Yesterday, Genesee officially turned 3 months old!

Besides being cute, which she gets from me, here are some additional observations I’ve made about my 3-month-old roommate:

• Genesee currently has dark blue/grey-ish eyes, but I’m pretty sure they’re trying to turn brown and beautiful like mine!
• She still snores away through the loudest of noises, but my little sis is also quite the noisy sleeper herself…. constantly grunting and squeaking through the night, like only a preemie can.
• Not only can she beat me in a hypothetical leg wrestling match with her strong kicks, but Genesee is also gaining ground on our who’s-gonna-have-the-longest-eyelashes contest.
• Last month, her eyes started following me more, but this month she’s starting to smile. And because I’m so silly, she even tries to laugh (but it sounds like a cough)!
• She weighs approximately 10 lbs these days!
• Genesee has better skin than me… no sign of Eczema, sensitive skin, or cradle cap yet. Lucky duck.
• Occasionally, little G can still squeeze into a newborn outfit, but she’s mostly graduated to the 0-3 month wardrobe.

Although it seems Genesee is growing up right before my very eyes, fortunately, I’m able to cherish every moment because I’m a skillful multitasker who can simultaneously play on the phone, watch TV, and comfort my sister…. all while I spend quality time ignoring her.

“Always be yourself. Unless you can be Batman. Then always be Batman.”

Last weekend, we drove Princess Genesee through the town of Genesee to visit with Papa Florence. Much to our surprise, Papa had a princess of his own – a new roommate named Lulu! Papa always has something new to discover at his house, but we weren’t expecting to find an adorable, shivering 6-week-old Chihuahua! It was puppy love at first sight!

Then, I got to play with more furry friends when we took Genesee to meet Aunt Donna! It was so much fun… after consuming complimentary raspberry lemonade and pumpkin-shaped sugar cookies, I had the endurance to run 36 consecutive laps around Donna’s house. Luckily, I was able to cool-down by dodging raindrops on the way to the grocery store, where Donna served as our lovely personal assistant while we searched for ingredients to make supper and breakfast for the rest of our stay in Mukwonago.

I always cherish our travels to the east coast to catch up with loved ones! I only wish the east coast was on the west coast of Wisconsin because I’m missing my loved ones already.

Today, I’m busy turning 3½ years old. That’s right… I’m officially a half year away from becoming a distinguished 4-year-old. Happy half-birthday to me!

At this point in my life….

• “I want to marry Ashlee.”
• Although not completely cured, I’m biting my nails less.
• You can still easily discipline me by counting to 3. (Not that I ever need discipline.)
• I will be starting a new school next month (with my sister). I have mixed feelings about this (mostly because I’ll miss Hudson), but I’m starting to get excited.
• My haircuts now occur at home by my own personal stylist named Mom.
• I love Grandma & Grandpa’s new “Corvette!”
• I’m an inch taller than I was at the beginning of summer.
• I entertain myself by taking selfies with all the SnapChat filters.
• When I grow up, “I want to be a person. No… maybe a meatball!”

Cheers to whatever’s in store during the six months until 4!

Last weekend we returned to Perrot State Park to get our hike on! It was a beautiful day to exercise our way to the top of Brady’s Bluff, despite the leaves being less colorful than we had hoped.

This time around, I wasn’t scared of falling off the cliffs that I feared as a more-cautious 2-year-old. I am now fearless! (Unless a spider crawls across my path. Or a piece of fuzz that resembles a spider. Or a piece of anything that looks like any insect whatsoever.)

Genesee was a good sport too, especially for being the youngest hiker on the trail… probably because she was a lazy-bones hitch-hiker who only had to sit back and enjoy the spectacular view of mom’s face. Sometimes I miss those days, but I’m an independent big boy with strong legs now, so I don’t need to hitch a kangaroo ride on mom anymore. Instead, I use my strong legs to jump into dad’s backpack!

Having a little sister means having someone who looks up to me.

So lately, I’ve been trying to teach the little one a new life skill:
Sleeping Etiquette
(Or how to assume the “Boots Up” position, as I like to say.)

First, as you may recall, I taught Genesee how to sleep like a starfish.

Next, I showed her how to sleep like a cool couch potato.

Then I showed her how to sleep like we own the master bed.

Finally, on October 5, 2017, I taught Genesee how to sleep like a boss….
all through the night!!

You’re welcome, parents! And you’re welcome to anyone who interacts with my parents.

Now we can move on to life lesson #2: Potty Training
(mostly so I can retire from my job of discarding poopy diapers… that stinks!)

I found my pumpkin at Tucker & Becky’s Pumpkin Patch, thanks to an invite from Carrie and Matt! It was located in one of Cashton’s rustic valleys, on a certified Organic Valley Farm that featured beautiful barn murals, animal friends, bakery items, hayrides, and more! It was great fun with great friends. And great watermelon!

After touring the farm and perusing the patch, the fun continued as we showed Carrie and Matt how we eat pizza in the park and how we wash down said pizza with root beer floats at the nearby Rudy’s Root Beer Stand.

Per. Fect. Day!

Of course we spent the next morning carving our pumpkin and harvesting the seeds. The end result: perfectly roasted and overly salted (thanks to Mom’s addiction) pumpkin seeds and a meticulously detailed spooky pumpkin (thanks to Dad’s knife skills) to greet all the trick-or-treaters that never visit our door.

Halloween, we’re ready for you!!

At least I’m consistent.

Similar to last year’s Oktoberfest parade, I once again failed to fully implement the high-knee march that I spent hours perfecting in my living room. It was unfortunate because I had even planned to showcase my new move: the backward march. But, despite an expanded Paparazzi this year, comprised of Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom & Genesee, it just wasn’t my moment to shine. Regardless, my parents say I’m still a star. Probably because only they know the full extent of my marching talents. From the comfort of our sofa their front row seats, they have experienced my silly backward march, the sloooowwww-motion march, my super-fast march, and the post-shower “naked bear” march (translation = bare naked). That, my friends, is the real show! Sorry you missed it.

Some people call it Hidden Trails, but we located the address easy peasy, and it was the perfect way to welcome the fall season…. by admiring gorgeous pumpkins and navigating West Salem corn fields with my buddies, Sonia & Idris! Even though the calendar said it was almost October, the 93-degree day felt more like mid-July. But sweaty or not, it was still a cool place with so much fun to be had! In fact, as soon as Genesee is old enough to read a map  keep up with the big boys  stay awake for longer than five-minute increments, I’m going to tell her to “Get Lost!” With me! In the Hidden Trails Corn Maze!