Fort City - Week of Apr. 11th

You may have seen the quote "I no longer want to be an adult.  If anyone needs me, I will be in my blanket fort...coloring."  It's truly an activity that brings a smile to everyone's face- adult or kid.
With Cam and his dad engineering the space- string, clips and sheets were the materials chosen.  There was just enough clearance underneath to play a game of Sight Word Zingo, one of Cam's favorite games.
A secondary fort was created in the sunroom and Cam decided that his "van fort" was indeed an ice cream store where you could order anything you wanted.  Emma, pictured below, was one of his customers and she requested the largest amount of dessert ever!  After Cam completed her order, he asked for a tip.  Jane explained to him that it is customary for a person to earn a tip and receive it instead of asking for one.

The chicken eggs from last week became a delicious green eggs and ham breakfast this week, with a little help from some green food coloring.

As we settled back into the school routine, we also headed off for another routine task to the local post office.  Cam and Jane try to do their package mailing after normal business hours since they can use the self-mailing machine in the lobby.  This week we had two boxes to place in the enormous mailbox- one to cousins and one to Grandma Sue.   Cam loves to receive mail and he thoroughly enjoys his correspondence with his Grandma in Kansas:)

The weekend brought Auntie Karen in from the Chicago area.  She graciously spent some quality time with Cam on a leisurely stroll in some gorgeous weather.  Our extended time together included a dinner out, a sewing lesson for Cam, a homemade grilled dinner and awesome outdoor relaxing.  We cannot thank her enough for making the trip and hanging out!

We also went to meet Miss Ella Grace, Ann's first grandchild and Molly and Gordy's daughter.  Ella is the first baby Cam has ever held that was only a few days old!  These two will be buddies for sure and they'll have some bonding time when the families camp together again this summer.

Our weekend wouldn't be complete without some silliness...Dad taking a nap on Cam while on the couch as well as in Cam's bed.

Before any week departs, we try to make certain enough pics were taken for blog.  When life gets busy, sometimes we forget.  Cam, however, asked...on his own accord...if we could take a family picture together "to put in my blog."

And that is a request these parents will never deny!

Cam-ology Quotes:
An email from one of Cam's teachers:  "We did an experiment today and discovered it took 43 pennies to make a full glass of water spill over the top of the glass. Cam predicted it would take more pennies, while some of us predicted it would take fewer pennies so he was right.  We dropped pennies in one at a time and as the number grew, it got very exciting."

Stay~cation - Week of Apr. 4th

As we bid farewell to many spring-breakers heading out of town, we quickly discovered there was quite a bit of adventure to keep Cam busy during his stay-cation here in Grand Rapids!

Miss Amanda taught her buddy (and the rest of us) all about chicken eggs this week.  She was pet-sitting animals and brought Cam there for a visit.  The duo returned home with a dozen eggs, two of which were green!  Amanda explained that the color of the egg a chicken lays is in direct correlation to the color of its ears.  The following ear color represents the hue of the egg:  white ears= green and blue eggs, red ears= white and brown eggs.  Cam declared "that is pretty cool!"

Due to the generosity of another family linked to Cam's PT at school, we are now using a 'stander' at home with Cam.  This allows him to independently stand at a table.  He and Amanda watched an interesting construction video about what Cascade Road will look like upon completion, which led to lots of questions and discussion.

When Amanda & Cam were ready to venture out again one day, they discovered the van had a flat tire!  Since Chris was working out of town, we called Emma's dad, Mr. Steve.  He was able to help us out with the tire change (thanks Mr. Steve!), which allowed Cam to visit with Amanda's grandparents, Ms. Mickie and Mr. Ken!  These two have been our neighbors for 15 years so they've known Cam his entire life.   He loves to visit with them and Cam and Ken share the same love of chocolate. It's even sweeter that Amanda is their granddaughter and these visits will become more frequent.

