Places to Go, People to See

September 29, 2017 by Jaeger Amari

I’m not just a big brother. Since earning that title, I’ve also become a licensed tour guide. Therefore, it’s my duty to introduce sis to some of my favorite places to go and people to see…. especially since the doctor encouraged us to explore the world during Genesee’s last appointment.

“Don’t be afraid to bring her around people now, as long as they’re not sick,” Doc said. “She’s doing great. I mean, I wouldn’t take her on the river quite yet, but get out and enjoy life!”

So, first on the list: we took little G on the river over Labor Day Weekend!

After exploring the majestic Mississippi, the adventures continued on our 4-wheeler, of course! Because that’s how we roll.

Next stop: Melrose-Mindoro High School so I could share my love of sports with Genesee. I always enjoy ~~eating Skittles and popcorn~~ cheering for Ashlee at her volleyball games during this time of year, while we anxiously await the basketball season that follows.

Surely, we couldn’t let summer end without visiting a pizza farm. An early September weekend was perfect timing to check out the newly opened Winghaven Pizza Farm in Galesville, WI. Yummers!

And who doesn’t love a good apple orchard?! (Genesee, apparently, since she slept the whole time.) An annual trip to Ferguson’s Funny Farm always puts a smile on my face and apple treats in my belly.

Also on the agenda, thanks to Ashlee turning 14 years old, I had to show G how we celebrate birthdays around here: with food, family, and frosting (although some people actually eat the cake)!

I even escorted baby girl to a wedding, so she could watch her big bro tear up the dance floor!

Finally, I introduced my sister to some of my favorite UWL friends because a girl has gotta know who her fan base is!

And that concluded Genesee’s tour of September! Tickets for October adventures are now on sale, so book your adventure with Jaeger today!

Coolio returns to Schoolio

September 15, 2017 by Jaeger Amari

Some kiddos think they’re too cool for school. But not me. I’m just the right amount of cool, which is why I was thrilled to make my return to the classroom last week! However, while mom is on maternity leave, I will only be getting smarter on Tuesdays and Thursdays because I need to stay home the remainder of the week to sabotage mom’s productivity levels and to prevent her from achieving a state of restfulness.

To prepare for my big debut in the 3-year-old room with Miss Kate, I first attended an Open House back in late August. I loved showing Grandma and Grandpa my school and was delighted to learn that my locker will be right next to Hudson’s this year!

When my first day finally arrived on September 12, I posed for the obligatory first-day-of-school photos (with a special guest appearance by Genesee), gave mom a big hug, and then immediately started chasing Huddy around the playground as fast as my little feet could take me. But in the middle of the third lap, I stopped in my tracks to look back at the spot where my mom and sister waved goodbye, and when I realized they were nowhere to be found, I broke down into an ugly cry.

Of course, with the help of some teacher hugs and the sound of joy all around me, I was sniffle-free within minutes and well on my way to a full recovery. Because I’m cool like that.

Meanwhile, mom caught a case of the sniffles too and so she made her way to Centennial Hall to find a cure through visiting friends, colleagues, and awesome college students.

At day’s end, I was reunited with mom and sister and couldn’t wait to tell them about my fun-filled day of getting my learn on, despite missing them “a little bit but not too much.” While we all exchanged stories and smiles, I pushed Genesee to the parking lot, where I hopped into Dr. Bee’s car and tried to head for home. And although my attempted carjacking was a failure, my first day of school was anything but. So, as I buckled myself into the back seat of our not-as-cool Toyota Highlander, I confidently declared Tuesday a success and eagerly looked forward to Thursday!

All is Well

September 9, 2017 by Jaeger Amari

After spending 5 weeks in the NICU, Genesee had her first doctor appointment 3 days after her release. Since she was speechless throughout our commute to the clinic, I gave her a little pep talk about how I not only survived my last doctor appointment in April, but also graduated to annual exams.

My April 2017 Well Child Appt – Nailed it!

She, too, survived her first appointment, because of my words of wisdom I presume, and was then scheduled for a follow-up Well Child visit a week later, where she would suffer through 3 unfortunate shots. Ouch! She was speechless no more…. at that moment, we didn’t need any doctor to tell us that her lungs were working just fine! Poor thing. But after a healing kiss from dad, we also learned that the rest of Genesee was doing just fine too. Doc said she’s growing wonderfully, weighing in at 7 lbs, 8 oz. and measuring 20.6 inches long. All is well!

“Summer of the Vacation” concludes

September 8, 2017 by Jaeger Amari

Like all things, the summer of 2017 had to come to an end, which wasn’t a terribly sad goodbye in some respects, since the world around me saw some pretty dark days, including a total solar eclipse, catastrophic hurricanes and flooding in Texas (Harvey) and Florida (Irma), North Korean nuclear threats, and white supremacist rallies.

Luckily, amidst only a couple moments of deep sorrow, my corner of the world was significantly more happy, bright, and carefree. In fact, my 2017 “summer-of-the-vacation” will go down in the books as a wet and wild one that had me skipping through sprinklers, patronizing local water parks with my BFF (Ash), exchanging my beloved baths for new & exciting showers (especially double showers!), and watching in awe as Grandpa rebuilt our driveway three times after torrential rainfalls.

This was the summer of warm & humid days, filled with dairy breakfasts and Rudy’s root beer floats. It was the summer of embracing Grandpa’s retirement, sending Ashlee to high school, cherishing time with the Docan-Morgans during their too-short return from South Korea, seeing my best college buds off to grad school, meeting Genesee, growing into my big brother role, and painfully learning about the circle of life as we said our goodbyes to the larger-than-life and always jolly Uncle Harley.

This was the summer where you could find me growing taller, biting my nails non-stop, becoming a night owl, fishing in the dark, assembling new patio furniture, eating suppers on the deck, roasting marshmallows over the fire table, sleeping in the master bedroom ~~between~~ on top of mom and dad because every day is a weekend, getting excited about the “P-U-S guy” with every brown truck sighting (UPS – United Parcel Service), and requesting my new friend Alexa to blast my favorite song on repeat, “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars.

Endings and new beginnings, discoveries and familiarities, giggles and tears…. this was the summer of 2017. Also affectionately known as “The Summer of the Vacation!”