Oh Valentine! - Week of Feb. 8th

Cam's Valentine Vault

Cam endured a bout of stomach flu this week which thankfully, only lasted 12 hours, but it did take him out of school and at home for an extra day.  By the time Friday arrived, Cam was more than ready to head back and not miss his Valentine party.

I love..."Friends" "Parents" "Peace" "Broccoli"

At school, he created an "I love" poster and relayed the 4 things he loves most are friends, parents, peace and broccoli. As a side note, buddy Emma was quite surprised by the broccoli heart!

Michelle & Cam

Ms. Kathy, one of Cam's teachers

The school parties and goodies provided by friends and teachers was quite a big load to bring home.  Upon arrival back at the house, Michelle was waiting for Cam with another treat bag as well as a sweet Valentine's balloon.

Auntie Karen & Cam

'Auntie' Karen had made her way to Grand Rapids from the Chicago area amidst some crazy snowy weather.  We were so happy to have her with us for an extended time!  She and Cam worked on some crafting projects and somehow we need to entice her here for every holiday since she's so gifted.  All of us had a fun swim at the Y over the weekend.

Chris and Cam surprised Jane & Karen with some gorgeous bouquets of roses and flowers for Valentine's so the girls returned the favor by cooking a special dinner. The feast included some handmade place mats (compliments of the crafty one!) and a special over-sized Hershey kiss for Cam!

To round out V-Day festivities, Anna came over to see Cam while on break from Hope College.  Ever since Anna left for higher education, Cam asks what she is doing, how she is, when she is coming home, how to get to Hope College, among other important questions.  He was very excited to see her and give her a V-Day treat!

Crafting by Cam & Karen

Many thanks to family and friends who sent cards and greetings to Cameron and his parents- all were greatly appreciated and still reside on the table.

Cam & Anna

With all activity around crafting and cards, Cam asked about the history of Valentine's Day cards so Jane did a little research.

Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages, though written Valentine’s didn’t begin to appear until after 1400. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. (The greeting is now part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England.) Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.


Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines in America. Howland, known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as “scrap.” Today, according to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year, making Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year.


Cam-ology Quotes:
With Cam's mild sickness this week, he and Jane talked about him waiting to eat all of his Valentine's treats until sometime over the weekend to be certain his stomach was ready.  Jane also emailed Cam's teachers to let them know of this plan...just in case.
Turns out she really didn't have to.

Teacher's Email to Jane: "Cam has taken your treat talk very seriously.  For lunchtime he told me he cannot have chocolate milk because his stomach may not be ready.  And he was very concerned what he ate for his snack.  He passed on a special Valentine cookie and settled on popcorn!"

Sweet Cameron - Week of Feb. 1st

Cam began his working stint at Grand Valley State University again this week with the graduate PT students.  It's always difficult to determine who enjoys this time more- the PT people or Cam, the teacher.  Either way, we are thankful for Dr. Lisa and her efforts with the hands-on approach for students.

Miss Amanda has been hanging out with Cam for a couple of days every week.  Their routine includes checking the indoor "farm" they've planted, robotics lab, delicious baking, and this week making Valentine's.  Here Cam and Amanda are showing off the finished product.

On Saturday evening, Ms. Ann arrived to spend some time with her buddy Cam while Chris and Jane enjoyed a date night.
Most of the eve included building a city with houses and roads out of the magnet blocks.  Cam indicated who lived in each house and which roads they were on.

Chris had to drive to Ohio for work on Sunday, so Jane and her son headed to Muskegon to meet Oma and Opa for lunch.  Olive Garden was the chosen meeting place and undeniably, one of Cam's favorites with the tasty breadsticks.  The meal turned into quite an event with the touchscreen ordering app shown on the table.  Not only could we order off of it, but we could also swipe a card to pay the bill and a receipt printed from the bottom.  Cam said "that is so cool!"  Many thanks to Cam's grandparents for treating us.


Sunday evening, we had a mini Superbowl party with our Raisch fam and didn't eat too many healthy things, but had tons of fun watching the commercials and seeing the halftime show together.  Cam wore his Panthers shirt from Auntie Leslie and fam, but Denver took the prize that night.  Regardless of the outcome, spending time with good friends is always a win!

Cam-ology Quotes:

Cam stayed home from school one day due to lack of sleep and a sinus infection.
Mom turned on the Today show which was featuring a segment about a former supermodel.  
They were showing some pictures of her in a few somewhat revealing dresses, to which Cam indicated...
"I am not old enough to see this, Mom."

