Christmas(s)!

Hey, gang! A lot has been going on over the past couple of weeks and I'm overdue with an update. Let's start with my 4 year check-up on Monday, Dec. 17, 2012. I was the perfect patient (if I do say so myself) and got a clean bill of health. 3'5" tall, 37.5 lbs. Not bad. 

On the 20th we were hit with "snowmageddon". Mom and Dad hadn't seen the weather guys this excited for a couple of years! The news said we got between 8 and 13 inches. I'd believe it.

What did it mean to me? Well, two additional days of vacation (much to Mom's chagrin) and a lot of snow to move around.

Luckily the roads weren't so bad that we couldn't go to see Becky. I got a haircut, gave her a Christmas present and wished everyone happy holidays.

Friday Mom and I finished up the gingerbread house that Grandma Kathy got me and had a lot of fun.

We also headed to Grandma Maggy's for the Miller Christmas. I got to play with my favorite toys, see Buddy, have a great meal of grapes and cheese on toothpicks and spend time with Grandma.

I got some awesome presents and got to show Grandma how fast I could do the puzzle game on her iPad. I had fun impressing her with my puzzle skills!

Saturday Mom, Dad and I loaded up and headed to Denmark. The car was full and Dad kept making jokes about renting a trailer. Mom kept making jokes about making room in the car by leaving Dad at home. We got to Papa and Grandma Kathy's house after lunch and were able to unload and relax a bit before folks came over to visit. The house was full of laughter and food (and more food). Folks had a lot of fun!

I was able to play with my second cousins Peyton and Talon. It was good to catch up. (Talon is good at playing trains.)

The next day Papa and I got to feed the cows and also watch a car get pulled out of the ditch by one of his fields. 

It was cool because the sheriff was there, too! (Note to self, gravel roads can be just as slick as concrete roads when it's icy.)

One of the highlights of this trip was the machine shed that Papa built me. It's made of real wood and is a lot like his. It fits all of my equipment and I spent a lot of time playing with it. Thanks, Papa!

Monday night everyone went to church and I got to hold a candle during "Silent Night." I felt like a really, really big boy. Once we got home we opened our $5 and family gifts.

Uncle Eric got me an awesome Lego garbage truck so he, Dad and I spent time putting it together. It was fun, but they are kind of slow and take a lot of time just staring at the instructions.

The last thing on the agenda before bed? Getting ready for Santa! Food out for the reindeer? Check. Cookie, milk and note out for Santa? Done! Now, off to bed so he'll come.

Christmas morning dawned bright and I was in luck ... Santa came! There were ambulances, fire trucks, police cars, a Big Wheel, a medical kit, books and a stocking full of fun stuff! Yeah! (Elvis the Elf must have filled Santa in, telling him how good I've been this past year.)

A gift to the whole family was a seven layer Jell-O salad Uncle Eric and Grandma Kathy worked on for a long, long time. Both were rightfully proud. Yummy!

Wednesday morning Mom, Dad and I loaded up more stuff than we left Des Moines with and headed to Keota to pick up 1/4 of a butchered cow. It was a long journey home with a car that was as full as any car on the road. Thankfully, had we run into trouble, we had a couple hundred pounds of meat with us that we could eat or use as currency among the people of the frozen Iowa tundra.

Once we got home and settled we had one more Christmas and this time it was just us. Dad got Mom a red nose so she could play Rudolph but I just had to have it.

As I wrap up this entry in Life 'O Pierce I'll include a photo from yesterday when I went to Chariton with Dad to visit Papa Jack and Grandma Margaret. I always love seeing them and, I must say, Grandma Margaret is surprisingly good at the tickle monster game.

I'll leave you with a bit of video from Friday at Grandma Maggy's house. She has a perfect sledding hill  and we both had a lot of fun playing in the snow.

Until next time ...

Pierce

Birthday Party II

It's been a fun week! Not only did I get to do lots of fun things at school my birthday celebration just kept rolling on. 

Before I get to that I wanted to share a couple of photos Grandma Maggy took when we were together a couple of weeks ago. Mom and Dad love the one in the tree.

I love this one. What a lucky guy I am!

So, this week started out with me taking cupcakes to my class. It was fun to be the guy bringing in the treats.

As the week progressed, work began on my "friends" birthday party.  I was a big help putting together the gift bags for my friends.

Finally the big day rolled around. Lots of my friends from Bergman came to the party, and the Fletchers came, too! It was a fun morning.

I was the center of attention as I blew out the candles. There were four of them!  Not sure this photo is a true representation of my enthusiasm.

The cake theme was, once again, a fire truck. (Mom and Grandma Kathy make the better of the two cakes this year ... I'm just saying.)

You can barely see her in this photo but Mom helped get my gifts organized so I could unwrap them at the party. She feared for her safety surrounded by so many excited kids but she came out of it pretty much unscathed.

And, as soon as it began it was over. Those poor jungle gyms ... they were left all alone. 

Last night we hung out with the Dillons and it was fun to play with Maguire. He is a master with Legos and gave me my first set. We worked together to put the first half of the kit together then it was up to Dad and I to finish it. (Things went much faster with Maguire.)

That's it for this week!

Until next time.

Pierce

Birthdays!

