Thanksgiving & Santa Train! - Week of Nov. 22nd

Turkey time took the family north to Lake Michigan to celebrate Thanksgiving with family and friends. Aunt Joyce & Uncle Joe hosted everyone and the crowd had so much food to feast upon including two deep-fried turkeys as well as an oven-roasted one.

Everyone was certainly giving thanks for Grandma's good health, so the family decided she should receive an early present.

The extra special occasion included surprising Grandma with a new piano keyboard for her birthday and Christmas!

Cameron enjoyed looking at all of the ornaments on Grandma and Grandpa's tree and even had a little photo shoot.

After all of that excitement, the fun didn't end. Chris, Jane, and Cam met 'Auntie' Jo and her son, Will at the Santa Train in Coopersville on Saturday. The train travels from Coopersville to Marne and one of its passengers is Santa Claus, along with his elves.

The boys both received a toy car from Santa as well as a candy cane, which Cam thought was quite delicious.

It was apparent that both boys would recommend the Santa Train to others, especially if the trip, like theirs, includes a lunch stop at McDonald's immediately following the train ride!

Cookie Cooking Lesson - Week of Nov. 15th

Cameron tackled his ear infection this week just like other tasks- he completely conquered it!

After a few days of medicine, he was more than happy to be able to horse around with one of his favorite playmates, his Dad.

Tuesday evening, Cam felt better enough to attend his first school conference where he received rave reviews from his teachers. Unfortunately, he was only able to attend one day of school this week due to school vacation days.

However, the week did continue to get better as Cam enjoyed daily games with his nanny, Kristin. She also had a great time teaching him how to make very delicious chocolate chip cookies.

Stirring the batter was Cameron's favorite part and he did a great job not spilling any!

Not only did he have a tasty treat of the batter, but after the homemade cookies came out of the oven,
he had a taste of the finished product...yummy!!

School Pics - Week of Nov. 8th

The pictures shown in Cameron's blog have always been taken by family and friends. For the first time ever, a professional school picture is revealed...some of you faithful followers may be seeing this photo in your holiday greeting card!


Cam had a cooking lesson with nanny, Kristin this week. They made some delicious brownies and Kristin reported that the big boy stirred the batter all by himself! Unfortunately, Jane wasn't present to capture the moment via the camera, but hopefully there will be a re-enactment soon, because who doesn't love brownies?


By Friday, it seemed that our normally very happy boy wasn't feeling too perky. The weekend included restless sleep, a very runny nose, and some Elmo video time. A doctor's visit on Monday revealed that Cam acquired an ear infection. We know that with rest and medicine, our sweet boy will be back to his playful self in no time!

Out and About - Week of Nov. 1st

The fall season brings the cool, crisp weather as well as a list of home projects...of course, at the top of the list is raking leaves. To aid in this task, it is imperative that one has all of the essential tools necessary. A trip to Home Depot quickly becomes a requirement. Luckily for Cam, the home improvement store has very cool kid carts for him to ride in.

On Friday eve and Saturday, Chris & Jane stayed with friends in Ann Arbor while Grandma & Grandpa had some quality time with Cam.

As always, Cam had so much fun and a big thanks from all of us!

On Sunday, with the sun shining brightly, the park seemed like a perfect idea for an outing. Cameron loves the swings and he especially liked seeing if his parents could keep up with him! With all of the slides to play on, it was difficult for Cam to decide which one was his favorite.

After all of the playtime, the leaves were gathered and Jane & Cam couldn't resist being surrounded by all of Chris' hard work and throwing all of the fall foliage into the air!

Coolest Halloween Ever! - Week of Oct. 25th

Pumpkin-carving took place right before Halloween this year and Chris did an awesome job with his expert tools and Cam's approval.
Cameron actually celebrated the treating 3 different times this week!


