Like a kid in a candy store ...

This past weekend Mom, Dad and I went to Denmark to check in on Grandma Kathy and help Grandpa Dave around the farm. We arrived Friday evening and went to bed knowing that we were in for a full weekend. Saturday morning Grandpa and I worked on our plans and "to do" lists.

The first thing I wanted to do was check things out and make sure everything was okay. Here I am on one of Grandpa's Case IH tractors.

Next I moved on to his pickup truck.

Then came an Allis Chalmers in the shed.

Then I looked at some corn ...

... and talked shop with Grandpa and Joel Bobb. It was good to hang out with the guys and catch up.

Grandpa thought he heard a knock in his lawnmower engine. I didn't hear it but told him to replace the plugs and make sure his timing was set properly.

I'm thinking about asking Grandpa if we could fix this tractor up together. I think it would be a good first project as there isn't much body work to do and it runs well.

Maybe, if we worked together it could look like this one some day!

Mom wanted me to take a nap after a busy morning and a good lunch. I wasn't in the mood so I took the time to practice some gymnastics and work on my flexibility.

Back at it! To humor Dad (who is a "green" guy) Grandpa took he and I to Danny Miller's. He has a great collection of John Deere tractors and I closely inspected several.

Staying with the green theme, here I am with Tim! He let me drive his lawnmower to get warmed up for the highlight of the trip ...

... the combine! Grandpa got it out of the shed and we took it to the other farm and his shop so he could get it ready for harvest. I had my own seat in the cab!

The combine is REALLY big!

Once we got it to the shed I got to ride the four-wheeler ...

... then Grandpa and Dad loaded up the slide and brought it over to the new house. Weeeeeeeeee!

(I know what you're thinking. This is only Saturday, right?! Well, let me tell you, I heard more than once, "How can he still be going? I'm exhausted!" Adults get tired fast.)

Dawn came quickly Sunday morning but there was still much to do. Dad wanted to go for a ride so I took him on one of Grandpa's tractors. (He got so excited.)

Sunday afternoon Ali and Jill came over so Mom and Dad could go to the old house for awhile. Here I am telling them about Grandpa's cows and reminding them not to play on the gate.

There weren't as many pictures Sunday but it was a very busy day! Once it was done I gave Grandpa ...

... and Grandma a big hug and went to sleep. (There weren't many pictures of Grandma taken this trip. She's doing well but doesn't find her way into too many photos.)

Monday morning, before we left I made sure Grandma's walker was working properly ...

... then fell asleep 10 minutes after leaving Denmark.

Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa! I love you!

Pierce.

Look ... it's a butterfly!

A quick post ...

I've had several questions about "life as a butterfly" so I thought I'd share a few things. As a butterfly I'm expected to bring a blanket, a pillow, a toy, a toothbrush and a winning attitude to school. To hold all of these things I got a great backpack. Loyal readers have seen it already but I'd never really put it to the test until Monday.

Here I am psyching myself up for the day ahead with "Mighty Machines". (Canadians can really help get a guy ready for a long day.)


After the regular ride to school Dad put my backpack back on for me and I got to make the march to my classroom. I was nervous, I'll be honest.


I've walked through this room every day for the past 10 months but it's different when you stop and realize that this is MY room now. Dad helped me find my cubby and put my things away then get to the toys. I remembered that Mom told me she loved me and that I was going to have a lot of fun but I was sad.

Capitalizing on Dad's nervousness I threw a tantrum and held on tight. This made Dad feel real bad and I got some major attention. (Krista, the daycare director, ratted me out later in the morning and let Dad know that after he left I was just fine.)

Here I am playing with an old friend from my "caterpillar" days. Luther is a good guy and it was nice to catch up. It was a great day but we got out of school early because of a power outage so the day ended as it began ... on the couch chilling to the Canadians.

Thanks for all of your interest, gang.

Much love ...

Pierce the Butterfly

Ride. Ride. Ride. Hitchin a ride ....

I spent the past weekend at Grandma and Grandpa Houston's place in Denmark. One of the very best things about visiting them (other than them, of course) is that Grandpa has REAL tractors and I get to ride.

If you look closely you can see me helping him bale hay Friday afternoon.


Then I got to ride a pedal tractor (which I think I get to keep).


Then Saturday I rode in Mom's car and visited Clayton.


Then I went to Sherry and John's and rode the Mule.


Then I went back to Grandma and Grandpa's and rode a tractor. Afterwards Grandpa and I talked about farming.

Then Tim and Jill came over (I didn't ride anything then).

Then I got to cuddle with Grandma! (Her leg has an owie.)

Finally, after all of that Mom and I came back to Des Moines (riding in the car) and went through the car wash. It was kind of freaky.

That's it ...

Much love.

Pierce the Conqueror

The week that was ...

Another week has come and gone. This past week was an interesting one. I stayed home from school for a day because my head hurt and I had a fever, we had company, I tried the new room at school (and didn't like it) and made another trip to the fair.

Here I am getting walked to the car by Katie and Uncle Chris on Wednesday. It was fun to have them around!



Thursday Uncle Matt and Grandma Maggy came over while Mom and Dad were gone. I got to show them both my Mighty Machines video and they were really impressed!

