Huh ... it snowed again today.

We may set a record this year. According to published reports we've received close to 53" of snow and more came last night! To beat this brutal winter and to breathe some life into my tired little bones Grandma Maggy, Dad and I went to the Botanical Center last weekend.

We ditched our coats and I got to go exploring ...

... there was a waterfall and a Koi pond ...

... and lots of plants!

It was a nice way to spend a cold morning. While we were there Mom and Grandma Kathy were in Las Vegas. It was a fun "girls' trip" and they enjoyed exploring the sites.

Friday they got to eat outside at the Paris.

And Saturday they met up with Mom's cousin Mike!

The real reason for the trip was a concert Saturday night at the MGM. George and Reba! While Reba kicked his rear in the costume change department George didn't disappoint.

Mom's already looking forward to seeing them both again in April when they come to Des Moines.

After a long day of travel on Sunday Mom and Grandma finally made it back home. They missed Dad who left that morning to go to Tucson for meetings. Grandma Maggy stayed with me until they got home and really saved the day!

Grandma Kathy stayed for a few days and we played and played and played.

Tuesday we went to see Clifford The Big Red Dog. I wasn't really sure what to think so I spent a lot of time walking around.

I did manage to get some shopping done, so that was good.

The next day Grandma Kathy told me all about pineapples. (What odd fruits.)

Dad finally got home Thursday and we met him at the airport. (I was really embarrased because I was in my jammies ... Mom didn't believe me when I said we could run into someone I knew.)

He was really happy to see me. While he was in Arizona he took lots of pictures ...

... it looks like a nice place but a lot different than Iowa!

Dad was really happy because he got some golf in with friends in between meetings. Here he is with Nick, Brian and Matt.

After so many days away and with the family finally home yesterday was a day for cleaning and laundry. (I'm a big help.)

Finally, Mom and Dad went out with Mike and Kendall last night so Grandma Maggy came over. It was a nice end to a busy couple of weeks.

I think that's it for now. Have a great week, all!

Pierce

Play-Doh ... YUCK!

Dad was gone a couple of days this week so of course we got 6" of snow!

Monday I got my hair cut and Grandma Maggy came along. Things went well and I'd like to think I charmed everyone at Pope's.

Afterwards we went to Mustard's and I got my favorite ... a grilled cheese sandwich from the kid's menu.

Dad got home Tuesday. Wednesday Grandma Maggy came over so Mom and Dad could go out for dinner. We had fun and it was nice to get away from the folks for awhile. (They say they enjoy an occasional dinner without me but in reality I'm the one that needs some time away from them!)

Thursday the postcards Dad sent me from his last couple of trips finally came in the mail. Mom has promised that she'll send me a postcard from Las Vegas next week so I'll have even more to add to my collection!

The rest of the week was pretty uneventful. Saturday Dad met up Steve, Mike and Bryce to go bowling in Atlantic. The general feeling was that none were ever going to make their living bowling but fun was had by all.

Mom and I hung out at home and enjoyed a quiet afternoon. I got to call Grandmpa Dave and catch up - I get the sense he may be lonely since Grandma Kathy is spending so much time with me.

We had craft time and Mom gave me some Play-Doh to try.

My Heaven's ... how can people play with this crap?!

Hey! Look! Justin, Amanda and Grant Fletcher came over for lunch today.

As often happens when guys get together talk quickly turned to cars and golf.

And who knew?! The area where shelves are going to go is a nice place to shmues ... this was a great discovery as Grant and I had a lot to catch up on.
Finally, I heard a saying today that just made a lot of sense. In the words of our great friend Justin ... get off the fence before your crotch starts to hurt. (I think this is generally very good advice.)

Until next time ...

Pierce

Who Dat?! Poo Dat!!

Another week has come and gone and it seemed to be one with a sports theme. Dad had to go to New Orleans for meetings and Grandma Kathy came up to spend a few days. She brought me an adding machine to play with and it's way cool! (I'm not sure I'm interested in becoming a CPA, though.)

