Cam: A Working Man - Week of Feb. 17th

As winter continues to hang around, the "lawn tractor-turned-snowplow" for the colder months has gotten quite a workout.

Once again, Cameron has returned to his university job, working with graduate students at Grand Valley.  This semester he is working with two young ladies he had met before- Kayla and Abby.

Abby, Cam and Kayla

Every Wednesday evening, they "learn" from Cam while conducting a physical therapy session with him. The girls have termed him "the heart-breaker" as he continues to flash his winning smile and subtle flirtations while they work together.
Cameron enjoys his time and is paid to "work" with the students.  Let's hope any future jobs are as enjoyable as this one!
Kayla even created Cam's first driver's license for his powerchair, which is now proudly displayed on the back.  She's quite creative and her buddy, Cam, was very pleased with his new card.
Jane was out of town for two days this week working in Baltimore for her company.  Luckily for her, this is where cousins Meg, Chris and Gavin Taylor live.  Jane had a fun visit with the cousins and even had a FaceTime session with Cam so he could say "hi" to his cousins as well.

Jane & cousin Gavin

Gav & his beautiful mom, Megan

Technology is a wonderful thing when Chris or Jane has to travel for work and we're thankful for the ability to stay in touch.
Many thanks to the Taylor fam for having Jane in their beautiful home and making her feel so welcome!

Even being gone for two days feels like much longer and having some quality Mom and Cam time was on the schedule for the weekend.
Sometimes, quality time includes some relaxation and a super snuggle.

"Wherever you go, go with all your heart." ~Confucius
It's easy to travel with all your heart when you have such great love waiting for you at home.

A Lovely Mid-Winter Break - Week of Feb. 10th

Flowers for Jane from her boys

Since the 19th century, people have been giving and sending Valentine's.  This was the first year Cameron had to prepare valentine cards for his entire classroom.  Jane made them on the computer and with assistance, Cam wrote each classmate's name as well as his own.  He couldn't wait to give out all of the cards to his friends.

At school, a holiday party was planned for Thursday.   Cam's mom brought a treat and stayed to help out.  The selection of goodies was delicious!  Since watermelon is a favorite, we thought it would be fun to use a cookie cutter and make watermelon hearts- they were a hit!

Cam sat next to some of his friends for craft time as they created a fruit loops heart for birds to eat, a decorative cut out of their hand, and a heart hanging decoration.
The kids used cereal boxes to collect all of their cards.  Cam reviewed all of his valentines quite a few times at home after school.

The weekend is normally reserved for a special Saturday breakfast and on this day, Chris decided to use the letter cookie cutters (found by "Auntie" Jo- thanks!) to create "CAM" pancakes.  Of course, they tasted more delicious since they were in the shape of his name.

With winter still hanging on, one of our neighbor friends, Thad, ventured over for some sledding and tubing.  The tube is a fast ride with its slick surface and also provides a welcome resting place after all of the fun!

The Case of the Missing Tooth - Week of Feb. 3rd

Everyone loves a good mystery...                                                       Cameron was experiencing his second loose tooth this week.  He took pride in wiggling the bottom front tooth back and forth, all the while giggling about the experience.  After a peaceful night of rest, we heard some very early morning chatter and laughter coming from Cam's room.  When Jane opened the door, she saw that there was definitely an open spot where Cam's bottom front tooth had been!  So, Chris and Jane searched the bed, floor and surrounding area - no tooth...back to that story later.

Cameron doesn't use a pillow at night so prior to the first tooth falling out, the decision was made that the tooth fairy would deposit any monetary gifts into Elmo's pocket (since he does hang out in Cam's bed every night).  The generous giver left four quarters in the furry animal's zippered compartment.  Cam was excited to take his money directly to the piggy bank in his room.

Fortunately for us, our wonderful neighbors (the Raisch fam) brought over an old wooden train set this week complete with a working remote control!  Cameron has asked to set up the train almost every day so he can control its journey.

Speaking of journeys...did you figure out what happened to the tooth?  Well, it just so happens that Cam's tooth took a direct route to his stomach!  The laughter we heard was our comedic son getting a chuckle out of the fact that he swallowed his own tooth!  Luckily for him, the tooth fairy still made an appearance...

Glistening White Snow - Week of Jan. 27th

It's about this time of year when, in Michigan, we wonder..."will we see our back deck again soon?
Although we are counting the days until spring, when the sun does shine in winter, the pristine white snow glistens.

Oma continued to stay with us through mid-week due to the weather conditions and Cam couldn't have been happier!  Opa rode into Grand Rapids with one of our cousins, allowing he and Oma to head back home together the following day.  Cameron decided we needed to take Opa out for an early birthday dinner to Bagger Dave's. (www.baggerdaves.com).  The restaurant is one of Cam's favorites because there is a train that chugs along the ceiling line all through the place..and he really likes the french fries!

Due to our winter wonderland, Cam had a couple more snow days and buddy, Emma, came over to make some blanket forts.  Some activities are just so much more fun in a fort!

Our heartfelt thanks to Oma for all of the extra Cam time and to Opa for allowing Cam to pick his birthday dinner dining establishment.

The day Cameron finally ventured back to school, we caught a glimpse of this spectacular sunrise from our front door.  Definitely worth the early rise to see the picture-perfect morning...