It was amazing, fun, and totally exciting—my first buck ever! Since it was bow season, I borrowed Grandpa’s crossbow and then Dad and I climbed into the tree stand early in the morning. We sat quietly for about two hours when we spotted our first buck chasing a group of does. Not long after, another doe appeared from the south, and right behind her was a buck. Dad whispered, “This is the one. Get ready.”

He pointed to a scrape spot nearby and said, “If the buck comes through there, you’ll need to use the first sight.” My heart was racing as I got into position. Sure enough, the buck walked right to the scrape spot, just like Dad said. I aimed, took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger. The shot landed, and the buck took off, running about 200 yards into the woods.

We followed the blood trail but couldn’t track him down right away. After a while, we decided to regroup and grab some breakfast. An hour later, we came back with reinforcements: Mom and Artemis. Mom found some blood that we hadn’t seen previously and then Artemis was on the trail immediately! I decided to follow Artemis closely, and that wonder dog took me exactly to the crime scene (as mom would call it). And that’s when I spotted him—my first buck, resting right there: A 10-point beauty!

It was one of the most thrilling moments of my life, and an event that will go down in history as the day a couple of us officially lived up to our names:

Jäger / Jaeger (German pronunciation: [ˈjɛːɡɐ]), a German name for hunter [noun] a person who hunts; huntsman [noun] a hunter.

Artemis: (/ˈɑːrtɪmɪs/; Ancient Greek: Ἄρτεμις), Goddess of the hunt.

It takes a lot of guts to carve pumpkins… I have to use sharp objects, lots of muscle, and even a headlamp at times! But Genesee and I love scooping out those slimy insides; it’s half the fun (and half the mess)! The real challenge, however, is turning those pumpkins into spooky masterpieces.

Challenge accepted! In the end, our jack-o’-lanterns were the spookiest pumpkins in all of the land. I mean, check out Genesee’s frightening candy corn pumpkin! And watch out for the Minion & Gru pumpkin; it’s absolutely “despicable!”

Follow us for more scary thrills!

This summer was packed with so much awesome, I’m surprised it all fit into a few months! There were boat rides on the lake, sleepovers galore, and my first-ever “co-ed” volleyball camp (if by “co-ed,” we mean that I was the only boy.) Summer is also the season of soccer tryouts, Logger’s baseball games, and mastering scooter tricks (if you think skinning up only one knee is tricky). We started our Sunday mornings with Grandpa’s 5-star pancakes, we swam until we turned into prunes, we celebrated birthdays with cake and chaos, and our puppy made sure there was no shortage of shenanigans. It was everything!

From Juneteenth to the Cookies & Cream grand opening, summer was all fun and games until the sunscreen ran out and the leaves started turning. Luckily, I have a love affair with Fall, too, so bring on the crisp air!

Homecoming week started off with a tragedy. There was a scary car accident in front of our school, involving some fellow students. It was a freaky coincidence because there was a mock car accident event scheduled for that morning, which got promptly canceled upon news of an actual crash. Luckily, all involved parties survived and we’re hoping the one who sustained the worst injuries will make a full recovery.

Our school community was pretty shaken up, but we pulled together and managed to enjoy a full spirit week, complete with a Homecoming parade and home football game, all while keeping the impacted family in our thoughts.

After a rough start, Genesee and I got to experience a magical end to the week: We discovered that royalty lives among us:

Congratulations to the newly crowned Queen Cortney and King Aaron!

Since Cortney is my cousin, I guess that makes me practically a prince, right? No need to roll out the red carpet for me, and don’t feel obligated to bow down when you see me, but I do hereby demand to be greeted as Prince Jaeger.

What started as a regular sleepover with Cullen and Annalia turned into an epic trip to Ferguson’s Apple Orchard! It’s become an annual tradition that we all look forward to, and this year didn’t disappoint.

First up was the legendary corn pit—it’s basically a giant sandbox but with corn kernels. Brilliant! We buried each other alive and then woke from the dead! After becoming zombies, we thought we were ready to brave the not-so-scary haunted house, which should probably be re-named “not-at-all-scary.” Then we found our way to the tractor ride, because who doesn’t love a tractor!? But some new hits this year were the jungle gym and the new giant bubble station. Finally, to top it all off, we enjoyed refreshing apple cider slushies and delicious caramel apples.

