I requested a green four-wheeler, a pet kitty-cat, and homemade lasagna for my 4th birthday…

…I guess 1 out of 3 ain’t bad.

It was mom and dad’s first-ever attempt at lasagna. After collecting a few recipes/tips from Grandma, Aunt Julie, and the internet, I watched my parents pour lots of love and cheese into a barely-deep-enough ceramic baking dish. My mother worried and stressed as she repeatedly read each set of directions. Eventually, dad stepped back to supervise as mom spread the perfectly measured meat sauce between the meticulously layered noodles. Finally, my devoted parents lifted that heavy masterpiece into the pre-heated oven to bubble and brown into a decadent dinner. Then they waited. And crossed their fingers. And hoped. And waited a few more minutes for good measure.

Do you know how it turned out? I’m kind of curious myself since I got so caught up in the birthday spirit that I only managed to ingest two, tiny, forgettable bites. Oops.

But the menu wasn’t a total loss. In fact, my unplanned disinterest in lasagna freed up additional belly space for the Minon-themed birthday cake that I selected from the Festival catalog.  The candles were a bit tricky, but I made a wish, blew out the flames, and bid farewell to my three-year-old life as it vanished into the smoke signals. And with one last glance back before moving forward, I can tell you this:

Three was cute and all, but Four is going to really look good on me!

Get your party on!

The spread.

The first victim. I mean, taste-tester.

Looks good, parents!

Evidence that I took at least one bite.

Minion Birthday Cake

Happy 4th birthday to me!

Sunglasses. In case the candles get too bright.

Being serenaded

Genesee approves of the ice cream!

Let’s open presents!

A new bow!!

Kitty cat… are you in there?

What!? A new bike!? (Or is that my old bike ’cause I swear I have one that looks just like that.)

Being celebrated at school!

The sign on the door announced that it’s my birthday… cool!

I’ve been crowned King Jaeger.

No birthday is complete without cupcakes. (Thanks for dropping these off, Grandma and Grandpa!)

Party on the top. Pajama on the bottom.

Officially four.

Making another wish…

As I’ve said before, a lot can change in a year…

During my 2017 birthday weekend, we all went on a beautiful, warm 4-wheeler ride.

On the eve of my 2018 birthday, we all went on a nice, cold sled ride instead.

Luckily, we know how to make the best of living in a snow globe Wisconsin.

Remember that swim class I took? Well, I repeated the course just for good measure and am happy to report that I graduated from the Water Acclimation stage and got approved to skip to Level 3: Water Stamina. After that, I’ll be well on my way to becoming a Baywatch-certified lifeguard, so long as I can conquer my fear of the dreaded locker room wardrobe change.

Becoming friends with Colin was a great idea! Mostly because he greets me with a hug at the beginning and end of each day, but also because I got invited to his super-fun birthday party, held at La Crosse’s new Jump Start Adventure Park, where I enjoyed free admission, free jumps, free pizza, free cupcakes, and free smiles! All I had to do was show up with a wrapped birthday present that I didn’t completely want to part with.

I love having “friends with benefits!” … Is that what that expression means?

A lot can change in a year. Last Easter we learned that I was being promoted to Big Brother.

Title Change | Easter 2017

Since then, I’ve met that little sister and have mastered many responsibilities that come along with my new title, including 1) making my sister laugh a lot, 2) blaming Genesee for things I’d rather not take the fall for, and 3) other duties as assigned.

For Genesee’s first Easter, I was asked to oversee special projects, like 1) stealing all her assisting her hunt for Easter Eggs, 2) giving her confidence to smile when posing with the Easter Bunny instead of screaming bloody murder like the rest of the babies (and some of my 3/4 year-old peers), and 3) eating all her candy keeping her safe from any jelly beans within arms reach.

It hasn’t always been stress-free, particularly when a poopy diaper is involved, but 8 months into my new role, I’m happy to report that big brotherhood is mostly fun, convenient, and easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy. Unfortunately, I have been reprimanded a couple times for not-nice brotherly behavior/neglect, and I even threatened to quit my new job once. Other than that, the benefits of brotherhood are really good and the experience will surely strengthen my resume: it builds character, requires patience, and demands great attention to the details of what goes in sissy’s mouth.

Now, if only this new job came with a better paycheck and more vacation…

You could say I clean up well.

But that would be an understatement. More accurately, I was the best-looking miniature groomsman in town.

I hated to outshine everybody like that, but I had an important job to do as the official ring bearer for Garrett and Morgan’s wedding. But I wasn’t the only one responsible for ensuring the success of those Goodenough vows. My ordained-minister-Mother was tasked with performing the act of marriage.

