Sweet baby

I watched Heather's baby girl on Wednesday while she got a haircut! It was so much fun holding and taking care of a newborn. I love the way that babies smell and love the way they feel in your arms! I cannot wait to be a mother! Heather wanted some naked photos of Emma and we have tried several times, but Emma always cried when we took her clothes off. I tried once again, and she slept like this for 45 minutes which gave me plenty of time. I thought I would share them with you!

These two photos are my favorites!

We are getting ready to leave for Cincinnati for the evening to hang out with some great friends! I will share our photos from this evening soon!

Bandit. Carnival. Birthday Party.

My In-Laws went on vacation so we watched their dog, Bandit. He is very sweet and such a cuddle bug! He just wants lovin’ from everyone! He snuggled with us in bed every night, and now I really miss him.

On Friday I watched a family that I have known for several years. I took them to their school carnival at Stingley Elementary. They had so much fun playing all the games! They are very competitive and became frustrated when they didn’t win EVERY time. We tried some of the games twice so that they would have another opportunity. We had a great time and finished off with a smoothie provided from Tropical Smoothie Café.

On Saturday we had some friends over for Shaun & Alex’s birthday! Shaun made wings and Caroline made cupcakes. All the boys were outside hanging out while Shaun was making the wings. They were a big hit! Heather came over for a little bit and brought Emma with her. We all took turns holding her! My brother came over and spent the night. It has been such a long time since we have slept in the same house.

Kids & Cupcakes

Today I had my last visit with the class I was placed with this quarter. We had a little party to celebrate my last visit with them. I made Funfetti cupcakes and brought blue, green and pink icing and an assortment of sprinkles. They had so much fun icing and decorating their cupcake. When I walked in the room I got attacked with hugs from all of them, more than normal. It really made me feel good! They made me a sign with all of their handprints that says "Thanks Miss Meghan!" I love it so much we have it hanging on our fridge. I like the fact that I get to experience a different grade each quarter, but I get so attached to the kids that it is hard to leave them. I absolutely loved my cooperating teacher this quarter and her class. I hope that next quarter is as good as this one was.

Saint Patrick's Day

(The beers we drank at home, made extra special with GREEN food coloring!)

Today was Saint Patrick’s Day! I have a wee bit O’Irish in me. My ancestors came to America from County Kerry, Ireland. Our last name used to be O’Gallivan, but later they changed it to Gallivan. County Kerry is a southwestern country in Ireland. It forms part of the Irish province of Munster. The size of county Kerry is about 1, 832 square miles. It is also bordered by County Limerick which is to the east and County Cork to the south-east. One of Ireland’s most famous towns, Killarney, is located in County Kerry.

I thought I would give you a little bit of information about the history of Saint Patrick’s Day. Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and one of the most celebrated religious figures around the world. Even though he is so famous, there is little information about him. Most of it has been twisted or embellished over time but scholars believe that some parts of his story are true. He is thought to have lived between 432-461 A.D. When he was sixteen he was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Ireland. He worked as a Shepard and turned to religion for comfort. He escaped after six years and went back to his home in Britain. He became a priest and returned to Ireland after he had a dream about the voices of Irish people calling him to convert them to Christianity. Patrick brought a massive religious shift to Christianity by converting people that were in power. He set up the plans for hundreds of monasteries and churches that eventually grew across Ireland and promoted Christianity. He also promoted the study of legal texts and the bible when previously storytelling and history were passed down through orally passing down stories. His mission in Ireland lasted for approximately thirty years. Scholars believe that he died in the fifth century on March 17; the day that St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated each year. The very first year St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated in American was in Boston Massachusetts in 1737. The first St. Patrick’s Day parade was held in New York City in 1766. On this day “everybody is Irish!”

St. Patrick’s Blue, not GREEN was the color associated with St. Patrick. Green is a color that is associated with Ireland and Irish people. Ireland’s change from the color blue to green began in the 1750’s. The phrase “the wearing of the green” means to wear a shamrock on your clothes. When you wore a shamrock on your clothes it was seen as a sign of Irish nationalism and loyalty to the Roman Catholic faith. Patrick used the shamrock, the three-leaved plant to explain the Holy Trinity to the pre-Christian Irish people. His followers devloped the custom of wearing a shamrock on his feast day.

Today, people celebrate Saint Patrick’s day with parades, wearing green and drinking beer. St. Patrick’s Day might have become so popular because it takes place just a few days before the first day of spring.

http://holidays.kaboose.com/patrick-history.html

My Family at Dinner

Shaun toasting a GREEN beer with my dear Grandpa! My Grandpa's was non-alcoholic. He laughed when they brought it out to him. :)

Patty is expecting a baby girl this July. She is drinking a GREEN sprite. She loves this day and says that it's her day "Saint Patty's Day!"

They LOVE to pick him up for some reason!

My Grandpa is 91 and is still going strong. I hope I am this healthy when I am 91 years old! I love him so much!

Patty and I with our BIRTHDAY BOYS! I hope they had a great birthday! :)

Green Week

This week I am going to take pictures of things that are green each day to go with my “Green Week” theme. Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day and also my husband’s 31st birthday! I have an exam tomorrow and Wednesday, but I will make time to go have a green beer! He shares the same birthday with our friend Alex who is turning 32. We are going to celebrate their birthdays this Saturday. I already bought my husband his birthday present, and I am very excited to give it to him. He is going to love it!

This is Shaun's favorite hat to wear during the month of March! It has the Ohio State block "O" on the front and a shamrock on the back.

Children's Books

My major is Early Childhood Education and I absolutely love it! I love working with children and I am learning so much in my classes. For one of my classes, my project is to read 25 children’s books on emotions and write a short synopsis. These books were published in 2007, 2008 and a few in 2009. I also have to explain how the book can be applied to the classroom. A teacher could read one of these books to the class to address a behavior problem, teach a life lesson, or just simply to help children relate to and understand their emotions. This has been such a fun project! I loved reading each and every one and want to go out and buy some of them. These books are great not only for children, but also for adults. They express the emotions that we all feel.....whether we are big or small! I thought I would list them for you if you are a teacher or have children of your own. There are 28 total. Enjoy!

Agate by Joy Morgan Dey
Always by Ann Stott
Bad Dog, Marley! By John Grogan
Bear Feels Scared by Karma Wilson
Bear Feels Sick by Karma Wilson
Do You Love Me? By joost elffers
Grump Groan Growl by Bell Hooks
Happy Hector by Polly Dunbar
If I Could by Susan Milord
Illama Illama Mad At Mamma by Anna Dewdney
I Miss You Every Day by Simms Taback
“I’m Not Scared!” by Jonathan Allen
Jibberwillies At Night by Rachel Vail
Little Beauty by Anthony Browne
Little Hoot by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
No Matter What by Emma Dodd
Say Hello by Jack & Michael Foreman
Someday by Alison Mcghee and Peter H. Reynolds
Sourpuss And Sweetie Pie by Norton Juster
Splash! By Maria Van Lieshout
Standing On my own Two Feet by Tamara Schmitz
Taking A Bath With The Dog and other things that Make Me Happy by Scott Menchin
The Day Leo Said I HATE YOU! By Robie H. Harris
The Duck Who Played the Kazoo by Amy E. Sklansky
The Monster Who Ate Darkness by Joyce Dunbar
The Pencil by Allan Ahlberg and Bruce Ingman
Uh-Oh! By Rachel Isadora
You Were Loved Before You Were Born by Eve Bunting & Karen Barbour

Jack

I have exams next week, so this week I have been slammed with papers, papers and more papers! I only got a few hours of sleep each night, and I ended up crying over something stupid like I do every single time I have exams! I took Friday night off to give myself a break because I knew that I would be busy for the next few days. Our friend Josh spent the weekend in Cincinnati with some friends so we took care of his dog, JACK! Jack is a Golden Retriever/Collie mix and is full of energy. He loves to give you affection by licking your face, ears, arms, hands and and even your clothes. I call him "Jack Attack" and Shaun says that "he is part Liiiiizard!" I love him, but I HATE that he licks so much. My face was so sticky...gross! Our neighbor Jarrod stopped by to hang out and have a beer with us. We ended up talking about Photoshop CS3 and I asked him if he would show me how to make a collage. I have had photoshop for a year and FINALLY I know how to do this. Thank you so much Jarrod!

Great FRIENDS. Omelets. MiMoSaS.

Last Saturday we went to Cincy to visit our friends Caroline and Andrew. Their good friends Nicole and Dave were also there. We had "breakfast for dinner" and mimosas. The omelets that Andrew made were yum-o! They were filled with sausage, red peppers, onions, and cheesy goodness. We also had hash browns and Caroline made waffles, which are my FAVORITE! We topped the waffles with cute little blueberries. Whenever we go out for a night on the town with them and spend the night, you wake up to the smell of Andrew cooking breakfast. Caroline and Andrew are such an amazing couple. They have been married since September. They are so genuine and the nicest couple you will ever meet. I am so glad that my terrific friend Caroline found someone that makes her so happy. They are so respectful to each other and I just admire the love and dedication that they have for each other. They are one of those couples that you just know that they will be together forever.

After we ate all that yummy food and were so stuffed that we couldn’t move, the boys went downstairs to hang out in the basement. After they gave their stomachs time to digest their food, they took turns playing ping-pong. I tried to take some photos but they were TOO fast! Caroline, Nicole and I stayed upstairs and played with Lucy and looked at websites on the computer. Nicole is getting married in September so we were looking at wedding ideas and different photographer’s websites. Nicole had a blast using my camera and she took some AWESOME photos! They are moving to San Francisco in June after she graduates this summer with her Masters in Early Childhood Education. I really enjoyed talking to her about ECE because I am also finishing my degree. Caroline is teaching 7th grade English and Andrew is finishing his masters in Special Ed. It's so much fun to talk to people that are in the Education field. We had a great time and I can't wait to get together with them again! We took alot of photos, ENJOY!

We used to paint Lucy's toenails HOT Pink because everyone thought she was a boy!

Chloe the Fat Cat!Nicole took these photos! She did a great job!

Andrew flipping the hash browns! Nice job!

Caroline and I were roomates at OHIO UNIVERSITY!


Mimosas!

Andrew FINALLY had a chance to sit down and eat!

Senior picture pose...We are dorks!

Lucy wants to PLAY!

I LOVE LUCY SO MUCH!