Back at it ...

Okay gang. Once again sorry for the delayed blog post. I promise that things are back to square and weekly updates will be happen regularly from now on.

Mom and Dad are home from vacation and we're back from a weekend in Denmark so life is back to a regular routine.

I continue to find little things that Mom and Dad bought in London and this past week I uncovered a guitar-shaped spatula from the British Music Experience. Needless to say I was thrilled and immediatly put on a concert in the living room.

Wednesday Mom, Dad and I drove to Osceola so Mom and I could take the train to Burlington. It was a lot funner than driving and I can cross a trip on Amtrak off my bucket list. Okay ... buy my ticket ...

... then wait on the platform ...

... hop on in and get comfortable. Like I said to the conductor, "This train doesn't have a face on it?!" I guess I was wrong in thinking that, like Thomas, all trains had faces. (Oops.)

Mom snapped this picture as we were rolling through Chariton.

"Hi, Grandma! Good to see you. Thanks for picking ... me ... up ... zzzzzzzzzz"

Well, I'm glad I got that nap out of the way because there was lots of field work to do and I found, upon my arrival that my help was needed.

I got Papa headed in the right direction with the beans then went with Mom and Grandma Kathy to Kathy's Pumpkin Patch (no relation). It was a very nice place.

I got to ride on a hayrack ...

... play in the corn ...

... and dig in the sand.

They also had things to climb on!

Okay, back to work. This feels like home.

Now, put away the camera. Papa and I have work to do.

This photo is one of many featuring the four wheeler. Uncle Eric was home this weekend too. He's a great guy to hang out with!

Friday night everyone loaded up and headed to Nauvoo where everyone was shocked to learn that Asa and I shared a unique skill. We can touch our noses with our tongues! Awesome!

The next day was the annual God's Portion Day festival in Denmark. It's always a good time but this year was extra special because it was my first time in the parade. (Notice who was doing all the work while Papa just smiled and waved at folks.)

Uncle Eric drove in the parade too.

Dad, always wanting to be different, chose to drive a 4020 that's a lot like Papa Jack's back in Chariton.

After the parade comes the annual Denmark UCC noodle lunch. Dad thinks it's about the best lunch of the year. I didn't notice as I was too busy talking and playing.

Once lunch is wrapped up the auction begins. I found lots of kids and toys to play with. (By the way, a ton of potash (delivered) goes for $900 at this auction.)

After the day's festivities everyone but me hoped for a nap. I hoped for more time outside and rides on the four wheeler. Please, Grandma?!

Please Mom?!

Uh, that's okay Dad ... you can go and ride on your own.

Today I got up bright and early to push Grandpa into the field. In nice weather like this there isn't any time to waste. We have to get those beans out of the field!

Grandma made everyone an awesome lunch and I got to eat in the field. Uncle Tim was there and we had fun. He's a great guy!

This a nice, tight wrap. Who baled this?

When you're in the cab there isn't time to be silly. I work really hard to make sure the RPMs are where they should be, the monitor is okay, the head is the right height, the ground speed is good, the combine isn't too full and we're being as efficient as we can be.

Oh, one last thing ... I won second place in the tractor category at this year's parade. (Notice the envelope clearly saying that I was the winner, not Grandpa.) Since I won money I'm no longer an amateur and am now Pierce the professional parade tractor driver!

That's it for now ... much love to you all.

Pierce

It's been awhile ...

Well loyal readers it's been a busy couple of weeks. I have a lot I could share but I think things can best be described using a mathematical equation.

(Mom + Dad) + vacation = time with the grandparents!

There are lots of photos I could post but Grandma Maggy and Grandma Kathy haven't sent many to Mom and Dad. (It would probably make Mom and Dad sad to see that I actually have more fun with the grandparents than I do with them.)

Anyway, here I am getting dropped off at school before Mom and Dad left ...

... seeing Mom and Dad come off the plane upon their return ...

... giving Mom a big hug (then getting distracted by something) ...

... and insisting upon helping with luggage.

Yep, it was good to have the folks home!

Expect a great blog next week, gang. It's God's Portion Day in Denmark and that means just one thing ... TRACTORS!

Pierce

I love a parade ...

... and playing my guitar shirt!

This past week was a good one. Not only did things go well at school I got to spend some really great time with Grandma Maggy! She picked me up one afternoon and we went to a new park to play.

Then I got to help her get her mail.

Step one: put the key in the mailbox and open

Step two: remove mail

Step three: prioritize what came

Thanks, USPS ... it's always fun!

Saturday was Beaverdale Fall Fest and the second best parade of the year. As always we met up with our friends the Dillons, sat back and let the candy come to us. (I had a great haul.)

I studied everyone in the parade carefully so I'd know what do when I'm in the God's Portion Day parade in a couple of weeks.

Grandma Maggy didn't watch with us for long ... she saw our church group walk by and jumped on in!

Saturday after the parade Mom and I Skyped with Grandma Kathy and Papa. We had lots to talk about. (Save some combining for my visit next week, Papa!)

I felt like I wanted to wear my rubber fireman boots to church today and it was kind of funny to listen to Dad as he tried to talk me out of it. (I won.)

What?! Homework? Shoot! Everyone forgot that I had homework until we got home from a picnic tonight so we moved quickly to get it done. (Hopefully I'll get a good grade.)

Happy trails to you, until we meet again.

Pierce

Go Cwones ...

Hello. Nice to have you here again.

This was a short week with only four days at school. (That's a bad thing as I get bored at home and miss my friends.)

