Moving Pictures - Week of Jan. 22nd

"Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still." ~Dorothea Lange

We have discovered over the last 10 years that taking pictures is a part of our weekly tasks.

Sometimes, we're so wrapped up in a moment we forget and other times, the photos tell the story.
Chris and Cam worked through the holiday break and beyond to create a homemade extra large electronic frame for our family. The boys said it was Jane's late Christmas gift, but it's truly for everyone.
Of course, Cam's dad had to take it a few steps beyond what you'd buy online or in a store.  He and his son added a motion sensor and led lights that change color at alternating times.  To make it incredibly easy for uploading, it is connected via our wireless network to Amazon photos where we can choose to add and remove the pictures at any time.  Not only does each picture stay on the screen for about 5 seconds, but led lights around the frame create a soft hue that changes as well.  Cam likes the fact that when he drives by, the motion sensor "sees" him and turns on the frame.

Since Jane ended up with a cancelled flight last week and an extra night away from home, we decided this weekend would be dedicated for family time.  We snuggled together for movie night as Cam's parents introduced him to one of their favorite classics, "Back to the Future."


From movies to moving, we received this cool video from Cam's teacher showing us how our son is on the move at school! (and getting "hot" in the process)

A new family activity was to formulate meal prepping together.  Chris has been diligently creating his food plan every weekend for each upcoming week.  Cam and his mom decided they wanted in on the action as well.  Upon completion, we had enough meals for all of us to cover the weekday feasts and lunch for the next weekend.
On Sunday evening, we shared a delicious meal with the Raisch fam when they arrived with homemade beef stew and homemade bread.  Cam announced "We need this on our favorite meals list.  I love this stew!"


Camology Quotes:

During the weekend, Cam saw his mom sneaking a few pieces of licorice for a snack.
"Mom, we are eating healthy!  Well, how about you only have a little unhealthy stuff on the weekend."

Game Time - Week of Jan. 15th

"You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else." ~Albert Einstein
“The way a man plays a game shows some of his character. The way he loses shows all of it." ~Anonymous

Cam's parents have always loved playing board games and card games.  Chris and Jane have their favorites and Cam is creating a list of his own.  Thankfully, new games are still being marketed in this age of technology.

Oma and Opa arrived late in the day on Friday to spend the night with us.  One of the Christmas presents they gave Cam was a card game called "Slapzi."  Each player is dealt 5 cards and the cards have a picture on each side.  There is also a stack of questions indicating the next type of picture to be found.  For example the card may say "I can fit in a pocket" or "I have 2 legs" and then each player needs to look at both pictures on each card to determine if one of the pics fits the description.  If one is found, they need to slap it on the pile before an opponent does.  Lots of laugh in this game as some photos didn't quite fit the question cards but were still attempted to be slapped down!

Another new game given to Jane by Chris is called Vertellis.  It is a Dutch card game meaning "tell me more."  One of the rules in this game is to put away all electronic devices.  It is a game of retrospective and future-thinking questions.  Jane and Cam played the entire game together, asking and replying.  Jane's favorites from her son included the following: "To what are you most looking forward to in the coming year?"  Cam: "Cousin James wedding!  We get to go on a plane!" And two of the questions provided the same answer from our boy.  "Who has inspired you the most in the last year?"  "Who do you want to thank from the past year?" Cam: "Miss Amanda!"  And lastly, "Who has surprised you the most this past year?" Our literal boy answered "Auntie Roe" since she surprised us by stopping in one day last month.

Something to remember...most any activity can be turned into a game.  Taking the garbage to the curb on Sundays becomes a pursuit of skillfully racing while balancing a container!

Camology Quotes:

Miss Amanda was starting her student teaching this week.  She told Cam she was super scared and nervous about it.  And this was his response...
"Well, don't be scared because once you get there you'll realize there is nothing to be scared about!"

School is Cool - Week of Jan. 8th

Ms. Kathy & her buddy

“Instruction does much, but encouragement everything."~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Everyone remembers certain teachers...the ones that didn't let you give up, or embraced a quirky personality trait, or simply inspired you.
Even though Cam is only in fourth grade, he has been incredibly fortunate to have such strong educators and supporters in his preschool and grade school.  They also go above and beyond to be certain Cam can have the same experiences as his classmates.

Jane was thinking over break that there must be an easier way to protect Cam's feet during winter recess other than taking extra time to put on bulky boots.  After some creative Amazon searching, we came across "Dry Steppers" made of a thick plastic to go over shoes.  For $10, we thought it was a bargain if they didn't work as well as expected.  Ms. Kathy is always up for a challenge (just like Cam) and gave a thumbs up after the first snowy outing at school.

At Meadow Brook Elementary, Cam participates in a Unified Champion School LINK program.
LINK is about creating connections within a diverse group of students and ensuring that all students are acknowledged for what makes them different and what makes them and all of us the same.  What a beautiful concept that should be embraced every day in our society!
On certain Fridays at Cam's school, he has lunch with other kids in the program and they play bocce ball.  A ramp was made for our son so he can fully participate.  Every year, there is a different theme.  This year, it's superheroes.
On the back of the shirt, it reads:
Helping
Everyone
Respect
Others

With this definition in mind, please make it a point to be a hero everyday!

Camology Quotes:

Ms. Kathy has been working with Cam using voice-typing.  This allows Cam to speak the words and then a program "types" it onto the computer.  Cam and his teacher practice saying it first, then he says it to have the program type it. 

"I love school. I enjoy inclusion time. My teacher is Ms. Kemperman and Ms. Meyer. I learn science. I am learning about energy." 

Bring on 2018! - Week of Jan. 1st

One of our fave
Photos by Gaupers

"And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been." ~ Rainer Maria Rilke 
"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

New Year's day was filled with relaxation and football.  Chris and Jane had the day off of work and enjoyed playing games and hanging out as a family.
Cam was planning a week of fun with Ms. Amanda since he was still off of school for Christmas break.

Amanda and Cam kept busy.  They had a library outing to drop off some books.  As they were getting ready to leave, all of sudden fire trucks appeared and firemen were rushing in. Turns out there was a burst pipe from the cold weather and water was rushing into one of the areas.

The week was filled with physical therapy sessions, at the center and at home, homework activities, reading, playing games and general fun with Ms. Amanda.  The two of them have a good time choosing silly backgrounds for pictures too!

On Thursday eve, we hosted the Raisch and Flegel families for dinner and games.  We had a feast of flavorful items with everyone contributing.  The kids took part in a dance party in the sunroom with our lighted disco ball projecting on the ceiling!  An extra treat was having Anna and Mathew both home from college.

We learned a new game called 5-Second Rule.  A card lists a topic and you have five seconds to name three things. 
The best part of this game for us was that Cam started making up his own ideas.  "Mom, name 3 types of perfume."  "Dad, name 3 types of chairs."  "Ms. Patti, name 3 types of body parts."  Cam seemed to want the game to go on forever.  Even on the extended break from school, it was awesome to see our son's brain working overtime!

Camology Quotes:

As we were preparing for our group dinner with favorite families, Jane asked Cam if we should make something else besides the ground beef and pulled pork for tacos.

"Mom, we can't read people's minds except our own minds."  (pause)
 "Is that true or false? "