That damn bunny ...

Hello, all. I hope everyone had a good week. Mine started out great but has ended in a fairly traumatic fashion.

More on that later, but let's start with some more information about the trash and recycling containers I have in the backyard. I showed y'all how I take them to the curb in an earlier post but also wanted to show how I inspect them daily.

One thing about trash and recycling ... you can never be too on top of things. I make sure both are exactly where they should be and aren't too full every night after school.

My friend (and our neighbor) Debbie has a puppy named Max. I've been meaning to welcome him to the neighborhood so I picked up some stuff at our Bone-A-Patreat as a gift. I took it to him Wednesday after I inspected the trash and recycling.

Afterwards we went to dinner at Hyperion and I got my first look at the golf course this year. It was fun to watch folks play as we ate.

Friday was Grandma Maggy's birthday so she came over for dinner. She also brought me some Easter gifts. I hadn't seen her since she got back from Texas so there was a lot to catch up on. (After a long week I was pretty sleepy, so we didn't get to talk as long as I wanted to.)

Easter egg coloring on Saturday afternoon was fun. The kit came with a crayon for drawing on the eggs then Mom would help me get them colored.

I got pretty good at it by the end!

Not bad!
Last night we went to the Fletcher's for food and fun. Grant's dad Justin organized an Easter egg hunt just for us!

It was a lot of fun! Grant and I both found lots of eggs!

Mom helped me with my loot after we were done.

You could be 1 or 100 but if you're a guy body humor never goes out of style. Here I am with Grant enjoying a good laugh.

Some gifts were dropped off after I went to bed last night. I got some great things but didn't understand the funny ears that Mom and Dad had me wear. Little did I know what was in store later this afternoon!

After gifts and a nice breakfast (thanks Mom!) we went to church. The music was excellent. Grandma Maggy sang in the choir (first row just to the left of the conductor) and Dad served communion.

Oh. Yes. That damn bunny. After prying me with gifts this morning I was to meet him at Hyperion's Easter brunch with Mom, Dad and Grandma Maggy.

Nobody told me he was 8' tall, furry and had such a big tooth. I do not like him at all and will be rethinking my approach to Easter next year. (Please note how supportive Mom and Dad were. Dad is laughing. Mom is photographing. I'm dying on the inside.)

Have a great week everyone. Keep an eye out for that damn bunny ... he's a scary dude! (If you feel like you need to cry when you see him go ahead.)

Oh, and one more thing. I'm looking for new parents. I've had mine for about 16 months now and they continually expect me to come inside when it gets dark, eat my food, sleep at night, etc. They also weren't that supportive when that damn bunny scared me this afternoon. If anyone can offer another arrangement call my cell.

Thanks.

Pierce

Spring has sprung!

Well, I think Spring is officially here. Things are growing in the yard, I'm going outside almost every day at school and everyone is in a better mood.

This week went by fast! Tuesday morning Dad and I took Grandma Maggy to the airport so she could get on a plane to go to Austin.

Friday night we had family pizza night and I tried to show Mom and Dad how to make a hat out of an 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper.

Saturday started out with the delivery and installation of a new dishwasher! (Mom and Dad were a little too excited if you ask me.) I tried to get them to let me keep the old one but they said no.

In the afternoon we ran errands and I caught up on sleep while we were driving.

That night Mom and Dad went with the Dillons to visit our friend Mary so Andrea came over. Before they left I got to open my mail from Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Dave. (I felt really great because I got more mail than Mom or Dad on Saturday!)

Today Mom taught Sunday School so Dad and I met her at church. It was Palm Sunday and I got my own palm.

Afterwards I had to show Mom and Dad how to run their new toy. (Geez, parents just don't get technology.)

After my nap we went to the Iowa Energy game! Here is a photo from our trip in December...

... and here is today! I look older, don't you think?!

Today provided a great chance for another "then and now" photo. Last year, on March 17 I helped dad grill.

Today we grilled for the first time in 2010!

Mom and I also came up with a fun new game to play while Dad is grilling. (I can do a lot more than I could last year.)

Finally, here is a photo of Grandma Maggy in Austin today. 1st row, L-R, Grandma Maggy, Great Uncle Ken Pierce, Great Aunt Penny Pierce. 2nd row, L-R, Aunt Emily, First Cousin-Once Removed Robin (Pierce) Fruehe.

Photo courtesy of Matthew Miller

Have a great week, all.

Oh, one more thing ... I finally found a great resource for all of those Smokey and the Bandit quotes I've been looking for. I tell ya, the first thing I'm going to buy when I get an allowance is that DVD. Classic!

Pierce.

The call of the auctioneer ...

I got my first pair of "big boy" shoes this week. Thick soled. Velcro straps. Darn attractive, if I must say so myself. Here I am after putting them on for the first time. It was hard to walk! (Thanks for the St. Patrick's Day card, Grandma Maggy!)

After the rain last week we had snow this week! Mom, Dad and I went to Grandma and Grandpa's Friday after school. Clayton's auction was going to take place "come hell or high water" so Saturday everyone was out of the house early and did their best to make things go smoothly. Before you can bid you have to "get a number" and register. Both Uncle Eric and Dad got numbers and I got to go with them.

There were 14 hayracks full of things plus furniture and appliances to sell. Uncle Tim (in the orange) stopped by to see how things were going. It was a long day for Grandma and Grandpa.

