Hear me roar! (Video below)

July is all about living the good life! Like, cruisin’ through the Chippewa Flowage and enjoying all that Hayward has to offer!

I am the official welcoming committee for the waters.

Hanging out with the grand ones.

Me and momma.

Zonked out.

Oh captain, my captain.

Weeeee!

Future kayaker.

Ready for pancakes!

Fireworks

Refreshing!

Uh-oh. Is this sand supposed to stick to my hands?

Here, fishy-wishy.

Swing time!

Running through sprinkling water is fun!

Y.U.M.

Exhausted.

Cheers!

Like, all sorts of Daycare shenanigans… from getting a little dirty, to getting a little hungry, to getting a little sleepy.

Mud day?

Mud day.

Mud day!

Snack time with my besties.

Nite, nite. (Notice I’ve been upgraded to a cot instead of a crib?!)

Like, returning to the Pizza Farm with my Bodelson buddies!

Here, Uncle Dan… want my Dad’s hat?

Chillin’ like a villain.

Forkin’ it up!

The Pizza Farm playground!

And of course Jellystone! Warm days are meant to be spent with my main man, Yogi Bear.

Let’s do this.

Say cheese!

Going for a walk

Me and the girls.

An arcade! Talk about overstimulation!!

Let’s swim!

Come on, mom, the water’s fine!

Ever seen a grumpy monkey?

But I’m not done swimming yet!

My lifeguards.

Me and daddy-o

I love campfires!

Can you see me? I’m under the picnic basket?

My new ride.

There I am! Enjoying the view from the top!

Splish-splashing with Mackenzie!

My favorite dance partner!

This. Is. The. Life.

It’s a sandbox!!! …Homemade and built with love, sweat, and a few naughty words!

I would like to take some of the credit for helping to construct this beauty… my main job was to stay the heck out of the way… which was much harder than one might think!

My new sandbox friend is so much fun! Wanna come over and play with us? I’ll save you a seat!

Dear Nana Florence,

Today marks 8 years of missing you. Mom talks about you often, but once in a while those “memories sneak out of mom’s eyes and roll down her cheeks.”

Every time I hear about you, I’m convinced that, even if you weren’t my grandmother, you’d probably be my best friend. My partner in crime. The peanut butter to my jelly. So I hope you know, today and always, that I’ve reserved a special place in my heart for you… where beautiful stories are planted and deeply rooted in love… stories that grow stronger with the sunshine of laughter, but sometimes require the waters of cherished memories.

So we smile, we laugh, we cry, and we remember.

Best friends forever,
Jaeger xoxoxo

Anyone know what this is going to be?

Here’s your first clue:

Next set of clues:

It’s so exciting, I can hardly keep it a secret! Sorry to leave you with that cliffhanger, but stay tuned!

Yesterday was the longest day of the year, and the official start to summer! Because mom cancelled her day job last year to show me how to do summer, this year, I know just how to fill my days….

Summers are for having friends over!

Summers are for playing on the river!

Summers are for camping!

Summers are for watching horse shows!

Summers are for eating on the deck!

Summers are for flip flops and root beer floats, popsicles and sprinklers. Summers are for grilling out and sleeping in. Every summer has a story. I’m going to have so much fun writing mine!!

Dear Dad,

You’re oFISHally my best catch!
You sure know how to float my boat.
Thanks for teaching me the skills I need to “tackle” life!

“Give a boy a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a boy to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

Happy Father’s Day!

Hooked on you forever,
Jaeger xoxoxo

P.S. Happy Father’s Day to Papa Florence & Grandpa Goodenough too!

…we have a new “walker” in town! Let me teach you a few tricks, perhaps, what it looks like to take steps forward instead of backwards: (See below video tutorials)

Milestone accomplished! I’ve also spent my first couple months of being a one-year-old earning the below list of bragging rights:

• I learned how to snap!
• I am a meat eater. Nom, nom, nom! I love brats, hamburgers, breakfast sausage, you name it! But, Mexican food is my favorite entree. Also, I am quite fond of adult beverages, mostly whole milk.
• I’ve been trying on a couple new smiles: wrinkle-nose-face and the Home-Alone-mouth-wide-open. Somehow they enhance my cuteness.
• I love to throw the ball around and I’ve got a good arm on me.
• I invented my own version of the moon walk.
• Call me a book worm! I’m especially a sucker for those stories with no plot.
• Put on some good music and my butt automatically starts to wiggle.
• I can open and close the garage door.
• I am a trendsetter! According to a recent Yahoo Parenting article, my middle name (Amari) tops a list of gender neutral baby names that are quickly rising in popularity. (Thanks for pointing that out, Kari!)

Impressed? Well, there’s more to come! Being one is fun and I’m just getting started!

Last weekend we mooooved our bellies to a neighboring farm for my 2^nd annual dairy breakfast. As you might remember, I was too little to sample the pancakes last year…

2014 Dairy Breakfast

…so I brought my teeth with me this time!

2015 Dairy Breakfast

Now I know for sure, eating hot-off-the-griddle pancakes is much better than merely inhaling pancake fumes from a distance.

I also learned that dairy breakfasts are more fun when you stay awake. I got to pet a bunch of animals, play with a balloon, sit on the tractors, and consume all things dairy (including ice cream and cheese curds)! I don’t know about the rest of you, but I plan to celebrate dairy month well after it’s over, because 30 days just isn’t long enough.

School’s out for summer! …But not for an overachiever like me. Besides, if I stayed home for the summer, I wouldn’t get to entertain my lovely daycare teachers and I’d also have no friends to bite.  So if you’re looking for me during the summer weekdays, I’ll be busy getting my learn on. But after school and during the weekends, I’ll be soaking up the sun, discovering new adventures, and connecting with loved ones.

Here are some snapshots of the fun times summer has already brought on:

My new hat!

Summer is for building gardens!

Dad needs supervision out here

Hi!

Dad’s best watering buddy

Summer dinners on the deck!

What happened to the sunshine?

Rainy day!

Sunscreen all up in my hair

Visiting Bethy!

School field trip! (Sleeping on the way back from the park)

New favorite hat!

Swinging with mom

Splish-splash

My new pool!

Shades

Sand is so much fun! And tasty too.

Playdough at school is the best!

Bring it on some more, summer!