Working on Numbers - Week of Apr. 16th

There was a time when it seemed Elmo would always be the only choice for Cam in regards to screened viewing.  But as Cameron continues to grow, so does his taste in learning shows.  Due to Netflix, Cam has gravitated towards the purple dinosaur, Barney.  Barney's shows always have a purpose and a review of things learned during that time.  One of Cam's favorite ones concentrates on numbers.  A boy brings ten cut-out numbers to show his friends and the wind carries them away, then all the children help find them.  When Grandma spent the day with Cam this week, she cut out numbers, hid them around the living room, and Cam had to find them.  He was one excited boy!

While Katherine was on vacation this week, Sarah spent a couple of days with her buddy.  They had fun playing outside and making different crafts.

Over the weekend, watching the neighbor's soccer game was on the agenda.  Much to Cam's surprise and delight, neighbor and friend Emma made Cameron his own sack lunch, complete with all of his favorites.  Although it was a little chilly, the sun was shining and the soccer game was exciting!

“Friendship," said Christopher Robin, "is a very comforting thing to have.”  ~ A.A. Milne

Children's Museum - Week of Apr. 9th

While Cameron enjoyed his second week of spring break, he also enjoyed extra time with his best buddies.
Katherine and her friend Jill took Cam to the GR Children's Museum and met up with Auntie Jo and Will. There were so many things to explore!
A train was set up on a large table that the boys could play with. An over-sized vat of bubble solution provided an opportunity to create the biggest bubbles Cameron had ever seen! The boys were quite intrigued with "the boy at the dentist" display which featured a large puppet for kids to put braces on, brush the teeth, etc.
Many activity building tables allowed Cam and Will to put different pieces and parts together.
To top off the venture, Cam enjoyed a tasty lunch at Olgas...

Neighbors Megan and Emma stopped by to play on the weekend and arrived in time to see Cameron about to enjoy a pancake breakfast. The pancakes in the Weatherford household are becoming pieces of art!
"A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be." ~Douglas Pagels

Happy Easter! - Week of Apr. 2nd

For I remember it is Easter morn, And life and love and peace are all new born.
~Alice Freeman Palmer

Cameron's first week of spring break turned out to be filled with lots of fun activities! On Wednesday evening, Cam attended his last spring term session at GVSU. As a surprise treat, one of Cam's PT's, Edi, made some very specially decorated cupcakes for the last meeting. We will miss the weekly sessions and hope to keep in touch with our new friends!
Katherine and Cameron made their first visit to Sundaes at the Cottage, our local ice cream shop. Cam thoroughly enjoyed his oreo ice cream sundae.

In anticipation of Easter, Cameron was excited to color eggs this year. A small whisk made the task much easier. Cam was intent on dipping the eggs and taking them out to dry. Cam, with Katherine's expertise, also made some Happy Easter plates for his parents and Grandma- what a sweet surprise!!

It's no surprise how much Cam adores his nanny Katherine! She even put together a bucket of Easter treats for her buddy.
Grandma outdid herself with Easter baskets this year. Knowing Chris and Jane are watching their calories, she brought a huge fruit basket filled with all of their favorites. Cameron's basket contained yummy chocolate and other tasty treats (since he's not watching his waistline).
Sunday included a beautiful Easter service, brunch with Cam's Grandparents and Auntie Jo as well as a very special visit with the Schulze family.
When Jane asked Chris to get a picture of Cameron in his Sunday best, this is what the boys came up with....and Jane....thought it was perfect! We hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!!

First Spring Bike Ride - Week of Mar. 26th

As the grass becomes greener and more flowers are blooming, spring activities are in full force.
Chris and Cam enjoyed their first bike ride of the spring! Luckily, the bike seat we purchased for Cameron holds up to 48 pounds and is adjustable. The big boy now likes to lean over to see what's up ahead...

The weekend was filled with different ventures. Jane's good friend Karen and cousin Libby drove in from Chicago. Cam and the girls drove to Saugatuck to check out a houseboat rental that Karen wanted to see. Cameron had fun on the top deck of the boat looking out at the water. We hope to see more of Karen this summer if she takes the rental!
Ventures continued on Sunday, when cousins Libby and Coco went out for Sunday brunch with Cam and his parents.

Topping off the weekend was some hot tub action complete with splashing, floating, and pushing buttons for the jet bubbles.

Cameron, it seems, has always been a photogenic kid. Edi, Cam's buddy and GVSU grad student, snapped this pic and provided some appropriate photoshop edits: "Things are never quite as scary when you have a best friend" and "Smiling is my favorite exercise!"