Jane and Cam were driving down the road headed to run some errands.
"Our first stop will be the bank, Cam."
"You can use my money at the bank, Mom."

Driving past Starbucks...
"Mom, did you want your coffee?"
(someone knows his mom all too well!)

When Family Comes to Town - Week of Jan. 25th

"Friends are family we choose for ourselves" ...a well-known quote with such poignant reference for us.

Cam made use of his growing baking skills this week.  He and 'Auntie' Roe took time on a half day of school to make a big batch of their famous banana bread with chocolate chips.  These two always end up with some of the ingredients on their faces.

Friday was end of semester break for Cam and with a day off of school, we were fortunate to have Oma and Opa come and spend the entire afternoon and over night with us!  The hours went by quickly as Cam's grandma showed him how to mend some holes in clothes and the two made homemade applesauce together.  That evening, we had special plans to celebrate Opa's birthday at Outback Steakhouse- yum!  On the way home, we told Cam's grandpa we wanted to treat him to some ice cream.  After a short discussion, he sided with his grandson's first dessert choice of Culver's frozen custard.  Of course, everyone had to have a little sundae.

As an added treat, 'Auntie' Karen drove from Chicago on Saturday to spend the day and night with us.  She was excited to see the new pool and to go in the warm water with Cam.  We all spent the late afternoon splashing and swimming over at the YMCA.  We sure worked up an appetite and back at home, we cooked a delicious steak dinner.  'Auntie' Karen surprised Cam with an early Valentine's gift- a stuffed animal dog that flaps his ears while "Best Day of My Life" plays.  It was a hit!

Upon 'Auntie' Karen's departure on Sunday, spontaneous plans were made and Patti and Emma took Jane and Cam to see the Peanuts movie.  The awesome gift was actually Cam's birthday present that just hadn't worked out yet due to schedules and waiting for the right show.  The movie was great, the company even better and the large popcorn was devoured.

A big thanks to Oma and Opa and our extended family members, Auntie Roe, Auntie Karen, Patti and Emma for giving us the gift of your time and special treats.

On a fitting side note, when Jane stepped outside after a delivery truck had dropped a package off, she noticed that the tire tracks made a lovely picture in the frosty driveway.



Cam-ology Quotes:
Dad took Cam to the dentist this week.  When the dentist asked Chris how many times Cam brushes his teeth, Chris indicated that he always uses his toothbrush twice a day, morning and bedtime.  To which Cam piped in...
"Not in the morning every time, Dad!"

It has been noted that Cam tells his parents his deal every night.  This week, when it was time for deal, Cam was silent.  "What are you waiting for Cam?"
"I was waiting for you to say please!"

Sledding...Finally! - Week of Jan. 18th

Sometimes, there are so many things you want to accomplish one must have a list!  Cam had a lot of ideas to fill his weekend and decided that Dad should be certain none of them were left out.

You hear many folks complain about the long Michigan winters and some definitely take their place in the record book.  This year, though, winter has been slow to arrive in full force.  For the first time during this milder cold season, we took Cam sledding.  And as a bonus, it was a beautiful, sunny day!  Both our front and back yards have their own merits in the form of activities.  We opted for the front yard to test out a new tube.

Jane really wanted to try it out so she and Cam took the first run!
Not much steering control, so after careening down the hill, barely missing the neighbor's driveway and up onto some snow covered rocks, Cam and his mom landed at the bottom of their own driveway- whew!  After a few runs, we were able to check sledding off the list.

The next day, we kept our choices moving forward with swimming at the Y.  As a family investment, we joined the new Mary Free Bed YMCA back in December.  However, even though the facility opened last month, we have been anxiously awaiting the use of the family pool.  Cam insisted on showing his dad where everything was since he had a quick tour a few days before.  The cool chair shown in the background of the picture is found at both ends of the pool and works great to easily bring Cam into and out of the pool itself.  In addition, it's a pretty cool ride!

Both Chris and Jane took turns swimming with Cam as he kicked his legs and floated on his back.  The complimentary use of the pool noodles and life jackets were a plus.  After an hour of pruning our skin, it was time to head out onto other adventures and cross a few more things off the list :)

Cam-ology Quotes:
Cam was home for a sick day and tried out his parents heated mattress pad while relaxing on their bed...

"Mom, I think this would be a good idea for my bed." 

Chris and Cam drove over to Moe's to pick up dinner after Cam was home with Mom for his sick day...

"Thanks guys for picking up dinner for all of us."
"It was our pleasure, Mom!"

