More belly shots!  This mamma already has a spunky 2 1/2 year old…and is soon to have her hands full with baby #2!  Just when we gave up on big sister wanting to touch the belly…she comes out of no where to give her mamma what she wants!

Please feel free to leave comments below!

I have a beauty here…of course I am not at all biased!  My sister in law is expecting her third baby in just under a month.  She is sporting the perfect belly here…and I even got a good one that includes her 2 boys!  She is keeping us in suspense on the sex of the baby…anyone care to guess?

Look at this sweet little angel!  She let me try out some of my new material…and I LOVE the outcome!  Miss S. was 12 days old on photo day and was a dream to work with…with a little help from her noise maker!

So, would you like to know what is worse than being a photographers kid?  Being a photographers sister in law waiting for your photos said photographer took of your children.  I am guilty.  I have the sweetest sister in law in the whole wide world.  When I forgot to edit her photos of her kids…ahem…easter session…she just replied “oh, whenever, I am in no hurry” or something along that line!  So, here are a couple.  I have also just recently done their birthday session…and will post a couple of cute ones of that session also.  For all of you who have seen the “Watching Natie grow” slide show on my website, the little one in this photo is Natie!  He is now 3!

I had my babies’ daddy pick the winner from a pile of names in a hat (he wanted to video tape it so it so no one would think we picked differently, but due to technical difficulties we could not!).

CONGRATULATIONS AMY J!!!

You receive a free session and free 8×10 from the session!

Thank you to all who have shared your stories.  It was wonderful reading them.  I want to share one more with you if you would like to hear it.

I just wanted to share a little bit of how wonderful my husband is to his babies.  He is (in my opinion of course!) the coolest daddy out there!  As I write this, he is loading his van up with gas powered RC boats, electric RC boats, RC buggies/cars and planes, fishing rods and I think a jet ski…to take our kids to his brothers to play!  Every fathers day he loads up the van for this trip.  The kids love watching, and occasionally driving the boats around the lake (the little boats go FAST!).  These are remote controlled boats, planes and cars…what kid does not love remote control stuff!  They love fishing with their daddy too.  He spends the whole day entertaining the kids and all the other parents that show up at his brothers!

On top of being a cool dad…he is pretty sweet too.  He loves his babies.  Worries about them every minute they are sick, tries to make it to every baseball game, plays catch, and lets them help when he is working on “stuff” (most of the time!).  He helps them out with their bath almost every night and reads a story (or 2 or 3) to them almost every night.  Oh…and ALWAYS checks on them before he goes to bed for the night.  He is the best daddy!

I am going to get a good photo of the 3 of them in a bit and post it a bit later…but for now, I wish all you Daddy’s out there a very Happy Fathers Day!

I had a late night entry to the contest.  I will announce the winner in a bit.

“My Dad and I have always been close.  I was the only girl in the family so I was/am quite the Daddy’s girl.  One of the greatest things my Dad taught me was to be independent.  He made sure that I had a great education so I could get a good job and instilled in me the value of a dollar.  My Dad was a hard worker all his life but no matter how long of a day he had at work, he always made time for us kids when he got home.  Everything I am today is because of my Dad.  He was and always will be my hero.

When I was a little girl, my Dad used to put me to sleep by rubbing my tummy.  He would lay me across his lap in his 1970’s yellow and brown plaid recliner and rub my tummy.  It only took him about 2 strokes up and down my tummy and I was out like a light.  As much as I love my Mom, I hate to say it but she just didn’t have the touch.  She would try to rub my tummy but she just couldn’t get me to sleep.  I was about 4 years old and one night my Dad had to work really late doing inventory at his job.  My Mom said she had tried rubbing me for like 5 hours straight and I just wouldn’t go to sleep.  Finally at around midnight, I heard my Dad’s key in the lock.  I jumped out of my Mom’s lap and went running for the front door.  By the time my Dad opened the door, I had pulled up my little nightgown and said “Rub me Daddy, Rub Me”.  He put down his briefcase, picked me up and put me across his lap in the yellow and brown plaid recliner.  According to my Mom, she said he didn’t even get through half a stroke and I was dead asleep.  This is one of my favorite memories of my Dad.

Now that I am a parent to sweet baby Aiden, I understand about doing anything for your child no matter how exhausted you may be and I now understand how much my Dad (and Mom) loved us.  I truly have the best Dad in the world!!!

Thanks for letting me share my story.”

Amy J.

A Wonderful Dad

When I married that wonderful husband of mine,

there were some things I knew from the start.

I knew he was gentle and thoughtful and wise,

I knew that he had a big heart…

But I didn’t know all the things I know now,

all the tricks that he had up his sleeve.

All the toys he could fix, all the swings he could push,

all the ways he could make make-believe.

Now the more we’re together,

the more I can see just what very good fortune I’ve had…

When I married that wonderful husband of mine,

I sure married a wonderful dad!

–Author unknown

When I first read this poem I thought that I could not have said it better myself. I do not have one specific story to tell or anything extraordinarily heroic to say. To me, it is about all of the little “every day” things that make my husband the most wonderful “Dadda”. From the very day that we found out that I was pregnant, through pregnancy and with the birth of our son, Patrick has been the most loving, supportive and accommodating man. From reading to my pregnant belly to midnight feedings or soothing a colicy baby for hours on end, he has played a key role in our son’s life. Patrick definitely never took the backseat or secondary role in parenting—he is just as much of a “mommy” as I. I can even remember sometimes feeling ridiculously jealous of the strong bond between my husband and son, thinking, “Hey, I’m the mommy here!” He goes out of his way every day to ensure that our son has the very best of everything. What I love the most is that he emphasizes “quality over quantity”; meaning that he would rather spend quality time playing with our son than buy him toys to keep him occupied. He truly defines what a “family” means and what a real “man” should be. He has made so many changes in his own life to be a healthy and strong role model for our son.

