Sports Rule - Week of Feb. 17th

"Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play." ~Mike Singletary

Monday was part of Cam's mid-winter break and a holiday for Jane from work.  The extra day was needed due to the cough hanging on for both Jane and her son.  Tuesday, Cameron stayed home an extra day to help the coughing subside a bit more before heading back to school on Wednesday.  Chris remained working from the house and made time for an experiment in the frigid weather.  He soaked a sheet in water and then showed Cam how it "flash froze" by holding it up.

Fortunately for Cam, Wednesday was a good day to be back in action.  That evening, the FH Northern High Unified basketball was headed to a local university, Aquinas College. 

The itinerary was set: Pre-Game: 5:20 PM: Both teams should line up with our home team for  introductions, 10 minutes before tip-off. 

Northview Unified will join Cornerstone Women’s Basketball during the national anthem and handshake line (North Side). 

Forest Hills Northern will join Aquinas Women’s Basketball during the national anthem and handshake line (South Side). 

Halftime (15 minutes): With 5 minutes left in the 2nd quarter, both teams should gather in the Northwest Corner of the gym to prepare to take the court. The Unified game will consist of three five-minute quarters with a running clock. 

Post-Game: Following the women’s game, food and refreshments will be available in the Hospitality Room. Meal provided: Pizza, pop, and water.

Cameron had a great time with his teammates and meeting the Aquinas Women's Basketball team!

It was a short school week for Cam and Sunday was our big day out.  At 12p, we arrived at a location where the Adaptive Ski Association of West Michigan was hosting a brunch for volunteers, athletes and their families.  After picking from a large assortment of choices, we enjoyed a hearty meal and then played bingo and heard about upcoming events for ASAWM.  What a great way to close out the skiing season!

We had a bit of time to relax at home before heading out once again.  Our destination was the Van Andel Arena downtown.  For the last few years, we have attended the Sensory Friendly Grand Rapids Griffins game, which is typically held in February.  It has become a family tradition Christmas present.  Cam and his parents do appreciate the lower noise level that accompanies this event.

We dined at the restaurant on the main floor and then found our awesome seats.  We had a great view of the action and munched on some popcorn from a local vendor.

As we were leaving, we exited out a side door where the intercom system could be heard on a loudspeaker.  It was incredibly confusing for a moment because we all thought we were somehow overhearing a very loud conversation!  We were all laughing for quite awhile and it was a funny experience to end our evening with.

Camology Quotes:

Even though the noise level in the arena is reduced, the chatter and activities can still make a bit challenging to hear each other. When our team scored, Cam thought he heard Jane say something that sounded more like an outcome of the Olympics and then realized his error, commenting,

"Ohhh, I thought you said they got gold..but you actually said they got a goal!"

Influenza Take Down - Week of Feb. 10th

"Health is not valued until sickness comes." ~Thomas Fuller

"You're in pretty good shape for the shape you are in." ~Dr. Suess

Sometimes, even with all of the precautionary measures, sickness can still find you.

Jane was the first victim.  After battling a scratchy throat all day Monday and enduring a work training (on video) at night, she was down for the count all day Tuesday.  That evening, after a visit to the med center, she was diagnosed with Influenza A and given a script for Tamiflu.

Cameron was next.  He remained in school until mid-morning Thursday when his teacher texted indicating he didn't feel well.  Chris took his son to the med center and received the same diagnosis as Jane.  Ironically, the pharmacy was out of the prescription but would be replenished on Friday.  Cam's mom was feeling better by that afternoon and after Cameron had just two doses, his coughing was less severe.

Based on the sickness that permeated our household, all Valentine's plans were put on hold.  It's a special day for Cam's parents, signifying the day they met, the date of their engagement as well as their Puerto Rico honeymoon.  

We still managed to find some smiles, though.  When Cameron requested a sundae for dessert on Saturday, his dad snuck outside and gathered up a large bowl of snow.  He even drizzled chocolate sauce to make it appear more authentic.  Cam couldn't be fooled, though, and erupted in laughter as he got closer.  On Sunday, Chris wasn't feeling the greatest so movies dominated our household.

In honor of Valentine's we created an album of past V-Day pictures.  https://photos.app.goo.gl/63WMvfrmjWepYdqT7

May the flu bug stay away from everyone for the remainder of the season!

Camology Quotes:

Cam's flu symptoms were in full force Thursday night.  After settling into bed, he called Jane into his room with the following request due to his fever: 

"Please close the front door.  It's freezing!"

