7 years ago, on this day, the universe gained one of its brightest stars. Momma says that my Nana Florence’s love shines down on all of us. Today and everyday, remembering her is easy. Yet missing her is still hard. But, as the saying goes, “Life has to end. Love doesn’t.” And so we love on…

Nana Florence being her silly, beautiful self

Grandpa & Grandma (Nana) Florence

Nana with my Aunt Cha Cha, mom, & Aunt Nay Nay

Nana and the gang celebrating mom and dad’s wedding in Mexico

Nana holding me! (Thanks, Photoshop!) I love you, Nana!

I got another week of camping under my belt, which came along with some new experiences too! This was my first time to Hayward, WI and the town welcomed me with fireworks! I’ve never seen those before. It was quite the show… lit up the whole sky! I’m not sure what I did to deserve that, but I really appreciated the gesture. It also happened to be the 4^th of July; just a coincidence I think.

On Friday I went on my first boat ride and caught my first fish! (Okay, my dad caught the fish, but I was there for moral support, which probably contributed to the catch, so I should get some credit too.) Then, on Saturday we went shopping in downtown Hayward, and along the way, we stopped by the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum so I could give kisses to the giant Musky.

Everyday was filled with fun, campfires, yummy food, nice weather, and good company. I love the outdoors… I am definitely a happy camper!

Zzzzz

Cruisin around the lake

Helping dad drive the boat

Eating lunch on the boat

Our headquarters

Me, Garrett and Morgan

Boom!

Ooh. Aah.

Smooch!

Happy camper

Meeting of the minds / learning about chainsaws

Yummy kabobs

Hanging out with Grandma Goodenough

Reading a book to mom

That’s how you do it

Garrett’s holding me!

Grilling out

4th of July strawberries

I rolled over today! All by myself!! I’m not sure how I did it, but it happened. I was on my back one minute, and then all of a sudden I was on my stomach. Yipppee! The next stunt I will attempt is a triple salchow, like they do in figure skating! Or, maybe I’ll just stick to the rollover for now.

Oh happy day! I met my brand new cousin this morning, Sonia Camille Arain-Khan, which means wisdom and perfection. Uncle Nizam called her 6 pounds of stardust! I love her already. Welcome to the world, Sonia! Call me when you can come out and play… we can hang out at my crib.

Prepare yourself for some snapshots from my first photo shoot. My modeling agent says I’m incredibly talented. (And by “modeling agent,” I mean my mom.) (And by “incredibly talented,” I mean I was well behaved for the photographer.) I probably could have smiled more, but I thought it would be funny if I played hard to get. Somehow that lady managed to get a few decent poses out of the ordeal.

If you were my agent, which pose do you think would get me an audition for America’s Next Top Model?

Check out some of the faces I’ve been working on!

Which one is your favorite? 

Yesterday we went to see my cousin/bff Ashlee at her horse show! She looked like a professional out there. Congrats, Ashlee! You were the star of the show in my eyes.

Sitting in the stands with the fam

Ashlee and Summer

Ashlee on her horse in the background

…rainbow! I saw my first rainbow!! Wow, I didn’t know the sky could do that. Neat-o!!

Am I the cutest giraffe you’ve ever seen, or what!? Mom & Grandma Goodenough took me to a photo shoot yesterday. This is a sneak peek at one of my outfits. I can’t wait to show this picture to all of my buddies when I’m in high school… they’ll think I’m too cool for school!

I went on my first camping trip over the weekend! After we set up camp, I got showered with gifts from Great Aunt Mary, Great Uncle Peter, and my new friends/cousins Sydney, Mackenzie, Zach & Jill! Then we went for a walk to explore the park and, along the way, one nice family offered to babysit me because I am “soooo cute,” but mom and dad decided to keep me.  Once we got back to our site, I watched everybody eat a yummy supper and then a few of us enjoyed the outdoor movie! We ended the night by relaxing around a fire and then I got to snuggle in bed with mom and dad.

On Saturday, we woke up to a delicious breakfast and then went for more walks! Later in the day, mom and dad took me swimming for the first time. I didn’t get to swim for long because Mom was worried that I might turn into Thunderpants and shut down the pool, but it was fun while it lasted. When we returned to our site, Great Uncle Harley, Great Aunt Ellen, Garrett and Morgan had come to visit. Apparently those nice ladies find me irresistible and they weren’t going to leave until they held me and got their “Jaeger fix.” I, of course, obliged. Eventually, after another good-smelling supper, we ended up around the fire again for s’mores! Wow… whoever invented those was really smart. I’m putting s’mores at the top of my list when I’m ready for solid foods!

On Sunday we rode the Jellystone Express Train to Three Bears Lodge and then came back for root beer floats and snacks. The whole weekend was filled with fun, relaxation, food and Jaeger-holding. Even though I was hoping we were going to live in Jellystone, by 4:00 we were packing up to head back home. I mean, I like our life on Deerwood Drive, but we don’t quite have the talking bears, endless supplies of cotton candy, water slides and outdoor movies that Jellystone offers. Perhaps it’s time to upgrade our living quarters?!

Setting up camp

Gift opening!

Grandma Goodenough

Grandpa Goodenough (holding me for the first time!)

Me & Dad

Me & Sydney

Me & Mackenzie

Outdoor movie!

Fireside chats

Snuggle time with mom & dad

Wiped out.

Exploring the park

Taking a dip in the pool

Mom & I swimming

Giving mom some snuggles

Going for a walk

Just chillin’

Jellystone Express Train

Root Beer Floats!

Family photo with Yogi the Bear

Happy.