In a Jam - Week of June 25th

Chris left some 'notes' on the sugar:)

“If you ever find yourself in a jam, just take a moment to sit and think; calculate things, look at every angle, and then wonder where all that jam came from.” ~ Melanie Kay Taylor

John Lennon said it best in his lyrics, "Strawberry fields forever."

"This takes a LOT of stirring!"

There is something about the delicious taste of homemade strawberry jam.  It is a labor of love and time consuming, but a task that Cam was anticipating with excitement.  Oma traveled in to spend a couple of nights to join in the sticky fun.  With two flats of the tasty red fruit and an abundance of sugar, the assembly line was in full force.  However, Jane (in haste) quickly misread the directions and the entire first batch had to be reconstituted, hence the look on Cam's face in the picture to the left.

THANKS to the "Jammers"- Amanda, Cam, Oma :)

When all was said and done, though, we ended up with more than 30 containers of jam and plenty of smiles at the finish line!

On Thursday evening, the annual Windcrest neighborhood picnic was held at the Raisch backyard and even though we've lived one street over for more than 5 years, we still feel a part of the Windcrest family.

All neighbors bring a dish to pass and with all that jam, we opted for angel food cake, strawberry jam and whip cream as our offering.
Ken (aka 'Papa') joined in some bubble making fun with Cam.

A new daily activity for Cam is working on head stretching by laying on his stomach and looking up.  The Grand Valley PT students gave him this homework for the summer.  It's easy to see our growing boy is getting longer these days.

The weekend brought humidity and steamy weather which prompted our crew to head north.  We also had to celebrate Oma and Opa's 40th wedding anniversary!

The breeze and warmer water were a perfect combination for a beach day.
Oma and Opa treated us to a delicious dinner from Old Channel Inn- we were most thankful for the awesome meal which Opa picked up for the family.

The best part was dining on our own deck with a scenic perspective of our favorite big lake.  No matter how often we see it, the view never gets old...

Camology Quotes:
It took some time, but Cam has become a great advocate for himself and in some cases, a leader taking charge.  One evening as he was getting ready for a shower, we didn't know where Chris had gone.
"Mom, let me take care of this.  I will get his attention.
'Alexa: broadcast - Dad where are you?' "