God's Portion Day

What a fun weekend! Mom, Dad and I went back to Denmark for the annual God's Portion Day festivities.

Before we get to that I wanted to show folks a couple of photos from earlier in the week ...

Here I am helping Dad test the safety latches he put on the cupboard under the sink. He and Mom keep stuff there they don't want me to get into.

I also got my first winter coat! It arrived right on time as I got to wear it over the weekend.

The God's Portion Day parade was Saturday and it was cold so Mom and I sat in Grandma Kathy's car to watch.

I knew several people at the parade including Grandpa's sister Sherry, her daughter Jodie and son-in-law Alan. Grandma drove her very own tractor! It is an Allis Chalmers "G". It's an odd looking thing, but everyone loves it.

Uncle Eric was up next on one of Grandpa Dave's tractors.

Dad even got in on the act! (Both he and Grandpa were happy nothing got broken. Sometime, ask Grandpa about the time some guy from Des Moines who his daughter brought home for the first time broke the combine.)

Grandpa brought up the rear and kept an eye on everyone.

Afterwards everyone piled into the church for the best chicken noodle dinner ever. The ladies from the church are excellent cooks.

I really liked the noodles!

Lots of folks were there and I got to visit with Ali and Allysa ...

... Jill ...

... Grandma and Grandpa's friends ...

... and my buddy Clayton.

After everyone eats there is a fun auction at the firestation. Dad wouldn't let me bid on anything but Mom bought a mum. (Dad's joke about "mum's the word" fell on deaf ears.)

At the auction, Grandpa Dave was kind enough to give me a drink of his water. (For some reason, after I took a sip he told me to "just keep it". Doesn't everyone lick the bottle when they drink?)

Grandma Kathy got me a push toy so I can practice my walking. When I concentrate and try hard I can take a few steps! I'm not ready to walk without it, but I think it will help me figure things out more quickly.

And finally, you can see my excitement as Uncle Eric and Grandpa Dave gave me a ride in my new favorite toy ... a cardboard box!

Have a great week!

Pierce

Hair today ... gone tomorrow ...

Hello, all ...

Another week has come and gone. Much has happened over the past few days so I'll jump right into it.

Grandma Maggy got on a plane to go visit Uncle Chris. I couldn't resist and tried out one of Mom and Dad's suitcases and yep, I fit in a carry-on. (Good to know.)

Wednesday was my 9 month doctor's appointment. I wasn't scared because I like my doctor but it got kind of cold in the exam room.

Luckily Mom thought ahead and brought a blanket. I got a shot, but didn't cry.

Mom and Dad are making me a special room in the basement where I can do whatever I want! Guys came to the house Thursday and I helped inspect the work.

After school I went to Pope's for my very first haircut. Mom has gone there for years as do a lot of Dad's friends so it made sense that Becky would do it. This is my "before" shot.

Becky did a really good job and everyone said that I did well too. I started out on a bench but decided that I wanted someone to hold me. Since Dad hasn't been in a barber's chair for years he got the honor.

I think I like Pope's ... I got a snack as Becky was working. (Just a slight trim, please.)

Can you get it off my collar? Great.

All done ... thanks, Becky!

Saturday was a lazy day at home. I'm going to the farm next weekend so I thought I'd better watch my Baby Einstein "Baby MacDonald A Day on the Farm" DVD. I really like it.

One of my favorite toys is the bouncer Grandma and Grandpa Houston got me.

I can do a lot more in it now as a little boy than I could six months ago. (I was a little baby then.)

Cold weather has arrived. Mom and Dad are big on me wearing a hood, but I'm not convinced. They even make me put it up while I'm still in the house and before we leave. They are mean.

Today, after church, we all went down to Chariton to see Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa Miller. Great-Grandma showed me her walker ...

... and Great-Grandpa let me bounce on his knee while he blew his train whistle. It was a "great" visit.

On the way back I made Mom and Dad stop and take a picture of a farm that caught my eye. They have orange things like Grandpa Houston!

Once we got home I did some things around the house. One of the plants had really been bothering me so I went ahead and pruned it before Mom or Dad could say anything. They wondered how I did it so quickly, but I'd been thinking about it for awhile.

All is well though, I gave Mom a big hug and she said it was okay.

Until next time ...

P-man!

ZOOming through another week ...

Hello loyal readers out there across the globe.

I usually don't start with a video (why lead with the good stuff?), but I've been working on a new dance move and need some feedback ...

Also, has anyone else heard of or seen this contraption? Mom and Dad call it a "dishwasher" and it is fascinating.

Anyway, Friday was my last day at my current school so I got a couple of photos with the folks I spent the most time with. Tonya was there for me every morning and is a super person.

Here I am with my good friend Amy who I spent afternoons with. I'll miss them both along with Kylie and Sarah but am excited to finally start Boulevard.

