so in case you don’t follow us on twitter, it is SNOWING in ATLANTA today! and in case you can’t tell from that last sentence- this makes me VERY EXCITED!
when we walked out of church this morning i think i smiled bigger than i’ve smiled in weeks- it almost hurt- then proceeded to half hug/ half beat matt’s arm as i endlessly repeated, ‘it’s snowing, baby!’ as if he couldn’t tell by the ice-y whiteness weighing down his eyelashes and obscuring his vision. we met friends for pancakes and after a quick snowball fight (snow scraped off the hoods of cars in the parking lot, of course) we headed home to grab the camera. the flakes had gotten heavier and wetter (but had not quite turned to rain!) so we took turns juggling the umbrella as we shot everything in sight- including each other- that happened to be covered in snow. we didn’t have too much time before we were totally soaked through and it was time to enjoy the whiteness from our couch… ;)
here are a few from this rare snowy march day! first up: me realizing that my hat has a quarter inch of slushy snow on top of it:
my husband is just a stud :)
and here i am, extremities completely frozen, conjuring up the teeniest smile despite my drenched jeans (is there anything worse?!):
my ice covered hat! it (i) kept dropping ice chunks every time i tried to chimp a shot…oops… ;)
like i said- we spent the rest of the afternoon watching the snow from our couch- this is the view from there, it’s lovely:
six months ago i had the pleasure of photographing baby jayci and her lucky mom and dad- becca and adam. it started a little spiral of baby related posts and we received lots of inquiries about family shoots during that period of time. we were excited to try something new but we were just too busy to take on extra shoots right then…that brings us to february- our month of day shoots (that all ended up getting booked at the end of the month, ah, lesson learned!). it actually worked out perfectly for us that we were able to capture jayci yesterday as she celebrated turning 1/2 years old! we wandered around marietta square and marveled over jayci’s every squeal, burp and yawn- capturing their sweet family the best we knew how. it’s so amazing to watch a family grow together- so much has changed for them over the last six months and as we listened to them recount funny jayci stories we realized how perfectly suited they are to be parents. we feel so blessed that when we decide to have little altmixs (in, like, 5 years at least) we’ll have so many amazing friends to lean on and learn from. like the stanley clan:
jayci was really aware of the cameras during the shoot- she kept looking back and forth between matt and me as we shot- it was perfect!
old dark alleys don’t scream baby pictures! but we decided to give it a shot anyway, of course ;)
all of the white noise of the vents and machinery soothed little jayci to sleep right away so we snuck a few images while she enjoyed her little nap!
the sun was kicking off an office building across the street from this wall and the windows created the most beautiful little patches of light:
i think jayci looks like a little gift here- pretty appropriate!
becca, adam & jayci, thank you all for allowing us into your life to capture your family. we enjoyed hanging out with you guys and we really can’t wait to see what awesomeness is in store for your family next!
matt and i could talk all day about the many amazing people we’ve met thanks to our job- hilarious grooms, cute & quirky brides and of course- awesome wedding parties! once we’ve been in touch with a couple and met up with them a few times it is always so fun to show up at the wedding and meet their best friends!
that’s how we met the lovely eryn & jared. they were in juli & blake’s wedding party and were both so encouraging and loving on the day of the wedding. we have kept in touch since the wedding and when eryn mentioned she was starting an organization called cupcakes for a cause i was immediately interested- cooking + helping? brilliant. the website, that, as the name suggests, sells homemade cupcakes to raise money, is set to launch in early march. this past weekend we were able to spend some time shooting for them (and sampling! we’re here to help.) as they perfected their recipes and explained to us the movements they are supporting- eryn says it best:
For most children, a cupcake is simply dessert.
For the young children sold into the Cambodian sex trade, this cupcake could mean their way out.
2 to 4 million women and children will be sold into sex trafficking in a year…
In a world where sex trafficking is the second largest organized crime…
Cupcakes for a Cause will donate 65% of all dollars spent to one of the two movements. The Somaly Mam
Foundation, an organization that “focuses on eradicating the root of human trafficking, exemplifying a global
vision and dedication that will allow its work in the United States and South East Asia to expand to other
countries around the world.”
The other movement will be Joshua Mckague, “A filmmaker that has the passion to use media as a tool
to change the world.” He relies solely on donations. He travels to other countries, documenting and bringing
awareness to end sex slavery.
In a world where the victims of sexual slavery are subjected to rape, torture, forced abortion, starvation,
and threats to family members…
What are we willing to do to make a difference for these young victims?
Cupcakes for a Cause. Because their tomorrow begins today.
so these adorable mini vanilla cupcakes were completely covered in a chocolate shell- they tried every combination of strawberry, white chocolate and milk chocolate and they all turned out so cute! these would be so adorable as party favors or as a birthday surprise to a friend across the country! (the cupcakes are overnighted for the freshest delivery!) i broke this little guy open to shoot the fluffy inside and quickly cleaned up the mess by eating it- DELISH!
so these next little guys are my fave- perfect for a birthday party or 4th of july! they are still ironing out the details on making the perfect icing swirl on top but i think they are awesome as is. the batter is baked directly in the cone- how heavenly does that sound!?
this was my other fave- baby terracotta pots lined with parchment paper are filled with the batter and baked- they slide out easily and would be a huge step up from traditional place cards at a shower or brunch! ooo the possibilities!
i know it’s tough but we’re going to all have to wait until march when they officially launch their site to support this cause by ordering treats! can’t wait! ;)
