2nd Birthday - Week of Aug. 17th

Happy 2nd Birthday to Cameron on Monday! Grandma ordered the coolest cake with real matchbox racecars. The cake was incredibly yummy and Cam had fun with his cousins, aunts and uncles.

The big boy received some awesome birthday gifts... the Schulze family gave him a "digger" which Cameron promptly decided he wasn't too keen on sharing... he definitely scooped it up when Annie tried to take a closer peek.

Also, some of his favorite cousins- Mike/Kevin and Eric gave him a HUGE Tonka dump truck that will be lots of fun on the beach. It is literally almost as big as Cameron.

More cousins- the lovely Haroldson family gave Cam some great new books and the Trucks one is read the most! Grandma and Grandpa picked out a Little People airplane set, since Cam loves to travel on the plane as well as more new books.

Cameron's second family, the Ringlers dropped off the cozy coupe- a ride-on scooter that doubles as a walker! And Mom & Dad had him open some new puzzles, books and bubbles.

As shown, the birthday boy had a little cake all to himself that he quite happily dug into with both hands!

How sweet that he even gave his Dad a little taste. After all of that fun, Cameron had a great time getting all clean in the bathtub, especially with all that frosting all over his face!

Surprisingly enough, Cam was pretty wide awake that evening and didn't go to sleep until almost 11pm- can you say... a little bit too much sugar?! But, since his birthday is only once a year, it's well worth it!

Big Trucks - Week of Aug. 10th

Vacation week at the cottage was fabulous! The weather could not have been more beautiful and almost every day was a beach day for Cameron...

Annie was working with him on swimming strokes during a very calm Lake Michigan day. The water was so warm and Cam loved splashing in the lake.

Cam's cousin James, whose birthday is only day after his, took the time to try to demonstrate some strokes for Cameron.

Since all of the cousins were at the lake, there was an early birthday celebration for Cameron and James. One of Cam's presents was a very cool "digger" which he definitely wanted to keep all to himself!

The week included a special wedding for Erica & Tony. Jane used to babysit Erica. Annie stayed back at the cottage to babysit Cameron- thanks so much Anne!

And many thanks to Grandma & Grandpa for having the family all week. Even though Cam had a few early mornings, they still continued to smile and give their grandson lots of kisses!

Swing in Park - Week of Aug. 3rd

*Posting early this week due to vacation at the cottage starting on Sat. & Chris & Jane's 6-yr wedding anniversary: 8-9...*

We certainly know Cameron's growing, because this week he made it into a 4W shoe size! He's gotten such a good work out with his shoes on the driveway in his walker, it was time to invest in a new pair. He definitely seems to like them and everyone loves those velcro straps!

Friday night was a big event for Cam attending the family company picnic for Chris' workplace, FTC&H.

Even though it wasn't perfect weather, the Grand Rapids Public Park was the perfect setting. Cameron munched on a hot dog and watermelon. Of course, there was some delicious dessert that Cam tried as well.

The griffin mascot was there to greet all of the kids and although Cam wasn't too sure of the winged guy, he didn't shy away.

By far the most fun he had was on the swing set being pushed by his Dad. He stayed in the swing for quite awhile laughing almost the entire time.

The gator rocker was a fun time with his Mom and if it weren't for some raindrops, they would've stayed and played even longer.

The family is headed to the lake for some much-needed vacation days including lots of beach time! Have a great week everyone:)

Bubbles and Ice Cream- Week of July 27th

Who knew that bubbles could be so much fun? We're not certain who had liked this activity more- Cameron or Stella!

It was a busy week for Cam and very exciting weekend since he spent most of Friday, Saturday and Sunday with Grandma and Grandpa. For the first time since Cameron was born, Chris and Jane took a weekend trip, just the two of them and met up with friends in southern Michigan.

As they suspected, Cam couldn't have had more fun playing with his grandparents. Stroller rides, walker exercise and a trip to the farmer's market were some highlights of his special time with them. Chris and Jane can't thank Grandma and Grandpa enough for hanging out with their grandson and taking such good care of him!

Sunday was another new experience for Cam... a family baby shower for cousin Cheri included ice cream cones for dessert.

It may be hard to believe, but in all the ice cream that Cameron has tasted, he's never gotten a hold of an ice cream cone. As you can see, he couldn't be enjoying it more. He even held out his arm to try to grab his little cousin's cone out of her hand.

Watch out- Cam may be after your cone next!!

First Word? - Week of July 20th

Newsflash...Cameron said the word "Ma-Mom" twice on Friday! Chris and Jane both heard it very clearly and Grandma had heard it earlier in the day- way to go Cam!! Of course, there has now been quite a bit of time spent repeating the word "Da-Dad."

What a fun week- Chris has been diligently working on deck building and Cam has been taking in all of the activity.

When Grandma came into watch Cameron, she and Cam ended up being color-coordinated that day!

Grandma even played some songs on the new piano and Jane & Grandma sang to Cam.

A new activity for the big boy is to kneel in front of a cushion for playtime. He seems to enjoy it and Annie joined in the fun. Cam and his shoes are definitely getting a good workout being in the walker every day.

Over the weekend, Cam hung out with his cousins and had a little beach time on Sunday watching Chris play some beach volleyball. He can't wait to join in the game!

Sick Again - Week of July 13th

It was a tough week for Cam as he battled a nasty cold, complete with sneezing, coughing, runny nose, and for some reason- lack of sleep!

Despite all of the sickness, though, he still managed to make the best of it...

Before he was became ill, Mandy from Design 1, did a great job cutting Cameron's hair, even though he was pretty squirmy in that chair. He just had to see what Mandy's scissors were doing all of the time.

On Friday, Cam started to feel better and walked in his walker back and forth on the driveway with Grandma three separate times- way to go!

The weekend included a family visit to celebrate cousin Steff's birthday and Chris' with yummy cake and ice cream. Cameron certainly does like a bit of tasty cake and was thankful that his Dad decided to part with a bit of his own.

A special birthday wish to Cam's godmother, Joanne, who celebrated her bday on Monday!

By Sunday, Cameron finally settled back in to his regular sleeping routine, taking a long afternoon nap and resting peacefully through the night...sweet dreams everyone...

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!!