Grandparents Galore - Week of Mar. 26th

"Papa" & Cam

"To keep the heart unwrinkled, to be hopeful, kindly, cheerful, reverent that is to triumph over old age." ~Thomas Bailey Aldrich
“Every ending will meet its own end, for every ending is destined to be swallowed up by a beginning.” ~ Craig D. Lounsbrough

Grandparents are a gift.  Cam's Grandma Sue writes creative letters full of questions and updates which her grandson happily receives every few weeks from Kansas.  Grandpa Jim sends the neatest gifts from California.
Oma and Opa see Cameron as often as they can, which in the winter months becomes difficult due to the treacherous roads.

Cam sees Miss Amanda every weekday and her Grandpa (Mr. Ken) lives right behind our house, on our old street.  We have known Ken as a close friend and neighbor for 17 years.  Since Amanda often talks about her grandfather, he has come to be known as "Papa"to Cam as well.  So, our family was delighted when we were invited to have dessert with Papa and his family to celebrate his 80th birthday!  In preparation, Ms. Amanda and Cam worked on two projects- a picture book and a list of Alexa questions to be used with the Amazon technology tool.
Both were a big hit with Papa! The excitement of the gifts gave way to the anticipation of treats.  Cam enjoyed the array of delectable homemade desserts- apple pie, raspberry pie, strawberry shortcake, brownies, and butterscotch bars.  Cam requested some of the strawberries in sauce for his brownie and proceeded to ask Jane if they were "melted" berries.  Papa's daughter, Carol and husband Jim, recently completed construction of the new home they are living in.  It's completely barrier-free with the largest hallways and space Cam has ever been in.  That was a treat in itself!

Sisters Emma & Anna on each
side of Cam, Bex & Emma H in back

On Easter Sunday, we began our morning at church with the Raisch family along with their good friends who attend Calvin, Emma H. and Bex.  They are from Zimbabwe and Cam just loves their accents!
The service was beautiful and the music was was so joyful and the live band accompaniment always seems to bring it closer.

After church, we drove home in the sunshine.  Oma and Opa arrived after lunch to spend the afternoon and stay overnight with us.
Oma has always made an Easter basket for Cam and this year was no exception.  Included was a new book, Peter Pan, since we had recently seen the play.  Next came the famous egg hunt outside and clever Chris expertly hid the plastic colored assortment.  Oma had filled the ovals not with chocolate, but with wooden letters to unscramble and create sentences!
A delicious dinner included non-traditional steak and hot dogs, twice baked potatoes, broccoli and rolls.  Of course, Cam and Jane made deviled eggs and Cam reminded Oma that we needed her famous cheese sauce to complement the vegetables.  Dessert was provided by Oma and Opa- angel food cake with delicious fresh strawberries.

Luckily, we all stayed awake long enough to play some games and enjoy each other's company.

Whether grandparents are far or near or an extended family member, like Papa, they create a special bond, one that transcends that of a parent.
Like the quote says..."A grandparent is someone with silver in their hair and gold in their heart."


Camology Quotes:
When Ms. Amanda was assisting Cam with teeth brushing one evening, she noticed that the electric toothbrush was turning red. 

Cam, I think your mouth is bleeding.
"Um, what am I eating Miss Amanda?!"
Cam, don't swallow!

(upper right corner 'hole' is lost tooth and tooth was successfully retrieved, thanks to Ms. Amanda)