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Jaeger Amarihttps://hemoveslikejaeger.wordpress.comHi! My name is Jaeger Amari Goodenough and I’m new to this world as of April 16, 2014. My mom helped me create this blog so my loved ones near and far can follow me on my journey of self-discovery. I also hope to look back on this one day to see all the moments that have shaped me.
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Spring Soccer Madness

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This spring was all about soccer—like, seriously, ALL about soccer! My sister and I basically lived in the car because we had to drive into town for practice four days a week, and then weekends were spent traveling to my games in Madison. Similar to the fall season, Genesee played in the Pre-Academy, and I was on the U11 team.

The days were long, but the weeks flew by quickly. And besides improving our soccer skills, my sister and I found joy in getting outside, moving our body, and making new friends.

We did it, bruh!

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This school year was straight-up bussin’! I crushed 4th grade and Genesee slayed the 1st grade. We low key expanded our vocabulary this year and you know what’s the most sus?! We learned the majority of our newfound terminology outside of the classroom. And that’s facts. Honestly, I’m not sure we even need a formal education, especially if it’s just mid. Besides my drip and Genesee’s rizz, we’re feeling like sigmas with all this free knowledge from TikTok, YouTube shorts, and my fellow Gen Alpha bruhs. Now it’s time to skibidy out of the school year because we know summer is gonna be fire. Ready or not, the last day of school is here. Bet!

Artemischief

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Do NOT be fooled by her cuteness.

Nothing is safe.

This one-dog wrecking crew has chewed up several shoes, ruined favorite hats, and turned my socks into confetti. And that’s just the casualty count for one day! Mom’s robe strings? Consider them chomped. The expensive leash we bought our “princess”? Completely shredded. Stuffed (innocent) animals? No survivors. She even tries to snack on Nerf bullets and dryer balls.

Keeping up with her chaos is a full-time job. While Mom, Genesee, and I yell, chase, and threaten to take away Artemis’ recess, she just gets a twinkle in her eye, laughs in our faces, and hurdles the couch the second we think we’ve got her cornered. Then, Dad comes home from work and catches our pup in the final lap of the house-destroying marathon, and says something ridiculous like, “Oh sweetie, let’s make better choices.” And just like that, Artemis drops her latest victim and rolls over for a tummy rub. It’s pretty insulting that she only listens to Dad. Even more insulting? Dad doesn’t see the devil in Artemis because she magically grows wings and a halo in his presence.

Still, even though Mom, Sis, and I don’t always agree with Artemis’ “choices,” we love her anyway. Sure, she’s a whirlwind of destruction, but she’s our whirlwind. And maybe someday she’ll decide to listen to the rest of us, but until then, we’ll let Dad enjoy his dog-whispering superpower. However, if you plan on visiting Artemis-the-Naughty-Miss, I’d advise against wearing your favorite socks, shoes, or hats. In fact, I would encourage you to arrive naked, but that would be kind of weird. Besides, I have attempted to roam the house clothes-less and it didn’t end well. In fact, it was a painful lesson, if you know what I mean.

Again, nothing is safe.

Friendship Cabin Getaway

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On a whim, we booked an Airbnb getaway for Mother’s Day weekend after mom saw the Friendship Cabin advertised online at a 50% discount. It was just what our family needed to slow down amidst the hustle and bustle of year-end field trips, soccer games, mom’s work obligations, and the celebration of mother figures.

Dad took me out of school early that Friday, then we drove home to pack up the grandparents and pups, and hit the road around 1:30 p.m. for a 90-minute trip to Friendship, WI. Mom and Genesee met us at the chalet, since it was only a 40-minute drive from the Dells, where they had been busy field trippin’. By Saturday afternoon, the Nicolai gang joined us as well.

While mom used the peaceful backdrop to get some work done here and there, the rest of us had SO. MUCH. FUN. Not only did we get to play Euchre, hide-and-seek, ladder ball, arcade games, and foosball, we also fished our little hearts out, tossed the football, went on walks, ordered in pizza, watched Netflix, sat around a campfire, and explored Roche-A-Cri lake via kayak and canoe!