I got lots of compliments on my Texas shirt. (I suppose I can wear it for my Austin "people" even though I'm really a Cyclone at heart.)

In honor of Dad's recent trip and my Great Aunt Penny Oustalet Pierce's illustrious New Orleans family I've been cheering for the Saints.

I was so excited for the game that I spent time Saturday cleaning and working on my closet so chores were done.

After quick naps the family was bored so off to the mall we went. Mom stopped at the Apple Store and I got my photo taken with Cy.

After our outing Dad and I were both surprised when Mom suggested ordering Chinese! It really hit the spot.

Today I sported my gear ...

Spoons aren't that easy to figure out. I think I'm getting close but sometimes you just have to use your fingers to help speed things along. (I was anxious to finish dinner tonight before halftime was over.)

I think that's it for now. Dad's off to St. Louis this week to see our good friend Tim Bingaman, I get a haircut and Grandma Maggy comes over Wednesday evening. Stay tuned though ... something exciting happens in less than two weeks and I've been promised pictures that I'll share with everyone! (I'll give you a hint...it's not the Saints in the Superbowl!)

Oh, one more thing ... a couple of weeks ago I mentioned that it was better to be the hammer than the nail. Well, after going through my toys recently it came to my attention that I actually own five hammers. Dad, Mom and I wonder why a one year old needs five hammers, but all agree that each serves a purpose.

So, I leave you with that dear and loyal readers ... each hammer serves a purpose. Deep stuff, huh?

Much love ...

Pierce

I can't hear you ... I have a banana in my ear.

Sorry for the delayed post dear and loyal readers. Sometimes life just gets in the way of a good story.

Last year at this time I was just a little baby but now look at me ... I've got a banana in my ear! Mom and Dad are so proud.

Last Sunday Grandma and Grandma Houston came for a visit. They planned to buy a new car and then Grandma was going to stay with Mom and me for a few days. In honor of their arrival I broke out the fine china.

We had a great meal and really enjoyed catching up.

Grandpa and I played in the basement for awhile. He seemed to like my toys and I made sure to show him how everything worked in case he wanted to play by himself.

Dad was in Chicago for a few days and ran into Maguire's Mom Kendall who was in town for other meetings. (Next week he's in New Orleans but I doubt he'll run into Kendall again.)

He got home Friday and I had was in a goofy mood!

Thankfully PBS had a fascinating show on shipbuilding techniques of ancient Egyptians which helped me settle down before bed.

Grandma Kathy left yesterday morning. Later in the day Mom and Dad took me out on my new sled. It took a long time to get dressed.

Dad walked really slowly until I got the hang of things.

At first I didn't know what to think but then I really started enjoying myself. Man, it was bright outside!

We had a nice packed down circle by the time we were finished.

Last night Grandma Maggy came over so Mom and Dad could go out. I showed her all of my tricks like walking, not going to sleep, screeching and trying to walk down stairs.

Finally, I wore the vest Grandma Maggy knitted for me as a birthday gift to church today. Dad's right, a man feels better in a vest!

In the words of the inspiring Casey Kasem, "Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars!"

Until next time ...

Pierce

A quiet week ...

Well, it was a pretty quiet week. Mom had her tonsils/adnoids removed Wednesday. Because of this Dad and I did our best to keep things pretty mellow.

Thursday, Grandma Maggy went to school with Dad to pick me up.

I was excited to show her my room!

Saturday Dad took me to his office so I could "air out" my Cozy Coupe. A high performance auto such as this requires a good running now and again. The long straights and tight corners of Flynn Wright proved to be a perfect track.

Afterwards I reviewed performance data with my crew.

After that I fell asleep.

Today I discovered how much fun a Nintendo Gameboy was. Tetris (Mom's favorite) is a fun game!

That's it for now.

