Falling for Fun - Week of Oct. 21st

"The circus doesn't stay in town forever. The older you get, the more you realize there's a deeper meaning. It's better to leave 3 hours too soon than a minute too late." ~Jason Witten 

"Circus is what real life should be like. It's sincerity, feeling, emotions. All real. There are no lies in circus. There are artists working together to give a smile. It's a world where people help one another. It's the only show where a family, everyone from children to their grandmothers, can sit together and all be entertained by the same thing." ~Princess Stephanie of Monaco

Even though October 31st wasn't until next week, we had plenty of Halloween activities prior to the actual trick or treat event.

Wednesday evening, we made the five-minute trek to the Fowling Warehouse.  The annual fundraiser for Renew Mobility was scheduled.  All of the youth ambassadors were expected to be in attendance as well as the board of directors.  Cam and Jane were confirmed for their subsequent roles and Chris accompanied his family.  Cam's mom had purchased a Candyland outfit to use for an upcoming trunk or treat.  She also found a couple of shirts for the guys.  Chris donned his Sugar Daddy tee while Cam rocked the Reese's peanut butter cups.  We named our team "The Candy Crew!"  Cam's buddy, Liam, is also a youth ambassador so we had fun catching up with his family too.  Our Candy Crew took 2nd place in one of the contests and we received a wooden plaque and one of the hand painted bowling pins.  The evening netted funding for our non-profit and a fun time for us all.

On Friday, Jane picked up Oma to spend the weekend with us.  That afternoon, our agenda had us going to Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, where Jane was in charge of the committee for the Guild Trunk or Treat entry of Candyland.  Three Guild members joined in and Oma was a huge help setting everything up.  Chris and Cam arrived a bit later.  One of the best costumes we saw were the "three little old ladies" who gave each of us a hug after receiving their treat.  Our Guild committee created customized treat bag for those individuals who signed up.  The bag itself is especially made for use with wheelchairs.  The windy evening didn't deter anyone from experiencing all of the different festivities set up.  Along with all of the trunk decorations, the therapy garden was turned into a "Scare-Apy Garden" for everyone to see.  We were all pretty worn out when we arrived home and thankful for a sleep-in day on the weekend.

Saturday morning, Cam enjoyed a new concoction for breakfast consisting of a waffle wrapped up with bacon, ham and cheese.  

That afternoon, Jane and her son took Oma to one of their favorite pumpkin patches called Deep Roots Produce.  We saw the goats and llamas, pigs and chickens.  They have a large building filled with all kinds of goodies, including fresh produce, donuts, pastries, meat and the largest assortment of candied apples we have ever seen!  We purchased a few apples, as we decided it was best to sample something new.  The peanut butter, chocolate caramel was the clear winner of the bunch.  A homecooked meal rounded out our evening.

Sunday morning, we were all ready for the annual photo shoot with Ryan Gauper.  He was due to arrive at our home right at noon.  The quick picture session included Cam's grandma and the fall colors in the backyard shone through.  We were all in the van by 12:30p on our way to downtown Grand Rapids.  Jane had pre-purchased tickets for the new Ringling Circus set to begin at 1pm.

Thanks to Cam, Jane had researched the best place to park as well as the door to access with the most direct route to the accessible areas. We arrived with time to spare and found our seats easily.

We weren't certain what to expect since this was the first circus tour without animals. The show was advertised as including 75 performers with 18+ countries represented, all showcasing awe-inspiring acts including aerial, acrobatics, world dance, music, comedy, and jaw-dropping thrills.

The acrobatics was a top favorite for us all.  At the end of the show, a girl known as the human rocket provided the grand finale.  She was catapulted across the arena reaching a speed of almost 65mph!

The circus truly is an experience for all ages, and we were the absolute best proof of that!

Camology Quotes:

An aide in Cam's classroom shared a story with Jane when she came to pick up her son at school for a PT/OT appointment. She explained that she had been searching for Cam's glasses in his backpack and couldn't find them.  Cam started laughing and exclaimed the following:

"Um, the glasses are right here on my tray.  I don't normally state the obvious!"

Bowling into the Weekend - Week of Oct. 14th

“Autumn, it carries more gold in its hand than all the other seasons.” ~Jim Bishop

“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”  ~L.M. Montgomery

This year, the school district calendar provided a fall break with Friday and Monday off. Typically, we don't plan for any specific activity, but this time, we ended up with two unique outings.

Cameron's parents hadn't received their absentee ballots in the mail, so they decided to take their son over to our local township clerk's office on Friday morning.  They quickly obtained their ballots and then noticed something else.  

Cam actually saw it first and asked what it was.  One of the clerks explained the Assistive Technology voting application is available for all residents who needed to use it.

Cam was very impressed our area offered the option and was proud to see the setup.  He was also excited about being able to use it himself when he can vote in the next election!

Later that afternoon, Jane and her son had an appointment scheduled at Renew Mobility.  Youth Ambassador Cam was asked to paint a bowling pin for the upcoming fundraiser.  The painted pins are given away with prizes to costume winners.  The finger painting was a blast and with Cameron's increased flexibility, he truly enjoyed the experience.  Jane appreciated the washable paint and the finished pin looked pretty cool.

Saturday evening, we had a planned mission with Cam's best bud, Brody, and his mom.  Our early eve began with dinner out at Uccello's, one of the boys' favorite places to eat.  Following a tasty meal, we were made our way to the AMF Bowling alley located just a couple of minutes from the restaurant.  

Cameron and Brody both love bowling and the location offers accessibility to the lanes.  The outing was all Brody's idea and Cam is so fortunate to have such a great friend who thinks of activities that include both of them.  In addition to Cam being able to drive his chair down to bowling lane itself, there is also a ramp to assist those who cannot hold the ball independently.  With the bowling ball on the ramp, Cam held on with one finger and let it go.  The first game winner was Cam!  His final score was 123 with his dad close behind followed by Brody, his mom, Jenn, and Jane.  The second game found Chris in the lead with the rest of the crew trailing.  The best part of the evening was that everyone was included and had a great time!

