Parent-Teacher Conference: April 2018

I’m the proud brother of an honor roll infant!

At Genesee’s parent-teacher conference, her teachers informed us that Genesee always greets people with a smile and can sit up on her own. Additionally, her progress report confirmed that my sister shows great purpose in life.

I beamed with joy at the influence I must be having on Genesee. Based on the teachers’ observations, it is clear that my sister is a miniature humanitarian-in-training and Olympic-bound athlete. I’ve taught her well.

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Why should I take all the credit, you ask? Well, sissy doesn’t just look up to me because I’m taller. I’m also a model citizen, which was the main takeaway from my parent-teacher conference that same evening.

I mean, let’s be honest… no one was surprised to learn that I exceeded all of my 4K readiness goals, like counting way past 20, safely using scissors to cut out shapes, listening to directions (only outside of the home and when given by someone other than my parents), and spelling/writing my first name.

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“Miss Sara, can I write the rest of my name with lower-case letters like Grandma taught me?”

 

But, my evaluation further proved that I’ve still got stellar sports skills and that I play well with others.  See exhibit A:

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“A great coach takes his players friends where they can’t take themselves.”

However, the feedback that put the biggest smile on the faces of my parents was when Ms. Nichole and Ms. Sara said that I’m very kind. “He always lets us know when another kid is hurt or sad, and he can always tell us why they’re feeling that way,” they elaborated.

In summary, I’m not just your average toddler. Above and beyond all the skills I should possess as an aspiring 4K star, I also exhibit promising athleticism, an empathetic heart, a helpful spirit, and the friendliest soul.

Or in other words, I’m basically an Olympic-caliber athlete and local humanitarian. So, yes, let’s give credit where credit is due: all of Genesee’s success is indeed my success.

Becoming 4

I requested a green four-wheeler, a pet kitty-cat, and homemade lasagna for my 4th birthday…

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…I guess 1 out of 3 ain’t bad.

 

It was mom and dad’s first-ever attempt at lasagna. After collecting a few recipes/tips from Grandma, Aunt Julie, and the internet, I watched my parents pour lots of love and cheese into a barely-deep-enough ceramic baking dish. My mother worried and stressed as she repeatedly read each set of directions. Eventually, dad stepped back to supervise as mom spread the perfectly measured meat sauce between the meticulously layered noodles. Finally, my devoted parents lifted that heavy masterpiece into the pre-heated oven to bubble and brown into a decadent dinner. Then they waited. And crossed their fingers. And hoped. And waited a few more minutes for good measure.

Do you know how it turned out? I’m kind of curious myself since I got so caught up in the birthday spirit that I only managed to ingest two, tiny, forgettable bites. Oops.

But the menu wasn’t a total loss. In fact, my unplanned disinterest in lasagna freed up additional belly space for the Minon-themed birthday cake that I selected from the Festival catalog.  The candles were a bit tricky, but I made a wish, blew out the flames, and bid farewell to my three-year-old life as it vanished into the smoke signals. And with one last glance back before moving forward, I can tell you this:

Three was cute and all, but Four is going to really look good on me!

April (snow) showers

As I’ve said before, a lot can change in a year…

During my 2017 birthday weekend, we all went on a beautiful, warm 4-wheeler ride.

On the eve of my 2018 birthday, we all went on a nice, cold sled ride instead.

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Luckily, we know how to make the best of living in a snow globe Wisconsin.

Almost a lifeguard

Remember that swim class I took? Well, I repeated the course just for good measure and am happy to report that I graduated from the Water Acclimation stage and got approved to skip to Level 3: Water Stamina. After that, I’ll be well on my way to becoming a Baywatch-certified lifeguard, so long as I can conquer my fear of the dreaded locker room wardrobe change.

Friends with benefits

Becoming friends with Colin was a great idea! Mostly because he greets me with a hug at the beginning and end of each day, but also because I got invited to his super-fun birthday party, held at La Crosse’s new Jump Start Adventure Park, where I enjoyed free admission, free jumps, free pizza, free cupcakes, and free smiles! All I had to do was show up with a wrapped birthday present that I didn’t completely want to part with.

I love having “friends with benefits!” … Is that what that expression means?

Easter with the Geneseester

A lot can change in a year. Last Easter we learned that I was being promoted to Big Brother.

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Title Change | Easter 2017

Since then, I’ve met that little sister and have mastered many responsibilities that come along with my new title, including 1) making my sister laugh a lot, 2) blaming Genesee for things I’d rather not take the fall for, and 3) other duties as assigned.

For Genesee’s first Easter, I was asked to oversee special projects, like 1) stealing all her assisting her hunt for Easter Eggs, 2) giving her confidence to smile when posing with the Easter Bunny instead of screaming bloody murder like the rest of the babies (and some of my 3/4 year-old peers), and 3) eating all her candy keeping her safe from any jelly beans within arms reach.

It hasn’t always been stress-free, particularly when a poopy diaper is involved, but 8 months into my new role, I’m happy to report that big brotherhood is mostly fun, convenient, and easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy. Unfortunately, I have been reprimanded a couple times for not-nice brotherly behavior/neglect, and I even threatened to quit my new job once. Other than that, the benefits of brotherhood are really good and the experience will surely strengthen my resume: it builds character, requires patience, and demands great attention to the details of what goes in sissy’s mouth.

Now, if only this new job came with a better paycheck and more vacation…