Stephanie's Day

What do Carson Daly, Dan Brown and Meryl Streep all have in common? They share a birthday with Miss Stephanie Rock.

Stephanie is one of a kind. I promise, there is no one else like her in the world. She is friendly and warm as well as spunky. She is your biggest fan and your number one supporter. Always on the go, you'll never be bored if you spend time with her. And did you know, you can actually call her Dr. Rock? As if she wasn't cool enough.

Happy birthday Dr. Rock! We love you.

Father's Day

Holiday: Father's Day
Date: June 19, 2011
History: Celebrated in the U.S. on the third Sunday of June, Father's Day is a holiday honoring fathers all over the world. It became an official U.S. holiday in 1972. Sonora Smart Dodd is generally credited with originating the holiday. She is said to have had the idea in 1909 while listening to a sermon on Mother's Day.
Interesting Fact: 62 years passed between the first Father's Day celebration and its recognition as an official holiday.

For more information, go to www.history.com/topics/fathers-day.

Lynette's Day

Have you met the nicest woman on the planet? We have. In fact, we live with her! Lynette is one of the most thoughtful, genuine people you will ever meet. And she is so nice! Seriously, who else would put up with a "Christmas" tree in their living room for a year? Lynette is also a recent graduate (she's going to be a teacher), an award-winning photographer and our number one supporter in whatever we do. So happy birthday Lynette. You are one in a million and we love you.

Mother's Day

Holiday: Mother's Day

Date: May 8, 2011

History: Mother's Day is celebrated throughout many parts of the world on various days. It is a day to honor mothers and motherhood. In the United States, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May. Created by Anna Jarvis in 1908, President Woodrow Wilson made it an official national holiday in 1914. Lake many holidays in the U.S., Mother's Day has become very commercialized. In fact, Anna Jarvis eventually regretted what her holiday had become.

Interesting Facts: Mother's Day is the biggest holiday for long-distance telephone calls. There are approximately two billion mothers in the world and 82.5 million mothers in the U.S.

For more information, visit www.mothersdaycelebration.com.

Eggs, Bunnies and Baskets

Holiday: Easter
Date: April 24, 2011
History: Easter is a religious holiday celebrating Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead and in the West, is observed on the first Sunday following the full moon after the vernal equinox on March 21 (this could fall anywhere between March 22 and April 25). However, Easter is not a single day of observance. Lent, Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday, Holy Week including Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday and Eastertide are all part of this celebration. Not surprisingly, there is a commercial side to the Easter celebration. Folk customs and pagan traditions like Easter eggs, bunnies, baskets and candy have, overtime, become a standard part of Easter (very similar to Christmas).
Interesting Facts: After Halloween, Easter is the second best-selling candy holiday in America. According to the National Confectioners Association, over 16 billion jelly beans are made in the U.S. each year for Easter, enough to fill a giant egg measuring 89 feet high and 60 feet wide. Any Peep lovers out there? For the past decade, that has been the top-selling, non-chocolate Easter candy.

For more information, visit http://www.history.com/topics-of-easter or http://www.history.com/topics/easter-symbols.

Robbie's Day

Hands down, Robbie is one of the coolest girls on the planet. We cannot say enough about her. From her graceful dancing to her stellar guitar skills, she is a favorite around our house. We love, love, love this girl. Happy Birthday on your "big" day Robbie!

Saint Paddy's Day

Holiday: Saint Patrick's Day

Date: March 17, 2011

History: Saint Patrick's day is celebrated on March 17 in honor of Saint Patrick, a patron saint and national apostle of Ireland who credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. He is also known for driving all of the snakes out of Ireland. (While it is true that there are no snakes in Ireland, most likely there never has been any.) For over a thousand years, the Irish have observed Saint Patrick's Day as a religious holiday. Today, the holiday is associated with everything Irish including the color green, shamrocks and luck. However, many still celebrate Saint Patrick's Day as it was originally intended: as a traditional day for spiritual renewal and the offering of prayers for missionaries all over the world.

Interesting Facts: If you catch a leprechaun, they have to give you their gold. This is a lucky event that can only happen in Ireland and is just one explanation for the Gaelic expression, Beannachtai na Feile Padraig, which is a wish for you to have all the blessings of Saint Patrick's Day and the "luck of the Irish" to go with it. Here in the US, more than 100 parades are held and in Chicago, they dye the Chicago River green (we recommend going to Google Images and searching "Chicago River St. Patrick's Day").

For more information, visit http://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day.