There’s no place like Ferguson’s.

And so we begin our careers as a 5th grader and 2nd grader. Ready or not, they say.

Sis and I are ready. Mom’s still thinking about it.

Waking up at the crack of dawn for fishing with Dad and Grandpa is reel fun, even if we’re getting dressed with our eyes half-closed. Once we arrive on the water, we wait for the fish to bite, and once we get back on land, I anxiously wait for my mouth to bite a Kwik Trip breakfast sandwich!

This year, we got flooded out of our usual spot, so we had to find some new waters to fish in. Thankfully, we found success with that because Genesee loves those fish fry suppers!

A few of the fin-tastic memories for the 2024 fishing season include:

• Genesee discovering her newfound passion for capturing the sunrise on camera
• Dad installing a 4th seat so no one has to sit on the ground
• I became “Net Man!”

It’s o-fish-al: Genesee and I are hooked on fishing!

By mid-August, most kids were planning their back-to-school outfits, but not us. Genesee and I were assigned the very last session of swim lessons this year, so we were still out there making waves (literally) up until August 16.

And it’s a good thing I’ve stuck with it because I’m basically ready to lifeguard now. I’m not saying they should hire me yet, but if someone needed saving, I’d definitely be able to scream for someone else to help. But seriously, I’ve got the freestyle down, my backstroke is practically pro level, and I can tread water longer than it takes for Genesee to exit the bathroom (if she enters with her iPad)—which is saying a lot! I also had to dive 9 feet under water to retrieve 5 lb weighted bricks. It was quite impressive if I might say so myself.

But Genesee had a big year, too! She passed the deep water test and received the much sought-after deep water band. (It’s not really that fancy, but it comes with bragging rights.) She was born ready to be a pool shark, but now that she has achieved “deep-end diva status” we can all breathe a little easier when she dives in to show off her cannonballs.

On July 26th, my previously-six-year-old sister turned seventeen. That’s what it feels like anyway. Because she’s so wise and sassy beyond her years.

To celebrate this national holiday, we took my sister to Cookies & Cream Cafe for some ice cream nachos, then we splashed around at the Holmen Aquatic Center, and then we picked up Chloe and Annalia for a pizza and movie at the Rivoli, before ending the night at the Pearl Ice Cream Parlor for more ice cream. A birthday bookended with scoops of sweetness is this girl’s dream come true!

Since Genesee is now officially a big kid, I figured it’s time to document what makes Genesee…well, Genesee. So, in commemoration of her age, here are seven things you should know about this version of my little sister:

1. Rom-Com Connoisseur: Genesee loves herself a good romantic-comedy movie… she loves a good hugging scene and watches like she’s taking mental notes for the future. Gross!
   
2. Alexa’s BFF: Genesee has full-blown conversations with Alexa. No joke. You can often find her saying, “Alexa, I’d like to give you feedback.” Like they’re business partners or something.
   
3. Bedtime Snack Queen: It’s a fact—Genesee is never more thirsty or hungry than the exact moment it’s time for bed. Every. Single. Night.
   
4. Motherhood? Nah.: Genesee has very strong opinions about not wanting kids. She announced it out of nowhere a few years ago and hasn’t changed her mind since.
   
5. Pizza Weirdo: When Genesee eats pizza, she often flips it upside down. Yep, cheese on the bottom, crust on the top. I’m not sure why, but her dedication to doing things differently is admirable.
   
6. Fashion Icon: Genesee roams the house wearing one sock. No explanation, no second sock. Just…one. And she’s totally cool with it.
   
7. Artist-Athlete-Reader-Extraordinaire: Genesee is what you might call a triple treat. She’s a lover of basketball and soccer, but don’t let her sporty side fool you. She’s also very much an artist and she’s an incredibly expressive reader!

In summary, Genesee may be my little sister, but she’s got a BIG personality. And even though that big personality clashes with my perfectly-sized personality some days, I’m still honored to call her my sister. Because, truly, the world needs more Genesees.

Happy birthday, Gigi Louigi!