Be Our Guest - Week of Mar. 20th

"Be our guest!  Be our guest!  Get your worries off your chest..." ~Song Lyrics from Beauty & the Beast

There are days when a task seems daunting.  Monday began as one of those days and turned out to be quite the opposite.

Cam started off the day with an early morning dentist appointment yielding good results.
After a productive day of learning, Chris and Jane arrived at school early to pick Cam up before the buses.  They all headed to Alma College, 90 minutes away, where Cameron was scheduled to be the guest speaker for Ms. Ann's developmental psychology class.  Jane spoke to this class about Cam and his life back in January.  The students had been asking to meet the cool kid ever since.

A night class that meets on Monday evening isn't the most opportune time for an elementary student to make his speaking debut.  Though the drive was long, it gave our nine-year-old a chance to process some questions about his upcoming surgery.  When we arrived a little early, we were surprised to see college kids already waiting.

 Professor Ann asked each student to introduce themselves and give an interesting fact.  Without any prompting, Cam made his way over and stopped in front of each and every student as they announced their greeting.  Katie, one of the students, was ill and even face-timed in for the session- can you spot her in the picture?  Each class member came prepared with at least two questions for the guest speaker.  Upon responding to each and every one, Cam proclaimed "Next question!"  We were quite impressed with this college class and they seemed taken with Cam.  With our stomachs full of delicious pizza and hearts full of gratitude, we ventured back to Grand Rapids.


We had decided to surprise Cam with a pre-spring break weekend to St. Joseph, Michigan and fortunately for us, Auntie Karen met us there to partake in the fun.  Our meeting spot was the Holiday Inn Express nestled directly across from Lake Michigan.  Adjacent to the hotel was the Lakehouse Inn where we dined Friday evening with the warmth of the spring sun beaming through the restaurant windows.

Roxy's Restaurant

Saturday welcomed spring rain and new adventures.  A visit to a 50's style restaurant for lunch called Roxy's and an afternoon trek to the Curious Kids Museum in downtown St. Joe.
The museum was founded by educators and parents to provide an environment that invites curiosity, allows explo
ration, celebrates childhood and inspires learning!
 Opened in 1989, the Museum on the Bluff has fulfilled the founders' mission to provide a place where "Learning is Fun" through interactive, hands-on exhibits.

There was so much to see and do and there were families everywhere.  We encountered some crazy mirrors where our reflections were distorted.  Cam pressed a button to watch a large weather balloon take flight.  The virtual topography sand table drew us all in as we moved the sand to see different geographical land masses take shape.  A scaled down ambulance, fire truck and pirate ship were made for exploring. A fruitful lesson on apples, different animals and insects as well as a face-painting station kept us all busy.  Chris and Jane found a parent "time-out" bench which they happily sat at while Cam showed his waning patience for pictures.

Our hotel stay included an accommodating staff, a delicious breakfast assortment to choose from and an indoor pool with a lift for Cam, which we made full use of.
More importantly, the inclusion of Auntie Karen's presence and adventurous spirit was a most welcome gift.

Camology Quotes:

Prior to our Alma trip, Ms. Ann indicated she would be ordering pizza...Cam was a bit concerned.

"I have never been to Alma.  What kind of pizza do they have there?  Are you sure they have breadsticks?"