Hey, gang. Sorry I didn't get a post done last week. It's been hectic. Let me get everyone caught up. Last Monday was Mommy's birthday. I was surprised when she said she wanted a quiet dinner with the family. (My birthday was coming up at that point and I wanted fire equipment, a quiet dinner with the family was the last thing on my mind.)

We managed to eat without too much drama then had a nice time with Mommy as she opened gifts at home.

This week was kind of busy. Dad traveled. Mom worked. I went to school. The days flew by. We managed to get the tree up, though.

Grandma Kathy and Papa came up Thursday as I was out of school early, and stayed for a few days. It was nice to have them here as there was a big celebration planned ... FOR MY BIRTHDAY! Yep! You heard right. This guy is a big four. 1-2-3-4. Four. I've got the world in the palm of my hands.

On Saturday Uncle Eric came up and Mom arranged for a firehouse tour. I wore my uniform so the guys knew I was legit and it was awesome!

I even got to hold a hose! (It was heavy, but I tried not to let on.)

Firefighter Pierce ready for duty!

Before we left I helped the fireman find my house so he knew where to go if he needed any help with his job.

Next up? Grandma Maggy's band concert. The music was good and I think folks enjoyed it.

After a drive we headed home and work began in earnest on this year's edition of the birthday cake. Mom and Grandma Kathy really focused on making this the best cake ever.

Heck, even Uncle Eric helped out!

I put the wheels on ...

... and worked with Uncle Eric to make sure the lights were in the right places.

Afterwards, the adults were so exhausted that I was able to convince them that it was a good idea to open a birthday present early. The whole thing worked out beautifully for me ... I got an awesome rescue helicopter from Papa and Grandma Kathy!

Today it snowed a bit, but was still a great day for the Santa Brunch at Wakonda with Mom and Dad.

... and I got to see first hand how sad a closed swimming pool looks in December. Sad.

I didn't dwell on it long, though. I wanted to get home where the real party was waiting. My birthday party!

It was a small, intimate affair but it was perfect. Uncle Eric even made me a fire station by hand! Wow! Everybody was really impressed...

... and all smiles because I absolutely fell in love with it the moment I saw it.

Mom went above and beyond, getting hooked up with the Pierce fire engine company in Wisconsin. They sent me posters, hats and coloring books. It was really cool that she did that and I liked that they had some of their workers wish me happy birthday. 

The party wrapped with everyone eating cake and ice cream. It was a wonderful birthday. I'm a pretty darn lucky guy. 

That's it, gang. I'm four. I've got it all figured out. Life is grand.

Pierce

Thanksgiving!

This last week was Thanksgiving and the Millers were in town. The week started out on a high note as I found out I could get the flu vaccine via nasal mist vs. getting a shot. Yeah!

Not only did I get out of a shot, I got to have lunch with Mom and Dad! (I was very happy, don't let the photo fool you.)

Later that day someone took this picture of a fireman getting a haircut. He's a good looking fellow.

Thursday (Gooble. Gooble) was Thanksgiving. The night before Uncle Chris, Uncle Matt and Aunt Emily all came to Des Moines. Uncle Chris stayed at our house so he rode with us as we headed to Chariton for a special meal. 

We all got to eat with Grandma Margaret and Papa Jack! It was a fun afternoon.

And everyone was in good spirits. (Grandma was feeling a bit sassy and Papa Jack had some fun stories.)

I was put to work helping to wheel Grandma around. I did a good job and didn't even crash.

Before we left, I showed Grandma how I put puzzles together. As a former teacher she appreciated that I like working on them. 

After a brief stop in Indianola (which I totally slept through) we headed home and everyone kept eating. (Eating was a big theme throughout the weekend.)

Friday was a big shopping day but I didn't want anything to do with it. Uncle Chris, Uncle Matt, Dad and I had boys' time while Aunt Emily and Mom did their thing. We helped make more acorns ...

... had "breakfast for lunch" at Drake Diner then toured Wakonda Club and Bergman Academy. It was cold but I got a couple of unsuspecting guys to go down one of the slides at school. Two things emerged. 1) Static electricity building and shocking people as they go down slides is a real issue in cold, dry air. 2) This particular slide is sized for kids, not for adults. 

(Note to readers: There is a very unfortunate picture of Dad going through a tunnel on the playground that will never see the light of day. I'll let you use your imagination. Fat guy. Lots of layers. Small tunnel. Limited use of arms. One uncle pushing. One uncle pulling. One son laughing.)

Later Friday night we all went to Grandma Maggy's for a wonderful meal. I got to play with her toys and folks had an awesome time. We even got to celebrate Mom's birthday a few days early with cake. I helped blow out the candles, but they kept re-lighting. Those darn trick candles!

Saturday? Santa! Yeah! He's my main dude. He knew way too much about me, which was a bit weird, but we had a great visit.

The whole family got our picture with the big guy.

Last night, back at our house, we gave Grandma Maggy her Christmas gift as we aren't going to be together for the holiday. Her wall hanging was well received and everyone felt great that she liked it.

Today we had donuts, went to church, came home, ate then hung out for a bit. I got one more game of doctor in ...

 

... then as quickly as they appeared our guests were gone. The only thing left to do was sleep so that's what Mom, Dad and I did. Ah, the holidays.

Pierce