Bring on the Snow Machine! - Week of Jan. 5th

A typical Michigan response to the lack of snow is to pack a wallop when it comes!  True to form, we accumulated more than ten inches of snow in one evening.  Consequently, Cam did not have school on Friday.

Luckily for Cam, school can be in session any time because his buddy Emma knows how to set up school right in our home.  As one can see, the school schedule is quite extensive and there are definitely extra activities for time permitting.

Truly, the academics are covered here with math, spelling, and reading.  If school goes well, there is time for an "intermission show."

We attempted sledding in our front yard, but the snow was so deep and fluffy, it didn't make for a very slick course.  Even the steep driveway couldn't provide an advantage.  Cam and Emma wanted to stay outside, though, so we all figured out a way to play restaurant in the backyard.
Emma was the chef and Cam was a diner.  He dined on "Snow-co Puffs" and hot chocolate with "one billion marshmallows" included.

Cam did enjoy the menu and told Emma he wanted to come back again.

It seems a snow day isn't complete without some specially baked treats.  Taylor and Cam worked on a double batch of chocolaty brownies and Cam worked on licking the beaters clean!

Welcome to 2015! - Week of Dec. 29th

And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been.  
~Rainer Maria Rilke
For the first time, we opted to go bowling as a family on New Year's Eve.  To make it even more special, we met up with the Raisch and Flegel families- our "forever" neighbors.  Cam used the helper ramp for the bowling ball and each and every time, his buddy Emma retrieved the ramp, which was also being used by a few other lanes.  Even the with "bumper rails" the kids seemed to have better aim than the adults!  The package deal included pizza, pop and 2.5 hours of bowling fun.  It's hard to believe we've known all of these folks for more than 13 years (before a few of them were born!) and being together as a group guarantees lots of laughter and silliness.
In addition to his parents, Patti also took turns helping Cam test out his bowling skills.After our fill of trying to hit the ten pins, Jane and Chris took Cam to meet up with their second family- Ms. Ann, Katherine & Paul, Molly & Gordy, and Nancy & Don.  We had a most delicious dinner at Outback Steakhouse. When we asked Cam if he wanted dessert at the restaurant or at home (stopping at Culver's on the way) he opted for an in-home dessert experience with Ms. Ann.  While Cam inhaled chocolate ice cream, his parents went to ring in the New Year with the Raisch's and Flegel's.  Many thanks to Ms. Ann for hanging out with her buddy so he could get to sleep before midnight!

Starting off the new year, we ventured over to Liam's new house to say hello and receive the tour of their home.  Liam couldn't wait to show Cam all around his place!  The boys decorated cookies and then taste-tested their creations.  We're so thankful that for every best buddy Cam has, his parents also have the advantage of gaining such good buddies too.Speaking of buddies, Kelsey had some fun time with Cam over his holiday break!  We're so thankful for her positive attitude, her vocabulary push with Cam, and her constant desire to make play fun and educational at the same time.As we welcome 2015, we hope you all greet this coming year with a smile and a heart full of positive thoughts topped off with lots of laughter.

Christmas Celebrations - Week of Dec. 22nd

 The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicklaus soon would be there...

Oma and Opa arrived Christmas Eve day.  There was no snow in sight, but we were happy there were clear roads to drive on.
Cam was diagnosed with an ear infection the day before, but was in great spirits and feeling better.
We joined Emma, Meg, Sarah, Anna, Steve and Patti at the early church service for caroling and worship.   Emma sat next to Cam and Jane's favorite part of the service was Cam trying to sing "Silent Night."
After dining together eating Patti's delicious homemade chicken soup, it was time to head home to prepare.  Cameron picked out two cookies for the Santa plate and carrots for the reindeer.