Saturday after Dad's plane landed we went to Ankeny for the annual Mercy Hospital NICU reunion. There were over 900 kids, families and friends in attendance and it was really impressive. Some kids who were there have had a lot more to overcome than me. Mom, Dad and I agree that we couldn't have asked for anything more in a tough situation. The team in the Mercy NICU is an amazing group.

One thing that I'm actively working on is getting Mom and Dad to realize that sometimes I want to do things my own way. I've started standing up in my car seat rather than just sitting down like I used to ... it keeps them on their toes and sometimes I have to laugh because they just don't seem to know what to do about it. They may take me out and start all over, they may try and tickle me to get me to sit, they may try and get me to bend ... ha! Parents are fun sometimes.

Today Mom and Dad finally went to a concert for me. (Monday they saw Bruce Springsteen and I stayed with Grandma Maggy.) Every Family Rocks was a total good time. We saw a great set by Justin Roberts ...

... plus Mom and Dad seemed to know lots of people there.

Here are friends Jennifer Eckerman and Mara White striking a pose while Mom talks to Sonya Graber. (Jennifer is a super graphic artist and has done some work for me. Mara is a familiar face to my loyal readers. Her son Grant was in the blog a few months ago and she works with Dad.)

I had lunch next to the monkey exhibit. (In my 9.5 months I never thought I'd ever have a sentence like that in my blog.) Odd creatures, but entertaining ...

After that it was back into the show for some fun with grant and a set by Dan Zanes and Friends. Interestingly enough, Dad shared a plane with those folks when they came into town. What a small world.

After the show Grant and I explored the zoo and spent some time watching the giraffes.

After we got home I managed to climb the entire flight of stairs leading to my bedroom all by myself. Mom was so shocked that all she could do was watch me and make sure I didn't fall. She and Dad agreed that I was wearing them out and that I should slow down.

Yeah, right.

That's all for now ... have a great week!

Pierce

Sometimes I get tired ...

... it's hard being an active guy. People to see. Places to go. Commitments to keep.

I've really worked hard on the piano this past week. I practice on my own and have been working on a piece I like to call "The disappointment of undissolved Similac".


It's a jazz piece with room for improv in the bridge. Bobby Short is my inspiration. Tuesday I debuted it for Mom and Dad. Mom liked it, but I don't think she got what I was trying to communicate. Dad thought it was redundant and lacking tonal maturity. Whatever.

Thursday Grandma Maggy stopped by while Mom was at yoga.

Saturday was a big day ... a parade! Beaverdale Fall Fest is an annual tradition and, based on what I saw this year, I think it is going to be something to look forward to.

The Dillons watched the parade with us ...

... and I got to sit on Grandma's lap.

Our neighbor Debbie was there with her new grandson ...

... and other neighbors (and fellow Westminster folk) Caroline and Judy were in the parade.

A nice person threw me some candy. As you can see in the background, Maguire cleaned up! I can't wait to be a big kid and get a bunch of candy just for me!

Here I am with Debbie's grandson Nicholas. He was a really nice guy and we spent time discussing matters of importance to folks our age.

We got home and I thought it would be fun to play with Dad's glasses. They broke. He was sad. (After that I noticed that both Mom and Dad often took their glasses off whenever they were near me.)

Saturday night we went to Raccoon River Brewing Company. Mom and Dad talked about how cool it was that almost five years ago they came here for a drink after their wedding reception. Now there are three of us in the family. Mom and Dad both got kind of quiet and smiled a lot as they thought about that. (It was a moment ... and you'll notice that Mom doesn't have her glasses on.)

After dinner I wanted to go see the colored lights at the new Davis Brown Tower so we walked over. Very cool. (Dad's wearing his old glasses.)

This morning Mom made pancakes! I've never had them before and they were fun to play with.

You can also get a lot in your mouth if you really stuff them in.

We had a quiet morning before church and read the paper. It was nice. (Target had a lot of great deals in their circular this week. If anyone is looking to stock up on kitty litter now is the time!)

My stuff has pretty much taken over the living room as you can see. Mom and Dad wanted to see if I still fit in this chair, which Dad's Aunt Pat gave me. I used to spend a lot of time in it!

I've grown a bit since this photo was taken.

After Skypeing with Grandma and Grandpa Houston this afternoon Mom, Dad and I headed up to Snookies for their "last hurrah". My favorite band, The Bran Flakes were playing and their lead singer Steve even dedicated a song to me! (Some of my more loyal readers may remember a posting a few weeks ago from another one of their shows on Allison Ave. I've seen them at least twice and hope to follow them around Des Moines next summer. Some of the folks I know have seen them 15-20 times!)

Remember Judy and Caroline from the parade? Well, they were there, too! (Caroline is Steve's wife and frequently travels with the band.)

The Staplins also were there so it was good to catch up with some old friends.

I'm off to Skype with Uncle Matt, take a bath and go to bed. Sweet dreams, all!

Pierce