"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others." ~Cicero
William Arthur Ward said "Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." We absolutely shared our thanks for family and friends this week.
Wednesday afternoon, Cam and his mom traveled to pick up Oma to spend the holiday with us. This year, we were invited to our cousins' cottage up north for Thanksgiving.
Thursday morning, we packed up our two homemade apple pies, tasty appetizers and some goodies for the kiddos. It was a blustery day at Lake Michigan. Many of our cousins had traveled by car from the east coast and we were so excited to share the holiday with them. Cousin Katie and Cam shared a funny moment when Cam realized she had said something that had double meaning.
Cameron's youngest cousins always play a part in helping secure his powerchair in the van. They are all so proud of knowing what to do and how it is done. We all feasted and thoroughly enjoyed the many delicious options to choose from.
While Cam's grandma and his mom completed some Christmas shopping on Friday, Chris and his son had their own outing. We were back home before dinner. As per our family tradition, we also decorated the Christmas tree with all of the ornaments, some of them dating back more than 50 years. We were still feeling a bit stuffed from Thanksgiving and had a light dinner before settling in to watch a movie on Disney+. We highly recommend that everyone see "Out of My Mind" which is only available on Disney+. It is based on a novel by the same name and follows the journey of a sixth-grade girl with cerebral palsy who is nonverbal. We all loved the movie, but especially Cam, who rarely sees a film where the protagonist is in a powerchair.
Saturday was the day before Oma's birthday, so we had made reservations at Fuji Yama, a hibachi restaurant where they cook and serve your dinner right in front of you. Joanne and Ms. Ann joined us for the celebration. Our chef made balloon animals and gave one each to Oma and Cam. The experience begins with soup and salad for each person, then the hibachi dinner is cooked in full view. Noodles, fried rice, fresh vegetables and your choice of protein is expertly prepared. 
Each of us needed a to-go container and Cam actually needed two of them, because the chef chose him to receive the extras. As we were headed out the door, Chris made one of the restaurant employees laugh so hard when he took our group picture with Cam's dad outside of the door looking in the window.
On Sunday, we wished Cam's grandma an official happy birthday! Oma opened her presents and we sang to her. Our time with Oma is just one of the many things our family is most thankful for!
Camology Quotes:
Each Sunday evening, Cameron reminds us that he needs to do his homework. We told him that it's pretty cool how he remembers and does so without complaint. He jokingly replied to his parents: "Sorry for being perfect!"
