We celebrated Cameron's 9th birthday in a more unique way than usual this year. Instead of a large birthday party with lots of friends, my good friend Amy who is Vander's mom suggested that we take Vander, Warner and Cameron (who are all good friends and who all have a birthday in early September) to Great Wolf Lodge for a weekend. We have never been to Great Wolf Lodge so we jumped at the chance! And what a great weekend! Cam of course had a blast with his buddies playing on the waterslides and in the big wave pool and eating all the junk food. They stayed up late laughing and talking in their own little bunk room in the hotel room. And Cam was really brave and even did the ropes course all by himself! He actually overcame a lot of fears over the weekend because water slides make him nervous. He did great and it was a really really fun weekend!
We can't believe Cameron is 9 now and going into 3rd grade! The time is flying by! But what an amazing kid he is and brings so much joy to our family.
Here are some things we want to remember about Cameron at 9 years old:
- Actually many of the aspects I mentioned in Cameron at 8 years old are still very true today. He is still our big feeler and we really love that about him because we think it is so healthy that he shows his emotion and expresses emotion. He is getting better and better every year at managing his emotions in a healthy way as well. He is also still really into art, sports, video games, friends, etc.
- As I mentioned last year, he had a challenging experience in 2nd grade with a tough kid in his class. He also had a challenging time in 1st grade with the same kid being in his class. This year he has a new teacher and a new classroom environment and so far it's been such a breath of fresh air. Cameron feels so calm and comforted in his new classroom environment. His teacher is very encouraging and understanding and he has great friends in his class as well. We are so grateful that so far it seems he'll have a much better school experience this year. Can't wait to see how it all plays out!
- This year he skied in the winter, played Little League baseball in the spring and will play soccer again this fall. I think he also wants to try rec basketball in the winter. He is still very active and coordinated and just thrives so much in sports. It's really fun to watch him and cheer him on.
- Right now Cameron's good friends are Vander, Warner, Willa, Bella, Lilly, Ellis, and Torin.
- Cameron still has a very strong bond with his brother. He misses him so far this fall as Nathan is now off to middle school and goes to school way earlier. I don't think I'm as fun in the morning as having his brother around. So that's been an adjustment. But they still love to do things together and have such a strong bond in their similar interests. We'll see how things evolve this year with Nathan being in middle school.
- Cameron's favorite activity is art and he continues to amaze us with his talented art abilities. He was invited to the school district art show again this year for the second time in a row!
- It's been especially great to observe Cameron with Ollie. He is so good with our puppy. Which is so interesting because before he had a pretty strong fear of dogs. But he spends time with Ollie, plays with him, helps take care of him. He bonds with him in his own special way. And now his fear of dogs has pretty much gone away!
- Cameron really is such a great kid and such a pleasure to be around. He's kind, polite and respectful, but also is fun and silly. I just feel so lucky to be his mom and can't wait to see all the growth and things he experiences in year 9!