Since my last update I've picked up a new hobby ... cleaning the dishes! Mom and Dad say the ones I do still need to go into the dishwasher but that doesn't stop me. Splash. Pour. Spray. Scrub. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

This past weekend was the "big game". Just to show that I'm not a fair-weather fan here is my school football party outfit from 2010 ...

... and what I wore this year!

We had fun party at school, got to make hats, had a parade and even got candy from the "grandparents" at the Jewish Life Center.

Saturday was a busy day with errands and lots of cooking in preparation for our block party. I helped Mom make brownies ...

... and took it upon myself to make sure the batter was good enough to share with the neighbors.

We live on a great street and I got to play with a lot of friends ... both new and old. Here is my friend Judy, who also goes to Westminster. She was good with the hoola hoops.

I also got to jam with Will, who is 16 and the coolest guy! He has a couple of guitars and is a really good musician. He let me borrow his small one and we played several songs. I told Mom and Dad that I MUST get one for my birthday. Not a plastic one either ... I want something nice that I can really play well.

We sat by Grandma Margaret at church today then she stopped over to show me some pictures of a sunrise 9-11 memorial service she went to today. There were fire trucks and police cars there.

After Dad and I took a power nap this afternoon the family piled into the car and headed for the state capitol. There was a flag memorial Mom wanted to see after hearing about it from Grandma. She told me about what the flags meant and why they were important. I'm not sure I fully understand but there were lots of quiet, sad people looking at them while we were there.

Blessings to all ... and happy grandparents day to Grandma Maggy, Grandma Kathy and Papa!

Pierce

Labor Day Weekend

Hello, all. Well, after the tease that was yesterday's post I thought I'd better do a better job today.

It was a busy week but we somehow managed to survive. I started off the week with a haircut a Pope's. It's always good to relax, have a drink and catch up on gossip with Becky.

Wow, Mom's new iPhone is really easy to use. She got it this past weekend but I just "discovered" it when I was rummaging around looking for one of the iPads so I could watch garbage trucks on YouTube. Mom and Dad were both shocked that I unlocked it, scrolled over to find an app that was interesting and launched it. (Mom said something about hiding it. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I'd probably find it anyway.)

All week I've been excited for the Iowa Cubs game on Saturday. There was a lot of rain as we drove to the stadium but it stopped just in time ... huh?! No baseball game?! DRAT! Well, let's go home and we'll try again tomorrow. (I wasn't as nice about it as this blog post makes it sound. Let's just say Mom and Dad got an ear full on the way home.)

Sunday dawned bright and a new day was at hand. Sure Mom, I'll help get lunch ready. Let me dish up (or in this case dish out) the lettuce.

Sunday afternoon after I took a killer nap with Dad the family loaded up and headed downtown to watch the Hy-Vee Triathlon. We got there just in time to catch the start of the men's elite race. These guys are in really good shape! Behind me you can see where they were just about ready to start the swim.

(Here I am modeling my "concerned for the swimmers' safety" look.)

Not the best picture I've ever taken but I was glad to run into Steve. He knew a lot about triathlons and was a good person to watch with.

For my followers far and wide behind me is a picture of the state capitol. (Remember, the state capital is the city. The state capitol is the building.) We started out on the bridge to watch the swim and ended up all the way at the capitol to watch the bike/run transition. It was a long way.

Ah, the long walk home begins. I wonder where I left my sippy cup.

Mom's probably going to get mad that I put this photo in but I think it's pretty cool. (She was thinking about a holiday card cover but I think we'll come up with something better before the design phase this year.)

Sunday we used our tickets from the rained out game and I finally got my popcorn. There isn't anything better than ballpark popcorn! (It also was nice to wear my baseball hat to an actual baseball game even though I had to take it off for the l-o-n-g-e-s-t version of the national anthem EVER. Seriously, I know the singer probably had family there and his Mom was proud and all but let's go up-tempo next time!)

Ah, this is the life. Go Cubs!

Yesterday we headed to Chariton for a long overdue visit. I slept most of the way there and was ready to see the farm!

Ah, Grandma Margaret. She is always so much fun. We worked a bit on my ABCs and also shared a cookie. I can see why Dad thinks she's so cool!

Dad's Aunt Pat was visiting, too. It was very nice to see her and hear about her upcoming trips.

Dad wishes they would have had a cool forage harvester like mine when he was on the farm. Papa Jack liked seeing it and wondered how many acres of carpet I could cover in a day. (I told him it depended on how many wagons I had, whether we were dumping in a trench silo or blowing into an upright silo and the yield/moisture of the corn.)

Y'all have seen it before. The shot we get every visit to Chariton and the farm ... Papa Jack's 4020. I love this old gal!

It appears as though all the cool kids now have zero turn radius mowers. I must have one.

Ugh. After riding on Papa Jack's new mower I can tell ya that this walking thing is for the birds.

After mowing Mom, Dad and I grilled burgers and had a nice dinner. (For some reason Mom declined to be in the "look at our burgers" picture.)

Finally, I wanted to share a picture Uncle Chris sent from San Francisco. Apparently, in anticipation of my arrival next May the citizens of this great American city have named a street in my honor. I look forward to the parade upon my arrival. (I've been practing my parade wave for the God's Portion Day parade in Denmark next month so I'll be ready.)

Onward!

(Next week I'll see what I can do about Mom avoiding the camera and we'll get some shots of her in the blog.)

P-man

You have to admit, it's pretty damn cute ...

(Mom's words. Dad and I were just doing what we do.)

I have a lot more to post after a three day weekend but want to go to bed.

Use your patience, everyone. I'll get lots of pictures from the past few days loaded soon.