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.

I love you ... now I'm going to puke.

What an interesting week! My outside play time has been cut considerably because of all the rain and, for the first time this week I took shelter from a tornado.

On Friday, school had a really fun event called "Fathers and Floats". Dad stopped by and we shared some treats.

After that we went back to Flynn Wright so I could say "Hi!" to everyone. Polly want a cracker?! Too bad, I'm going to eat it first!

Yep, someday I'm going to have a chair and a desk and a phone and a ... oh wait ... if I have those things I can't play all day. Nevermind.

Friday was a good day because I also got mail! Uncle Chris sent a postcard from Chicago.

Saturday, while Dad was braving the car dealer (oil change) I got out my pool for the first time. It took awhile to fill it up (Mom had to help a lot), but we got it ready just in time for the sun to warm the water.

I'm pretty excited about it, as you can tell! (By the way, check out all my teeth!)

When the time came to actually get into the pool I was nervous and tried to convince Mom that I should play with my mower instead but she helped me through it.

Hmmm ... this isn't so bad after all!

Safety is a big thing for Dad and he thought I needed the blow-up floater/sun shield that I had last year. Mom humored him but he quickly say that I had things under control and didn't need it this year!

Today was Father's Day so Dad golfed, we met for coffee and then hung out at home. We were supposed to go to an I-Cubs baseball game but I had a fever and the weather was threatening. Instead we chilled for awhile then went shopping for some new toy tractors. When we got to Machine Shed there were lots of tractors on display.

Here I am explaining to Mom that the John Deere introduced the Model "M" in response to Ford's use of the Ferguson three-point hitch. These tractors featured the "Touch-O-Matic" hydraulic controls. Fascinating.

Mom got kind of glassy-eyed and we turned to look at swans swimming in a nearby pond.

After that it got all interesting. We were inside looking at tractors and I thought it would be a great idea to puke all over Dad. Home we went to clean up then we took a trip to the Dr. Things are fine and she suspects I'm getting my "eye teeth" and that's messing me up. So, happy Father's Day, Dad. (Sorry about the shirt.)

On the way home from the Dr. we got to watch Mercy's helicopter land. That was way cool!

Once we got home for good today I helped Dad open some gifts, I took a nap, we watched the U.S. Open then called it a night. I'm going to stay home tomorrow and hope to feel better.

Oh, one more thing before I close out this update. Today Grandma Kathy drove her tractor in the Denmark Heritage Day parade. Way to go!

Have a great week, everyone. Remember, if I puke on you it is a sign of affection.

Pierce

Back at it ...

The past couple of weeks have been crazy busy! I did squeeze in a fun trip to see Uncle Eric, though. Mom, Dad and I got to his house late last Friday night and spent a lazy morning Saturday. Mom and I caught up on a couple of old "Saved by the Bell" episodes and it was quite a nice bonding experience.

Saturday, Uncle Eric took us to the best place ever! If you haven't been, you have to check out the Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead in Overland Park. We spend a long time there and I saw lots of animals, played with tons of stuff and made a vow that yes, I would return!

If I was a cow, I don't think I could sneak up on anyone if I had to wear one of these. However, I can see why they are so popular with musicians.

I met several new friends. Animals are really cool!
Pumping water was fun. Dad splashed Mom but I was told in no uncertain terms that I couldn't post a photo.

And, finally, just when I thought it couldn't get any better?! This place had sand!

Ah ... nothing like a good Fruit Chiller after a long, hot day.

In addition to being a police officer, Uncle Eric is a volunteer fireman ... his office(s) are so much cooler than Mom and Dad's!

His work wardrobe is pretty awesome, too!

There also is a very cool playground by Uncle Eric's house and we played there as a group Sunday morning. A good time was had by all ...

This playground even had a curly slide, which has quickly become a favorite of mine.

Adults trying to remember how to play hopscotch ... nothing funnier!

Don't you hate it when you pick out a great outfit then you find out a friend, co-worker or, in this case, Dad is wearing almost the same thing?! Geez, Dad ... get your own cool outfit and quit copying mine!

Thursday we hung out with Grant! He is just about ready to welcome a little brother and a little sister to the family. He really helped me at McDonald's and at the playground and I know he'll be an awesome big brother.

I really like that the trash cans thank you every time you use them. I was able to get a lot of the pesky mulch from this particular playground and put it where it belongs. While I don't do it for the recognition a simple "Thank You" is very nice.

Last night we went and hung out with the Dillons for awhile. They had a lot of great food and Maguire shared his "big boy" toys with me. I need to stock up on Matchbox cars and dinosaurs. His dad and my other friend Steve are participating in the Hy-Vee Triathlon today so it was an early night.

Today Grandma Maggy picked me up and we went to the birthday party of a co-worker's son. Very cool! There was a lot to do and I met several new friends.

That's it for now ...

Later!

Pierce