Wings and Water - Week of Aug. 22nd

This week, on a beautiful Saturday morning, Cam could almost touch the sky, literally!
Cameron successfully completed his first prop plane flight and was given a certificate and his first set of wings.
Through a program called "Dreams and Wings, Inc." each child and family reaches a cruising altitude of 1500 ft. for a 20-minute flight above Grand Rapids.

The program encourages kids to learn about aviation, challenge themselves and reach for new horizons. When Cameron is old enough, he'll be able to take the controls and fly the plane as co-pilot for a few minutes!

As if that wasn't enough fun for one day....the family ventured to the cottage on Lake Michigan where the Raisch family met them for an afternoon and evening of swimming and sun. Playtime in the water, digging out underground tunnels, and walking the beach made for a busy afternoon.

After dinner, the girls built towers with Cam. He has just as much fun building as he does knocking them down.

All of the families had a sunset walk strolling along in the warm Lake Michigan water. Cameron had lots of helpers ready to push Cam-mobile!

As a special treat, Cam's buddy, Emma, rode home in his car Saturday night. They listened to kids music, shared a few snacks, and to the surprise of Chris and Jane, stayed awake!

Big thanks to the Raisch family and to Cam's Grandma & Grandpa for a memorable day!!

Who Turned 4 ?!?! - Week of Aug. 15th

We remember hearing the popular phrase "when you have kids, they grow up so fast- you won't believe how quickly time passes!" and didn't realize just how true it would be...

Wednesday, Aug. 17th marked Cameron's 4th birthday!! Multiple celebrations with family and friends made our 4-year-old one very happy boy.
At the cottage, Cam's birthday cake featured a picture of Cam riding on the one and only "Cam-Mobile" which has definitely become his favorite summer activity. Cousin Coco made Cam a special birthday dinner, her famous pasta, which he loves. Aunts, Uncles, cousins and friends gathered to see presents opened and taste a piece of that delicious Ryke's cake!

After removing wrapping paper from books, cars, a kid golf set, and nerf gun, it was difficult to know who was having more fun with the new toys- father or son!

Another birthday celebration for Cam during the week included a very cute Elmo cake specially handmade by Cam's buddy, Lisa. The cake was transported to a family favorite dining spot, Fricano's in Grand Haven. Pizza and cake for dinner- what could be better?
As a bonus, cousin James joined the family as well and his birthday is just 1 day after Cam's!

Grandma and Grandpa stayed with Cam for the weekend while Jane & Chris celebrated "Auntie" Amanda's wedding to Mark in Ann Arbor!
Luckily, Cameron enjoyed playing with Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie Jo and Will. Such a special visit!

We cannot thank everyone enough for helping make this birthday such a memorable one! A special thanks to Auntie Jo for the Cam-Mobile license plate and all of the extra help!! Grandma & Grandpa- you're the best for taking over on the weekend!!!!

Cam sends hugs, kisses, and thanks to all:)

Parking with the Parents - Week of Aug. 8th

A field trip to Cascade Library started off Cameron's week right. Brooke, Cam and Jane all ventured over to participate in activities with some of Cam's classmates. The morning included a scavenger hunt, reading and acting out stories, and even making a newspaper hat, modeled proudly by Cam.

Chris and Jane decided that a nice summer evening was the perfect time to take their boy over to Ada Park. Cameron wanted to test out everything!

After swinging for awhile it was time to explore the rest of the equipment. The animal rocker was a big hit. Chris and Cam found the old antique car where Cam turned the wheel and Chris made the car sounds.

There were quite a few slides to choose from ranging from curving to fairly high up. It's pretty evident to Cam's parents that he doesn't have much fear when it comes to trying out new things.

Cameron played fair and picked a parent for each slide ride. Jane and Cam slid down the curved slide and Chris took Cam on the highest slide.

You can never go wrong with an outing to the park, especially when you have such a happy boy!

A whirlwind weekend was spent with our special Stony Lake family, reconnecting with old friends and meeting some new babies. Cam had lots of buddies to play with and even tried out a hammock for the first time...

We did have to say goodbye to our summer nanny, Brooke, and know she will have a great year at CMU! We can't thank her enough for helping us out and doing such a great job with the big boy.

Cam's advice to all college students is echoed in his first hammock outing pic...relax when you can, but don't forget to hang on tight and above all else, enjoy the ride!

Great Grandma & Great Friends - Week of Aug. 1st

Most kids are lucky enough to have a Grandma & Grandpa, but it seems there are few that can claim a Great Grandma! This week, Cameron had a special visit from his Great Grandma Mary, all the way from Arizona. Mary and her friend, Henry, drove across country and spent the afternoon, evening and following morning with Cam and his parents. They all met up with Jane's parents for dinner at the Twisted Rooster. It was a short visit, but lots of fun for Cam, and Chris & Jane!