Sunday afternoon, we made a quick trip northward to visit our brand new cousin! He is a beautiful boy and so sweet.    

After a short visit, as we were headed out, our cousins had let us know about an animal by the barn.  To our surprise, the opossum remained on the fence checking out all of the activity, or perhaps he was an unofficial security guard for our relatives!

Camology Quotes:

Cam is almost at the end of his PT and OT appointments at Mary Free Bed.  His occupational therapist, Courtney, told Jane and her son that Cameron was one of her favorite patients because, unlike most of her patients who finish therapy and don't continue on their own, he shared the following thought with her.

"Ms. Courtney, I will keep working on all of my exercises because they are helping me."

A Feast for Canadians - Week of Oct. 7th

"This is the power of gathering: it inspires us, delightfully, to be more hopeful, more joyful, more thoughtful: in a word, more alive." ~Alice Waters 

Thanksgiving has been officially celebrated as an annual holiday in Canada since November 6, 1879. While the date varied by year and was not fixed, it was commonly the second Monday in October. On January 31, 1957, the Governor General of Canada Vincent Massey issued a proclamation stating: "A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed – to be observed on the second Monday in October." 

Cameron's great grandmother, Mary, on his dad's side, is French Canadian. We also have cousins with Canadian lineage so we were excited to officially celebrate by gathering on Saturday.

Friday evening, our household was full of baking activity.  We made mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, gathered fruit and appetizers and made a dessert.  Chris and his son were in charge of Oreo truffles.  This came about because Cam claimed the Oreos were "getting stale" and since there were quite a few left in the package, a truffle recipe seemed to be the appropriate action to take.  After pulverising the Oreos in the food processor and adding cream cheese, they were ceremoniously dipped in dark chocolate.

Saturday was the scheduled day of our Thanksgiving feast.  It was warm enough to be outside for most of the afternoon.  While the turkey and duck baked in the oven, we soaked up the rays on the deck.

Canadian Thanksgiving dishes follow the same format of offerings as in the U.S.  The only exception is poutine.

Poutine, a dish of french fries, cheese curds, and gravy, originated in rural Quebec in the 1950s. It became popular across Canada in the 1980s and 1990s, and is now a symbol of Canadian culture.

It has also become a staple at our Canadian Thanksgiving dinner.  We were all completely stuffed by early evening after partaking in all of the delicious food. Our dessert options of pumpkin truffles, Oreo truffles, homemade apple pie and ice cream topped off the meal.

Since the sun has been setting before 8pm, we were fortunate enough to see the colorful sky before heading back to Grand Rapids.  We all agreed we would definitely be having a late breakfast the next morning!

Camology Quotes:

Having technology-minded parents can be beneficial...or not.  Cameron has a school chromebook to use at home for any homework.  When he logged in on Sunday, there was a window indicating that his password was recently changed.  He was on full alert...

"Dad, I've been hacked!  I did not change my password.  We need to contact the school IT department immediately!" "Mom, I need you to send a picture of my screen to my teachers!"

Fall Baseball Finale - Week of Sept. 30th

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." ~Albert Camus

"Autumn...the year's last loveliest smile." ~William Cullen

It didn't seem possible that we were welcoming October already!  We were happy to see a beautiful sunrise one morning predicting a beautiful day ahead.  The weather has been unseasonably mild.

Cam continues to work with his physical and occupational therapists two times a week at Mary Free Bed.  Jane typically picks him up from school about 20 minutes early.  The appointments are one after the other and the duo arrive home at dinnertime.  Cameron is making steady progress and looks forward to seeing the PTs and OTs.  He is fortunate to be able to do his physical therapy in the solarium area where the sun shines in.

On Friday, Amanda was scheduled to hang out with her buddy.  As a kindergarten teacher, Ms. Amanda looks forward to her time with Cam after being with the much younger kiddos all week.  She and Cameron dined on Qdoba and Cam showed off his OT skills holding his quesadilla on his own.  Chris and Jane enjoyed an evening out.

Saturday marked the final West Michigan Miracle League game for the fall season.  At every last match up, each kid receives a medal for their efforts.  Once again, the weather was favorable!  The volunteers were from our local Cornerstone University women's softball team.  We appreciate all of the volunteers who arrive at 9:30am and remain until the last game ends after 1pm.  

Coach Tom, from Cam's MFB Power Soccer Team, was in attendance to see one of the WMML games for himself.  He had never been to the Nate Hurwitz field and very impressed.  After the medal ceremony, Chris wore Brody's medal since he couldn't attend the game.  Cameron wanted to be certain it would be given to his best friend so he kept joking with his dad to take it off.  

Following the game, we attempted to stop at the Robinette's apple orchard.  The line looked to be a half mile long and there were even parking attendants directing traffic. We decided to forgo that visit.  Instead, Cam and his mom ventured out to our local Heidi's Farmstand to pick up some caramel apples, homemade baked bread and farm fresh vegetables.

Sunday was a relaxing day at home for us.  We were happy to welcome our cousins in the late afternoon to visit and play for awhile.  Besides Cameron's vast array of toys to choose from, the younger cousins love watching the squirrels in our backyard.  The funny animals typically chase each other all around the yard.  The best part of the day was seeing all three of them equally excited to see each other!

Camology Quotes:

Cam wakes up at 6:10am every weekday morning. Some days he is more awake than others.  He usually greets his parents with a sleepy voice.

"Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Weatherford!"

"Oh, you're being funny this morning..."

"No, I'm just being formal" 🤭