Ever since I made friends with that magician on the cruise ship, I’ve been really intrigued by magic. So, when mom saw a magic show coming to town, we booked our tickets and headed to The Pump House!

When the magician asked for a volunteer at the top of his show, Genesee and I waved our arms erratically enough to bring attention to our row, which put mom in a vulnerable position to get voluntold to go up on stage, where the magician performed a lie detector trick on mom. Unfortunately, we forgot to document this main event, but we all learned the truth of the matter: Mom is a good liar.

The extra magic part was that our whole entire family found ourselves up on stage at some point during the show and it was a blast! Because who doesn’t want to be the chosen one? (Answer: Mom. Mom doesn’t like to be the chosen one, but her stage fright appearance made for a good chuckle.)

Look who started dance lessons this month?! Genesee expressed interest in learning, so mom enrolled her in a 4-week introductory class at the Lunda Community Center.

Guess what part of dance lessons she likes best?

… the part where dance class ends and she gets to swim at Lunda’s water park.

I just wanted to leave this here: we are the champions.

Sure, our first opponent ended up forfeiting the game since they showed up late, and yes the second game was a close call, but we dominated the final (championship) game. And that’s how we ended the season: in first place.

But I’m not here to brag or anything. Because not every team can have an almost-undefeated season. Mel-Min just happened to have the talent to claim “winner, winner chicken dinner.” But just because our team is better than yours, I would never rub it in your face. So, besides being practically unbeatable and crowned the best team in the Coulee Region, I have chosen to remain humble… while I perform the Griddy dance all the way out of the gymnasium.

In case you didn’t know, my sister now offers professional dog snuggling services. As you’ll see demonstrated below with our canine model, Ginger, Genesee provides several different hugging techniques, which are sure to leave your furry companion feeling smothered with love. Snuggles can take place on wood floors, carpet, or even on public sidewalks if Genesee happens to meet you while you’re walking your dog. In fact, if you’re not sure if you own a dog, let Genesee into your life and she’ll likely find it; she can spot a dog from miles away, even with her eyes closed. I mean, this girl LOVES dogs. Let her love yours today!

*No animals were harmed in the testing of these services.

It was a grueling 364-day wait, (made slightly more bearable by the snow day that cancelled school on the eve of winter break), but somehow we made it to Christmas! For months and months, Genesee and I have been the hype crew, spreading anticipatory cheer like only a 5 and 8-year-old can, counting down the days until the most wonderful time of the year.

As tradition would have it, we made Christmas cookies with Grandma, participated in the meatball assembly line with Dad, enjoyed Grandpa’s signature Grasshopper shakes, and left out cookies for our main man, Santa.

It was the Christmas of Robux gift cards, Prime hydration drinks, Milwaukee Bucks paraphernalia, Apple watches and TVs, winter storm/blizzard warnings, hot chocolate mornings, and fireplace crackles all night.

It was Christmas, finally. And then it was December 26th.

And so the countdown begins again.

This is what a superfan looks like.

#Giannis #Antetokounmpo #34

Of all the many things Genesee has ever lost, my favorite so far has been her first tooth! She pulled it out all by herself after it became too wiggly to bite into some of her favorite foods, like, you know: candy. This is the same first tooth that I lost, around almost the same age! Mom and Dad always try to tell us we are twins – just 3+ years apart.

That night, Genesee put the tooth under her pillow, with a heartfelt letter for the tooth fairy. She also left out a glass of milk and some chocolates.

I’m pretty sure the tooth fairy doesn’t even drink milk, and bribery is probably frowned upon. I told my sister it was a bad idea, but by morning, the glass was empty, a chocolate was gone, and Genesee was $10 richer!

Something else I’m pretty sure of: I, too, will leave out milk and chocolates next time I lose a tooth!

Once you know better, you do better!

School: “Due to predicted snowfall totals and hazardous road conditions, school will be closed today, December 15, 2022.”

Translation: Stay off the roads and get in your yard; It’s time to build a snowman.

It was a sold-out crowd for the 2022 Mel-Min winter music program, but somehow mom and dad bought 2nd row seats, just minutes before the performance. The rest of my fan club was scattered across the gymnasium, but luckily, a star like me shines so bright that you can see me nail my lines from any seat in the room. My back-up singers also put on a good show, and after a thunderous applause, I stepped down from the risers and got tossed in front of the paparazzi for several photos. It was a little inconvenient, as I was trying to get to Grandpa’s house to celebrate with chocolate malts and cheesy nachos, but that’s the price one has to pay for having so much talent and being Melrose-famous.

If you missed out, I’ll be on tour again next year.

Between Montana hunting trips, Arizona travels, and basketball games, we didn’t have time to get our Christmas tree until well into December this year. That’s cutting it a little too close to Christmas, if you ask me.

Nobody asked me.

Instead, my parents decided to exacerbate my anxiety by visiting a new tree farm, on a cold, snowy day, and arriving just before dusk (when they close).

We had to make a game-time decision, and although we were under a lot of pressure, we got the job done, took a quick selfie with whichever family members were immediately available, and yelled Timbrrrrrr as Dad sawed down the tree.

The late great Christmas tree search wasn’t pretty, but our newly decorated corner of the house surely is!

And now it officially feels like Christmas.