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.
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!
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.
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.”
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!
In just two days, on April 16, I will officially enter the double digits club. And there’s no better way to ring in my new year than celebrating with food, family, and fun!
These days, as I enter my 10-year-old status, you’ll often find me dribbling and shooting a basketball, working to improve my golf swing, battling it out in Fortnite, or learning how to keep up with the adults in the game of Euchre.
However, a few big changes that happened over the last year are that I’m now comfortable staying home alone, I wear the same shoe size as my mom, and I’ve experienced hives on my body – twice!
But some things never change, like my nervous habit of biting fingernails (still guilty), my incredibly stinky feet (guilty again), and my love for mom-made scavenger hunts! I also continue to grow taller everyday. In fact, my only character flaw is that my pants can’t seem to keep up with my growing legs, so sometimes my sweatpants become capris.
After being on this earth for almost a decade, I can confidently say that my favorite school lunch is orange chicken, and one of my most-requested meals at home is chicken fried rice. It should also be noted that I can unload the dishwasher on command, I remain well-hydrated (special thanks to my Cirkul water bottle), and I’ve gotta be the proudest puppy owner that ever existed.
I can’t wait to take another trip around the sun, especially with a new best friend by my side!
Typically, I don’t like it when my mom’s flight gets delayed. But the Boston weather prevented her from taking off on time. This snowballed into an unplanned hotel stay in Minneapolis. And since the MSP airport is just 45 minutes from Whispering Creek (the birthplace of Artemis), and because this was all happening just a couple days before we were scheduled to make the 6-hour round-trip drive to bring our puppy home, we peer-pressured mom into picking up Artemis on her return trip.
Woohoo for delayed flights!
Needless to say, we rolled out the red carpet and proceeded to jump for joy when our little queen arrived on April 4, 2024, two days earlier than planned. With a wagging tail and twinkling eyes, she marched into the house like she owned the place (because, let’s be honest… she kind of does now) and then we all bowed down to accept her royal kisses.
We’ve been waiting a LONG time for this sweet girl, so I hope she’s prepared to be well loved and snuggled…. especially by my sister, because no one loves harder than Genesee.
Meteorologists claim that this winter will go down in history as the warmest Wisconsin winter ever on record. In fact, many people have dubbed this as “The Lost Winter” because it feels like the snowfall and frigid temperatures never came. Many experts even predict that Wisconsin will become much warmer over the next few decades. And while some of us welcomed this year’s milder conditions, others couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease, recognizing the stark departure from the norm and the potential implications for the changing climate.
As for our family, we mostly welcomed the break from the typical winter, but if I’m being honest, I hope next winter brings back the things that I missed: building snow forts, having epic snowball fights, the crunch of snow under my boots, and my breath turning into frosty clouds… at least between late November and early January. After that, Mother Nature can bring on spring!
He moves like Jaeger 