Sunday, December 30, 2012

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