School Ends, Jane's Birthday begins- Week of June 8th

The only way to have a friend is to be one. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

The week started out with an evening to the WhiteCaps baseball game, hosted by Chris' workplace, FTC&H.  At the family outing, we dined on hot dogs, burgers, chips and cookies.  Cam met mascot "sister" Crash.  We didn't stay for the entire game, but we were able to see a few runs around the bases.

Tuesday was Jane's birthday and Cam was super excited to celebrate!  A delicious dinner at Houlihan's for the Weatherford family,  Auntie Roe and her niece Rachel made for a fun evening.  Back at home, Chris and Cam had a cake and ice cream waiting, along with presents.  At bedtime, Jane told Cam it was her best birthday yet.  Cam said "Why Mom?"  Jane explained that this was the first year Cam could clearly say "Happy Birthday, Mom" and "I love you!"

Awesome kids with their parents, awesome teachers,
the best aides, therapists and bus drivers

Wednesday marked the final day of the school year and Cam was hosting an afternoon cookout at his house for good friend and classmate, Natalie.   Natalie's family is moving to Lansing this summer and everyone at school who had contact with her was invited to join.
It was a beautiful afternoon filled with warm sunshine and welcome shade.  Since the meal was a combined effort of the group, we all dined on delicious food.  One of the best parts of the day was watching all of the kids interact with each other and seeing the teachers, therapists, helpers and bus drivers all take a little time to relax.  Cam and Natalie plan on connecting via FaceTime on the iPhone and meeting up at Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park.

Saturday's trek to see Oma and Opa was a bit rainy.  This meant we had a perfect opportunity to take a field trip to Country Dairy in New Era, Michigan.
Just 15 minutes from the family cottage, the dairy farm boasts an extensive menu, including numerous flavors of ice cream.  It is the only place we've seen where you can help yourself to free refills of milk, chocolate included.

That night, Cam's grandparents made a special birthday dinner for Jane and invited family over for the famous Ryke's cake and Country Dairy ice cream.  Niece Steffanie and her boyfriend Heath were able to spend some quality time with Cam and share some laughs.

Sending out a very heartfelt thanks to Oma and Opa and the countless friends and family who reached out to Jane for her birthday.

In honor of feeling young, summer break means additional time for fort building...enjoyable at any age.

"We don't stop playing because we grow old.  We grow old because we stop playing."  ~George Bernard Shaw