Just call us “The Dream Team.”

So after posing for several pictures with my wedding-party fan club,

the big moment arrived to show off my ring-bearing skills. That’s when I grabbed my pal Cora, informed the guests that the beautiful bride was coming, and then smiled my way down the aisle LIKE. A. CHAMP.

If it wasn’t for me and mom flawlessly executing our duties, Garrett and Morgan might not have become husband and wife that day. But luckily, this story doesn’t only have a happy ending; it also has a happy beginning…

Let me introduce you to the newly-weds: Mr & Mrs. Goodenough!

Overwhelmed by a sense of accomplishment at the conclusion of the ceremony, I buckled myself into the car seat and passed out with pride. But my job wasn’t done. After that well-earned power nap, it was time to rip it up on the dance floor!

And by “rip,” I mean my pants. And by “pants,” I mean my $180 tuxedo rental pants.

Oops. Well, if that isn’t evidence of a good time, I don’t know what is. Besides, we can’t really put a price tag on fun, right?

Answer: “Yes, we can… once we get the bill.” Source: (A. Goodenough, personal communication, February 24, 2018.)

So while Garrett and Morgan celebrated a holy matrimony, my parents experienced something different: “a hole-y matrimo-knee.” Guess which pair left as a happy couple:

… Just as it was meant to be! It was their day. It was their love story. It was perfect. And it was an honor to take part in it.

Congrats, Morgan & Garrett! I hope I did you proud!

The bad news?
Our trip came to a tragic end: It was cold and dark and Wisconsin when we arrived home.

The good news?
All went well in order to get there. We actually got to sit together on the plane – in the same row AND same side of the aisle! Thanks to Mom teaching me the basics of seat identification, I was able to find our assigned row by counting out loud as I walked by each one. Everybody on the plane thought it was soooo cute… I got high-fives just for knowing how to count and fist-bumps for getting closer to my seat. (Some people are easily impressed that I can count to 28, I guess.) Plus, Genesee and I were stellar travelers once again, and I’m sure it had nothing to do with us being sleepyheads for almost the entire flight. (Because, you know, vacationing is hard work!)

But, for the short time I was awake, Mom and I looked for Nana Florence in the clouds, like we always do. I think that’s why Mom enjoys this particular vacation spot… because the Moon Palace remembers our family stories of togetherness, of spirits who were once among the living, and of nuptials that foundationally created her pride and joy: me & G.

Fortunately, we find these stories at home, too. New chapters, perhaps, but they continually intertwine with the past and honor the passed. Our story unfolds with much soul…

Mom and dad were right… our Cancun vacation did eventually come to an end.

Adios, Mexico!

Homeward bound.

But before we headed back to the frozen tundra, we satisfied our appetites and quenched our thirst…

Dinner at JC’s Steakhouse – Reservation only.

For the meat lovers

The Chef’s Cut

“I’ll take your best plate of spaghetti.”

Refreshing salad

Ice cream makes me happy.

Does anyone else get so excited to eat ice cream that it ends up on your face? No? Just me?

Crepes!

Breakfast in bed(room)

Love the fancy desserts here!

Special delivery to our room!

Poolside pizza

Because the drinks are “free”

Mom likes her icecream too.

My “mojito”

G & Mom at our favorite dinner spot

The much-appreciated ice cream cart!

We soaked up the sun and swam our little hearts out…

G dips her toes in

Genesee likes it!

Genesee puts on her suit and joins us boys in the water

She is a champ!

All smiles.

And then shivers.

G snuggles with mom

Here I am with my fancy arm floaties

Watch me swim across the pool all by myself (and my floaties)

Genesee wants in on this action

We had so much fun!

And after playing as hard as our energy levels allowed us, you can bet we subsequently napped even harder.

G chillin’ like a villain

A family snooze fest

My sister smiles in her sleep. So cute!

I loved my poolside naps!

Finally, we explored every corner, enjoyed every view, and embraced every moment that the resort had to offer.

I love this place!

The view from our room

Sunrise

Out our front deck

Love my mom!

And my dad!

Alligators?! Yikes.

Golf cart escapades

G sporting shades

We stayed in the Venado section

Free ride!

Infinity pool at dusk

Moon Palace – Nizuc

It was the trip of many firsts… Genesee’s first time flying in an airplane and my first time dragging my very own suitcase. It was Genesee’s first time being in Mexico and the first time I’ll (probably) remember vacationing there. It was the trip that Genesee first splashed in a pool (she loved it!) and got cleaned up in a shower (she was all smiles and no tears… unlike an anonymous someone else who screamed bloody murder the first several times he was cruelly forced to take a scary water-down-your-face shower in lieu of a safe, warm, familiar bath). It was the first time I experienced the resort by riding behind the stroller instead of inside the stroller (although I did steal the seat a few too many times when “my legs got tired from just standing.”) And it was the trip that Genesee first learned how to roll over!

