hand ;)

My Stuff

I didn't think I'd ever have to say this, it obviously needs to be said:

Hannah's Urn is never to be referred to as
"Your Stuff" to me, or "Stuff" at all!

The Urn, The Ashes, Your Kid, Hannah, all of those are appropriate referrals to her remains.
Caveat: a stranger, like a janitor or someone could say that and I'd write him off as an ignorant clod; Godfathers, however, should maintain human respect for their charge even after Death.
Amen

Don't make me EAT you!

Poor T! I warned her about what happens to your instinctual drive when you spawn. Yep, she laughed then and she's a-knowin' now! I would be laughing now, but I have zero desire to be eaten ;) I told her, her internal mama bear would delight in eating the faces of those who reach for your baby when she's not comfortable. I told her she'd not want to put that baby down. I told her nursing would only reinforce these things, giving her a physical response to her baby's needs (#1 reason I think women should nurse). Yeah, it happened. The g-folk aren't terrifically excited to only look at their new and only grandchild. They want to poke and prod. To the mama, that just seems cruel and separating when all she wants is calm and kind and attached. Oh the sniffing is pretty dang good, I have no qualms myself just stickin' my nose right on her breastmilk-smellin head and soak her in. Then again, I don't much care if I see T's tatas and neither does she. I don't think T'd much care if her MIL saw her tatas, she cares more that MIL doesn't want to see them. She doesn't want to pass her baby around groups. Frankly nothing made me cry more intensely than someone refusing to return my baby to me at first peep. There's that sound that my pituitary gland is programmed to and when it happens (it's like Jamie Sommer's super hearing) my whole body responds. Immediately. Give back the baby. The baby knows who s/he's comfortable with and lets the world know quite clearly. Respond. Positively. Let the kid know you're on their side by keeping them comfortable. Gramma can come over, chances are the baby will be nursing or sleeping at equal odds to wakefulness at this point. If there's a seeing tatas issue and a *don't wake the baby* issue, Gramma's got 2/3 chance of being disappointed in the interaction.
T and I are of the second living generation of attached parents in our family. We've got some gentle parenting models (not life-long and not to the degree of respect to which I aspire, there's good baby support). Most of the time, though, it does feel like we're making it up as we go along. I imagine that's the parenting part. Following the instinct seems, in theory, that it would be easy. Do what causes win/win for you and your child. Following instinct surrounded by those who have stuffed their own and assimilated to our detached American model, is just a tiny bit tougher. I'm glad T's putting up the resistance. I'm glad she's doing her research. She's a considerate mommy. I don't think that's too much to ask. Consider. BE considerate about what you do. Especially your spawn. She's yours and only YOURS chickie. We've got her whole life long to share. Right now, I'm patient. Check out today's Daily Om. Guardians. We should all take our human job as seriously.

No SiCKO for Sioux Falls

Ya know, it's like the town is begging me to leave.
For those of you who can, go! Support Michael Moore for me. Be grateful he's one of your options.

I hope we get Harry Potter on time. If the train don't derail. Or the horses keel over. Or the river floods. Sheesh.

The Christmas Card Shot

How can ya not have a good time with this bunch?
It was Mark the British in-law who first commented on the Peterson Arse, as he happily filmed Joyful Woodchopping in the back yard. He then became a man on a mission to include all available Peterson Arses in his documentation of our time together. There are more (and better) tales to come of our Bloody Peterson Madness & Wood Splitting! In a row: Scotty, Andrew, Larry and Karin. Emily quickly disappeared into the house. Being an Evans, her arse didn't have to be shown. She's glad.

More Words of Wisdom

Holy Cow! This Om Horoscope is, well, entirely appropriate today.
July 3, 2007 Embrace Your Life
Gemini Daily Horoscope

You might be over-extending yourself today which could mean that you are using up more time, energy or resources than you currently have. Going beyond your means may be the result of your desire to make up for some feeling of lack that you may have in your life at present. If you make it a point to accept your life for what it is today, you could notice that you may not need to overstretch yourself. Perhaps you can create an affirmation such as “My life is wonderful as it is” or “I have everything I need” to remind you at various times during the day that you already possess everything you require. Such gentle prompts can not only make it easier to put simple limits on yourself but they might also help you to recognize just how rich and complete your life is.

There is little that we need in our lives that we don’t already have. Once we understand this, it becomes easier to let go of our need to overspend or overtax ourselves and instead give in to the joy and abundance that is truly present in our lives. This basic insight allows us to take greater responsibility for both our feelings and actions – doing so in turn lets us come to the awareness that we will only fell fulfilled if and when we are able to accept ourselves. By embracing your life as it is today you will recognize that do not need anything other than yourself to feel perfectly whole.

The Answer is RIGHT THERE!

"When you argue with your child, you may be "right,"
but do you feel happy?"You wouldn't necessarily know that's what's happening here, it is. I want him to change his clothes. He didn't. I got it in my head that he could change once a day; the other kids changed with high frequency at Grandma's request. We had our pictures taken anyway. Did anyone really give a shit? NO! Was it worth it? NO! Neither is spending any time now regretting it. It's a gift to be aware, to know, to choose. So thanks to my friend for these perfect words and their arrival before me this morning.

Just breathe... and tell yourself,
"I'd rather feel good than be right!"

Saint Peterson at Heaven's Gate

Jared, you asked, so I took the picture I could. This otherwise-nondescript location is the One True Pearly Gate. You have to know that in your, er, gullet or you'll miss the covertly named Bakery. This is Amish Country. God Loves Them. Just look at their happy cows, happy chickens and happy, happy, happy (and with normally sized milk bags) cows. Oh wait! The goats, the many happy goats. Too, with goat sized teats. No hormones here. The bite in my mouth is buttery cloud stuff called, appropriately, Butter Horns. Thank ALL the gods these aren't attributed to the devil, they are Pure Love and Light and all That is Good with the World. This cool guy here couldn't have been a better tour guide! He done brung me a slice of Heaven once. Then he brings me right to the source. We're lucky I fit back into The Swede when we were done. We picked up chickens at another farm. Organic Free Range chickens. about $7 each, with apologies for the expense (!). Happy chickens just taste better! Organic Free Range chicken eggs for $1.20/dozen, though we later saw them for $1.09 (that particular store used margarine in their baked goods. I was glad we supported the butter one!) We got bulk spices from yet another family store on another country road. Pretty dang cool. Beautiful Place. Lots of Happiness. I think the Amish have the largest outdoor mall in the US, at least. The view between the stores is strategic advertisements, what with the happy animals and the corn growing and the bulging gardens and the buggies and the big sky... Far more effective than even Super Bowl Commercials! I just wanna stuff my face with a Taste of Heaven, in my own home. Ooooooh, we picked up fresh honey too...