If this is what spontaneous feels like, we should plan to not plan more often!

Thanks, Sweeney Stays, for letting us pretend we lived in a charming log cabin, even if for only a couple magical evenings.

Life truly is better on the lake.

Timbavati (G’s 1st Grade Field Trip)

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Genesee’s end-of-year field trip plans took the first graders to Timbavati Wildlife Park in the Wisconsin Dells. Mom got to tag along as a “chaperone” to keep those knuckleheads in line. She made it sound like it was going to be grueling, challenging, yet honorable work. But, after reviewing all the photo evidence, it appears mom was in attendance just to meet the animals, soak up the nice weather, and make fun memories with the youngsters. I’m not even mad at her for that, however, I will also be volunteering to help chaperone all future field trips because it sounds like they could use additional assistance.

Rock Around the 50’s

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Our school concert this year was called “Rock Around the 50’s,” and we got to sing all these classic songs from way back when the dinosaurs roamed. I had so much fun performing hits like “Yakety Yak” and “La Bamba;” It was truly a blast from the past!

VIP Day 2024

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Today and yesterday, Genesee and I got to host very important people at school so they could experience a typical day in the life of an elementary kiddo!

I got to host Mom for my VIP day and, since my cousin Cortney was helping out, I also got to see her a little bit! My favorite part of the day was challenging the adults to a game of kickball. It was quite the competition, with lots of smack talking on both sides. In the end, the adults claim to have beat the kids by one point, but I find that suspicious since the scorekeepers were also adults.

On the next day, Genesee got to host mom AND Laura. Lucky duck! They went on a nature hike, played on the playground, made crafts, and then visited G’s classroom to see what my little sis is learning.

It was so much fun to have our important people hang out with us for part of the day; I wish everyday was VIP Day.

The Art(emis) of Photography

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As the story goes, Dad used to be mom’s favorite subject for her college photography class assignments.

Then, Genesee and I came along and Dad lost his spot in front of the lens.

Chapter 3: Move over all of us because there’s a new cutie that mom is focused on:

Mom says life is fast and full and so the camera helps her slow down and remember. Or as Dorothea Lange says, “Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.”

4th Grade Wisconsin Heritage Fair

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In late February, I was tasked with an assignment to research a topic that relates to Wisconsin. It could be a person, place, product, or event that we would be excited to learn more about. Naturally, I thought about the Milwaukee Bucks right away, but after exploring other ideas with my family, I decided to research and highlight my Great Great Uncle Alfred Gorham: Wisconsin’s only Tuskegee Airman!

All throughout March, I had weekly deadlines to meet, which included coming up with a project title, identifying credible sources so I could learn more about my topic, building a display board, and preparing a speech. It was a lot of hard work! Luckily, my family helped me along the way… We texted with Uncle Norman and cousin Michele to gather artifacts, and then my parents organized family movie nights (complete with Papa’s favorite microwave popcorn) so we could watch documentaries and movies about the flight and plight of Tuskegee Airmen during World War II.

Then, on March 28th, after completing my display board and presenting my speech to fellow Mel-Min fourth graders, we hosted a fair in the elementary gymnasium that was open to the public! I got a little nervous once people started rushing the doors to ask questions about our research, but some of my first friendly customers were Grandma and Grandpa, so that put me more at ease. Plus, I had studied hard so I knew there weren’t too many questions I couldn’t answer.

All in all, it was a great day! People seemed very interested in learning about this important piece of Wisconsin history, which I feel lucky to have such a personal connection to. And on top of that, I got selected to present my project at regionals!!

So, on April 23, I traveled to Black River Falls to brag about my great great uncle to a larger audience. I was thrilled to receive such rave reviews on that bigger stage, but the best part was getting to tell Uncle Alfred’s story because the Tuskegee Airmen story went untold for too long. I hope I did him proud!

Check out my recorded presentation (and outtakes) below and let me know what you think!