We love dads!

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Happy Father’s Day!  We asked our members and Facebook followers to submit “photographic love letters to dads” for our Father’s Day blog feature and we love their responses.  Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy!

Reading, playing, wiping, patting, squeezing, boosting, encouraging, corralling, inspiring, demonstrating, rocking, teaching, and oh so much more.  To one of the best dads I know, thanks for all you do! And, whenever possible, for doing it in the good light so we can hold onto those moments just a little longer.
~ Jennifer Bogle | website

I am blessed with a wonderful Father-In-Law who is also a sweet and loving Grandfather to Theo. Theo calls him Grandad ‘Tash and as you can see from the photo they have a great relationship.
~ Rebecca Spencer | website

My husband. The father of two people in the world who mean the world to me. The most patient, kind, thoughtful, amazing dad. I’m so thankful that my children get to walk through life with him by their sides, and I’m so grateful that he and I get to share the bond and the journey of parenthood as copilots. It hasn’t always been an easy journey, but experiencing it with him sure has made it a journey filled with lots of laughter, so much love, and tons of happiness. I love you, Ryan, and I appreciate all that you bring to my life and to the lives of our precious duo.
~ Ashley Spaulding | website

Now that my daughter is older my husband has bonded with her over sports, such as running. He loves running and is trying to get her to feel the same. This image was taken after their first race. (This is what I look like with my hair a MESS and no makeup, after shooting a wedding the night before.
~ Dana Tate | website

I tried and tried, but I couldn’t figure out whether to include a “then”, a “now”, or my favorite image of them just being, well, THEM, so I included all three. Isn’t she just an adorably girly version of him? He’s the best Daddy she could have ever asked for–he’s goofy, sweet, sentimental, hilarious (well, according to him <3), and madly in love with his little girl. When I chose him to spend forever with, I knew I loved him, but I couldn’t possibly image how wonderful it would be to create a whole new person with him–to watch a whole new side of him emerge and evolve as she does. I just adore my little family, and I feel so blessed that they are both mine!
~Jessica Holden | website

My hubby is the best daddy in the world to our 6-month-old, and he is her very favorite person on earth. Watching them together is the most beautiful thing I can possibly imagine. Happy first Father’s Day to the happiest dad I know!
~ Heather L. MacClintock

My 7 year old daughter, Gianna Rose, is our 3rd child out of 5 children, and she truly is our middle child of the bunch of lil’ rascals. On this particular day my sweet husband was resting his eyes and dozed off for a little bit. I captured this photo as she was cuddling her Daddy. When I asked her after shooting the picture what she was doing, she told me she wanted to hear his heart beat so she can always remember his love just for her. “Daddy needs my cuddles.” As simple as that. My heart skipped a beat in that moment. To be 7, a little girl, and loving her Daddy forever.

What a special little moment in time. So sweet and innocent. I honestly didn’t do much retouching of the photo, because my style is purely in the natural and authentic of things. My husband Dennis is a busy Daddy of 5 children, and through the 12 years of being a Dad, he has done so much for our five children to make them all feel so special and unique. To capture this favorite image of mine , captures for me what Father’s Day is all about. It’s about the heart of the matter in life, it is what makes me feel joy, love and the magic of photography.  My motto, “Capturing the light of a smile one click at a time.”
~ Jacqueline M. Cinnante | website

My husband is an amazing father to both of our boys, always looking for ways to spend time with them. The photo below was taken this evening shortly after he had gotten home from his long work commute home. I had given him a free pass to relax, unwind and actually eat dinner, but he choose to come along because Jonah asked him specifically to come with us and play at the creek. (Our older son was not there as he is visiting my in-laws in Florida, otherwise he would have been in the photo as well!)
~ Heather Rodburg | website

My Dad with 9 of his 11 grandchildren last year. He will be 76 on August 11th.
~ Michele Hammer | flickr

I am extremely blessed to share parenthood with this guy. He is such an amazing father and I love to watch him interact and play with our boys. They have so much love for their daddy and you can see it all over their faces in this photo.
~ Lacey Butler

This guy. <3 We will celebrate our 25th anniversary in December, and he still makes my heart beat fast. He is the most amazing dad to our five children, he works two jobs to provide for us, but still plays catch every night and takes them swimming and camping and to baseball games and goes to all the events that are important to them. He’s the kind of man I want our girls to marry, the kind of man I want our boys to be, and I feel so blessed to be his wife.
~ Sabra McKibbon | facebook

This has always been one of my favorites of my husband and daughter.
~ Stacey Wiseman | website

As I was looking back through my archives I realized that I am blessed to have quite a few photos of my dad.  I love this recent photo of him and my son.  I have lived in the same city as my parents my entire life up until last year when we moved 2000 miles away.  My kids grew up with grandparents nearby, attending all of their events and activities.  I love that physical distance has not altered my kids’ close relationship with their grandparents.  My parents came to visit last month and I shot this photo while my dad and my son were outside playing wiffle ball in the early evening, and it’s as if no time has passed since they last saw each other.
~ Jessica Gwozdz | website

My all time favorite shot of Brad. I shot this while the doctor was still at the foot of my bed after Lylah was born. That expression of his….that’s still how he looks at her.
~ Lynne Rigby | website

My husband is an incredible father. He gives his all for our two boys. He is so very patient and loving, and he’s a play monster. I joke that I have 3 kids at home, but I wouldn’t have it any other way! He will run and play til he’s dead tired just to put a smile on our sons’ faces. These have always been favorites.
~ Chesna Campbell

I also wanted to share this pic of my father holding my 2nd born. One of my biggest heartaches in life is raising my family away from family. So anytime my Dad gets to be with us and hold my boys, I get all teary eyed and just linger with these moments.
~ Chesna Campbell

(Our final Father’s Day submission came in as a collection of photos combined with text.  We couldn’t eliminate any of these images so are sharing them all.)

Retirement. When I think of actual retirement I think of a cute little old couple sipping hot tea on their front porch while sitting in rockers. Him with the New York Times in hand and her with yarn and needles. While I may be an avid knitter, I am so not there yet!  However, after serving thirty {30} long years with the USNR as a Command Master Chief and twenty-five {25} equally long years as a civilian police officer, my husband is in fact officially retired as of June 1, 2014.

We’ve made so many memories over the almost two decades we’ve spent together. While it may be easy to remember the times apart from deployments and exhaustion from him working midnights and my staying up with our then littles, as well as sleepless nights worrying about him, it’s just as easy to think about the amount of work and dedication that he’s invested into our country, the people who live in South Brunswick whom he kept safe at night, and of course what an amazing father and husband he is and just how incredibly proud I am to be his wife. 

Even writing this I’m having a hard time finding the words (yes, me!) to express exactly how I feel because it’s such an overwhelming wave of emotions to think about how incredibly hard he’s truly worked and sacrificed to get to this place in his life. I know how much he wants to provide and make sure we’re secure, but the truth of the matter is all we need is him here to have that. I know that he’s anxious about what’s next for him after so many years of having a plan, every single day. Me? I’m not worried for him, or for us. While the unknown may be slightly frightening on some levels, I know that whatever comes next will be exactly what’s supposed to, because he deserves it and he’s earned it.

So as our 17th Father’s Day together approaches, I hope he knows just how very much the boys and I appreciate everything he’s done for us. I know he thinks over the years that he’s missed a lot having had to be away and working so much, but as far as I’m concerned the best is yet to come. Everything he’s done has brought us as a family to where we are now and we’d never be here without him. He’s our everything and I adore him. Happy Father’s Day, love.
~ Sarah Mazza | website

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