On Friday, our little "Fonz" rode on the school bus with his leather jacket, slicked back hair and a bag full of chocolate. Later that afternoon, Jane & Grandma took Cam over to Chris' office where employee's children can trick-or-treat at everyone's office desk inside! It was lots of fun to see other kids dressed up and pick up a few pieces of candy along the way.


Luckily for Cam, his godmother, Auntie Jo decided to bring Will over on Saturday so that the two buddies could celebrate Halloween together.
They played for a bit in the afternoon, doing a great job sharing toys with each other. When it came time to head out into the neighborhood for official treat pick-up, Cam's buddy, Will decided that he needed to ride in a stroller too- just because Cam was in one! The boys made the rounds and everyone commented how cute they looked. Many thanks to Auntie Jo, Will, Coco and Ronda for joining in the festivities...

Cam is shown here teaching Will the fine art of checking to be certain your parents haven't removed the candy that you just worked so hard at putting in your candy pail. Hope everyone had a very happy Halloween!

Dinner with Dad & Pumpkin Picking - Week of Oct 18th

Cameron's school had a special dinner just with Dad on Thursday evening. Cam & Chris had a great time sitting with Cam's classmates, their Dad's, and some school helpers. After dinner, some playground swinging rounded out the evening.

The Yankees didn't do enough swinging this week to make it into the World Series. But cousin Coco and Cam had fun watching the game anyways....

One of this week's highlights was a trip to Robinette's to pick out some pumpkins for Halloween! With so many to choose from, Cameron settled on a bumpy pumpkin that made him giggle when he touched it. Chris and Jane found an orange one each to carve later as well.

Before leaving Robinette's, the family had to partake in some silliness... and Cam discovered that he loves being showered with fall leaves!

Next week's blog...here's a Halloween costume clue...

"Who is cooler than the Fonz, but laughs so much more,

Gives the biggest hugs of all, and is not even four!"

Swinging in the Sunshine - Week of Oct. 11th

Although fall has arrived in Michigan as depicted by the vibrant colors, the weather is still holding in a warm, sunny pattern. Long stroller rides and school filled Cameron's week and the weekend continued to bring sunshine!

On Saturday, the family trekked north to visit Grandma and Grandpa, aunts and uncle, and cousins. Chris & Jane were busy cleaning up the beach and Annie stopped over for a special visit with Cam. Cameron could barely contain his excitement! It's been quite awhile since he's seen one of his favorite people. The beautiful Lake Michigan sunset faded much too quickly.

Cameron's smile certainly didn't fade away with that sunset...

Sunday brought a visit from Auntie Jo, Cam's godmother, and her son, Will. The boys had a great time swinging at the park and both took turns heading down the slide with their moms. It's easy to see that the two toddlers enjoy each other's company.

Jane & Jo are contemplating creating a book series entitled..."The Godbrother Adventures of Cam & Will"...since Jane is Will's godmother and Jo is Cam's. Shown here, the boys appear to be figuring out where their next adventure will be...

Trolley Ride & Cousin's Birthday - Week of Oct. 4th

Cameron's first official school pictures were taken on Thursday! School pics have definitely changed since an online catalog now allows for the choice between 50 different backgrounds! Stay tuned for the school pic in a later blog.
For the big game on Saturday, Cameron sported a jersey from his 'Auntie' Bobbi and 'Unc' Keith. Cam is keeping a watchful eye on the game while petting Stella...

By far, the highlight of Cam's week was celebrating his cousin's 4th birthday. Cameron's cousin, Harry, had quite the day by providing a trolley ride for all his party guests. The trolley left Harry's home near Easttown and traveled all around downtown Grand Rapids past many of the art prize exhibits and through John Ball Park zoo. The final stop was Harry's favorite restaurant- Jonny B'z for hot dogs! The food was delicious, enjoyed by all, and the homemade cupcakes were very yummy indeed. Many thanks to the Cornell family for all of the treats:)

It's easy to see that Cam looks up to his cousin, Harry, and was so excited to be invited to his awesome birthday party!