Christmas morning, Cam awoke excited and anxious to see if Santa had eaten the cookies and taken the carrots!  Satisfied that the plate was sufficiently empty with just crumbs, we embarked on an unwrapping adventure.  Cam's one request from Santa was a big blue ball- one used for exercise to practice balance and also just to play on.  He screamed with pure delight when he found it.  Another favorite was a VW bus play tent, ready to test out with his buddy, Emma.  After all of the hustle and bustle, it felt good to relax and enjoy family time.  That evening, we took a tour of some elaborate lawn decorations for the holidays.

On Friday, the Weatherford family hosted the annual cousin family party and our best buddy from Chicago also arrived, 'Auntie' Karen.  The annual cousin party is pretty special because Santa actually makes a house call to see the younger cousins and pass out a couple more presents. While the kids are playing downstairs, they suddenly hear the jingle bells and know it's time for Santa to arrive.
This tradition has been in our extended family for more than 25 years!

We're thankful for Oma & Opa staying with us for a few days and being overly generous with their time and gifts.  We love that our friends are also family and we're able to share traditions and time with them.

Cam received many special gifts this year from near and far- many thanks to Grandma Sue, Grandma Mary, the Cornell Crew, the Schulzes, the Jellemas, Auntie Jo & Will, Auntie Karen, Leslie, Erin & Alison, and Alena.

From our family to yours, we hope you received more out of giving than getting, more out of being together than the planning that takes place to get there, and the most out of the giggles, laughter and love surrounding us all.

Yoga Time - Week of Dec. 15th

 As the holidays approach, each day has a packed agenda.  Taylor spends time with Cam after school three days each week.  They are always busy with different activities.  She had her buddy open an early present too!


This was the last week of school before Christmas break and Cameron was scheduled for a yoga session with Melissa.  She's been working with Cam and is a PT grad student at GVSU.   The different stretches are great for our first grader and not only is Melissa a certified yoga instructor, she's also seemingly certified in making Cam smile and laugh!

On Friday, Mr. D took time out for a quick picture next to his bus.  The ride to and from school is a highlight of Cam's day.  Mr. D always beeps when he leaves and Cam watches for him to turn the corner before heading up the driveway.

Over the weekend, we traveled to Grand Haven for a visit with Aunt Betsy and Uncle Jon.  To Cam's surprise, there were some Christmas presents for him to open.  His uncle's artistry shows through on the wrapping paper.  A diesel train has now been added to his collection and he also opened a GVSU t-shirt.
Jane told Cam all about playing in her aunt and uncle's house as a child with her cousins. Her one request was a quick picture on the stairs.
It was good to spend time talking and laughing and we hope to make the trek again soon!

When our family arrived home that Saturday evening, we hosted Emma as well as Auntie Jo and Will for dinner, games, and a present exchange.  We all took part in an I-Spy mystery game on the Wii and found it to be more challenging than expected.

After a long day of travel, presents and games, a great way to relax is a warm bath, complete with bubbles.
It seems that Stella has taken to joining Cam during bath time...just to watch, of course.  Cam would never be able to stop laughing if she actually jumped in!

MFB Santa Party & Boys Weekend - Week of Dec. 8th

“Kids believe in Santa; adults believe in childhood.” ~ Cate Kennedy

An annual holiday event for Cam is the Mary Free Bed Dr. Swanson Christmas party.  For the last three years, the invitation for the party has featured Cameron's pic on the front.
This year, more than ever before, Cam was excited to see Santa and all of the characters.  Auntie Ronda accompanied us, much to Cam's delight, and hers.  We can't thank her enough for joining in the fun. There are three different areas to visit when one arrives- arts and crafts, cookie decorating, and Santa with his elves.


The order of agenda, predicated by Cam, was Santa, cookies, and crafting- he had very set priorities!
After talking to the elves and hanging out with the white bearded guy, we made our way to cookie decorating.  The cookies were huge and we all took part in adding frosting and sprinkles and then happily partaking by devouring our artwork.  As we headed to the craft area, we realized it was too late as the supplies had been packed up.  Luckily, we ran into Marci, our good buddy who nicknamed Cam, "Camarooni" and she was able to find a couple of ornaments for Cam to take home.  Upon arrival there, our patient boy opened his present from Santa- a light up, magnetized race track!

