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!!