I went on a quick tour of things but it was cold so I just told Mom and Dad what I wanted and left them to bid. I was really lucky because I got to spend most of the day warm in the house with Clayton.


There were cars as far as the eye could see!

After the auction everyone came over. I did my best to keep them entertained but just had to go to bed and left them to carry on their party without me.

Overnight the Easter Bunny came! (A bit early this year.) I got to cuddle with Uncle Eric a bit as he read me one of my Easter books.

As Mom and Dad loaded the car Grandpa Dave and I watched some of the films Dad posted on earlier blogs. (I sure wish someone would have told me several months ago that I waddled when I walk. Geez, I look like a penquin!)

Before getting home Mom, Dad and I went to Hoover High School and saw Grandma Maggy play in the Greater Des Moines Community Band. I really liked the music but after a couple of numbers I had to get up and move around. After three hours in the car sitting was the last thing I wanted to do.

Mom and Dad took turns following me as I went on a self-directed tour of the building. Dad kept trying to tell me about high school but he wasn't making sense. He and Mom agreed that there is a certain smell to a high school (much like there is a certain smell to a preschool).

You can see Grandma playing flute to the right of the conductor.

When we got home it was really nice out! I ran around while Mom and Dad unloaded the car then helped Dad roll the recycling to the curb.

One last thing ... at the auction Mom picked up some old toys she played with as a girl at Clayton's house. Imagine her pride as she finally got something she built to look like the picture on the side of the box! ($40 and 25 years later she has a special feeling of success. Good for you Mom ... yep, good for you.)

That's all folks ...

Let's all try and be the windshield, not the bug this week.

Pierce

Rain delay ...

I think spring has finally sprung. Look at what was on our back porch a few days ago!

Mom, Dad and I had a busy few days so I did my best this week to help around the house. One thing I do is make sure the doors are locked.

Thursday night we went to Denmark to help out with our friend Clayton's auction. It is a really big deal and both Grandma and Grandma have been working really, really hard. Unfortunately, after a big effort to pull things together Friday we were rained out Saturday. Mom and I just hung out at the house and I did some cleaning until everyone finally got home.

We were all so bummed about the auction that everyone decided just to have a family play day. Grandma got out some cool new toys and I got to work.

After watching me play with the balls, Grandma had an idea and enlisted Uncle Eric to help get things set up.

Thanks Grandma! This was an awesome treat!

After a long day everyone was ready to put the postponed auction behind them and get out of the house. Mom, Grandma and I went to see Clayton and hang out for awhile. Once we arrived I remembered exactly where Clayton's room was so I just took the lead ...

I got out some of my toys to show Clayton and he seemed impressed.

Our day ended with pizza at Sorrento's in Ft. Madison. The pizza was good and the people around us were really friendly.

This morning I spent lots of time riding my toy horse around I can make it go all by myself but need to be careful because sometimes it bucks!

I wanted to go outside and look at the farm. Everyone bundled up and Uncle Eric served as my tour guide. This shed is for the baby calves so they can relax without having to worry about the bigger cows. They looked really comfortable!

After that we went into the barn and Grandpa brought us a baby calf to look at. This one is just a day or two old and is walking already! Wow, I didn't walk for months!

Next we talked about tractors and which one would be best for me to help plant in. (I like this one in particular because the controls are well designed and I'll have plenty of visibility to monitor both planter operation and follow my row guide. I just have to convince Grandpa.)

Finally, he and I climbed up on one of Grandma and Grandpa's big bales. We were really high in the air!

Grandpa works really hard to make sure his cows and calves are happy and healthy. I liked seeing a mommy cow and her calf. I know how much I love my Mommy so I can relate to how good a kiss from Mom feels.

We'll be back next week for the auction!

Before we left town, Dad took the opportunity to introduce me to a "kiabo". He felt bad that it wasn't a "potty house" from our friend Howie, but this "porta potty" didn't have a line and, since the auction was postponed, was clean. (Note to self, don't let Dad try potty training in one of these!)

And finally, I'd like to share a blog which is a favorite of Uncle Chris's and has quickly become a "must read" for both Dad and I. Check out mnmlist!

Love to all ... and when in doubt, break out in a rousing rendition of "God Bless America".

Pierce

A quick week ...

Time sure flew this past week. I managed to go to school all five days and that sure takes it out of a guy.

Saturday I got to go see Grandma Maggy for awhile. She made me an awesome sandwich and I played with Millie.

Last night Mom, Dad and I went out to eat and ran into our friends Mara and Jeff! We had a good time and caught up on things before going our separate ways. (I think Mom and Mara planned a "girls' night out" while Dad and Jeff planned a golf outing. It was funny to me as the ladies thought they were being so subtle and the guys thought they were being sneaky. I can Dad's speech now ... "Honey, can I golf with Jeff next week?")

One of the things I like at Hyperion (other than the chicken strips) is the number of TVs. I was able to monitor two basketball games at once which made for an enjoyable evening.

Today I got to go to the doctor for my cough. I got some new medicine and to play with cool medical instruments!

I promise a longer update next week, gang. (Can anyone provide a good definition for the phrase "holy freeholies"? Dad is fixated on it and it is driving Mom nuts.)

Later!

Pierce