L.O.V.E. at AMBIANCE...

I thought it might be fun to share a recent photo session with you guys... 

This one was for (surprise, surprise) VALENTINE'S DAY!!! Yes, I'll be milking it all week.

Kalsee and I had a lot of fun making a big mess at Ambiance.  And I had not even a little bit of fun blowing up gazilllllllions of balloons.  Seriously, I need to just invest in a pump already...

X's + O's by Banter Banner available at Ambiance for $10!  

Everyone needs one of these banners in their life.  Apparently I need 3.   

CONFETTI CRAZINESS!

ROSE PETALS + BALLOONS FOR DAAAAYS!

And how we make the magic...

The aftermath.

*And no, we did not get all that confetti out of the fancy reclaimed barnwood floorboards.  *eeeeek*

Have I mentioned that I love my job so much?  I do.

Helium head...

Oh, balloons...  and ponies... and cosmic tree lights...  

I love these arresting images by artist Andrea Galvani.  

P.S.

I always wonder who buys the black balloons.  Good to know.

Happy Birthday, Baby Dahl...

Seriously, where the heck did this year go???  

Our teeny, tiny, baby is 

O N E !

Ok, now allow me to get all mushy and *mom* on you for just a minute...

You guys, my BAAAYBEE is ONE!  And eating cake and walking around, smashing toy cars on the floor, and being a real boy!  I honestly feel like this year was such a blur.  Thank God for digital photography, and instagram, and blogging, and huuuge memory on hard drives- because without them I wouldn't even believe that a year had passed.  ONE seems so significant- it's almost too much to process.  So I have a secret...  

Wanna know the very first thing I said to this little boy; and to James, and Evelyn too?  Even in the foggy haze of cesarean drugs, and the deep-seeded acknowledgment of a body flayed open, wounded and emptied...  I've managed to wish a "Happy Birthday, Baby" to each of them the first time we met.  So this was really Elliott's second Happy Birthday.  Right?  Sorta?  Kinda? 

Thinking of it that way just makes it all a little less heart wrenching for me and helps me hold it together.   Holding it together kept me from being that mom- blowing out the one year old's candle for them, with tears running down my her face.  

So I thought: it's special, but it's not the MOST significant day he's had yet...  and I kissed his little head for the 10 bazillionth time, and blew out the candle with a smile.  I had fun.  He had fun.  And we had fun watching him have fun.  Obviously, our entire household is obsessed with this boy.  That's what you get with big age gaps and little babies.  He just makes us all ridiculously happy.  

Which brings me to the image below...  you know- an average day, but with chocolate and balloons:

We celebrated at home, just the 5 of us.  6, if you count our friend the chocolate bear cake...

But he didn't last very long.

Elliott had his very first taste of ooey gooey chocolatey goodness.  

Verdict?

SUCCESS!

♥

Oh, Elli... you are the happiest little blessing to your family and such a precious gift to each of us.  

We love you like craisin cakes and we're just so excited to know you, to help you grow, and to see you discover the world.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY!  

Balloon beauty...

Aren't these balloon images FANTASTIC?  

Would you believe- they were taken at car dealerships?!  Beauty everywhere...

Well done, Harpy.

British Motor Sports and Bikinis...

YAY, YOU GUYS!!!  My swim photos for Ambiance came out today!  

I'm suuuper excited to share more of them with you at last.  Can you tell?  :)

                

This was a challenging job... swimsuits + downtown + no water + no sand + very little sun

= Yikes.

But I'm so happy with them!  Anissa was a real trouper, the balloons were a great prop, and the amazing cars at British Sports Cars on Marsh St. worked so perfectly with the retro-inspired cuts of the suits.  Special thanks to Peter, for giving us run of the place (again).  Maaaybe my favorite work photos yet.  

P.S. The last time we did photos at the auto shop: