Genesee was so excited about her salon appointment to get her hair shampooed and cut by Bernadine!

Mom must have been excited, too, because we have no “after” pictures to show for it.

To keep me from getting a case of the lonelies while Dad was away on his hunting trip, mom promised me a sleepover with Wyatt! We decided to enjoy the beautiful fall weather by making our annual trip to Ferguson’s Morningside Orchards. Apparently, Friday afternoon, immediately as school lets out, is the best time to visit if you want to enjoy the place all to yourself!

But it wasn’t just me and Wyatt running around… Mom invited Noah, too, so Genesee could have a sidekick. And Noah brought his parent, Carrie, so mom could have a friend. When everyone has a buddy, everybody wins!

We loved jumping in the new corn pit, mining for gold and other gems, and eating apple cider doughnuts. Mom got her obligatory caramel apple and I requested a take-home bag of freshly-picked apples. We covered every corner of that farm until Wyatt may or may not have tipped over a life-size cow sculpture. (If that actually happened, luckily no one was injured.) Upon returning home, mom made us a delicious spaghetti dinner to fuel us for the intense Nintendo Switch gaming night of Zelda that was about to ensue.

Eventually, mom said we had to go to sleep because it was a “sleep” over after all, and because I had to wake up early for my soccer game. We didn’t want the night to end, but we were excited to try out the never-been-used trundle bed, so mom invited Genesee to snuggle in her bedroom to let us have our boys-only slumber party. But, once the lights went out, Wyatt and I heard a noise and got scared out of the room! And there we were, begging the girls to rescue us by sleeping in the room with us. Genesee was happy to crash the party, but mom was not amused as she laid there on the bunk, guarding our room from monsters.

We survived the night, somehow, and all of our fears subsided when the aroma of bacon filled the morning air… the only way to successfully conclude a slumber party.

When mom signed me up for a competitive soccer league at my request, we had no idea that our first tournament would take place out of state. But there we were anyway, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, wishing we would have read the fine print.

Still, it gave us a fun opportunity to explore another Jellystone Park with our motorhome. And even though we lost all three games, I loved getting to play with my cousin, Maddox, I learned a lot from my older teammates on this U-10 league, and I think I’m going to really enjoy being trained by Coach Zach.

Most importantly, however, in between games, we got to peruse the city a bit and even met up with the Porters at MacKenzie River Pizza, Grill & Pub (although I could have done without that scary thunder and lightning storm that started to flood their front lobby)… yikes!

Okay, Sioux Falls, I see what you did there… you convinced me to return some day… maybe for the 2022 First National Bank Fall Kick Off if I still love soccer by then.

This guy has officially reached second grade status!

I was excited to have school back in session, even though it will be a little different this year with my little 4K sidekick on campus. Being the thoughtful big brother that I am, I showed Genesee the ropes and all of the tips and tricks during open house. Upon setting her free, Genesee sprinted down the hallway like she owned the place because, well, she’s about to. My sister spent all summer getting ready for school. Now we’ll find out if school is ready for her. Grab your popcorn and stay tuned….

Dear Golf Ball,

If you don’t like getting hit, you’re going to love my sister! She comes out swinging, but have no fear, she inherited my mom’s golf skills.

Dear Failure,

You never even cross my sister’s mind, so go find someone else to play with. She would never let you win anyway.

Move over crib, we’ve got bunk beds in the house!

Ever since Grandpa, Dad, and I built this twin-over-full bunk bed (with trundle) for Genesee’s bedroom, we are officially slumber party ready!!! In fact, I’ll be her bunk bud forever! Or, for now, at least…. sleeping on her top bunk until my grey lookalike bed gets assembled in the other corner of the basement.

Let the nighttime shenanigans begin!

Goodbyes are hard… especially when you have to part ways with one of your first loves: Lance.

We had some wild times together, under the stars, and even though this break up was in the best interest of both of us, it still hurt. Thank you for the memories, truck camper. You will always be loved.

Perhaps the silver lining of having to move through the burial of Papa & Nana Florence was getting to enjoy some long lost quality time with our familia that lives across the country….

…until they return to their lives in Florida and Arizona, resulting in severe withdrawals felt by us Wisconsinites.

Clearly, the loss of my grandparents is immeasurable, but so is the love that is left behind… a love that flows through all of us.

Now that I’m an avid golfer, I understand that I should yell, “FORE” to warn people ahead to be on guard; to beware.

Well, that same advice holds true when I warn you that my sister is now “FOUR!”: Get out of the way.
(Unless, of course, you come bearing unicorn gifts; then you’re safe for a while.)

But G’s birthday wasn’t just magical because of the unicorns; having a party while our Florida and Arizona family was still in town was truly the icing on the cake! After all, it takes a village to celebrate this girl and all that she is becoming…

A lover of chocolate milk, lemonade, blueberry biscuits, and all things bacon.
The fangirl for McDonald’s chicken mcnuggets and strawberry shakes.
A modern Punky Brewster, who prefers to wear mismatched socks.
The ultimate tickle monster, bath bomber, and bird chaser.

My sister may struggle to pronounce s-words and confuse “before” with “after,”
but she speaks with great conviction and can also communicate with eyes that go blinkety-blink-blink.

You might get fooled by her cute little giggle or that wrinkled-nose smile…
but this version of Genesee is a “fource” to be reckoned with, so don’t say I didn’t warn you.

There’s just something about being on the mighty Mississippi with loved ones.

So, as Brooklyn, Codey and Lina prepare to return to Arizona in the next 48 hours, we launched the boat at the Clinton Street Bridge to make some Mississippi memories before the sun sets on our long overdue family reunion.