Sometimes, I will just sit quietly and watch my husband and son play. The excitement in my son’s eyes when “Dadda is home!” The deep belly laughs that only Dadda can illicit from our son, the hours of laughter while playing “peek-a-boo” or roaring like a lion (even after working a midnight shift), make me realize what a wonderful Dadda I married. I am amazed every day at all of the time and effort that Patrick puts into teaching our son everything from his “ABC’s” to “right from wrong”. The love and patience that he portrays are but a few of his strongest characteristics. Often times, I feel as though my girlfriends do not believe me when I tell them some of the things that Patrick has done for our family and what an incredible father he truly is. I know that sometimes, with the fast pace of every day life, he may wonder if I take these things for granted, but I do not. I am so proud of the man that he is and could not have asked for a better man to be the father of my children. “Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a Dadda”

Isn’t that the truth!

Thank you all for all of the entries.  I will announce the random winner tomorrow!

“Hmmm, let’s see, what can I say about my Dad…  He wasn’t always what one might see as the “best” father.  Growing up he always provided for us a safe home, a happy home, most everything we ever wanted he made sure was there. Ok, so maybe Mom had a lot to do with that, but he provided let’s just say.  He always loved us, I don’t doubt that for a second. He spent time with us when his work schedule allowed… a snuggle on the couch, hours out on the water in our boat, movie nights, Friday dinners out as a family, the good old Griswold like family trip down to Disney World, the annual outing to Boblo Island for a day of fun, the list goes on. You are probably saying, so what’s the catch? Sounds good to me! But you see, the catch to the ”best” father award is that he was an alcoholic.  He didn’t drink in front of us, not a drop of alcohol in the house. But it affected everyone in his life, most of all himself.  All of those fun family times I speak of above were all tainted by this awful disease, alcoholism.

So you probably wonder, why is she even writing about this stuff.  Can’t she find one good story and stick to that. Nope, I can’t. Writing about my father HAS to include this information because that’s who he IS and also the reason why I am so proud of him today. Today, I can safely say that my father IS the “best” father.  He is sober now almost 20 years. Although he will always be an alcoholic he works daily so that he does not let that part of himself affect his life and those he loves.  He works hard at being a wonderful and loving Grandpa to my children.  He mentors other alcoholics in the hope that they too will one day have their children say they are the “best” father/mother there is.  He reclaimed his life and his happiness through his bravery to overcome what to most in that situation say is the impossible. He did it for himself, for us, for his future. I am so proud of my Dad, and maybe there were times I would have given anything to have a different Dad, but now that’s not the case. These difficulties made him who he is today, and honestly, me the person I have become.  So on this Father’s I say thank you Dad, I love you!”

Again…keep ‘em coming!

“Hello my name is Nicole and I live in Novi Michigan. I am recently married to a wonderful man who took on my wonderful children age 7 and 4 without batting an eye. I was raised by my stepfather and always saw what it took to be this kind of man, it is not your average guy, a tough guy, a sensitive guy an empathetic guy, a sense of humor guy or a patient guy but a man that is all of those things in one and posses an extremely open heart! I found myself in a position after my divorce of being a single mother and was absolutely fine with raising my children alone and with my family along side. Ravi (my now husband) never thought it odd or a challenge that he would get into a relationship with me and my children even though he was finishing his medical residency at my hospital. I kept thinking how is it someone who has worked so hard is willing to just give of his time and hard earned income on a ready built family. My question does not have one answer but is so obviously apparent daily of his love and commitment for this family. he considers the kids a blessing and an honor to raise and to be part of their lives. I knew it was all so divinely designed when the kids rushed to greet him at the door, refusing to go to bed without his hugs and kisses, drawing pictures of our new family and wanting to call him throughout the day. They have bonded so well beyond what I expected at this point and I couldn’t be happier. He takes them, loves them, encourages them and without saying a word shows them what a real husband, father, and hero really can be!”

And a photo of said children and Daddy:

Keep them coming!  I know the dads will love reading the wonderful things you tell us abou them!

Another wonderful story…this time from Jill writing about her Dad.  Keep them coming!

“My Daddy, Charles Mozdzen, & I have always been extremely close. I am, and always will be a Daddy’s girl. I remember the day Kelsey was born, my Dad looked at Gary and said – one day you’ll understand the relationship a Daddy & a Daughter have – that special bond that Jill & I have!
One of my favorite memories dates back to about 1981. I was very ill and had a high fever. It was summertime. I could not go outside or have anyone over to play. My Dad looked at me and asked what I wanted that would make me feel better? I responded that I wanted to color him. He looked at me and said Mommy get the markers and I colored him! It instantly placed a smile on my face.
The next day, my Mom gave him a white dress shirt for work. He did not realize it, but the marker was still present and you could see it through the shirt.
That is just one of the many memorable moments I have shared with my Daddy. He is one of my best friends and always knows how to make me feel better when it seems like nothing will!
I love you, Daddy!”
Jill Mozdzen-Kathan

And now a photo to remember the occasion!  Taken by Jill’s Mom, Patricia.

What a great Dad…does anyone know any other Dads that would do something like this?!?