Another busy week ...

Sometimes it feels like I'm awfully busy for a guy my age. Oh well, I get to meet new people, do fun things and generally have the run of the place so I shouldn't complain.

Wednesday I got to spend time with my new friends Kiersten and Zach Maertens. Kiersten works with Dad at Flynn Wright and Zach is an elementary school teacher. Mom and Dad went out to dinner and I showed these two the ropes. (Hopefully they had as much fun as I did.)

Friday after school the rain once again interrupted my playtime. Mother nature must be mad at me ... everytime I want to outside it is either raining or too hot.

Saturday we packed up and headed to Chariton to help Uncle Chris and Katie work on Grandpa Mike's house. Grandma came along and brought Millie! It was fun to ride in the car with her ...

After a long morning of hard work we had lunch at Great Grandma and Great Grandpa's house. I've often heard Dad, Uncle Chris and Uncle Matt talk about Grandma's "magic bed" and never understood ... uh ... wait ... I'm so sleepy ... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz ... oh, okay, now I get it. What a great place for a nap!

I didn't realize that the first tractor on the farm was purchased after Great Grandpa was out of high school (a brand new Farmall B). All of us learned a lot this trip thanks to some great story telling.

After the tractor talk I felt the urge to spend some time on the 4020 then Dad gave me a ride on the lawnmower. It was pretty cool but I don't think you could plow or move hay with it.

Saturday night Uncle Chris and Katie spent the night with us. The next morning we hung out and I was able to show Katie my AC hat. (She liked it.)

Yesterday afternoon Dad unloaded the car and I got to play with his wooden train set from way back in the early 1970s. (That was a long, long, long time ago.) Mom helped me put it together and we enjoyed ourselves!

Given Grandpa Mike's interest in photography it is no wonder that I too like to have a camera in hand. This is the first picture I've ever taken on my own! (I call it "Daddy Blur". Prints are available for sale through my agent and gallery.)

Mom also took a photo and had a steadier hand than me.

After a long afternoon of playing Dad was getting sleepy and started rubbing his eyes. That made me tired and the two of us rubbed our eyes together. I then noticed that he needed help so I jumped right in. (He was appreciative.)

To wrap up the weekend we went to a bar-b-que at friend Mary Day's house. The Dillons were there and I played with Maguire in the yard.

Until next time, my friends ...

Much love to all.

Pierce.

TRACTOR!!!

It was another weekend of travel but this time it was to Denmark to see Grandma Kathy, Grandpa Dave and Uncle Eric.



He let me drive his truck for a bit on Saturday and I had lots of fun. (I wonder how long it will take him to reset all of his buttons, dials, etc.?)



Saturday was also a time for celebration as Grandma turned 60 this year. The whole family met at a nice Mexican restaurant and shared many a laugh.

Once we got back to the house presents were offered, cheescake was eaten and everyone had a good time.

Mom says that this picture sums up the weekend. Everyone is holding still and staying in focus except me ... I really felt like running a lot and you can't fault me for wanting to stay active, can you?!

Grandpa also got gifts. He "retired" from the Denmark Volunteer Fire Department this year so I helped him unwrap some things.

Sunday was a beautiful day and so I concentrated on making sure all of Grandpa's tractors were working properly.

Yep, that one was good ... how about this one?

Oh, yes, we probably should check out Grandma's while we're at it ...

This tractor even has a seat (and seatbelt) just for me!

Thanks, Grandpa ... I sure liked the rides!

Have a great week, everyone!

Pierce

A sad week for lots of folks ...

I'm sorry to say that I went to my first funeral this week. My Grandpa Mike passed away on the 7th and the past week has been a blur of tears, laughter, family and travel.

Uncle Chris came into town on the 8th and it was great to see him again even if it wasn't for a good reason. We got to play and catch up a bit on Saturday when I went to the farm with Mom and Dad.

He, Grandma and I spent time in the house looking over things and I did my best to keep everyone smiling and occupied.

I also got to visit my Great Grandma Margaret who is the sweetest lady ever. She was sad but still gave me some fun things to play with and spent time with me.

Dad walked me around the farm a bit and I got to sit on Great Grandpa's 4020! I really liked it and was sad when Dad said we had to go.

Uncle Matt and Aunt Emily got into town Saturday afternoon and after my tractor fun got an "uncle ride". I laughed and laughed because Uncle Matt was being silly.

We went back to Chariton on Sunday for the visitation and got to the house early which gave me time to explore. Grandpa Mike was passionate about photography and I found one of his tripods. It was a lot of fun to figure out and I bet he could have really helped me take good pictures.

Dad's cousin Eric was at the farm with his family and I got to meet his son Ethan for the first time. He was a nice fellow and we found that we had much in common.

All of the things I did got me really worn down so I found a bed and just crashed. It felt good to sleep.

Sunday at the visitation I was able to finally meet the Pierce family! They came all the way from Austin and I got to know Dad's Uncle Ken. What a cool fellow!

Monday was the funeral so Mom, Dad and Grandma didn't go to work. Before we left Des Moines I got to watch the garbage truck and it was awesome!

Once everyone got to Chariton we looked at photos, told stories and relaxed before the funeral. Here Dad's cousin Robin, his Aunt Penny, Uncle Matt, Aunt Emily and his cousin Mark hanging out.

