Elmo Live! - Week of Nov. 7th

Do you remember when you saw your first concert? Were you 10, 12, 15 years of age? Cameron attended his inaugural live production on Saturday- "Elmo Makes Music" at the Van Andel Arena!!
Grandma and Coco accompanied Chris, Jane and Cam downtown for the late morning show on Saturday.
No one was quite certain how Cam would react...would the atmosphere be too loud? Does a huge live Elmo make sense? All apprehension was put to rest when the family saw Cam's reaction seeing his favorite Sesame Street characters come to life on stage.
As one of Elmo's biggest fans, Cam stayed very engaged through the entire show, even though the red furry character with the funny voice wasn't in every scene.
The 90 minute show had a 15-minute intermission, during which the marketing folks were busy bringing out balloons and treats for sale. Chris captured a big Elmo balloon for Cam, which turned out to be almost as big as the boy himself.
After dining downtown for lunch, the family headed home with one extremely happy boy!

Sunday was another winner for Cameron. After attending church, his friend and neighbor, Emma came over to play. That evening, Chris, Jane and Cam had dinner with another buddy, Liam, and his parents- Matt and Betsy. The boys are pictured here showing off their personal pizzas that they helped create for their dinner. The boys had fun playing with Liam's fire truck and play workbench. It was an awesome evening with great friends!
To quote Elmo's official Philosophy: give love and you shall receive love
We couldn't agree more with the red furry monster !!

Happy Halloween! - Week of Oct. 31st

Even though Halloween landed on a school night, there were plenty of little kids and big kids to share in the fun! Cam Racing went through a few modifications including working headlights and more flame duct tape (because it just looks cool!).

Another addition to the spooky eve included a pumpkin water fountain, expertly designed by Cameron's Dad and neighbor Steve. The green water launched from the top pumpkin to the lower one and recirculated back and forth. Quite impressive! It was difficult to determine who enjoyed it more- the creators or the spectators... Please click on the attached link to see the fountain in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCRTEq2U0I4

Trick or treating festivities enticed Auntie Jo and Will to Cameron's house. Cam was so excited to have his buddy Will by his side to trek up and down the street. Cam's cousins Coco and Libby with their friends, Carter and Ryan completed Cameron's entourage! Chris and Jane wore hats with letters labeled "Cam's Pit Crew."

Will and Cam had "races" down the street and giggled and pointed at each other the entire time! Luckily for Cam, Will brought him candy from the houses where the race car wouldn't travel. He politely handed each Halloween treat over without even thinking of pocketing it himself.

After the treating, Will and Cam needed to sample their hard-earned candy. Jane tried to give Cameron some m&m's from the chocolate they passed out, but Cam only wanted to pick something from his very own Halloween bucket. Many thanks to Jo and Will and Coco, Libby, Carter, and Ryan for spending the evening with us!

Even though Halloween only lasted one night, the Cam Racing vehicle still had some extended use when Katherine took Cam out for a spin during the week!

Hope everyone had an awesome Halloween and check out another addition to Chris' hidden talents, the use of dry ice inside of a pumpkin...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynY7dMRkncI

Pumpkins & Cool Cars - Week of Oct. 24th

Do you remember the first time you saw something transform? Like the Bat-Mobile into a Bat-Speedboat or Clark Kent into Superman?

Just as impressive, Cameron's Dad took his summer creation, Cam-Mobile and with some fabrication, turned it into a super race car for Halloween!
The collaborative idea was hatched in September when Chris and Jane started pondering what Cameron might want to be for trick-or-treating. Cam always has fun riding in his beach dune buggy, so why not figure out a way to use it for the October festivities?
By adding some wood along the outside, a little paint, checker-flag cloth and some duct tape with flames (who knew?), Cam Racing was a reality.
On Friday, Chris, Jane, Cam and Grandma ventured over to Chris' work, FTC&H where kids can walk around to each desk and collect some candy.
As a surprise treat, a co-worker, Mike A., left a "talking" Elmo next to a bag of M&M's with a sign around his neck that read "Cameron, can I go home with you?" Needless to say, it was Cam's favorite stop and a big bonus to have a buddy ride next to him!
Big Thanks to Mike!!

The company pumpkin shown here can be added to the list of Chris' many skills! Not only can he build a Cam-Mobile and transform it into a Race Car, but he also has a hidden talent of being an expert pumpkin-carver!!

Fall Photo Shoot - Week of Oct. 17th

In an effort to hang on to our beautiful fall weather and retain all of the vibrant colors, our nanny Katherine, took Cameron on his very own photo shoot.
It was difficult to choose a handful of pictures from the one hundred plus that were taken because Cam is a pretty photogenic kid!

When the forecast cooperates Katherine and Cam take a nature walk in the park at the top of our hill. There are trails through the wooded areas and plenty of places to stop and play in the leaves that are much too quickly falling to the ground.
Accompanying them during their stroll is none other than Cam's buddy, Elmo. Typically, Cam likes to have a snack on the journey which means Elmo gets one as well. A keen observer may note that Elmo's mouth is definitely full of cheerios.

This week, Cameron had his first trip to ER after a viral infection got the best of him. It was a long afternoon/evening, but we knew Cam was fine when he started asking for Elmo and friend, Emma. He also gave his sweet nurse that winning smile as he was leaving the hospital.

