Dear Santa,

Sorry I missed you. I was sleeping. I’d like to reschedule if possible because I really wanted to meet you. I’ve heard great things. Until then, here is my list of discussion points:

1. Are you responsible for the Christmas season? If so, thanks. It was all sorts of wonderful. We kicked it off in early December with Christmas tree decorating and a trip to see the holiday train. Since then, we’ve filled as many days as possible with friends, family, food and fun!
2. Tell your elves I said “keep up the good work!”
3. Mom says the holiday season can be hard for some people, especially if they don’t have friends or family or food. Can you please fix that?
4. Next year, could you bring my mom a nose for Christmas? She keeps playing with mine and I don’t like it.
5. When other kids ask you to define good, just point to a picture of me. (You’re welcome.)
6. Speaking of pictures, we captured a lot of precious memories over the last few weeks. Please see them below! (And feel free to save this evidence of my good behavior for future reference.)

7. Lastly, I have some concerns about my mom. Look what she got me for Christmas…

… a bubble wrap suit. Can you please have a talk with her?

Love,
Jaeger Amari Goodenough (on Deerwood Drive)

P.S. If you’re looking for your reindeer, I’m afraid some of them are in our basement. If this is a problem, we may also need to schedule a time for you to meet with my dad.

I’m learning about some new ways to travel from point A to point B!

First, I learned how to crawl. (Thanks to my friend Ellie for showing me how it’s done!)

After I mastered crawling (easy-schmeesy), Dad thought it was time for me to learn how to ride a bike. Nailed it! (…with some assistance from my training wheels, my dad, and my way-too-dramatic mother who would have dressed me in a bubble-wrap suit if we owned one.)

And instead of being satisfied with those two tricks, now my parents want me to learn how to fly…

…so they got me a Passport! Mom and Dad are thinking about taking me to Mexico, to the place where they got married. Count me in! I’ll pack my sippy cup in preparation for the self-serve Piña Coladas that I’ve heard so much about. I can’t wait!!

Today isn’t just Christmas Eve, it’s also my parent’s anniversary. Look at how young happy they look in these pictures!

Ten years later, they’re still smiling. I hate to take all the credit, as I only showed up 8 months ago, but life is pretty good with me around! I think I bring out the best in my parents and I surely add joy to their world. Happy Anniversary to my fabulous parents and Merry Christmas Eve to all who celebrate. Cheers to several more decades of happiness!

This past weekend I didn’t feel so hot, but we had big plans to visit with friends and I wasn’t going to let a little sniffle rain on my parade. Besides, mom says friends can be the best medicine (so long as I keep my germs to myself).

Below are some snapshots from my Babies’ First Holiday Party, where I got to hang with William, Hope, Sonia and Abram! We opened gifts, played with puzzles, slid down a mattress, enjoyed a fireside chat, snuck in a nap, and had a mini photo shoot! (Thanks for the memories!)

Next, me and the parents went to visit Marcia and Junior! (Thanks for the laughs. And for letting us hang out in your fancy shower for a bit!)

We ended the night by visiting Stef, Mike and Graham! (Thanks for the pizza. And the grand tour of your beautiful new house!)

The following day, we invited my friend Ellie and her parents over for a Packer party! (Thanks for the crawling lessons, Ellie!)

Mom was right… friends are like chicken soup for the soul. And quite frankly, who wouldn’t feel better after seeing all of those lovely faces in just one weekend?!

It was a busy-bee kind of weekend! I had all sorts of places to go and loved ones to see. First stop was in Mauston to visit the Wisconsin Badgers Headquarters. And guess who we saw there?! …Peter & Mary!

Here I am, showing off my new standing pose!

Is that the Santa guy I’ve been hearing about?

Then, we traveled to Madison for lunch with Carrie and Matt. They may have moved away, but thanks to Mom’s good detective work (a phone call to Carrie), we found them!

Reunited and it feels so good!

Me & Aunt Carrie

Uncle Matt… I’ve missed you!

Kisses from Carrie!

Finally, we made our way to Mukwonago to see if Papa Florence remembered me. (He did!) But he says I grew lots of hair and chubby cheeks since we last saw each other. We had a good time together! I taught Papa how to clap, showed off my fascinating fingers, helped him celebrate his birthday and watched some football. It was a pretty sad Packer game… mostly because they didn’t play too well, but also because Papa (their head coach) kept making me cry when he would yell at the television. I don’t know if the players could hear Papa’s “motivational” pep talks, but I sure could. Yikes!

Papa: take both of your hands and go like this.

move them together real fast…

until they touch and make a loud noise!

And that’s how you clap.

Papa… here’s my neat-o fingers I’ve been telling you about.

Papa and his furry baby!

Here we are watching the Packer game.

Go Pack, go!

I love you, Papa

Happy Birthday, Papa Florence! I’ll help you open that.

Before we headed back home, Donna and her funny sweater stopped by to visit me. Love her!

Oh, Aunt Donna…

you make me smile.

It’s a wonderful life… traveling from one zip code to another for free smiles and hugs!

Last night we had a family meeting and decided it was time for me to move out of the office and into my very own bedroom. Mom was worried about how I would adjust to living on a completely different floor. She asked if I needed a little pep talk to ease the transition, to make the separation from their bedroom feel a little closer. She says some people experience difficulty accepting change. And so, as my parents took me downstairs, mom squeezed me a little tighter and showered me with an unnecessary amount of kisses, before gently placing me in my bed. Then, as they took a step back and waited for my reaction, they found….

…some of us actually embrace change. We are the fearless. The adventurous. The thrill-seekers. And we say, “bring it on!”

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go prepare a pep talk for my mom. Some people experience difficulty accepting change.

Look who learned how to feed himself….

That’s right…this guy! (me)

Therefore, I would like to request a do-over for Thanksgiving. If no one wants to pass me the turkey and stuffing, I’ll do it myself, thank-you-very-much!