Autumn Photoshoot Uploaded - Week of Nov. 18th

"Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud." ~Maya Angelou

It is a rare occasion when we spot a rainbow from our front window.  A picture never seems to capture the brilliance of the soft colors.  It all looks so magical.

This week was quieter than most and gave us an opportunity to catch up and catch our collective breaths.

Cameron received a belated birthday gift from Auntie Jo.  It always fun to open something unexpected.  Two cool t-shirts and a Culver's gift card were in the bag and Cam was very happy with the contents.

Thursday brought a surprise visit from Mr. Joe.  He works for Permobil, the manufacturer of Cam's power wheelchair.  He had ordered some replacement parts for us that were still covered under warranty.  Joe is a true angel, making house calls each and every time something needs to be looked at.  We were so thankful for his time and gratefully gave him some homemade strawberry freezer jam.

Our photographer team of ten years, the Gaupers, provided our photoshoot via digital delivery.  Each year, we marvel at the way they capture our expressions so readily and easily.  When Ryan took the pictures, it was a cool, but beautiful afternoon.  Our backyard provided the perfect fall background.

The pictures are a yearly tradition for us that we started with Oma and Opa years ago.  They become our Christmas card focus, photo gifts and they adorn the calendar that Cam and his mom create for Oma every year for a holiday present.

Thanksgiving is almost upon us and then Christmas comes up quickly.

As a sweet surprise, Cam and Chris unpacked our tree and displayed it, without ornaments, on Saturday evening while Jane was having dinner with a girlfriend.  

As with most electrical items in the Weatherford household, the tree was added to the "Home Assistant" for smart control.  When saying "goodnight" to Alexa each evening, the lights are typically turned off automatically.  When that didn't happen, Jane assumed it was a glitch.  Chris quickly corrected her indicating that "Cam made me change it.  He knew you'd like the lights on for awhile after saying goodnight because you love how it looks."

Camology Quotes:

Chris and Cam excel at thinking up new "bad dad" jokes.  Cam chimed in with two he thought of..."A D.J. likes what to eat?"  Any wrap  and "What is Dad's favorite holiday?"  Chris-t-mas!

Dad, Thanks For Your Service - Week of Nov. 11th

“No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.” ~James Allen

Veteran's Day was observed on Monday.

The holiday got its start as “Armistice Day” back in 1919, after President Woodrow Wilson set aside the day to acknowledge those who served in World War I.

In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a decree establishing Nov. 11 as Veterans Day, expanding the recognition to include veterans of all wars- and it's been commemorated ever since.

Cameron nominated his dad to be at the high school assembly Monday morning. As a former Marine, Chris previously served in the military for four years.  He and Jane met when he was still in the service.  Cam and his mom are so proud of Chris and Cam was very happy he could take time away from work for the short celebration of all active and former military personnel.

Friday evening, Ms. Amanda and Cam had some hang out time while Chris and Jane enjoyed a date night.  After lunch on Saturday, the Weatherford crew headed north to visit cousins and extended family in town from Canada.  Cameron was excited to see his littlest baby cousin again.  He took a turn holding the nearly month old boy.

It was a lively afternoon and also relaxing.  While our chicken pot pie dinner cooked, we prepared a salad and Sheri made her scrumptious homemade pavlova adorned with fresh fruit.  She also whipped up a batch of homemade chocolate pudding.  It was the first time our family had tried Sheri's pavlova and all of the hype was warranted.  Somehow, we all managed to snap a group pic of the entire crew.  The younger cousins were so proud to show off their skillset of helping their cousin Cameron perform all safety checks after he entered the van for our return trip.

On Sunday, Cam helped his dad pack up for a two-day work trip to Ohio. Chris was driving there and got on the road right before lunch.  Jane and her son decided it would be a good afternoon to visit Oma and bring her a surprise. We made certain Cam's grandma was going to be home since her social calendar is always full.

Cam's grandma had recently gone through family ornaments and retained some favorites.  We knew that the tabletop tree we had given her a couple of years ago was much too small.  After a quick search on Amazon, we had found a nice pre-lit 4ft artificial tree.  

Cam was able to transport the tree on the back of his chair.  Oma was delighted with our Christmas tree surprise and we proceeded to decorate right away!  Jane's mom had recently even found a family tree skirt that was ideal for her new tree.  Cam and Jane were very happy with the final results.  Oma joked that she felt like she should have an open house to show off her holiday decorations.

On the drive back to Grand Rapids, Cameron and his mom felt just a little bit like Santa Claus and even deemed themselves jolly with the outcome of their efforts!

 Camology Quotes:

*this week's quote is not by Cam himself, but he did want to share a funny story about one of his cousins*

Living in an area surrounded by trees has its benefits, but the amount of leaves needing to be raked is not really one of them.  When Chris was in the backyard with leaf blowing duty, Cam and Jane were making a quick video to send to their little cousins.  These cousins actually live right in the heart of the city out East. In our video, we talked about how Chris was outside and that our family needed help to rake our yard.  After sending our video, the mom cousin responded that her "city girls" asked the following question after seeing the video sent by Cam and his mom:

"But why would we want to help break their yard?!" 

