My Grandma - Week of Sept 13th

Our family received some very happy health news about Cameron's Grandma Mary Ellen this week!

Cam adores seeing his Grandma on a weekly basis. She has taught him so many musical things- playing the piano, ringing bells, and practicing conducting.

Cam loves hearing his Grandma sing songs and read books. She can always make him laugh and giggle!

Besides all of the playtime and walks, Cam & Grandma play plenty of learning games too. She is constantly encouraging him to say new words and understand new concepts.

We cannot thank Grandma enough for being such an integral part of our lives and bringing such joy to Cam's life and that's why this week's blog is dedicated to her!!

We love you Grandma!! xoxoxo

1st Week of School - Week of Sept. 6th

Cameron had a couple of extra sleep-in days this week since his school didn't start until Thursday. He certainly was excited to head back to his favorite activity. Cam still rides the bus and happily waves goodbye to his parents- quite a change from the first two weeks in April!

Across the street, the Raisch girls headed back to school as well...Megan and Emma ran over before Cam's bus arrived to share in some picture-taking fun!

Emma just started kindergarten this year and Megan started 3rd grade. Cam's favorite playmate away from school is Emma- she oftens comes over to play with her buddy and Cameron thinks she is quite the comedienne because she sure does make him laugh!

Some of our faithful bloggers may have noticed that this week's entry was very tardy...Jane and Cam's godmother, Joanne, took a girl's trip to NYC and stayed with our cousins, the Haroldson's. Chris and Cameron had a boys' weekend all to themselves! Jane and Jo had an amazing time and came back to a very cool sidewalk chalk welcome home from the Raisch girls- for those of you that know the NYC skyline, you should be able to pick out the Empire State building and the Statue of Liberty. Many thanks to Chris for his solo parenting over the weekend!!

Grandma's Visit & Buddy Birthday- Week of Aug. 30th

This week, Cam and his parents were fortunate enough to have Grandma as a houseguest for 3 days! Cameron couldn't imagine a better beginning to the end of August...

Grandma & Cam liked the new red beach wagon that Jane found on clearance. The big boy decided it was more fun if he was riding in it versus his toys.

Our annual neighborhood picnic was held this week and many neighbors from our street joined in for a great potluck and delicious homemade ice cream. Neighbor friends, the Raisch family, also invited us to a pool party where the girls had lots of fun splashing with Chris and Cam.

The weekend brought more fun including a very special birthday party with Cam's buddy and Jane's godson, Will. Lots of kids and adults enjoyed helping Will celebrate his 2nd birthday! Cameron especially liked the comfy chair in Will's room and playing with all the kids. Cam plans to have lots of playdates this year.

Labor Day weekend was spent up at the cottage with Grandma and Grandpa. The sunshine warmed the beach enough to head out for some time playing in the sand.

Lake Michigan has certainly cooled down, so the family was thankful they did quite a bit of swimming the past few months. Every year, the holiday weekend signifies the end of summer, but Cameron thinks everyone should still wear shades!

Beach Buddies & Nannies - Week of Aug. 23rd

What happens when two best friends both have boys? Well, naturally, the boys become best friends too! Cameron had an awesome visit with his best bud, Will and his wonderful godmother, Joanne. The boys played on the beach, in the water, and definitely enjoyed a few snacks together and did a great job sharing them.

Cam and Will also played on Cam's new kid laptop and some of the grown-ups were convinced the boys were trying to figure out how to access their parent's email accounts.

This week was bittersweet for Cam as he said goodbye to his summer nanny, Nikki. We know that she will stop by and see Cameron during the school year, but she had to return to her science students in junior high. Cam loved his playtime and long walks with Nikki and we all can't thank her enough for the excellent care she provided!

Cam is also lucky enough to spend time some evenings with Sarah. She's a PT student and besides playing with Cameron, also works on stretching and other physical therapy exercises. Fortunately, Sarah will continue to Cam-sit in the evenings.

One more week of summer break before the big boy heads back to school...hope you're all soaking up this beautiful Michigan summer as much as Cam is!

Cam's 3rd Birthday! - Week of Aug. 16th

Since Cameron's 3rd birthday celebration began a few days before his birthday, the fun just continued on through the entire week!

Chris, Jane, Grandma and Grandpa, along with Cam's extended family including Aunt Mary, Uncle Ray, Aunt Joyce, Uncle Joe, Aunt Gay and cousins, Mike, Eric, Kevin, Anne, Dirk, Lisa, Harper and Maya all shared some delicious Ryke's bakery cake and ice cream with Cam. Since this was Cam's first year in school, a school bus seemed appropriate.