Next came the weekend! I've been building my equipment inventory to help better run my operation and have found that I just don't have a tractor with enough horsepower to pull the disk. Thankfully my scooter has been available ...

After I finished disking the basement Mom, Dad and I headed to the Iowa State Fair. Our first stop was the Blue Ribbon Foundation area where we talked to Emily Putney and caught up a bit.

Next was the Hall of Law. "Wholly Crap!" There is a fire engine behind me ... I'd better pull over!

The garbage truck at the Fair was fun to watch but Mom said it wasn't a "real" exhibition.

Lunch was at the Pork Producers tent. Yum!

Our next stop was the baby animal building. Wow ... it was really, really cool!

I had a good time telling all the other kids about the animals.

Next came what we hope will be an annual trip to the spin art exhibit ...

... wait for it ...

... and for the finale!

That night Kiersten and Zach came over while Mom and Dad went out. I showed them my Mighty Machines video and they were impressed. (To a person, everyone I show the DVD to comments on how odd Canadians are.)

Sunday Mom helped to host a baby shower for our good friend Michelle Barker so Dad and I hung out for awhile. We washed the car, hit the grocery store, etc. Good times. (The only bad thing about going to the grocery store is putting things away. I'm getting old enough now that I'm expected to help. Crap.)

After getting that done I finally got to relax on the couch with my new Kimochi Huggtopus. Uncle Chris and Katie gave it to me and I'm having a lot of fun with it. It's a nice cuddle partner as I watch Mighty Machines ... AGAIN.

Have a great week!

Pierce

Boys Only

This week was kind of sad because Grandma Kathy fell and got an owie on her leg. Mama had to go bye-bye with Papa to help so Dad and I hung out on our own from Tuesday-Saturday.

We did okay but Dad was glad the cleaning lady came Friday and that night we both worked hard to tidy up the place. Here I am working on the back door ...

... and watering the plants.

Saturday morning Uncle Chris, Katie and Grandma Maggy came over. We piled into Dad's car and headed off to the Iowa State Fair for a few hours.

Our first stop was the show arena to watch some of the dairy cattle being judged. I kept reminding everyone what we were seeing "COW!" "COW!" "COW!" but they seemed to already understand that.

The next stop was the butter cow. While Grandma got ready for her band concert Uncle Chris, Katie, Dad and I waited in line to see this national treasure. (They were really impressed.)

While Uncle Chris and Katie were at Grandma's concert I took Dad to see some tractors. Here I am in a very nice Case IH Magnum 335 with optional red leather "luxury" seat. (Papa, you need one of these in your next tractor ... it was comfy!)

After giving the cab a thorough examination I checked out the wheels and tires. Everything looked good.

To be fair I did go check out some John Deere equipment too ... this tractor would be great for a "hobby" farmer, but that just isn't me.

By this time I was pretty tired and grumpy so Grandma, Dad and I made a hasty retreat from the Fair leaving Uncle Chris and Katie behind to explore. I slept on the way home them wanted lunch. Dad was very nice and made me a PB&J which I got to eat on the couch since Mama wasn't home yet.

Mom got home before I woke up from my nap and I was REALLY glad to see her! Here I am with Dad showing her my Play-Doh ...

... and modeling the AC shirt Grandma and Grandpa got me.

I also got to model the big boy school backpack that came in the mail! I'll use this when I go to school as a butterfly in a few days!

Mom seemed to be really glad to be home but got really serious when we answered the question ... "So, what did you boys do while I was gone?".

So, there you go ... another week behind us. Time sure flies.

Later!

Pierce.

Hot enough for ya?!

Howdy, y'all!

Welcome to another edition of Life 'O Pierce. I'm your host, Pierce, and I'd like to update you on another fun week.

Things were pretty mellow early this week. I'm prepping for my big debut as a "Butterfly" so I'm working on wardrobe, my cool kid attitude and drinking from a regular cup. Mom has ordered me a backpack, a pillow and a blanket and I'm feeling good about things. I'll start my "transition" on Aug. 16.

This past Thursday Mom and Dad went to an Iowa Cubs game with friends from MidAmerican Energy Company so Grandma Maggy came over. She brought a book from Great Grandpa Jack about old farm tractors and I made her read it to me right away.

We also visited the park and had a lot of fun together.

Friday was a long day at school so after ordering pizza Mom and I crashed on the couch for a bit of Thomas the Tank Engine fun.

Saturday was a busy day. I was lucky enough to accompany Grandma Maggy to a party celebrating Rohan's second birthday. It was at Backyard Adventures ... I'll be back!

After the party Dad and I got to visit Mom's office. It was really cool and seeing her building and talking to her co-workers was fun! (She'll probably have some "issues" with her computer when she gets back to the office, I was able to do quite a bit of typing when she wasn't looking.)

Today may have been the hottest day ever! I couldn't even go outside after lunch so Mom and I tried to pack in as much as we could this morning.

We filled up the pool and drug the slide into the yard. I've been working out a lot and, while I don't want to brag, look at my abs! (I really should go outside without a shirt more often so the neighbors can admire the view!)

Remember earlier when I mentioned that I'm practicing to be a "Butterfly"? Well, this is my "paying attention and really concentrating face". Thoughts? Input?

This week should be another fun one! Look for another update soon ...

Much love to all.

Pierce