Neighborhood Ice Cream Contest! - Week of July 19th

The Windcrest neighborhood where Cameron lives should be voted one of the best in the country! For the third year in a row, some families gathered for a homemade ice cream taste-test competition.

The three entries included: Scrumptious S'Mores (made by Chris & Cam), Cookies & Creme-a-licious, and Georgia Peach. By a single vote, Scrumptious S'Mores won the grand prize!!! (a very cool ice cream scooper) Cam had lots of fun playing with the neighbor kids in the backyard after enjoying all of that delicious dessert...one of his favorite activities is kicking the soccer ball to all of his buddies.

He did return to school this week after a two-week hiatus and definitely enjoyed getting back to his regular routine.

The weekend included another trip to the family cottage at the lake, where the weather has been picture perfect and the water as warm as any summer one can remember.

Cameron is pictured here with Grandma showing off his new U of M jersey given to him by the Krauss family. Could Cam be a future Wolverine?

Family Visitors and Cookouts- Week of July 12th

Grandma Suzanne and Patricia arrived for a visit to spend some time with Cameron, Chris and Jane. They brought Cam some adorable puppets to play with. The ladies had fun and were a bit surprised by our warm weather, considering they live in Arizona!

Social gatherings are definitely a favorite of Cameron's, especially in the summer. The Raisch girls joined the family for a picnic. Emma and Cam had a sticker contest, trying to get the most stickers on their clothes. It may have been a tie!

The weekend included a cookout with the Wordens and friends. Although the big John Deere tractor in their barn looked intimidating, Chris placed Cam right in the seat and he really liked it! The tractor did remain in the barn since Cameron doesn't have his driver's license yet.

After a fun-filled weekend, Cam is getting ready to head back to school next week after a two-week hiatus.

Let's hope he's just as excited heading back to his classmates and teachers as he has been about all of his extra activities!

Chris' Bday & Grandparents Cam-Sit - Week of July 5th

Cameron's visiting relatives were in full force this week! Cousin Steffanie arrived from Kentucky and couldn't wait to see Cam. They had a great visit with each other. Grandma & Grandpa then stayed with their grandson for two nights while Chris & Jane traveled to the cottage to enjoy some time together as well as with friends and family. Many thanks to Grandma & Grandpa for the house-swap and Cam-sitting!

Chris' birthday on Saturday included some delicious cake, beach time and a surprise present from Jane- a new gas grill. Cam helped his Dad open a few gifts, including a funny book from 'Auntie' Jo.

Sunday was a very special occasion for the entire family. Jane's godson, Will, was baptized and everyone enjoyed a brunch together afterwards.

Cameron certainly had a great time with his Dad playing 'hoops' in the church community room. The basketball hoop was just tall enough that Chris could get Cam over the rim to make a basket!

We were all honored to share such a special day with Joanne & her son, Will.

Stay tuned next week for Grandma Suzanne's visit...

Fireworks, Family, & Friends - Week of June 28th

It's hard to imagine a summer when it's been this warm in Michigan around the 4th of July! Cam and his parents spent a few days with family and friends at their cottage to enjoy the best company, warm water and beautiful weather...

Cameron could not get enough of Lake Michigan. He wasn't afraid of the waves and had so much fun playing in the water and at the creek. Many thanks to cousin Sam for snapping these cool photos of Chris, Jane, and Cam!

Grandma decided to give Chris an early birthday present- since it was so breezy, it seemed the perfect day to fly a kite!

A family gathering rounded out the weekend and it's obvious how much Cam loves his Aunt Gay.

The big boy also spent some quality time with cousin, Coco, and her sweet friend, Shelby. It definitely seemed that Cam was a little smitten with Shelby, as witnessed here.

Cameron was a bit nervous about seeing the fireworks, but surprisingly enough, actually slept through them when the neighbors provided an awesome light display over the weekend. Hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July!

1st Trip to the Zoo! - Week of June 21st

Back to school for Cameron this week and the bonus was attending a school field trip on Friday! John Ball Park Zoo hosted kids from Cam's school, so Jane & Cam had free admission.

Grandma joined in the fun and Cameron had his first exposure to seeing some pretty large animals up close!

Although Cam wasn't too sure about petting any furry creatures, he sure did have lots of fun playing some bongo drums with Grandma!!

It was a perfect day for a zoo trip and the 'Nessie' was even spotted in the zoo's little lake...

Cameron always has such fun-filled weekends. A family favorite ritual took place- dinner with our wonderful neighbors, the Raisch family complete with homemade berry cobbler- yummy!

Chris took Cam on a shopping excursion to Costco where Cam sampled some yummy treats. The boys surprised Jane with a beautiful bouquet of flowers making her feel like the luckiest wife and mom!
A perfect end to the perfect weekend...

No School & Daddy's Day - Week of June 14th

Cameron had a well-deserved week off of school and Grandma was on hand to help out with activities. Cam enjoyed eating dinner outside on the back deck! Stella, the cat, was a little jealous that Cam was dining outdoors and not dropping crumbs for her to taste.

The warm weather has made it easy to enjoy many stroller walks, read books outside and visit neighbor kids.

Chris and Cam enjoyed Father's Day together dining on a special breakfast made by Jane and then the boys headed out to a home improvement store. Cam had made Chris a special gift at school to place in the rose garden. It's a ceramic leaf that has many different uses, but Chris felt it looked best outdoors. Cameron gave his Dad some new books to read for story time- they are all about dads and their boys.

Cam is convinced (and so is Jane) that he has the best Dad ever!!!

Hope all of the dads out there had a great Father's Day:)

Jane's Bday & Licorice - Week of June 7th

Cameron discovered that he shares a very important trait with his Mom- they both love licorice! For Jane's birthday, Chris surprised her with a digital photo frame, an outdoor deck fireplace, and a huge bag of red licorice. It's obvious that Cam likes the chewy stuff as much as Jane does!

Thursday evening was very special when Cam ventured out with the neigbor girls, their mom, and Jane over to Cam's school. On the playground, they had a picnic dinner of pizza and breadsticks. Then, they enjoyed lots of fun playtime. All of the girls commented that Cam's school has "the best playground ever!

Cam said goodbye to his first bus driver, Janet this week. She is retiring and was so wonderful helping Cameron become acclimated to the big yellow bus. As Janet says, 'you wouldn't know it's the same kid who first got on the bus crying a few weeks ago...' Indeed, Cam has come a long way and happily waves goodbye to his parents on school days.

Grandma's Visit - Week of May 31st

After the fun Memorial Day weekend, Cameron was so lucky to have his Grandma visit for 4 days! She arrived on Tuesday and stayed until Friday. Cam was very happy about this, especially since Jane had to drive to Indiana for work and stay overnight.

Bathtime is still a big favorite of Cam's and the green foam is especially fun since it turns into soap! Cameron had a bit of a fever on Wednesday and a little cold, but he bounced back by the end of the week.

Playtime outside with Grandma was a big hit and the rose garden that Chris planted looks so beautiful this time of year. All Cam seems to want to do is walk around everywhere, with a little help.

Jane was so happy to see her big boy after her work trip, that she couldn't resist giving him a extra big tickle attack! Cam sure does love to giggle...which makes everyone around him giggle too!