My dad traveled all the way to Canada in an attempt to put food on the table. (Too bad he’s not aware of that local grocery store mom stopped at the other day.) Because of this heroic act, mom and I have had to live without him for the last week and we’ve been lonely. So, last weekend, in an effort to distract me from the missing-my-dad-blues, Mom actively sought out opportunities to rediscover my smiley face…

At the Hmong New Year celebration, I found my smile through connecting with good friends and getting into a wrestling match with a balloon! (I won. Twice.)

The following day, we traveled out of state (to Minnesota, which is just across the river, but Mom says “out-of-state” sounds more adventurous)…

…there we found my smile again, inspired by an impressive parade! Since my last parade appearance, I’ve learned to keep candy that’s thrown at me instead of throwing it back. But this time around, instead of being a passive observer, I attempted to join the parade! It wasn’t the cute, furry dogs that lured me in. Nor was it the marching band, the pony, or the skateboarders. The thing that got me was the beautiful, green, John Deere tractor. I screamed when I saw it. I just couldn’t help myself; it was love at first sight. I quickly chased after this impressive machine so we could live happily ever after, but Mom caught me and ruined that dream. Rats! One day I’ll be able to outrun her, but until that day comes (probably sometime next month), I’m left to only wonder about the tractor that got away.

Question: What do you get when you combine birthday cake, rainbows and carmel apples?

Answer: Lots of Jaeger smiles during last weekend’s mission to fill our days with FUN!!

The fun started at my friend’s birthday party. Isaiah turned 5 years old and we celebrated with cake, legos (which I wasn’t allowed to eat touch), story time, piñatas, and more!

Then, we headed down to Riverside for Pride Fest! I ran into some of my UWL buddies and already got recruited to enroll at Western Technical College. I guess they know talent when they see it.

Finally, we met up with Sonia, Abe, William, Hope and all the parents at Ferguson’s Apple Orchard. Now that I’m old enough to peruse the property on my own terms, I sure can get into a lot more trouble!

Mission: FUN was quite successful, and fun!

Dear “America’s Got Talent,”

Please accept my below video submissions for your show. I trust you’ll find my talent impressive.

Here I am, perfecting one of my old skills: snapping!

And here I am, imperfecting a brand new skill: push-ups!

Additionally, while I don’t have the video evidence, I hope you’ll also accept this still image of my table dancing skills:

I look forward to appearing on your show!

Yours Truly,
The-ever-so-talented Jaeger Amari

Even though I miss my former teachers and my little infant buddies, I find myself enjoying my new classroom! To ease the transition, mom occasionally lets me peek my head into the infant room to prevent folks from experiencing Jaeger withdrawal. After I blow them all kisses, it’s off to the bigger kid room, where I’m adjusting to a new environment, yet still feel very loved. Luckily, I didn’t have to leave the dance parties behind. And better yet, I also got to bring my dinosaur roar with me! Life is good. Stay tuned to witness how much I learn and grow in this classroom; it’s going to be a great year!

One of my new teachers, Jenny!

Vroom, vroom!

Roar!

Popping bubbles

First day in my new room.

Coordination

Roar again!

Hugging it out

Stacking blocks…

and knocking them down!

Dance party!

Finger paint looks good in my hair…

…and tastes delicious in my mouth!

As August quickly comes to an end, we decided to make the most of last weekend by sharing the summer breeze with friends! First, we met up with the Britton family to cruise the Mississippi River. After we nailed that adventure, we went to Texas Roadhouse for supper. I think the adults planned to enjoy stimulating conversation, but just to make things interesting, I decided to challenge my parents with the game “See-if-you-can-complete-a-sentence-without-being-interrupted-by-this-new-bad-habit-I-learned!” (Apparently, you’re only supposed to throw peanuts on the floor, not your entire meal.) My bad.

The next day, mom and dad took me to experience my first parade! Initially, I wasn’t sure what to think and I couldn’t figure out who everyone was waving at. But then, marchers and drivers started throwing candy my way and I kind of liked that! In fact, I liked that so much, I decided to throw the candy right back at them. Mom says I need to work on my parade etiquette. (She seemed especially concerned when I returned some of her favorite chocolates to the streets.) My bad…again.

Remember this little guy?

That was my first day at daycare, back in August 2014! Fast forward one year and it’s time for me to graduate.