We decided that Cam's break wasn't complete without taking in a movie, so Oma, Emma, Cam and Jane all headed over to Lowell to see the popular "Zootopia" film.  After somehow depleting a large bucket of popcorn, we all agreed it was a great flick and we all highly recommend it!


The remainder of break was filled with Yahtzee challenges and sewing class with Oma, along with spelling and sight words with "teacher" Emma.  Thank goodness the weather cooperated for an outdoor day so Cam and Emma could play 'vehicles' and create their 'chalk city.'

We've learned that sometimes, the biggest gift of all is just being present.  Jane and Chris each managed to take a half day off of work on different days to spend time with Cam and the extra time with Oma, Amanda and Emma was the best!!  Stay-cation was a big success!

Cam-ology Quotes:

Jane and Cam were driving around on the weekend when Jane mentioned she had to make a few stops and asked Cam if we should do it before lunch or after lunch...
"Let's do it after lunch, Mom.  I'm open!"

At the Starbuck's drive-thru, we were told that the "new thing" is to have a pat of butter added to your coffee instead of creamer.  Cam's reaction:
"Ewwwwwwww!!  Who would do it that?!"

Cam's weather commentary: "This doesn't look like spring to me!"

Beginning of Break - Week of Mar. 28th

In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours. ~Mark Twain 

In a short education week with two days off of school to commence spring break, Cam sure can pack in a lot!

We wished Michelle a fun farewell as she readied herself for a break to warmer weather in Florida.  Cam worked with the grad students at Grand Valley on Wednesday eve, testing out a cool contraption and stretching on the exercise ball.



Amanda enjoyed a full day with Cam on Thursday and they mixed up some tasty puppy chow, also known as muddy buddies.  Here's the recipe they used:
9 cups Chex cereal (any kind) 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted 1⁄2 cup smooth peanut butter, melted 1⁄4 cup butter, melted 1 -2 teaspoon vanilla 1 1⁄2 cups powdered sugar.  Melt ingredients together, mix in cereal and toss in powdered sugar- yummy!

Because it made soooo much, Amanda took a bag to her night class at Cornerstone University and the rest was quickly disappearing at home.  Much to Cam's surprise, Amanda arrived Friday morning with a special 'thank you' card from her university class!  The professor even gave Cam a cool frisbee with the Cornerstone logo!

Oma arrived Friday afternoon ready to dive into another set of tasks with her grandson.  They worked on some sewing and mending before diving into a rousing game of a family favorite, Yahtzee.
Before dinner, Cam, his mom and grandma all headed over to the YMCA for a nice swim.  It was Oma's first time checking things out and getting in the pool.  Cam gave a great tour and that warm water sure felt good.  Afterwards, we headed down the road to meet Chris, already waiting for us.  We dined on tasty burgers and fries, followed by a mini tootsie roll,  delivered with our bill.  Cam may have tried to sneak an extra one...

Cam-ology Quotes:

One evening after Cam was in bed and we had some giggles and laughs before saying goodnight, he said,
"You guys are such nice parents, I want to take you out to dinner!"
"Where will we go, Cam?" 
"Bagger Dave's.  Do I have enough money in my bank account?"

Cam smartly noted: "Why is it called a Winter Weather Advisory when it isn't even winter anymore?!"

Springing into Easter - Week of Mar. 21st

Easter is meant to be a symbol of hope, renewal, and new life. ~Janine di Giovanni

Cam always seems renewed at his swimming lessons with Ms. Laura.  No matter how long the day has been, he is completely relaxed and works so hard for her.  He enjoys this time very much and although we won't be able to sign up again until late May, as parents, we're so thankful for the knowledge transfer we've gained to continue to work with Cam on his water skills.


Eating outside on a warmer spring evening gave us that sense of new life- taking in the outdoor greenery and smelling delicious grilled hot dogs, enjoying homemade potato salad and juicy watermelon!