Cam- a.k.a. "The Helper" - Week of Jan. 11th

“Life’s most urgent question is: What are you doing for others?” ~Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Most Saturday mornings in the Weatherford household, you will hear a conversation that goes something like this..."I am ready to help Mom and Dad...for the whole day.  What do you need help with?"
"Well, let's have some breakfast first, and then we'll figure it out, Cam."

Due to some bitter cold temps and Cam not feeling quite up to par, we opted for some indoor helping.  Practicing the piano in Jane's office, and choosing different keyboard sounds of course, was a big help to Jane as she worked while listening to some quality music performed by Cam.

Emma stopped over and became a helper herself as she and Cam worked on some iPad activities.

Chris announced he had to drive over to his office and wondered if there might be any helpers wanting to accompany him.  Of course, his son jumped at the chance.
His dad's office is pretty impressive with multiple monitors and lots of gadgets for Cam to test out.  Chris has been pretty impressed lately with his boy's grasp of troubleshooting and programming.
For some reason, wearing the big headphones really cracked Cam up.
And if you didn't notice, it was an all-day pajama day over the weekend.

Back at the house, Jane and Cam decided to keep one string of lights going in the sunroom/art room and placed them along the window.

After all of the hard work and helping, Cam and his mom played foot wars on the floor and spent a little time being silly.

Even when Cam is fighting off a cold, there's no stopping his awesome sense of humor and repeated requests to help us!

Cam-ology Quotes:
Cam and Chris having a conversation about Amazon...

"That's weird.  My Amazon ordered hasn't arrived yet."
"Why Dad?" 
"I don't know.  I'll have to check."
"Did the UPS guy take a holiday?"

Make a Deal - Week of Jan. 4th

For some, routine is monotonous.  Cam likes a routine because there is a purpose, a time frame, a plan.  Even though routine makes him happy, it's still tough to get back into the mode of waking up early and heading to school.  It was a week of earlier bedtimes with sleepy eyes at the end of the day.

With the weekend finally upon us, we were happy to be invited to Anna's birthday celebration with her family.  While meal preparation continued, Cam thoroughly delighted in his first official game of charades.  Emma did a great job acting out clues and Cam guessed almost every single one by himself!  There were a few times when the laughter had to subside before the guess could be made.

The two buddies also played forts over the weekend, one of their favorites.  With the chilly temps, indoor fun was on the agenda.

Of course, snack time inside of the forts is always a requirement.

Part of Cam's evening routine is to "make a deal" with his parents.  His deal always includes the following parameters...
"Sleep all night"
"Use your manners- please, thank you and excuse me"
"Be kind"
"Be nice"
"Be awesome"

Try making a deal with yourself tonight.  Cam won't mind if you use his list!

Cam-ology Quotes:
On a day of football playoffs...

"Mom, should I watch football?" 
"Do you want to watch football?"
"It will make Dad happy." 
"Dad is happy without you watching football.  You don't have to watch it."
"O.k.  I will watch my kid show.  It is better for me."

Welcome 2016! - Week of Dec. 28th

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

To ring in the New Year, we headed over to Outback Steakhouse to dine with Ms. Ann, Molly and Gordy.  Cam thoroughly enjoyed the french fries covered with cojack cheese and bacon, dipped in ranch.  They were actually a bigger hit than the chicken fingers.  Because Cam's milk was brought late in the meal, he also scored some free ice cream.  It was a fun evening with our extended family.  Ms. Ann ventured over after dinner to hang out a bit longer, which always makes Cam extra happy!

When we woke up on Saturday, the sun was shining and we decided to take advantage of the final days of Cam's winter break by heading up north to visit Oma and Opa.

It is always surprising to see how much the beach changes in such a short period of time.  Over the summer months, there was barely enough sand to sit on before the water came up on shore.


Now the shoreline has transformed and although some of the high banks have dissipated, the path to reach Lake Michigan is much easier to traverse, especially for the Cam-mobile.

Oma and Opa cooked a delicious Sunday dinner and we were able to see their holiday decorations before everything was put away. We stopped to see our cousins, too, before heading home.  Cam really enjoyed seeing his younger cousins, Gavin and Ella.

Cam-ology Quotes:
Chris preparing to install a new kitchen light with Jane standing nearby.
"Mom, Dad is going to put two holes in our wall.  Is that ok?"
Cam is known as the "informer" and "translator" making certain that both of his parents know exactly what the plan is!

Happy New Year and....keep on smiling!