Back to School! - Week of Sept.3rd

While some kids dread the thought of going back to school, Cameron couldn't be happier to be back in the routine!  A preregistration day offered a glimpse into Cam's new classroom and allowed him to meet his teachers before school began.  He had his picture taken, picked out a toothbrush, and found his yellow cubbie with his name.

Tuesday marked the official start and Cam had a few added tasks added throughout his longer school day.  The Wellerwood PreSchool has a Head Start program that Cam is a part of for this school year.  The bus picks him up at 11:50am and then he is picked up from school at 4pm.  The twist this year is that Cameron eats lunch with all of his classmates at school!  And after lunch, he brushes his teeth.  The menu is federally mandated and unbelievably healthy. A sample will need to be posted in an upcoming blog to see how it compares with your own lunch.

There are 12 kids in Cam's class and he's already made some new friends! 
His teacher has told us that he is most definitely one of the happiest kids she's ever seen. 
With Cam learning new things every week, he may have to work on his patience skills- he certainly can't wait for his school bus to drive down the street to pick him up!

Summer Sets - Week of Aug. 27th

Labor Day marks the "unofficial" end to summer...it seems this year our summer has flown by and we're not ready to say farewell to our favorite season just yet.

And fortunately for us, swimming and playing in Lake Michigan felt like mid-summer versus Labor Day weekend!

The water temps were perfect and there were plenty of playmates to hang out with.  'Auntie' Jo and Will ventured to the big lake and spent the night.  Cousin Annie hung out with 'her monkey boy' Cam and the weather couldn't have been better.

Good friends Keith and Bobbi spent Sunday with the family and brought some delicious burgers for one of the last seasonal cookouts and dinner on the deck.
Chris' talents are endless and the "monster" watermelon shown here was created and carved by Cameron's dad.

Due to an excessive amount of sand gathered on the shoreline, Will and Cam cleaned up very nicely in a sudsy bath.  What an awesome cottage weekend complete with Grandma, Grandpa, Aunts, Uncles and lots of cousins!!

Monday marked another sunny day and a very special birthday party for Will's 4th!  It was a pirate themed celebration complete with a scavenger hunt and treasure.  Cam and his parents used one of the goodie bags treats on themselves in the form of a pirate tattoo.  Cameron and his dad sure do look like swash-buckling pirates- argh!!

The Sunshine Sunroom - Week of Aug. 20th

Cameron has definitely settled into his new house.   Even though it is a different home, thank goodness, Cam's buddies can still trek over the hill to find him.

Pictured here are two of his favorite girls, Megan and Emma sitting in the sunroom, coloring.
The sunroom looks out into the backyard where different animals are seen quite frequently.

This week, the turkeys wandered through looking for treats and meandering around.
We've been told the Thanksgiving birds fly up into the trees to sleep, but we haven't witnessed that yet. 

The sunroom has become the place to read books, color, paint, and watch Stella the cat sunbathe.

"But friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life, and thanks to a benevolent arrangement the greater part of life is sunshine."
~Thomas Jefferson

"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow."
~Helen Keller

Five is my Favorite - Week of Aug. 13th

"Life is like an ice-cream cone, you have to lick it one day at a time."~Charles M. Schulz

"We dare not trust our wit for making our house pleasant to our friend so we buy ice cream."~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Not everyone loves birthday cake.  Cameron's preference is definitely ice cream.  He's also discovered that picking out his favorite toppings to add to the frozen treat makes it that much more delicious.

So, for Cam's 5th birthday, the theme was an ice cream sundae bar.  Toppings included fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries...and the good stuff- oreos, m&m's, reeses peanut butter cups, cookie dough bites, twix, miniature chocolates, nuts, gummi bears, sauces, etc. plus three flavors of ice cream.  Many thanks to Katherine, pictured with boyfriend Paul, for all of the preparation work!

Cam's parents gave him a new bike that hooks onto the bike Chris rides.  Previously, Cameron rode on the back which required him to lean and turn to get a good view of the sights while riding.  Now he's able to easily look at all of the surroundings while still feeling the breeze in his face.  Plus, he has his own pedals to practice riding on his own!
Cam's birthday activities included friends and family enjoying their own ice cream creations, playing baseball in the backyard and just hanging out with everyone.

As an extra treat, Grandma & Grandpa came in for the weekend to spend the night while Jane and her dear friend, Leslie attended their 25th high school reunion with Chris and Leslie's husband, Dan.  We're not certain who had more fun that evening, but we certainly send a big thanks to Cam's Oma & Opa!!


Cameron is so blessed to be surrounded by so many who love him and support his every accomplishment!!  We can't thank everyone enough for the company, fun and gifts to celebrate one special boy turning five!!

Getting Ready to Party! - Week of Aug. 6th

When you're about to turn five years old, it seems that you need ample planning time to prepare...

