12.7.11

a teacher, a friend and a fashion show

i'm so thankful for the teachers that my girls have had the pleasure 
of spending their time with at school.
emery had the same teacher for JK and SK (brilliant!).

her teacher's name is mrs. leis.
she has been teaching kindergarten for 20 years and is a mentor and example 
for her students and other kindergarten teachers.
sadly, this was her last year at our school.
yes, there were tears shed on the last day... 

i could go on and on about the things she has done for emery 
and her classmates over the past two years, but this story says it all:
(i get emotional just thinking about it)

emery's good friend maggie has had a challenging year.
mrs. leis has played a huge role in maggie's life during this difficult time, 
one of strength, love and comfort...

just last week mrs. leis contacted maggie, 
hoping to take her out for ice cream (yes - during the summer).
the timing wasn't going to work for that, because maggie was at a day camp.
 so maggie's mom invited mrs. leis to a fashion show that maggie was going to be a part of.
mrs. leis willingly accepted that invitation.  
she took time from her family and holidays to attend the show and brought flowers for maggie! 
how fantastic is that?!
emery was also invited to the show and they all had a wonderful time. 
i love this photo below...
a special moment captured - that will be remembered for a long time...

mrs. leis,    
you are an inspiration.  
thank you for loving your "room 4 friends" so much.
your new school and students are so lucky to have you in the fall.  you will be missed.
wishing you all the best,
          ~ cheryl


maggie,
i'm so glad that you and emery have become great friends!
based on all the fans that came out, it sounds like you were the star of the fashion show!
way to go girl!
            ~ cheryl


photos taken by maggie's mom (another inspiring woman...)

11.7.11

camping scenery

so many beautiful sights to take in each day.
that's the beauty of photography - taking the time to seek out those sights.
here are a few that i captured while camping in goderich:

sunday




monday
by jude


tuesday

wednesday - last night

which of these scenes do you enjoy the most?
can you guess my favourite?

to see our camping fun - stay tuned...



10.7.11

cotton candy


yesterday we were at the cherry festival here in town.
we had a very special treat there.


as you can see - the girls enjoyed it.
they had to share with me though - because i love it too!
blue tongues for everyone.

9.7.11

camping friends

we spent the first week of the summer camping.
rather than just the four of us going - we went with another family.
connecting sites - oh yeah!
after such a great week - not sure i would camp without family or friends.  
the plans are already in the works for next year!

so meet the UWs: our camping friends!


abigail - 10
nathaniel - 6 
jesse - 4
andrew
catherine
we met the UWs through preschool 3 years ago - and i'm so glad we did.
it was exciting when we realized that we lived so close to each other!
emery and nathaniel have been in the same class since preschool.
selah and jesse just finished their year together and
we have our fingers crossed that they'll be in the same JK class!
abigail is such a great girl - thankful that emery and selah have her to look up to.
catherine and andrew - they're pretty fun too!

thanks for the memories you guys!

catherine is an excellent photographer who has recently started her own business.
woot, woot!
you can see her family blog here
(where she recently posted some camping photos)
and check out her photography website!

come back for more camping photos soon...

8.7.11

trophy

emery received her first trophy last night.  
she is so proud of that thing... 
i wish i could give her a trophy everyday.
 below is my favourite moment of the night:
this is emery showing selah her trophy.
selah was so excited for her big sister!
i overheard emery say
"and selah, if you do tball next year - you'll get a trophy like this one!"
i love emery's joy & thoughtfulness, and selah's reaction!