By the weekend, it was time to enjoy the outdoors again so Jane and Cam met up with cousins Coco and Libby in Grand Haven for a stroll along the boardwalk and some tasty milkshakes!

Many thanks to Katherine for her adorable photos and extra hugs to Grandma for staying with us at the hospital.

For our Cam, this quote makes us think of you: "If I had a star for every time you made me smile, I would be holding the night sky in my hand."

School Events - Week of Oct. 10th

Every year, Cameron's school hosts an event called "VSA" - Very Special Arts. The kids can visit different rooms where they mold pottery, play music and dance, make crafts, and even get their face or hands painted. Cam liked painting the pottery best and kept admiring the picture that was painted on his hand by one of the teachers.

School fun continued when a field trip to Robinette's orchard was hosted during the week. The school's teachers joked that Cam had his own "entourage" with Chris, Jane, 'Auntie' Ronda, and nanny, Katherine all alongside him. The kids listened to the orchard's history during a wagon ride tour, walked into the huge refrigerator where all of the apples are stored, and watched how the apple cider is made. To top off the day, the kids picked their own apple and were given a homemade doughnut and fresh cider as a treat! (even the entire 'entourage' received the snack:-)

The weekend included another outing - this time to a pumpkin patch with buddy Will and 'Auntie' Jo. Cam picked out his own pumpkin and everyone dined on some delicious McDonald's goodness for lunch.

With the sunshine still smiling on us, the family couldn't resist some backyard photos, and who should appear but Cam's sweet friend, Emma.

Hope your week makes you feel like you can reach for the sky too!!

Picture Day, Picking Apples, Practicing Biking - Week of Oct. 3rd

The unusually warm fall weather provided the perfect excuse to be outside. On school picture day, Cameron looked so handsome in his button-down shirt and new jeans. He was practicing his "cheesy grin" for Jane and Katherine before the bus arrived to pick him up for school.

During the week, after an early evening of playtime outside, Cam's friend, Emma, was helping him color a picture.

Over the weekend, cousin Harry had a super cool birthday party at the Robinette's Orchard. Each guest picked out 3 apples to take home from the orchard! Cam had fun playing games which included finding fake flies in a pan full of sand and making a leaf crown to wear. Harry's party was a treat and so was his delicious birthday cake!

Since the awesome weather continued, it was a great time for Cam to ride his tricycle again. It's a lot of hard work for our big guy, but he doesn't give up. He's learning how to use the pedals all by himself and is very proud of every accomplishment.

The best part of riding bikes is when friends join in the fun. Emma couldn't resist getting a pull from Chris, while Cam kept checking behind him to be sure his buddy was still there.

Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride.
~John F. Kennedy

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.
~Albert Einstein

Elmo & Emma - Week of Sept. 26th

Cameron has been rather finicky in his affection towards Elmo. When he was younger, Elmo was his favorite toy and book. Then, there was a period of time when Elmo fell by the wayside. Now, at the age of four, Cam definitely has Elmo on his radar again.

However, the red character does come in second place when there is a choice between his neighbor Emma and Elmo. Cam's buddy Emma had quite a bit of playtime with him this week. On Wednesday, Jane and the kids were cozy on the chair warming up on a chilly evening.

The kids played together again on Friday evening and then Saturday was the highlight of Cam's week. Emma's sisters, Megan and Sarah, had a soccer game and Chris, Jane, and Cam were all invited to watch. The sun was shining, but the fall wind demanded a blanket to stay warm.

Emma knew another girl at the game and the three kids watched the soccer ball go back and forth. Even though Megan and Sarah didn't come out ahead against their opponents, it was a winning day for Cam!

He definitely felt head and shoulders above the rest!!

"I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as autumn sunshine by staying in the house. So I spend almost all the daylight hours in the open air." Nathaniel Hawthorne

Dinners Out - Week of Sept. 19th

Chris traveled to Chicago for work this week, so Cameron and Jane kept themselves extra busy since they knew they'd be missing him.
Cam's nanny, Katherine, created this chalk picture as they waited for the bus one day and Cam did a great job picking out which colors to use.
Wednesday evening, Cam & Jane traveled to Muskegon to meet Grandma, Grandpa, Steffanie and Aunt Tracy to celebrate Tracy's birthday. After a tasty dinner, Cameron was very happy to see an oreo ice cream cake for dessert! It was most delicious.
The very next night, cousin Coco and Carter invited Cam and Jane to Holland to see Coco's place and go out to dinner again. What a treat! At the Boatwerks restaurant, Cam really liked the fresh fruit and some creamy mac-n-cheese. Carter put on a very impressive puppet show for Cam during his dining experience.

Friday evening, Chris arrived home to his family, who were so happy to see him! Cam couldn't stop smiling and laughing.
On Saturday, Chris & Jane took Cameron to see the "Dolphin Tale" movie at the theater. Cam liked the dolphins jumping out of the water and for the first time, ate quite a bit of movie popcorn. Even at 10am, popcorn is still quite tasty!!
Many thanks to our family for the dinners out and gratitude and appreciation to Chris for being the greatest hubby to Jane and Dad to Cam!