Friday evening, we were graciously invited to a home-cooked meal at the residence of Kelsey and Brian.  Kelsey has been a special part of our lives since she cared for Cam and this couple brings the promise of hope for future generations.  They have worked diligently (with Brian's extensive skillset) to remodel and add their personal touches to their abode.
We look forward to seeing them more in the future, especially since Kelsey is such a great cook!  It's easy to see that these two know how to show Cam a good and goofy time.

Adult Easter Basket-
Delicious Fruit!

Easter Sunday brought a full day of activities- we started out at church with Emma's family where Cam couldn't get enough of the music and live band playing and as a family, we enjoyed the fellowship.
Back at home, we boiled eggs and awaited the arrival of Oma and Opa.  Cam's grandma barely made it through the doorway before being asked by her grandson when they were coloring eggs!
The grandparents not only brought some chocolate goodies for Cam, but also a healthy choice for Chris & Jane- thank goodness!

Cam's dad expertly hid twenty plastic eggs filled with chocolate for his son to find outside.  The sunny weather was such a big bonus on a day that originally included a forecast for cloudy, rainy weather.

Our smoked ham dinner with mashed potatoes, vegetables and "just-made" deviled eggs tasted delicious.  Cam may have had more than one or two chocolates (or three or four) over the course of the day.  A visit with Auntie Jo rounded out our awesome festivities.

Our wish is that you enjoyed your own celebration and our hope is that you feel renewed and full of new life.


Cam-ology Quotes:

After a particularly long day, Chris and Jane were giving each other a hug in the hallway as Cam turned around in his chair and looked at us and exclaimed... 
"You two look like a married couple!" 

Easter morning, Chris helped Cam get dressed and when he came out to the kitchen, this conversation ensued... 
Jane: "My goodness, Cam, you look so handsome!"
Cam:  "I know I do - thank you!" 

The Kiss of the Irish - Week of Mar. 14th

"May your troubles be less and your blessings be more, and nothing but happiness comes through your door." ~Irish Blessing

Electronic calendars keep Chris and Jane on task, but Cam's mind is it's own very efficient scheduler as he is constantly reminding us of new routines and places we're supposed to be.  For the past few weeks, it's been swimming lessons on Monday evenings, "working" at Grand Valley on Wednesday nights and a special school activity on Fridays.

Thankfully, Chris was able to take some time off of work Friday morning to bring the Cam-Mobile to meet his son and Ms. Cris (Meadow Brook helper & picture taker!) for a field trip.  Goodwillie Environmental School in Ada was the destination to participate in a tour and nature hike.  Cam learned about the different trees and wooded area, petted a live chicken, and checked out the wood carving location.
Perhaps the most notable stop on the tour for Cam, though, was seeing his best buddy, Emma, at her school!
Check out this video about this unique learning environment in our community for 5th and 6th graders.  Goodwillie Environmental School Video

Over the weekend, we were thankful for some family pool time at the Y where Cam showed off his kicking skills.

On Sunday afternoon, we enjoyed a visit from Michelle and her granddaughter, Ada!  The two kids colored together and checked out some play dough.  Ada had no hesitation exploring Cam's powerchair and even sat on Cam's lap for a hug.  So much fun to meet this cutie who we've only previously seen on phone video!

Schedules can be tough sometimes.  Keeping up with comings and goings can wear a guy out.  On one such occasion this week, Cam had simply had enough.  After being upset and apologizing to his parents, on his own accord, he looked up and asked if we had seen his "golden tickets" from school.  The golden tickets are given for good behavior and signed by a teacher or helper in the classroom.

A reminder to us all that even when we're not at our very best, the very best still exists in each of us and sometimes, we even have a "ticket" to prove it!

Cam-ology Quotes:

At GVSU this week, Dr. Lisa surprised Cam with a kiss!  Jane explained that she had to wash it off or it would stay there...

"What would my teachers say at school?" 
"Well, they may wonder where the lipstick on your forehead came from."
"What would Mr. Shaw say?"  (aka school principal)
"Well, he might think you have a girlfriend!"
"Do I have a girlfriend?  How do I know?"