Parent-Teacher Conference: April 2018

I’m the proud brother of an honor roll infant!

At Genesee’s parent-teacher conference, her teachers informed us that Genesee always greets people with a smile and can sit up on her own. Additionally, her progress report confirmed that my sister shows great purpose in life.

I beamed with joy at the influence I must be having on Genesee. Based on the teachers’ observations, it is clear that my sister is a miniature humanitarian-in-training and Olympic-bound athlete. I’ve taught her well.

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Why should I take all the credit, you ask? Well, sissy doesn’t just look up to me because I’m taller. I’m also a model citizen, which was the main takeaway from my parent-teacher conference that same evening.

I mean, let’s be honest… no one was surprised to learn that I exceeded all of my 4K readiness goals, like counting way past 20, safely using scissors to cut out shapes, listening to directions (only outside of the home and when given by someone other than my parents), and spelling/writing my first name.

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“Miss Sara, can I write the rest of my name with lower-case letters like Grandma taught me?”

 

But, my evaluation further proved that I’ve still got stellar sports skills and that I play well with others.  See exhibit A:

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“A great coach takes his players friends where they can’t take themselves.”

However, the feedback that put the biggest smile on the faces of my parents was when Ms. Nichole and Ms. Sara said that I’m very kind. “He always lets us know when another kid is hurt or sad, and he can always tell us why they’re feeling that way,” they elaborated.

In summary, I’m not just your average toddler. Above and beyond all the skills I should possess as an aspiring 4K star, I also exhibit promising athleticism, an empathetic heart, a helpful spirit, and the friendliest soul.

Or in other words, I’m basically an Olympic-caliber athlete and local humanitarian. So, yes, let’s give credit where credit is due: all of Genesee’s success is indeed my success.

Becoming 4

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

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…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!

April (snow) showers

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.

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

Almost a lifeguard

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.

Friends with benefits

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?

Easter with the Geneseester

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

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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…

Garrett & Morgan tie the knot

You could say I clean up well.

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

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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.”

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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.

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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!

Home

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…

It was an adventure!

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

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

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

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

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

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.

img_9828And so, we trust that more adventure awaits!

Lover’s Paradise

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!!

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!”

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