The Monster Mash

It's been a fun week! I did a lot at school and the weather was actually pretty nice! The leaves fell and I'd never seen anything like it. Dad said that when I get older he'll "let me" rake them. Sounds fun.

Grandma Kathy and Grandma Dave sent me a fun Halloween card this week. I opened it one day before school.

Wow! Even pumpkins have pacifiers! That's good to know.

Friday was "Beggar's Night". We had a costume event at school then I came home so we could take candy to a few neighbors like Caroline and Sue. It was cold so we didn't spend much time outside. After going up and down Allison Avenue we headed to Norwalk ...

... where I paid a visit to my buddy Grant! He was Barney the Dinosaur.

After that it was off to Urbandale to see Grandma Maggy. She got me my costume and it was fun to show it off for her. (She also took the next few photos.)

She had fun treats for us and I gave both she and her friend Ardeth, visiting from Chariton, some candy.

Grandma gave me a sip of her cider. (I don't think I like cider ... but everyone got a kick out of the funny faces I made as I tried it.)

Okay ... time for bed. This boy is done!

After a good night's sleep I was ready to face the world again. Because I care, I feel like I need to inspect things that come into the house. Here I am carefully inspecting Mom's sandwich at lunch Saturday. After this I taste tested both sandwiches as well, just to make sure they were okay.

Work is progressing on the basement. For the third (or is it the fourth) weekend in a row we made a pilgrimage to Home Depot. I changed my mind on carpet and I think we finally landed on paint colors after Mom found an "inspiration piece". (Frankly, I'm inspired by the thought of having my own space ... Mom and Dad are nice and all, but sometimes a guy just needs some elbow room.)

Saturday my babysitter Andrea came over while Mom and Dad went out ... she's way cool and is awesome to hang out with. (Mom and Dad always tell me to be on my best behavior when she's around.)

Dad and Mom had two Halloween parties to go to Saturday night. I laughed a lot at their costume. (Dad looked silly.)

Mom had fun at the parties!

Today was absolutely gorgeous. We walked to church and the grocery store then Dad grilled out. I had a great hamburger.

On a side note, Dad's office participated in an Extreme Race this past week. There were teams and everyone had a theme. Dad's friends Tony, Lindsay, Kiersten and Paul thought it would be funny to be "Team Jon" so everyone dressed like Dad. It was quite funny and I got quite the kick out of it.

To complete the effort, they even had a "Baby Pierce" as part of the team. I was very flattered.

Have a great week, loyal readers!

Pierce

Plans are made to be broken ...

Well, this week was supposed to be pretty mellow with me having a small "outpatient" procedure Friday. I went in Wednesday for my pre-op physical and, as it turns out, I had an eye infection and some gunk in my lungs. Surgery postponed.

Grandma Kathy came to my rescue and stayed with me Thursday and Friday. Thursday night Grandma Maggy came over and we all had dinner.

I felt like I had to do some entertaining and folks seemed to like my jokes.

It seems like every time Grandma Kathy stays with me something is going on with the house. This week Duane has been working on my room in the basement. I would go down and check on his progress each evening.

The lumber is good quality and I'm pleased with his progress. I made the decision to insulate the walls as comfort is important to me.

Dad and I had a pretty big debate about the interior wall on this closet. (I won.)

Saturday I went to pick out colors and carpet ...

... then stopped by to see Grandma Maggy's band concert.

The day ended with a walk.

That's about it! Today has been mellow with Mom not feeling well and Dad keeping an eye on me. Next week promises to be better ...

Pierce

Gotta walk before you can run ...

Another week and it's time for an update on my favorite person ... me! This past week started out with all of us catching up from our great trip to Denmark. I ended up under the weather and stayed home from school Thursday and part of Friday. (I got lots of cuddle time in with Mom!)


Saturday I was much better and got to go see Grandma Maggy!

We had lunch and caught up, but after awhile I just had to take a break. It's a lot of work being me and a nap always feels good.

When I woke up I got to play at Grandma's house with her special toys. She has this cool mirror that is just perfect for me! It's weird though, there is always another little boy at her house who looks a lot like me and is wearing the same thing.

Oh yeah, funny guys ... ha ha ha ... put the big hat on the little boy, laugh and point. Yeah, real funny. (Wait until I'm picking out your room in the "retirement village". I'll remember this and you just may end up with a view of the loading dock or the air conditioning unit.)

I got to finger paint after we got home! It's one of my favorite things to do.

Mom thought I might be ready to try drinking from a glass so we tried that, too. I think I did pretty well. I certainly wasn't thirsty afterwards.

Saturday night Dad got bored and did this with my hair. He thought it was really funny to say in a mean, gruff voice, "I pity the fool!" I didn't get it and Mom didn't laugh.

Today we watched some folks run in the Des Moines Marathon! Mom and I sat in the car while we waited for the two guys we were following. Mike (Maguire's dad) and Aaron (Dad's colleague) both participated in their first marathons this year.

Kendall and Maguire were on hand to cheer Mike along. We caught up with them about 1/2 way through the race, saw our guys then decided we were hungry. (What better way to support our athletic friends than a trip to a restaurant for Sunday brunch?)

Yum ... Pancakes!!!!

Mom and Dad wanted to send the cleaning lady back to the restaurant after they saw the floor under my seat.

The marathon takes awhile, so after breakfast we went back to catch up with Mike and Aaron. Less than a mile from the finish and still going strong!

Keep going ... it's not much farther!

After the race I got to spend some time enjoying nature. Leaves are pretty cool! Mom and Dad let me play with them for a bit today and I had a lot of fun.

This is a bit of a tangent, but I've been fascinated by retail packaging of late. It really bothers me when I see stereotypes used to sell product. Just because I'm a little guy doesn't mean that I love to finger paint and get messy doing it. Oh ... wait ... nevermind ...

Finally, I learned one very important thing this week ... you shouldn't necessarily do everything Mom dares you to.

Until next time ...

Pierce

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