This week's deep thought ... in life, it's better to be the hammer than the nail.

Blessings ...

Pierce

Chrismissed?! Not this year ...

The past week has been an absolute blur ... but a blur of the best kind. Lots of family. Lots of laughs. Lots of fun.

I got my one year photos taken Wednesday and Mom gave me a bit of a trim so I looked my best.

Uncle Chris was in town and came with me for moral support.

He also came with me to my doctor's appointment and I showed him how brave I could be when I got my shots.

We celebrated the Miller Christmas Wednesday night with some great food from Grandma and cool gifts. Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa Miller gave me a cow puzzle!

I hit the mother load with Grandma Maggy's gift, a Sesame Street play set!

Wholly crap! I couldn't wait to get my hands on my new toy ... she nailed it!

Unfortunately for me, Dad kind of took it over and I had to remind him that it was MY TOY, not his.

Thursday was a boys' day. Mom went to work so Uncle Chris, Dad and I hung out and did what guys do. (Playing in a tunnel, throwing golf balls in the house, tooting ... you know, guy stuff.)

After lunch Grandma stopped by to get Uncle Chris and Mom, Dad and I headed to Denmark to see the Houstons.

There were lots of hugs and laughs and fun Thursday night. We went to church then Grandma Kathy made one of her famous meals. (I don't know how I lucked out with two Grandmas who are such good cooks! It really makes me wish the rest of my teeth would come in.)

Friday morning was Christmas and things were a lot better than last year when I ended up going to the emergency room. This year Santa came and I got a work bench! Santa is the best!

No trip to Denmark is complete without a visit from my good friend Clayton. He helped me with my trains and we had a great time.

Lunch time! So much food. So much fun. I think Christmas is great ... no stress, no hassles ... just good people and gifts. Throw in a meaningful church service and I couldn't ask for more.

Later in the day, after naps Dad, Mom and I went with Grandpa Dave to do chores. (I like to help out and earn my keep when I visit folk.)

Dad even tried to be useful by standing in an open gate to keep cows from getting out. (Truth be told no cow came within 50 ft. of the gate but Dad still thought he'd saved the day.)

Grandpa says I can do more chores with him when the weather gets warmer. I look forward to that.

Christmas night Tim and Jill came over. We played and laughed and had a great time. They even gave me a cool watch!

I had so much great stuff from earlier in the day that Grandma and Grandpa waited to give me their gift. I helped put it together and as you can see from the video later in this post I think it is pretty darn awesome!

Grandma and Mom sure like to cuddle. I was watching National Lampoon's "Christmas Vacation" with the guys and couldn't be bothered but they insisted!

Saturday was a quiet, mellow day. The Houston family has tried to get Dad to learn Euchre since 2002 but it never works. It took both Grandpa and I to help him. (He actually played some really good cards but don't ask him how or why.)

Christmas toys come in boxes. I like boxes. Grandma made me a tunnel and I played in it a lot.

The weather outside was frightful this entire trip. We ended up staying an extra day and came back Sunday morning. It took an extra hour but the roads weren't too bad and everyone survived.

We arrived back in Des Moines and immediately went to a reception for Annette's Grandson Raihan. He seems like a really, really cool guy and I hope to spend time with him later. He lives in New York City so I'll pay attention when he visits. Here is a picture of his family.

When we finally got home we still needed to do our family Christmas. Mom cut up some of the sausage Uncle Eric gave us then we ordered pizza and hung out.

I was proud to give Mom and Dad the gift I made for them at school!

Mom thought it was funny that I had a bow in my hair.

We took a break and I took a bath before we finally got to stockings. The rest of the evening was spent in a pile watching TV. It was a good end to a great week.

Oh ... as promised ... a video for everyone's enjoyment.

Have a great week and Happy New Year's to everyone.

A deep thought for the week ... you can pick your friends but you shouldn't pick their noses.

Pierce.