A trip over to Party City for some birthday supplies turned into a fun field trip for Cameron.  He tried on a few hats and liked the Hawaiian lei.
By the time we left, he looked as if he was headed for a luau.
 
Saturday at the cottage was spent with the Huey family on the beach.  Unfortunately, the Lake Michigan water temps were a bit chilly, but the kids still went swimming.  Cam and Jane, however, decided to hang out on the beach with Cam-mobile instead of turning their skin pink with the chilly water....

On Sunday, Cam's Grandma had an early birthday cake for her grandson.  A few of Cam's cousins came over and gave him a new remote control police car!    Along with a Dr. Suess book and an aqua doodle mat, Cameron played with his cousins and watched his cousin Steffanie try out the aqua doodle.  Sometimes as adults, we enjoy the toys just as much as the kids!

From cake to pancakes....back at home in Grand Rapids, Cam's super-talented nanny, Katherine, made him a very cute homemade "Elmo" pancake- most delicious!!

A Mud Party & Mowing - Week of July 30th

When young children are asked what they want to do for their birthday, some would choose McDonalds or Chuck E. Cheese.  Luckily for Cameron, his cousin Ollie chose to have a "mud party" for his fourth birthday in the backyard!  This was definitely the first (and quite possibly, the last) mud party Cam has been invited to.

Some of you may be thinking what the proper attire is for such an event...the only attire is to bring a spare change of clothes!

The kids had a great time getting dirty in the mud, swinging at a pinata, and sliding down the slide.  Cam's cousin Ollie actually had a homemade "mudslide" cake!  Even though it was an extra warm day, you didn't hear any kids complaining.

Another first for Cam this weekend was taking an inaugural spin on his Dad's new lawnmower.   He was intent on trying to push all of the buttons and steer the wheel.  He's had lots of practice steering the Home Depot kids shopping carts.

Cam's buddy Emma wanted to check out the mower as well and what a great friend to give her buddy a big hug before the eventful ride!

Flowers + Family Friends= Fabulous - Week of July 23rd

The first week for Cameron in his new house couldn't have gone better!  His parents thought it may take some adjusting, but Cam truly likes his new place.
Cam and his Dad even picked out some pretty roses for Jane to put on the mantle.
Deer watching has become a family event in the Weatherford abode.  Just look at our view of the backyard!

The weekend was filled with family activity and family friends...
Jane's dear friend, Leslie, from grade school/junior high spent their vacation in Michigan.  Cam played on the beach with Leslie & Dan's girls, Erin and Allison and friend Clare.  Cam had water time, beach time and playtime with the three lovely ladies and Jane fell a bit short capturing photo events...but what great memories!

On Saturday, Cam along with his parents and grandparents spent the evening with close family friends considered to be aunts, uncles, and cousins at Stony Lake. 

Pictured with Cameron is 'Aunt' Sally and her nephew, Anthony, 'cousin' Caroline and Grandma.  It seems that Anthony and Cam thought it would be silly to hide under the tablecloth during dinner.  When Anthony popped up from under the table, Cam couldn't stop laughing!  It was a busy weekend, but being surrounded by awesome people sure does take such little effort and is so much more enjoyable than unpacking!!

A big thanks to the Scannell family (Leslie, Dan and girls) and the Huey family (too numerous to name) for all the sweet gifts for Cameron's upcoming birthday.  It seems that our once a year visits must become more frequent!

Making the Big Move - Week of July 16th

Most folks equate moving with stress.  Moving week for Cameron meant extra activities while packing continued.

Katherine brought Cam to Holland to play in Lake Michigan and hang out on the beach!  Apparently, it was a very busy, fun day as noted by the snoozing Cam on the ride back home.

On the actual day of transferring furniture from the old house to the new house, Grandma and Katherine kept Cam involved in multiple destinations so that the movers could get everything packed up.

First stop was the Children's Museum where it happened to be ice-cream making day.  Since ice cream is one of Cam's favorite treats, imagine his surprise when he discovered you could actually make ice cream in a ziploc bag with ice and other ingredients!  And the report was that it tasted delicious!

Everyone met up at JT's for a yummy lunch followed by homemade frozen yogurt complete with choice of toppings...yes, it seems someone had a form of ice cream twice in one day!!  By the time Grandma and Katherine arrived back home with Cam, most of the furniture was in the new house, including Cams' bedroom.  He was so excited to show everyone his new room!

Although we moved just one street away, we know it will be a bit of an adjustment for our old neighbors.
Thank goodness we all know we'll be friends forever!
 From the wise words of one of America's favorite neighbors, Mr. Rogers:

"It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor. Would you be mine? Could you be mine? Won't you be my neighbor?"

”Imagine what our real neighborhoods would be like if each of us offered, as a matter of course, just one kind word to another person."

“You know, you don't have to look like everybody else to be acceptable and to feel acceptable.”
“Knowing that we can be loved exactly as we are gives us all the best opportunity for growing into the healthiest of people.”