Many thanks Edi for these adorable photos!!

1 Birthday, 2 Buddies, and Countless Butterflies - Week of Mar. 19th

Cameron loves birthdays! This week, we celebrated Katherine's birthday. Cam's nanny always thinks of fun activities and we are so thankful for all that she does!

From one birthday to two buddies... Liam and Cam met up at Frederick Meijer Gardens.

First stop was to check in with the butterflies. There were too many to count- different varieties, sizes, colors. Some flew right in front of Cam and others fluttered around his head. Such a beautiful sight.

Due to the unusually warm weather, the outdoor children's water fountains opened up early this year. Cam and Liam maneuvered their sailboats through the water. It was difficult to determine what was more fun for them- pushing the boats over the "waterfall" or splashing themselves and each other.

Next stop at Frederick Meijer was the treehouse tea party area. Other kids sat with the boys for a "tea party" and one little boy cried when he had to leave the "party" with Cam and Liam.

With the continued warm weather, Chris decided it was much too nice to play trains with Cam inside, so the problem was easily solved by bringing the track outside! What a lucky boy with an most ingenious Dad!!

Spring Forward! - Week of Mar. 12th

Everyone is a bit confused by the wonderful Michigan weather, but Cameron and his friends are taking full advantage of an early spring!
One recipe for a fun afternoon:
Step 1: Use as much sidewalk chalk as possible to cover the driveway with lovely pictures.
Step 2: Find two people to swing the jump rope. It turns out Cam is a great jump rope turner.
Step 3: Locate a friend to test out jumping in the jump rope.
Step 4: Invite other friends to join in the fun!
Step 5: Enjoy the giggles and laughter that follow!
This week, Cam welcomed some college folks into his home for a video opportunity with a Grand Valley professor and her graduate students. For those of you who may have missed previous blogging news, Cameron is employed by Grand Valley State University for a physical therapy student graduate class. He loves "teaching" the students and in turn, he learns a great deal deal from them. Many thanks to Miss Lisa, Ryan and Edi for a very enjoyable home session!
On Sunday, Cam and his parents decided not to waste any early spring weather and ventured northward to visit Grandma and Grandpa. CamMobile had an early 2012 outing on the empty beach.
No one can recall ever having such fantastic warm Michigan sunshine in March.

Cameron just wants spring to keep moving forward so he can get back to swimming in the big lake!

We Play, We Pick Up - Week of Mar. 5th

Cameron has not had a shortage of playtime lately with buddy Will. And Friday was Cam's lucky day because the boys spent the entire morning together. Ironically, they were both up early on Friday (in their separate homes) convincing their mothers that they may not be as forthright the next time with planned play date information.

The morning agenda including baking some cookies. Grandma and Katherine acted as co-bakers, attempting to convince the boys that the cookies would taste much better after they came out of the oven!

Next item up was train engineering. After the track was built, Cam and Will picked their favorite locomotives to test it out. And after playtime comes pickup. Some kids don't appreciate picking up their toys, but Cam and Will had it down to a system. Will grabbed the track, ran it over to Cam and then Cameron dropped it into the storage box. And rounding out the morning, the boys requested to watch a show. Apparently, it was a nail biter!

One type of play for Cam that doesn't require pickup is hanging out in the hot tub! Of course, that's just as much fun for Cameron's parents as it is for him...

Up, Up, & Away - Week of Feb. 27th

Cameron is most fortunate to have some very special people in his life...two of them are 'Auntie' Jo and buddy Will. Cam's godmother and her son invited the Weatherford family to try out a new adventure with them.
They all met up at the Air Zoo in Kalamazoo. Founded in 1977, the Air Zoo has a rich history of honoring and celebrating air and space flight. http://www.airzoo.org/

Cam and Will's tickets were free and even included a few rides too!
The planes were so big and the boys, as well as their parents, thoroughly enjoyed the different types of flight equipment.

There were four rides available for younger kids. Will convinced Cam to try the "bucket ride" although Cameron thought it went up a bit too high.

There was a kid-sized helicopter and plane the boys were able to sit in. Only the controls moved in these "rides."

Beyond the airplanes was the 'final frontier'- space exploration! Solar system models, interactive demonstrations and even the inside of space shuttle provided other areas to venture into.

The day was a big success as it proves challenging at times to find an activity that both kids and adults of all ages enjoy.

This crew definitely agreed the Air Zoo is 'out of this world!'