Cameron had such fun opening his birthday gifts including a kid's cellphone, Mr. Potato Head, matchbox cars, backpack & lunchbox, bongo drums & books. Cam's parents found a couple additional things to peak his interest- a leapfrog laptop and a tonka remote controlled truck.
Evident of him being a year older is Cam's ability to concentrate and work intently on figuring out new toys.

Back in Grand Rapids, the neighborhood joined in for another cake and ice cream birthday fest complete with candles that Cam blew out. The Raisch family gave Cameron a fingerpainting set for the bathtub, pictured here with Anna.

With all of the celebrations and the many family and friends that Cam was lucky enough to see this week, we all realized a very important lesson...The best gift of all is being surrounded by so many loving people that Cameron has in his life!

Next week, see Cam and his best buddy Will hang out together...

Birthday Celebration begins - Week of Aug. 9th

Monday marked the 7-year wedding anniversary for Chris and Jane. Doesn't seem possible! Cameron enjoyed smelling the beautiful flowers that Chris brought home to commemorate the occasion.

On Thursday, cousin Coco made a special trip to Grand Rapids to pick up Jane & Cam and bring them back to the cottage. It was the Haroldson's last night at the lake. Chris surprised the family by showing up later that eve to say goodbye. Cam is pictured modeling a shirt that the Haroldson family found for him during a trip to Prague...for anyone who might be headed there, it's incredibly difficult to find kid sizes.

Cameron was most fortunate to begin his birthday celebration early by opening a gift from the Haroldson family- Auntie Jay Jay, Unc Jeff, James, Libby, Katie and Coco, as well as Unc Mike, Unc Kevin, and Unc Eric presented their cousin with a major cool Tonka front-loader truck. Cam can't wait to play with the big truck on the beach!

Another outing included Cam, Grandma, and Jane taking a trip to Country Dairy in New Era. It was such a hot day and Cameron was a trooper as ice cream and other goodies were purchased. As a special treat, Cam enjoyed a most delicious chocolate shake on the ride home.

Foolishly, Grandma and Jane thought they would be tasting the majority of the chocolately goodness, but Cam had decided that since he was almost 3 years old, he could most definitely handle such a big milkshake.

A family gathering of Cam's Aunts and Uncles took place on Saturday at the cottage. Stay tuned for next week's blog to see the 2 special Bday celebrations that Cameron was lucky enough to have!

Cousin's Wedding - Week of August 2nd

Cameron was invited to a special occasion this week, cousin Meg's wedding. Jane drove up to the family cottage on Wednesday, so Chris and Cam had a couple of boy's nights to themselves. On Friday, the family was together again and had a busy social calendar.

The Huey family enjoyed an afternoon and evening on Lake Michigan and it was so much fun for Cam to see his friends, Sarah & Matt and their parents, as well as new friends Tim & Stephanie.

The big wedding event was on Saturday. The beautiful event took place at Meg's family cottage and the reception was held at the Peterson family barn/corral.

With every Jellema family gathering, there are always so many cousins to hang out with. Cam is pictured with his cousins Libby, Katie, and Coco- three beautiful sisters who adore receiving kisses from Cam.

Cameron also liked sharing a toy with his sweet cousin, Harry. It's easy to see why Cam looks up to Harry- what great manners he has!

It was a long day for the big boy and Chris and Jane cannot thank Grandma and Grandpa enough for all their help and assistance with the busy days.

It seems that Cam may be contemplating his own future here against the fencepost...definitely looks like a bright forecast ahead!

Chris' Company Picnic & Long Lost Friends - Week of July 26th

Grand Rapids Township Park was the setting for Chris' company picnic. It is a family event and there are always crafts and entertainment. Since there is a great playground right in the park, Cameron had a good time playing on all of the different equipment.

Swinging and slides are at the top of his list! Just like most kids, Cam also loves a really good chocolate brownie...

Jane had a special treat over the weekend when her best friend from 8th grade, Leslie, traveled to Michigan with her husband, Dan and two girls- Erin and Alison. They rented a cottage on Lake Michigan within walking distance of Jane's family cottage. Leslie and Jane had not seen each other in 16 years, so it was pretty exciting to reconnect. Cam loved the girls and both families enjoyed hanging out at the lake.

As promised, it will be much less than 16 years before they all gather together again!