Unified Basketball - Week of Feb. 3rd

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." ~Helen Keller

Inclusion has been a part of Cameron's life from the beginning.  How can we include him in an activity? How can he advocate for himself to be included?  Recently, Cam expressed an interest in his school's unified sports team.  In the picture, he is shown assisting the coach with uniforms.

Unified basketball is a Special Olympics program that combines players with and without intellectual or physical disabilities on the same team. The goal of Unified basketball is to promote understanding, inclusivity, and friendship.

Friendships are strong with Cam.  It was spirit week at Forest Hills Northern High and our junior always wants to participate.  For twinning day, he wore his Brody's Be Cafe gear, just like his best bud, Brody.  There were multiple assemblies in the gym.  The activities were all leading up to the dance scheduled for Saturday evening.

Attending social events is Cam's choice.  He will typically ask if he should go and we always explain that it's not our decision since we're not the ones participating.  Swirl is the annual dance held in February at the high school.  Cam decided he wanted to go and paid his $20 ticket fee.  The dance was scheduled from 8-10pm and Cameron arrived shortly after the doors opening.  He met his friends there and had a good time!

Cam slept in on Sunday.  He was ready for his last session of the ASAWM adaptive ski season at Cannonsburg.

We arrived early and our skier was a bit nervous because another instructor would be guiding him down the slopes.  His hesitation quickly faded after a perfect first run.  Chris accompanied his son on the chairlift each and every time.  Mr. Noah guided Cam down the ski hill.  Ms. Jessie also took the lead for one of the last downhill adventures.  We ended the season on a high note without a single wipeout that day!

After skiing, we welcomed our cousins and friends for a SuperBowl party.  Cam likes seeing the kids enjoy many of the toys from his childhood.  What's old is suddenly new again!

Camology Quotes:

Cam sometimes struggles with a tough choice.  He is good at recognizing the difficulty.  When he finally chose, he also told us:

"I need to get better at making decisions and deciphering how I feel."

An Italian Feast - Week of Jan. 27th

"There is no greater disability in society than the inability to see a person as more." ~Robert M. Hensel

Monday morning provided an exceptionally beautiful sunrise, as seen from our front porch.  Cam was back into his swim therapy that evening.  He was excited to be in the warm pool once again with Ms. Mandy.  Following swimming, it's time for physical therapy with Patrick.  It was great for Cameron to be back in his typical weekly routine.

We received a major surprise on Wednesday after dinner.  There was a drop off to our porch from UPS delivery.  Chris was at a work conference and Jane and her son assumed it was an Amazon delivery.  They were completely shocked to open the big box which contained 2 large red cooler bags.  The envelope on top was a special note from Ms. Cyndi entitled "Homemade for you with love..." and the contents were overwhelming.  Containers of freshly made frozen meals included Sunday Sauce, Chicken Scampi, Bolognese and Italian Chicken Soup. There wasn't just a single container of each...it was multiple meals.  The coolers also contained dried pasta made in New Jersey, Tastykake's from Pennsylvania and two eastern coast classics: Taylor Ham and Scrapple.  We have already sampled the majority of the homemade goodness and have declared Cyndi a world-class chef! 

Saturday morning, Chris was scheduled to volunteer for Mary Free Bed's adaptive skiing day. The sunshine found its way to Michigan so Cam and his mom were off to visit Oma Saturday afternoon.  We all wanted to see the ice on our Great Lake, so we made our way to Grand Haven State Park to check out the frozen water.  It is quite a sight to see the view in the winter.  Even though it was windy and a bit chilly, we were able to clearly see the break point of ice versus H2O. To warm ourselves up, we all had a tasty Starbuck's treat.  It was fun to see Oma and hear about all of the activities she's been involved with.

Sunday afternoon, we were back at Cannonsburg for the fourth week of adaptive skiing.  It was a bit icy on the slopes and the sun was being elusive.  Cam's ski partner, Mr. Jim, expertly navigated him down the slopes.  They had a rough go of it on the first run but settled in quickly.  Chris has mastered riding up the ski lift with his son.  It takes mad skills and lucky for Cameron, his dad was up for the challenge.  In the lodge afterwards, we had a good laugh about how everyone looks so different when they have their ski gear on.  Truly, people are almost unrecognizable without ski helmets, googles and snow pants!

Camology Quotes:

Cam is always gracious with his compliments.  Sometimes they come in another form.  Jane created a pesto chicken sandwich for dinner one evening.  Halfway through the meal, he let out a large belch.  He said "excuse me" and then quickly added...

"That means compliments to the chef, Mom!"