Change Can Only Happen If You Ask - Week of Aug.28th

“The only way that we can live, is if we grow. The only way that we can grow is if we change. The only way that we can change is if we learn. The only way we can learn is if we are exposed. And the only way that we can become exposed is if we throw ourselves out into the open.  Do it. Throw yourself.”~ C. JoyBell C.

Cameron is in the community on a daily basis.  Sometimes, we are still surprised by inaccessibility.  We also realize we only notice it due to Cam's powerchair.  Last year, we had asked Jude's Barbershop about making the sidewalk close to their entrance more accessible for a powerchair.  The access area is actually 3 stores away.  Cam's stylist, Ms. Amelia, also pressed forward with the request.  It took some time, but lo and behold, the new Jude's powerchair enabled entrance, circled in the picture.  A small thing to most, but a gigantic change for us, especially with winter around the corner.

This week marked the beginning of 4th grade for Cam!  It also the marked the first time our son had started the school year before Labor Day.  He was ready and anxious.

Cam asked to help with the garbage.
Chris rigged up a bungee cord
so Cam could haul the cans back
to the house.  Ask for change to make
it happen.

Right before school started, the district newsletter arrived with information about a new app for the busing system enabling parents to see where the bus was located, thereby knowing whether a school bus would be early or late.  Technology advances are exciting for Cam, and his parents.  We logged into the app and discovered Cam's info wasn't showing.  Cam encouraged Jane (aka- asked repeatedly) to figure out why we couldn't see the information.  After multiple calls, being transferred, and awaiting callbacks, it was discovered that since Cam uses a transportation system that isn't directly affiliated with the district (due to special needs), it was currently unavailable for us.  Since our tech savvy boy was insistent about uncovering the information, Jane wrote an email to the district advocate explaining the situation.  A prompt reply indicated that the communication should have been clearer in the newsletter and that the transportation system Cam uses would be exploring the use of the app as well.
Jane explained to Cam that although we didn't have access to the app yet, we had made others aware. Most importantly, things may not happen just because they are not working the way they should.  You can only change something if you ask for it to be changed.  On a side note, Cam's bus was 30 minutes late the very first day.  While waiting in the sprinkling rain, Cam announced to his mom, "See, this is why we need the app!"

With Friday off of school and Labor Day weekend in our sights, we headed north to visit our favorite lake.  A quick stop at the classic Dog-N-Suds was requested previously by our summer-loving son.  Cam thinks it's so cool that you order your food through a speaker by the picnic tables.  The frosty mug root beer dining establishment was hopping with activity.  Their delicious food and lakeside view make it a favorite spot.  A sweet couple offered to take our picture and when one of them guessed Cam's age as 10, he exclaimed, "how did you know?!"
We descended on Oma and Opa's right after lunch and spent the night.  Some cloudy weather in the afternoon prompted Cam to request some iPad time.

The next day, though, was picture perfect.   Our kayak made quite a few voyages over the waves.  Although they look harmless here, they seemed larger than life in the flotation raft.  Chris and his boy enjoyed the thrilling rolls over the water.

Back on the shoreline, the bakery shop was in full swing as we created delectable desserts in the sand and thought up different names for our creations.

It's always hard to believe how quickly September creeps up on us.  Although the summer is short, Michigan days like this one are glorious.

An added bonus to the weekend was a stop at the family garden on the way out of town.
Uncle Joe was insistent that we take home an array of potatoes, tomatoes and carrots.  We were more than willing.  Our uncle taught Cam how to spot the potato vines and dig the delicious vegetables right out of the ground.

Uncle Joe mentioned how good homemade salsa was with the garden tomatoes and on our way home, Cam announced we would need to make salsa upon arrival.

After a quick trip to the store for a few additional ingredients, the boys got busy and created a most tasty dip for tortilla chips!

Camology Quotes:

Cam spends a portion of his day with other 4th graders in his inclusion class.  Mrs. Kemperman is his 4th grade inclusion teacher and Ms. Kathy is still his special needs teacher.  Over the weekend, we stopped by to see the Schulze family.  Aunt Joyce asked Cam what grade he was in, which prompted the following lengthy discussion...

"Why is it that your age does not match the grade?  Why not... you are 4 years old and in 4th grade?"