It was our first big trip as a family of four…. a warm way to beat the winter blues, a much-welcomed way to pause the chaos of everyday life, and a wanderlust way to discover a world beyond our borders. Different countries offer us a different perspective, different culture, different language, different foods, and different ways of knowing/being/living. But travel is a privilege not afforded to everyone, and so we remain grounded knowing that we don’t need plane tickets to broaden our worldview, or to make magical memories, or to live life to its fullest. We only need each other… to see each other, to teach each other, to love each other.

And so, we trust that more adventure awaits!

Just when I thought Mexico couldn’t get any more perfect, we got a day pass for The Grand at Moon Palace and treated ourselves to a sweet Valentines’ Day!

The newly finished 5-diamond addition featured top-notch restaurants, a shopping-mall-like lobby area, a Children’s-Museum-meets-Fun-World-style Playroom, and an elaborate waterpark complete with a wave pool, lazy river, kiddo splash area, thrill seeker water slides (not yet open), and a human-size blow dryer!!

In search of the water park….

Over the boardwalk we go!

Hello, Mr. Iguana!

Bathrooms at The Grand – what!?

Entrance to FUN!

Minnie Mouse with Valentine treats

Whoa.

Miniature Golf

“Let’s explore upstairs!”

A mirror maze

“Help! We can’t get out.”

Genesee is lost too.

We found our way, but it was pretty tricky.

“Thank you for shopping at Jaeger-Mart.”

Water-filled trampoline

Balloon wars

Racing Dad

This thing is cool!

See that ball floating in the air?!

A tornado maker!

An interactive floor game

“Weeeeee!”

As you can see from the expression on my face, I’m not having fun at all.

Glad I didn’t do my hair today!

Catch me if you can!

Lazy rivers are relaxing.

A human blow dryer!?

Just me and my new Mustang (rental)

Zoom!

They have bikes here too?!

…In every color!

And scooters!

We’re back!

“Should I try the ropes course?”

Love this thing!

“Look! No hands.”

Los Tacos Restaurant

Dessert!

The waterpark at dark

Good night!

From the Grand Buffet for breakfast to the Grand Theatre for the Circus Show…

…I definitely fell in love this Valentine’s Day because everything about The Grand was, well, grand! Even the chandeliers were something to be admired, according to Genesee, our ceiling inspector.

It was luxury at its finest and the best of all-inclusive, so if this is what they mean by “Lover’s Paradise,” then just call me “Lover!”

It was indeed a happy Valentine’s Day! Thanks, Moon Palace!

We spent the first couple days of our Mexican vacation getting reacquainted with the Moon Palace. Of course, it didn’t take long to recall some of our favorites: The Playroom, the endless pools, the mystical ocean backdrop, Arrecifes the Brazilian steakhouse, iguana sightings, mom’s Miami Vice frozen drinks, dad’s refreshing Mojitos, the made-to-order crepes, omelettes and wood-fired pizzas, the easy-to-order gelato and chocolate croissants, the 80-degree pool-side days, the 75-degree evening walks along the moonlit, breezy beach, our oceanfront king-size bed…. Mexico has everything, including my heart! And so I may or may not have ugly-cried on Tuesday morning when my trickster parents made me believe it was time to go home already.

“Just kidding,” they said. “But really, we will eventually need to return home.”

“But not today!!” I exclaimed as I jumped out of bed, wiped my snot nose, and lived in the moment like only a toddler can.

Dippin’ my toes and chasin’ my speed boat

Mobile Munchies

Dessert? Yes, please!

G discovered a love for chocolate

Air hockey with Dad

Beating Dad at Connect 4

The carousel

The beginnings of a sand sculpture

Sissy-butt

Loving the pools!

The kiddie complex

Swim lessons have made me brave

G loves the view

My new ride

G modeling her new hat

Mom’s Miami Vice

Sunbathing

And Sunsnoozing

Time for a nap!

Nachos for us, pureed mangos for G

Genesee and Momma

Genesee and Dad

Cruisin down the sidewalks

“Where do you want to go, Genesee?”

Bean toss

Motorcycle rides!

More of G’s Z’s

Love the fancy desserts here!

Mom’s Miami Vice from another angle

Hunting for iguanas

Found an iguana!

Kissed an iguana!

Held an iguana!

Nightly entertainment provided by the Moon Palace

Nightly entertainment provided by me, Jaeger.

“I’ll sleep here tonight.”

Sunkissed faces!