1st Trip to the Zoo! - Week of June 21st

Back to school for Cameron this week and the bonus was attending a school field trip on Friday! John Ball Park Zoo hosted kids from Cam's school, so Jane & Cam had free admission.

Grandma joined in the fun and Cameron had his first exposure to seeing some pretty large animals up close!

Although Cam wasn't too sure about petting any furry creatures, he sure did have lots of fun playing some bongo drums with Grandma!!

It was a perfect day for a zoo trip and the 'Nessie' was even spotted in the zoo's little lake...

Cameron always has such fun-filled weekends. A family favorite ritual took place- dinner with our wonderful neighbors, the Raisch family complete with homemade berry cobbler- yummy!

Chris took Cam on a shopping excursion to Costco where Cam sampled some yummy treats. The boys surprised Jane with a beautiful bouquet of flowers making her feel like the luckiest wife and mom!
A perfect end to the perfect weekend...

No School & Daddy's Day - Week of June 14th

Cameron had a well-deserved week off of school and Grandma was on hand to help out with activities. Cam enjoyed eating dinner outside on the back deck! Stella, the cat, was a little jealous that Cam was dining outdoors and not dropping crumbs for her to taste.

The warm weather has made it easy to enjoy many stroller walks, read books outside and visit neighbor kids.

Chris and Cam enjoyed Father's Day together dining on a special breakfast made by Jane and then the boys headed out to a home improvement store. Cam had made Chris a special gift at school to place in the rose garden. It's a ceramic leaf that has many different uses, but Chris felt it looked best outdoors. Cameron gave his Dad some new books to read for story time- they are all about dads and their boys.

Cam is convinced (and so is Jane) that he has the best Dad ever!!!

Hope all of the dads out there had a great Father's Day:)

Jane's Bday & Licorice - Week of June 7th

Cameron discovered that he shares a very important trait with his Mom- they both love licorice! For Jane's birthday, Chris surprised her with a digital photo frame, an outdoor deck fireplace, and a huge bag of red licorice. It's obvious that Cam likes the chewy stuff as much as Jane does!

Thursday evening was very special when Cam ventured out with the neigbor girls, their mom, and Jane over to Cam's school. On the playground, they had a picnic dinner of pizza and breadsticks. Then, they enjoyed lots of fun playtime. All of the girls commented that Cam's school has "the best playground ever!

Cam said goodbye to his first bus driver, Janet this week. She is retiring and was so wonderful helping Cameron become acclimated to the big yellow bus. As Janet says, 'you wouldn't know it's the same kid who first got on the bus crying a few weeks ago...' Indeed, Cam has come a long way and happily waves goodbye to his parents on school days.

Grandma's Visit - Week of May 31st

After the fun Memorial Day weekend, Cameron was so lucky to have his Grandma visit for 4 days! She arrived on Tuesday and stayed until Friday. Cam was very happy about this, especially since Jane had to drive to Indiana for work and stay overnight.

Bathtime is still a big favorite of Cam's and the green foam is especially fun since it turns into soap! Cameron had a bit of a fever on Wednesday and a little cold, but he bounced back by the end of the week.

Playtime outside with Grandma was a big hit and the rose garden that Chris planted looks so beautiful this time of year. All Cam seems to want to do is walk around everywhere, with a little help.

Jane was so happy to see her big boy after her work trip, that she couldn't resist giving him a extra big tickle attack! Cam sure does love to giggle...which makes everyone around him giggle too!

Beach Buddies - Week of May 24th

It seems almost impossible that Michigan has experienced such beautiful weather all week long!

Cameron's bus rides are a non-event now as he is comfortable riding to school on the bus as well as riding home. Chris and Jane couldn't be more proud of their big boy!

Grandma & Grandpa stayed with their grandson Friday night while Chris and Jane ventured out to a concert. Many thanks to the awesome grandparents for Cam-sitting!

On Saturday, the entire family headed to the cottage on Lake Michigan to enjoy some beach time. 'Auntie' Jo and her son, Will joined in the fun by spending the day and night. The boys played on the beach and in the cottage. They had a great time hanging out together.

It was tough to decide which activity was their favorite- beach time or snack time.

Now that the unofficial start of summer has begun, Cameron and his parents look forward to many weekends on the lake with family and friends!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend...

Playing with the Girls - Week of May 17th

Cameron is settling into his new routine nicely. When Jane dropped him off at school this week, he smiled and waved "bye" both days without being upset at all! The return of Cam's afternoon nap may also be contributing to that great morning mood.

A new word was added to Cameron's vocabulary this week- our next door neighbor, Emma. She and her sisters often visit Cam and this week Emma asked if she could use the camera. As you can see in the picture she took of Cam, her photo skills are quite good.

The warmer weather brought a new fan into the house in an attempt to hold off on starting the air conditioning. Packaging from the fan created a fun fort for Cam to play in. He and Chris had lots of fun trying to find each other and see if they could fit through the fort door.

Incidentally, the attempt to ward off the air conditioning turn-on failed...ninety degrees was too tough to take and Cam is certainly enjoying the cool house!

Bus Ride & Big Fish - Week of May 10th

Cameron rode the school bus home twice this week! According to his bus driver, he thoroughly enjoyed the experience and didn't cry (or sleep) the entire hour ride home. Cam hasn't taken the bus on the ride to school, yet, but he will soon. Chris and Jane are so thankful that their big boy is having fun at school and liking the bus ride!

All of the neighbors are very engaging with Cam and one of his favorite activities is visiting with Ken & Mickey next door. Ken has a beautiful pond full of koi fish that provides a neighborhood aquarium for everyone to enjoy.

Cameron likes to look at the fish but we've told him that he's not allowed to swim with them...
He does get to swim in the hot tub, though. And many thanks to Annie for taking him in!

Cam definitely has some favorite toys that he plays with and most of those favorites make lots of noise! Pictured is his favorite truck that speeds forward and backwards after pressing a button. Parents beware that this gem was an under $5 buy from Meijers!

After a long day of work, the best medicine for Jane & Chris is to hang out with their boy and hear his laughter. It just might be the cure for anything that ails you!!

School Fun & Mom's Day- Week of May 3rd

Cameron has been adjusting well to school and enjoying all of the activities! The week was spent working on art activities, story time, music group, and hanging out with his new school buddies.

It certainly is strangely quiet around the house three mornings a week now for Jane, working from home.

Since Cam was lucky enough to receive two backpacks for preschool, he really loves to show them off. Pictured is the one that Auntie Jo, his wonderful godmother, gave him filled with all sorts of schooltime treats and necessities.

It seems that each and every week can bring on a new experience for Cam. This week being no exception, included a tasty corndog (not exactly the most nutricious dinner!) that Cameron thoroughly enoyed!

Jane and Grandma had a great Mother's Day by celebrating with Cameron, Chris, and Grandpa at the family cottage on Lake Michigan. It was a beautiful, brisk sunny day. Chris and Cam gave Jane a homemade Mother's Day card and a wireless photo card reader which Jane was very excited about! Best of all, Cam gave out lots of kisses and smiles and giggles!