Over the weekend, Jane flew to Asheville, North Carolina to spend the weekend with one of her best buddies, Leslie.  Jane had so much fun in the mountains and seeing Leslie's wonderful fam.

The boys stayed home and with Emma's assistance, completed a gingerbread house kit and wrestled with the setup of the cool racetrack.

For our favorites who are near and those too far away, we are grateful for time spent and awesome memories made!

Our 1st Pro Photo Shoot - Week of Dec. 1st

“What I like about photographs is that they capture a moment that’s gone forever, impossible to reproduce.”  ~Karl Lagerfeld

“Life is a journey, photography is thy shepherd.”  ~Destin Sparks

Ever since Cameron's life began, we've used photos to tell a story, to remember an event, to catalog changes, and to celebrate small victories.  When the opportunity arose to be have our family photographed by professionals, we decided to give it a try.  It was an incredibly cold day- the wind chill was in the teens.  We had 30 minutes outside at the Gerald R. Ford Museum with Holly and Ryan (www.gauperphoto.com) and you'd have no idea from looking at the pics we were close to frostbite!  

The smiles and laughter captured were the real thing as is our unwritten family motto to always find a way to see humor even in adversity.  In less than two days, we were sent a link to 67 professionally edited photos.  The low resolution pics with their trademark are shown here, but we were also provided the high resolution pictures with a photo release for reprinting. Such a cool experience and Cam was such a trooper in the frigid temps.

This week we celebrated Oma's birthday by meeting Cam's grandparents for dinner at Olive Garden. Since Cam is ever thankful for bread, this was an awesome dining experience for him.

We also hosted Katherine and Paul, the newlyweds, for lunch on Saturday.  Katherine and Cam made a most delicious batch of brownies!
Cam and Katherine had a dance party after Paul and 
Cam finished off the chocolaty batter. Cam loved seeing these two and the connection between Katherine and Cam will always be there.

With the hustle and bustle of holiday preparations, remember to make those connections with others, take time to reach out, and take a few cool pics along the way...

Happy Thanksgiving 2014! - Week of Nov. 24th

Each and every day we can find something to be thankful for.  It's seems fitting to have an occasion set aside to celebrate giving thanks.

Oma and Opa arrived the day before Thanksgiving all set to spend two nights with their grandson.
Oma is the best baker we know (we may be just a bit biased) and Cam thoroughly enjoys helping her and learning the process.  This year, the consensus was to make mini pies instead of full-size desserts.  The choices- strawberry cheesecake or apple pie- and of course, one could choose both. We were happy to have Ms. Ann join us since she is extended family!


Before we enjoyed a delicious meal, each person had to say what they were thankful for.  When it was Cam's turn, this patient boy who'd been staring at the delicious array of food, said he was thankful for...bread!  When we all laughed, we asked if there was anything else he was thankful for, and he responded with "butter."  We all agreed these were very appropriate choices!

On Friday, we happily welcomed 'Auntie Amanda' and her sweet ten-month old daughter, Sally.  They arrived in Grand Rapids ready to hang out and have some pro pics taken downtown.  The weather was especially cold that day, but the pictures were fun.  Watch for next week's post to see our favorites.  Amanda and Sally spent the night and truly, we don't think we've ever seen a baby sleep so well and be so content in a new place.  Cam loved playing with her and when they had to leave early on Saturday, he kept asking Jane throughout the day, "where's Sally?"

To make up for the loss of a playmate, we took Cam over to Fruitbasket Flowerland to see Santa and a couple of real reindeer!  The sun was actually shining and the immense amount of snow we received the week before had all vanished.
Cam thought the reindeer were pretty cool, but he was especially excited to see Santa for the first time this year!

We certainly are most thankful for all of you reading this blog!!  Hope everyone had a great turkey day!