Fall Feelings - Week of Nov. 4th

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree." ~Emily Bronte

"There is harmony in autumn and a luster in its sky, which through the summer is not seen or heard." ~Percy Shelley

Barry Schwartz is the author of The Paradox of Choice. He says “Learning to choose is hard. Learning to choose well is harder. And learning to choose well in a world of unlimited possibilities is harder still, perhaps too hard.” 

This is typically a real dilemma for Cameron.  We know a big part of the indecisiveness stems from not wanting to hurt anyone's feelings.  Monday was Cam's first official day back for swimming and PT at his mainstay therapy location near our home.  He was excited to see his physical therapists but also remiss that he would no longer see the Mary Free Bed team on a regular basis.

Tuesday, however, we were back at Mary Free Bed to assess repairs for Cam's power chair.  During the session, his customized seating was also reviewed.  Since his surgery, Cameron has indicated that his cushion is not quite as comfortable as it used to be.  The foam does break down after a period of time, so the goal in determining a new seat is assessed by choosing different layers of varying degrees.  It was a process that took some time, but Cam was very patient. Now it's his parents' turn to be patient while they wait for the insurance approval process, parts ordering and finally, arrival.

Cameron is back to attending power soccer practice every Wednesday evening for Mary Free Bed.  Their team name is Overdrive. The teamwork and comradery are such positive aspects.  Power soccer is played on a standard-size basketball court.  Each team is allowed four players on the court at one time, including the goalkeeper.  A match consists of two 20-minute halves.

A local tournament was scheduled for Saturday.  Even though Cam wasn't playing in the event, he did want to support his teammates.  The Forest Hills Central Middle School hosted the Power Soccer Invitational and was a mere ten-minute drive from our home.

In addition, Brody's Be Cafe was asked to sell coffee and muffins, so we arrived before 9am and Cam was ready to work!  His coffee and water tray were a bit hit! Six teams competed and the Mary Free Bed Overdrive won both of their matches on Saturday.

That evening, we welcomed Ms. Ann to hang out with Cam and enjoy a Culver's dinner.  Chris and Jane were headed to the elegant Mary Free Bed Gala in their black and white outfits.  Cam's mom had her wedding dress altered to remove the train and Cam's dad wore a fancy tux. The best part of their evening was seeing all of the physical therapists and occupational therapists that have worked with Cam.  It seemed all they wanted to talk about was awesome Cameron was!

Camology Quotes:

Chris and his son were running some errands on Sunday afternoon.  Cam asked his dad if they could go to D&W, our local grocery store. Chris jokingly responded (in "bad dad joke" style): "You want to go to both? Two places?"

"Dad, it's one store, D&W!"

Happy Camper! - Week of Oct. 28th

"Sometimes the things we do a second time around are better and hold more value because we take the time to reflect and review. Don't be afraid to try again and do-over with great wisdom, a fresh set of eyes, and a renewed hope." ~Christine Evangelou

At school, Cameron experiences scholastic learning, but also has the opportunity to engage in other activities.  A recent trip to the Wake Park in Grandville found Cam in stand-up mode, supporting his classmates and partaking in outdoor games.

Because of his power soccer experience, his physical therapist at school is leading the charge to create a soccer guard on the front of Cam's chair for his gym hour.

Thursday was Oct. 31st and Cameron's last scheduled appointment for occupational therapy at Mary Free Bed was set for the afternoon.  

Jane and her son were excited his session was that day because they knew that all of the MFB staff were in competition for the best department costumes.  When they arrived, they quickly surmised that the entire outpatient physical and occupational therapy department employees were dressed up as a part of the circus!  Cam's OTs created their own costumes.  Lauren was a fortune teller and Courtney was cotton candy.  They loved seeing Cameron's Reese's outfit and Jane even dressed up to accompany her son.  Chris wore his Sugar Daddy shirt to work as well.

Last March, Cameron experienced a weekend camp for the first time ever.  It wasn't an ideal few days for him, but thankfully, he was willing to sign up again.  

A reservation slated for a five-night camping event had to be cancelled this past summer since Cam was still recovering from his baclofen pump surgery.  He was waitlisted for the Nov. 1st weekend.  We finally received the green light that he was confirmed for camp and reviewed the packing list.  After the school bus deposited Cameron home on Friday, he prepared for the weekend.  When we arrived at Indian Trails Campground a little after 4pm for drop-off, Cam was informed that both of the counselors he knew were there again!  He had no trouble saying goodbye to his parents. Chris and Jane then made their way to the cottage for the weekend while their son experienced new adventures.

Cam's two-night stay was in the Seneca Cabin.  His favorite activity was drumming with Josh while standing up!  Cameron's favorite memory was meeting new people. His meals included pancakes and bacon, pizza and pasta.  They watched a movie, created crafts and even had a hot cocoa bar. 

Cam's friend from baseball, Daniel, was a roommate in the same cabin!
Cameron decided that his all-time favorite memory of this November weekend camp was being more relaxed than his first respite. Overall, Cam was definitely one happy camper!

Camology Quotes:

Cam has been feeling philosophical lately and reflecting. His OTs at Mary Free Bed felt such a positive impact from their time with Cameron and told him that as they said their goodbyes.  As he and his mom were leaving the location, he shared his thoughts.

"Mom, I have met so many great people on this life journey.  Not everyone has a life journey, do they?"