Happy BDay Dad - Week of July 6th

A big Happy Bday to Chris who celebrated his birthday on Friday this week! Cam was very excited to cheer his Dad on for his special day.

This week, Cam tried yummy Jet's pizza and loved it- how could he not? And he likes to imitate the "blowing" sound made to cool off food before he eats it.

Jane & Cameron headed up to the family cottage for the weekend, while Chris had a boys' weekend with friends.

As always, the family cottage area was filled with activities.

Cam spent some time with lots of his cousins and played on the beach again.

'Auntie' Meg expertly taught Cameron how to pour water on his mom and place cold, wet sand on her leg!

This time he didn't eat quite as much sand, since it appears he may have decided that although the crunching sound is fun, sand definitely lacks some flavor.

At the end of Cam's beach time, it appeared to Grandma and Jane that Cam had a good part of the beach stuck to his body- it's a good thing the boy loves to take baths!

What a beautiful summer Michigan weekend...

Eating Sand - Week of June 29th

This week began with Anne and Cam having a good time after working diligently on Cameron's walking!

Like most weeks, the big boy had some new experiences captured in photos...

Since Chris and Jane both had Friday off, the family ventured up to the cottage where the weekend forecast looked very promising.

'Auntie' Amanda and Datus joined us for a weekend filled with good food, good times and fun in the sun.

Cameron had spent some time on the beach last summer and a little bit earlier this summer, but hadn't quite gotten into the whole idea of how much fun sand is... or apparently, how good it tastes.

What you cannot see here (but can definitely imagine) is the gritting noise that all of the sand made in Cam's mouth!

The best part was... he loved it! Laughed and smiled the entire time.

Although the water was too chilly for Cameron to swim, that didn't stop Chris and Datus from testing it out with a quick dive.

Cam's reaction after having his toes dipped into Lake Michigan definitely indicated he's willing to wait for warmer water.

Cameron heard some fireworks over the weekend, but they didn't seem to bother him and they didn't wake him up- yeah!!

Hope everyone had a Great 4th of July weekend!!

Heat Wave - Week of June 22nd

With the heat wave that hit this week, it was tough for Cameron to get lots of playtime outside. He ended up spiking a little fever near the end of the week, but bounced back after a day.

The weekend was spent at the family cottage on Lake Michigan. Cameron always loves to visit with Grandma and Grandpa. He had a good time playing cars with Grandpa after he finished eating.

Sunday was very special since Cam had the opportunity to meet his newest cousin, Charlie, at a family gathering. Charlie is almost 7 months old and as you can see, he and Cameron had a fun time getting to know each other.

Looking at the two of them together, Charlie looks almost as big as Cam... but he did have a head-start since he started out as a 10 lb, 8oz baby.

Charlies' mom, Kate and Jane sure wished they lived closer because the two boys had a great time!

Walking in Walker - Week of June 15th

Cameron has been making great strides lately... literally! His friend, Julie, who sees him almost every week, brought a very cool walker for Cam to use to practice walking. (Thanks so much Julie!)

Since there is a bit too much carpet in the house, Chris and Jane have opted to clear out the garage so that Cameron has full use of the space. As you can see, he works very hard, and Chris and Jane are so very proud of their big boy!

Chris had a great Father's Day since Cam and Jane let him know that he is the best Dad ever!

Cameron wanted to be around his dad every minute and liked watching him take apart the backyard deck in preparation to build a new one. Cam knows he has a very talented Dad and hopes that one day he can learn how to do all of the cool stuff that Chris does.

Hope all of the Dads out there had a great Father's Day too!

Happy BDay Mom - Week of June 8th

Cameron & Chris did a great job making this 'decade' birthday the most memorable for Jane!

Monday night on the eve of Jane's bday, Chris & Cam gave her such a big present- a digital piano!! Jane was so overwhelmed and has missed playing the piano. Now, Cameron can join in the fun and his parents hope that Grandma will give him lessons...

On Tuesday, Cam, Chris & Jane traveled to Muskegon for a wonderful birthday dinner at Docker's with Jane's family. Cameron really loved the cake and almost got his hands on it before it was even cut! Thanks Grandma for ordering the yummy cakes from Rykes!

Wednesday was a huge surprise as Chris (and Joanne!) planned a perfect surprise party for Jane. She couldn't believe it! Cam was a very good boy and decided it was ok to stay at home with Andrea, his babysitter, since it was such a late night for his parents.

The weekend included a trip to the cottage, hanging out with the cousins, aunts and uncles and having a great time with the Cronk family on Sunday.

All that fun sure does wear a guy out! Many, many thanks from Jane for all the birthday wishes, great times and unforgettable memories.

My Buddy Will - Week of June 1st

Cameron definitely exhibits many characteristics of being a boy... take for instance the day this week when Chris wanted him to play with pudding. He's thoroughly enjoying the whole experience!

Chris and Jane had some leftover bubbles from a wedding last weekend and Cam tried to catch them as they floated down. Stella was a little more cautious and keeping a distance from Cam since he has taken a few chunks of fur from her heavily coated mane.

Grandma had a great time pretending she was a jungle gym that Cameron could climb over.

Sunday was a very special day when the family ventured out to visit with the Alfords. Will is a year younger than Cam and although he was happy to let Cam play with his toys, Will does seem a little surprised by the whole experience here.

Many thanks to Annie for spending the week with us and helping out so much.

And a very special, heartfelt thanks to the Alfords-

Jo, Chris, Will and Jeanne for surprising Jane

with an extra special early bday celebration and providing our families more memories, great food and good times!!

Cameron seems to think he definitely needs one of these chairs:)

Congratulations Sarah! - Week of May 25th

Cameron's been enjoying this beautiful weather and loves to be outside.

Jane's flowers are in full bloom and the peonies are the family favorite. Cam wasn't too sure when Jane tried to convince him to smell the flowers though.

One of Cameron's favorite activities is still bath time.

It's difficult to know what he enjoys more- splashing around in the tub or being whisked away afterwards for the "drying machine" also known as Chris.

In either case, he's always laughing and giggling!

One of Cameron's babysitters, Sarah, also made him smile quite a bit. Sarah & Josh were married this past Saturday and we wish them all the best as they begin their new life together in North Carolina.

Many thanks to Sarah for taking such great care of Cam!

Who Needs Sleep? - Week of May 18th

It always seem that vacations should last longer than they do.

Cameron realized this when he returned to Michigan from Florida and discovered that sleep is a little overrated... at least when you're not working and can take naps during the day!

Chris and Jane finally got back into the swing of things and on Saturday, the entire family ventured up to the Lake Michigan cottage for a couple of days. It was a beautiful weekend spent with family and friends. Our sparkling lake still takes your breath away and there are no sunsets like the ones on the "big lake."

Cam loves to play 'superman' with Chris and always has lots of laugh while performing with his Dad.

Cam and Grandma had some quality time at the cottage when Cameron decided he wanted to hang out with Grandma as opposed to sleeping in his crib. As the saying goes... 'you're lucky so you're soooo cute, Cam!'

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend!