Baby Lauren is here!

Our good friends Patty & Alex had their little girl today! Lauren weighed 5 pounds 14 ounces and is 20 inches long. I am so excited for them and I know that they will be wonderful parents! Patty has been to the doctor alot this week, so I am glad everything went well. On Wednesday, we watched "he's just not that into you". I got to feel the baby move after Patty and I ate a bowl of ice cream! It was fun to just spend some time with her. I am very excited to meet her sweet baby and see who she looks like.

To My Father.....

Father’s Day is a special day to tell them how much you appreciate everything they have done for you. A father is a coach, a mechanic, a landscaper, a fixer of all things, a teacher, a referee, a comedian, protector from monsters and bad guys, a wrestle maniac and the ultimate supporter. I have a very close bond with my Dad and I am so grateful to have that with him. I have so much respect for everything that my Dad has sacrificed, accomplished and provided for our family. I really admire how he has worked so hard to give our family such a great life. He has always been extremely supportive my whole life. Whether I needed help putting something together, doing my homework, or just needed some advice, he is always there. He has encouraged me to make the right choices in my life and also pushed me to grow and achieve my goals. He always gave us enough protection to keep us from harm, and enough encouragement to push us to experience life on our own. Although my Dad and I didn’t always see eye-to-eye on everything, I now understand why he was telling me the things that he did. My Dad and I have a lot of similar personality traits. One of them is our temper which we like to joke around and say that “It’s the IRISH blood in us!” I appreciate all the the qualities that I have developed from my father, good and bad. They have helped make me the person that I am today. He was such a great Father to us and I know that someday he will make a wonderful Grandfather. My Dad gave such an amazing and heartfelt speech at our wedding that there was not a dry eye at the reception. He really put alot of thought into what he wanted to say to me and to my husband on our wedding day. It really meant alot to me and I will keep that moment with me forever. I love this photo of us sharing a Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwich when I was younger. My Dad has alway put our family first and I really appreciate all that he has done to make us have a wonderful life. I hope that I can be a great parent to my children as my parents have been to me.

My daddy was my hero

For my very youngest years;

Daddy kept me safe and happy,

And he chased away my fears.

I watched in awe and wonder

At each manly thing he did;

Oh, I looked up to my daddy,

When I was a little kid.

My dad was still my hero,

As the years passed, one by one.

He taught important lessons,

And he took some time for fun.

He was my firm foundation;

On my dad I did depend;

He was always there for me,

My dad, my guide, my friend.
My father is my hero,

Now that I am fully grown.

I love him and respect him,

The best man I've ever known.

I knew when I would marry

That my husband had to be

A great man, just like my father,

Dad, my hero you'll always be.
By Joanna Fuchs

A dad is someone who

wants to catch you before you fall

but instead picks you up,

brushes you off,

and lets you try again.

A dad is someone who

wants to keep you from making mistakes

but instead lets you find your own way,

even though his heart breaks in silence

when you get hurt.

A dad is someone who

holds you when you cry,

scolds you when you break the rules,

shines with pride when you succeed,

and has faith in you even when you fail... ~By Susan Ceylise.~

My Kindergarten Teacher

When I signed up for my phonics class this quarter, I noticed that my professor's name was VERY familiar. I was so excited to see that my kindergarten teacher was going to be teaching our phonics class! It has been 20 years since I have been in Kindergarten, and what a rare opportunity this was to be a student in her class once again. I really enjoyed her class this quarter! Her mannerisms are exactly as I remember, and she brought back alot of happy memories of things that she would do with my kindergarten class. She taught us alot about phonics and gave us some great ideas and advice for when we have a classroom of our own. I am glad that I was able to reunite with her, and I want to stay in touch. She actually lives very close to us.

Last week was our last week of class and final exams for the spring quarter. My Cohort had our last Phonics class at Books and Co. I was sad to say goodbye to her, and got bummed driving to class. As she read an AMAZING inspirational story to us, I began to think about how important teachers are in the lives of children. They truly have a great responsibility to be the best influences on children. I am most happy when I am in the presence of children and I really try to stay positive. I remember kindergarten being a very happy and positive experience and that proves how important teachers are in the lives of young children. Thank you so much for making kindergarten and this quarter such a positive experience for me!

(Half of my Cohort pictured below)

"Why we try to teach children all about life, children teach us what life is all about."

"I touch the future. I teach." -Christa McAuliffe

"It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge."-Albert Einstein

"To teach is to touch a life forever."

"One Hundred Years from now It will not matter what kind of car I drove, What kind of house I lived in, how much money was in my bank account nor what my clothes looked like. But the world may be a better place because I was important in the life of a child."

Teachers

Paint their minds

and guide their thoughts

Share their achievements

and advise their faults

Inspire a Love

of knowledge and truth

As you light the path

Which leads our youth

For our future brightens

with each lesson you teach

Each smile you lengthen

Each goal you help reach

For the dawn of each poet

each philosopher and king

Begins with a Teacher

And the wisdom they bring

* Poem by Kevin William Huff

This first week of my summer break has been amazing! I am in such a great mood and I am having a blast with Tucker and Cooper. I thought I would share a photo of Cassius and Dutch snuggling with the boys this morning. I hope it brings a smile to your face like it did for me.

San Francisco

Yay! I just booked my flight to go see Katie & Ben in San Francisco on July 10, 2009! I am so excited to see them and all of the exciting things that San Francisco has to offer! When I was six months old my parents took me on a business trip to San Francisco. They have a picture of the three of us by the bay. I will take lots of photos to share with you from my trip. I am excited to take engagement photos of Katie & Ben, because the ones that we took in Dayton were not as unique as I had hoped.

I am going to a photography class with my Dad in Cincinnati tomorrow evening! It will be fun to learn more about photography, and also just to spend some time with my Daddy! Maybe I will learn some new techniques that I can use on my trip to CALIFORNIA!

photo from Google Images: San Francisco

Our Anniversary Session

A few weeks ago, one of my best friends took photos for us for our one year Anniversary! We had a blast hanging out with Allie, and she did an AMAZING job! We had fun just being ourselves and letting her capture the moment. I love candid photos because they are so real and can express so much genuine emotion. Allie has been such an amazing friend to me and I am so grateful to have her in my life. She and I both got married three weeks apart and it was so much fun to be planning our weddings at the same time. We both had so much fun deciding and creating every little detail of our wedding, that we want to stay involved in the wedding industry. Shaun and I had a beautiful wedding, but it went by so quickly that I was upset when it was over. Allie and I have both talked about how we wish that we could experience our wedding day again.

We took Cassius, our little boxer puppy with us for our photo session. He has brought so much joy to our lives! There is nothing better than coming home from a long day and having him give you a wiggly greeting and lots of wet puppy kisses. He is such a stress reliever and makes life better!

I have been really trying to be productive and not post any more blogs until the end of the quarter, but I couldn't resist any longer. Allie took these photos a few weeks ago and I have been trying to find the time to post them. She did a great job so I thought I would share some of my favorites with you! Enjoy! :)