The weekend found our family at the lake once again sharing a day with our great friends, the Cronk family (from Florida) and the Lobdell family (from North Carolina). Both families have spent quite a bit of time at our Lake Michigan spot and the consensus was - no matter where one travels throughout the country, there's no better water retreat than our big lake!

Lots of swimming, playing, and eating rounded out a perfect day on the beach! Cam and his Dad even had a race in Cam-Mobile and confirmed that it's just as good as any water ride out there.

To finish out the week, Cam with good friend and neighbor, Emma, prove that playtime should always be followed by some quality relaxation....hope everyone found some time to relax this week!!

Dog Days of Summer - Week of July 25th

A school field trip to Frederick Meijer Gardens started out the week right for Cameron. The unusually warm days has made everyone gravitate towards water, especially Cam.

We may be a little biased, but our family thinks that swimming in Lake Michigan is the perfect way to spend a hot summer day!

The big lake was strangely calm and ideal conditions for Cam and Jane to try a little kayaking, something you normally don't see on Lake Michigan. Cameron wanted to paddle the entire time and liked being able to see sand at the bottom.

Chris sat Cam on a neighbor's jet ski and although he's not quite big enough to take a spin, it certainly intrigued him...

The weekend didn't include a boat ride, but Cameron was ready to go with Grandma and before summer is out, he'll feel the wind in his hair and the splash of waves in his face.

CamMobile has had lots of use this summer and Chris even built the new and improved version 2.0. Cam can't get enough of his stylish ride!
Cousin Coco's dogs enjoy the "shaded canopy" when the mobile isn't in use. Cam definitely gets a big kick out of the puppies playing together on the beach...
here's hoping the dog days of summer are helping you find the cooler things in life!

Getting Goofy with Dad - Week of July 18th

Cameron's Dad has a great sense of humor and this week, it was definitely exercised! Jane was gone for a portion of the week with girlfriend activities so the boys had a chance to hang out.

Chris took Cam over to the Holland Aquatic Center where lots of kids were splashing around. There were buckets, slides and fountains. Cam's favorite activity was pushing on the fountain so the water would spray on him more. He's quite the little fish and definitely enjoyed himself.

Silly sunglasses and hats were tried on at a party supply store where Cam and his Dad found lots of fun toys to check out. Cameron was pretty amazed by the huge balloons covering the walls. He certainly gave his parents some birthday ideas!

Everywhere Cam goes, he wears a smile and everyone says that his laughter is completely contagious.

One of our favorite family sayings goes with the true meaning of a piggyback...."hold on and enjoy the ride!"

Summer Sweetness - Week of July 11th

With the temperatures in full summer swing, the family met up with cousins in Grand Haven for dinner and ice cream. You may know someone that enjoys a cool treat, but Cameron truly loves chocolate ice cream. Pictured here with his awesome cousins, he couldn't help but try to savor that chocolatey taste as long as possible.

Another treat this week for Cam was spending time with his one of his most favorite Cam-sitters, Sarah. We had to say goodbye to her for a few months due to her school commitments. She gave her buddy some early birthday presents -a new electric bubble blower and nerf toy rocket launcher which he's been playing with daily.
It is so sweet to see Cam's face light up when he sees Sarah. She's been such a blessing for our family and we're so happy she'll be back to Cam-sit in the winter.

The family ventured to the cottage for the weekend spending time with Jane's classmate and best friend from grade school/junior high, Leslie, and her wonderful girls, Erin and Allison. It didn't take long for Cameron to warm up to the girls and they thoroughly enjoyed playing on the beach with him. Erin & Allison decided that one of their favorite Cam pics was him posing in the bathtub with his hand under his chin and the girls decided to copy that same pose!

Cam's Contribution & Chris' Bday - Week of July 4th

Do you recall when you were first paid for a real job? Chris and Jane remember that they were far older than Cameron. This week marked Cam's second session at Grand Valley to help the PT students with their physical therapy evaluations and be paid for his time. Fortunately for Cam, the work seems very enjoyable!

Within the week, Cameron met new GV students, but had to say goodbye to another. Kellie has been assisting Allison with Cam's PT sessions every week and now she is graduating from the program. We will miss seeing her, but know that she will be a great asset to the physical therapy world.

The weekend included some beach time, visiting with good friends and cousins and lots of sunshine!
The family celebrated Chris' birthday and Cam happily helped his Dad open presents!
In fact, one of the gifts, a remote-controlled helicopter looks to be fun for them both!
Hope everyone is having as much fun hanging out this summer as we are!!