Today was my last official day in the infant room and it was bittersweet. Even though we celebrated with a dance party and cupcakes, I couldn’t help but feel a little sad. These wonderful women have been my moms away from mom…

• They brought out the dinosaur and karate kid in me. (See photo evidence below)
• They fed me the most delicious foods and even taught me how to like watermelon.
• When I missed my family, they would visit my internet blog to show me pictures of mom and dad.
• We went for walks, we worked out at the gym, we fed ducks, we played in the sandbox, we covered the room in ping pong balls… we were always busy!
• They introduced me to my inner artist through coloring and painting, and they tapped into my curious mind through mud baths and shaving cream parties.
• They cleaned up my spit-ups, my stinkers, and my owies, and they put up with my grumpies, my frownies and my zombie apocalypse phase.
• They embraced me as their little entertainer and made room for me to move like Jaeger.

No matter the day, no matter the weather, no matter my mood…. these women LOVED me. And I couldn’t help but love them right back.

Daycare makes me happy

I love my teachers!

The next Karate Kid

Pool party!

I am a dinosaur!

Bubbles?

Bubbles

Shaving cream party!

Selfie with Krissy

Jaeger the cow. Mooo.

Dance, dance!

Cupcake? Yes, please!

Alright kids, this is how you eat…

Selfie with Marissa

Selfie photo-bombed my Liam

Me and Amanda

Thank you, amazing teachers, for helping me write my first chapter. Although it’s time to turn the page, you will always be a beautiful, significant and unforgettable part of my life story!

Last Sunday we went tubing for the first time in my life! The rules for tubing are simple and unfair: Everyone but Jaeger gets to participate. What a bummer! But, I did enjoy being a cheerleader… until my dad decided to perform a back-flip into the water. My eyes got really big and then I made an uh-oh face before proceeding to cry. It was so scary to see him disappear beneath the surface. But then, he reemerged and so I screamed for joy! That was such a neat trick that I decided to try my own back-flip on my parents’ bed later that night. I’ve been doing twists, turns, flips and somersaults ever since. I’m not sure what’s more fun…. attempting new gymnastic floor routines or watching my mom become the most nervous and unreasonable spotter a gymnast could ever ask for.

Look out, everybody! Today my parents took me to La Crosse to get a BRAND NEW….

…. HAIRCUT!*

*4-wheeler not included

If anyone wonders where I inherited my fun, silly, mischievous spirit from, meet Auntie Cha Cha:

She lives in Florida, so it took fifteen months for us to finally meet, but it was well worth the wait! We had so much fun together…

We went to Lark Toys and it was the best. day. ever!

First, we played “Who wore it better?”

Then, we enjoyed all the store had to offer…. fudge, delicious snacks, toys, books, and even a carousel ride!

After our Lark Toys adventure, we traveled to nearby Wabasha for some sight-seeing and then Nelson for ice cream!

Another highlight with Auntie Cha Cha was the Asian Infusion dinner that she prepared for the family. It was YUMMY!

Finally, after all sorts of other shenanigans throughout our week together, we took a trip to southeastern Wisconsin to see Papa Florence, Great Grandma Garcia and other family members.

Unfortunately, at the end of it all, my cuteness just couldn’t convince her to stay. Auntie Cha Cha returned to Florida and left me to be the sole entertainer of the house; I will try not to disappoint! Miss and love you, Cha Cha. MUUUUAHHH!

On July 16, 2015 I turned 15 months old. To celebrate, my doctor invited me over to his office to hang out! I assumed we were going to play fun games, but it was a set-up. Instead, he said I had to endure 3 shots and get all sorts of measurements. I thought we did that last time I visited him. Rude! Once I was onto his dirty trick, I tried to hide behind the chair.

But, he found me. And here’s what we learned:

• I’m 22 lbs and 13 oz, or “fashionably slim,” says Doc.
• 2 ft, 7 inches puts me in the 57th percentile for height/length.
• My peanut head, however, remains below average at the 27th percentile.
• Even though I’m pretty tough, I’m still not a fan of those dang shots.

Needles, however, aren’t the only thing on my Dislike List these days. I also have a negative reaction to:

• Watermelon (Yuck!)
• Car washes (Scary!)
• Life jackets (Not at all comfortable)
• and Puppets (See photos below)

Yet, as I grow older, I also find more things to love:

• Root beer floats (Yes, please!)
• Pickles (I get that from Mom)
• Fireworks (So. Cool.)
• Ping pong balls (Throwing them across my classroom is the best)
• Window-licking (See photo below)

So, if anyone is interested in being my best friend forever, please reference my above list of favorites.