I really liked seeing these guys again. I love you so much Uncle Chris and Uncle Matt!

There were lots of family and friends around the house which helped Grandma Maggy, Uncle Chris, Uncle Matt and Dad a lot. Here you see Uncle Mike's best friend Ed Kees and Dad's "brother from another mother" Steve Andersen.

Mom made a bunch of food and we all had a nice meal then headed off to the funeral. It was really sad but I got to see Grandma Kathy, Grandpa Dave and Uncle Eric. They came to help and support and I really liked being with them. I know Dad and Mom appreciated it, too.

Afterward the burial and a reception we said our goodbyes and headed back to Des Moines.

I liked riding in the car with Dad's cousin Mark. He lives in Austin but spent time on the farm when he was younger and had lots of stories about Grandpa. He also had sunflower seeds ... yum! He rode back with us to Des Moines Monday.

Monday evening we had a nice dinner. Everyone was really, really tired and hungry but there were lots of laughs.

To top off a crazy few days everyone went to Grandma Maggy's band concert Tuesday night. Uncle Matt and Aunt Emily "cut a rug", much to the chagrin of Uncle Chris.

So, there you go. I only met Grandpa Mike once but, after hearing about him all week I think he and I might have really gotten along.

Love to all.

Pierce

It's been awhile ...

Sorry for a delayed blog dear and loyal readers. It's been a busy few days. As you know from my last post I had a very interesting day on Monday, June 28. The following photos and comments cover the time from June 29-July 5 and a lot happened!

I got stitches on Monday and had my 18 month doctor's appointment Wednesday. I had my finger pricked and got a couple of shots so, for a few hours, I had more Band-Aids than any other kid anywhere.

Mom and Dad felt bad about things so they took me out to dinner Wednesday night. It was fun. The Band-Aid came off my finger and I bled all over Dad, applesauce ended up all over Mom, (Don't ask ... let's just chalk it up to poor decision making on my part.) and to top it off my nose was running so snot was everywhere.

(Mom and Dad left an extra big tip for our waitress.)


Friday at school we had a 4th of July family picnic. Mom and Dad took time from work to come over and, as it turns out, all the kids sat quietly and ate with their parents. Not me! (I'm Pierce the conqueror!) I decided that the only things I really wanted were my chips and cookie. After that I needed to stretch my legs and drug Dad all over the place. My friends just sat there quietly being cute but I wasn't feeling it ...


Mom got me out of school early and we headed home for a nap. Afterwards we checked out the Ashby wading pool. It was a lot of fun and I'm lucky to have a Mom who will take me. (You might wonder if there are photos of me in the pool. There aren't. However, I spent so much time playing with this truck that Mom got a picture of that!)


Saturday morning I got my stitches out. It hurt a little bit but I tried to be really brave. Here is a photo right before we went into the doctor's office.


The rest of the day was pretty mellow. I debuted my new "stitchless" face at the Urbandale 4th of July parade ...

... then Mom worked hard getting food ready for our visit to the Fletchers while Dad and I hung out in the basement. I'd not met Nolan or Karlin before so that was fun. Mom told me all about them and I'm glad they are around to keep Grant busy. They are little babies though, so we didn't have anything to talk about. A nice stare and point is all they are going to get from me for awhile ... I have Grant's toys to play with!


Sunday we went to church, Grandma Maggy stopped over for a bit then Mom's aunt Sherry and her husband John came over for pizza. I had lots to show them and talk about.


Monday came and Dad was really excited because he got to golf! After the round he gave me a ride in the cart and, by the end, I was having fun!


Then we met the rest of Dad's playing partners for lunch. One had his family with him so I got to see my friend Grant White and run around. (I haven't seen him in months and honestly don't remember him being this fast!)


Finally, after a bit of a nap and some relaxation Mom and Dad "attacked" my hair. What started as a "trim" quickly became a "shearing". They say it is a nice summer cut. I want a few minutes with each of them and the trimmers to see what kind of summer cut I can give them!

But you know, all's well that ends well. I got a piece of pizza for my troubles!



I'll post again soon ...

Much love.

Pierce

Give me five ...

... stitches in the head! I was running along at school, minding my own business when all of the sudden a chair jumped out and grabbed me!

Mom was called. She called Dad. They both called the Dr., came to school, loaded me up and drove faster than Uncle Eric would have liked to take me to the hospital. Once there I was whisked away to the ER and upon further inspection this is what the Dr. found.

After what they call "triage" everything got a bit hazy. The staff put medicine on the cut to numb it then wrapped my head and made me hang out for awhile. (Dad thought I looked like a Civil War soldier.)

Next they gave me medicine to drink. It was good. My hands felt just like two balloons .... I had become comfortably numb.

Then, we waited.

Thanks to a Thomas video provided by a VERY cheerful "child life specialist" I had something to keep me busy and I could just lay on the bed and pick my belly button. It was very mellow.

Then, all hell broke loose! I was minding my own business when a swarm of folks came in, held me down, put a bright light in my eyes and went to work. Mom and Dad held up well and I was proud of them but what a few minutes!

Five stitches and a Daffy Duck Bandaid later and I got to go home. I was still kind of loopy but got to have apple juice and an oatmeal cream pie. I also got to watch Nemo.

Not a bad day, I guess.

Pierce.