Top 10 reasons why this July was a month to remember:

1. I reconnected with familia… Aunt Nae Nae and Aunt Cha Cha came all the way up from Arizona and Florida to love on me! I also visited my Great Grandma Garcia. She fell last month and got an ouchie, but she’s doing well!

2. I traveled from the Elegant Farmer to the East Troy Depot via train! (Thanks, Cha Cha!)

3. I discovered new parks!

4. I visited some of mom’s old stomping grounds: Mukwonago High School and the Brookfield Square Mall. (At the mall, we played in Barnes & Noble until closing time!)

5. Aunt Cha Cha and her fur-babies moved into our house for a week!

6. I used my Build-a-Bear gift card (thanks, Papa Florence!) to bring Huddybear to life. He has a heartbeat, says “I love you,” and smells like cotton candy!

7. We made it to the La Crosse County Fair to see Ashlee and Cortney! Speaking of Ashlee, I’ve been getting to see a lot of her this month since she’s my babysitter best friend.

8. We spent quality time on the river with our Docan-Morgan friends before they left for a year abroad in South Korea. (Miss you already!!)

9. I toured the Wisconsin Dells by experiencing a Duck ride, perusing through Timbavati Wildlife Park, enjoying the Tommy Bartlett Water Show, and relaxing at our campground.

10. I’ve successfully earned LOTS of stickers! Sure, I still wear diapers, but so do lots of 85-year-olds. The point is, I’m getting better and better at using the potty. Want me to pee outside? No problem. Want me to go standing up? You got it. Want me to pretend I have to go potty after my parents put me to sleep just so I can get a free ticket out of the crib and delay bedtime? Every night.

Yesterday marked 9 years of missing Nana Florence. In honor of this anniversary, we took a trip to Mukwonago High School to visit Nana’s memorial brick. (Thanks for helping us locate it, Donna!) Mom says Nana was the family’s rock… the impact she had is everlasting and the love she instilled is permanent and fixed… that’s why her name is written in stone.

After returning home, we exchanged stories of Nana over our very full plates of homemade Mexican rice, beans, tortillas, tamales, salsa & guac, and pistachios. Mom says Nana would have been proud of us… and insisted we eat a second and third helping.

Our hearts and bellies are full! Hope you’re smiling down, Nana. We continue to search for signs…

Last weekend I got myself into a little situation….

But if you think I look bad, you should see the other guy. He got smushed with a flyswatter… darn mosquitos! I seem to have a bad reaction to bug bites, but I have a very good reaction to all the rest that camping has to offer!

On this trip to Hayward, we went boating, fishing, shopping and even visited a pizza farm! The best part, however, was the Pinterest-inspired sandbox that Grandma made for me, complete with John Deere accessories. That grandma… she knows what a little guy likes!