George & Henry: Twice as Nice

{Ash-a-ley}

I recall always saying that if I ever had kids, I would def. want twins.   It was not until I began my photography career, that I began to think twice about that (no pun intended).   I get to see first hand the amount of hard work it takes to raise twins.   When you finish feeding one, the other starts crying, by the time you finish feeding that one, it's time to change Baby #1's Diaper, then Baby #2 Needs a Change, then it's time to feed Baby #1 again, then Baby #2.....it is an on going cycle that takes patience, love and a lot of teamwork.   As with most things in this life, the more work you put into anything, the more you receive in return.   Sure the diapers pile up twice as fast, the bills stack up two times quicker, and you feel twice as tired as you would with one newborn.....but it is the moments you look down at the two little miracles that you call your own and watch them sleep and the little moments you never want to forget like hearing their first laugh.  We were there for George & Henry's BirthStory 6 months ago, and 6 months later, I was there to capture how big these blue eyed boys had become!    

 Flashback......Here is George & Henry's BirthStory.....


And their ADORABLE birth Announcement, which happens to be one of my favorites!   

Lavender & Lemonade : Alicea's Baby Shower

There is not quite much that I love more than planning a party.  Coming up with a theme, a color scheme, details and all of the little creative additions I could possibly come up with to make it extra special and one of a kind.   I knew I would be throwing Alicea a baby shower, but I knew I wanted it to be special.   In years past, I have held many important titles in Alicea's life.....Maid of Honor, God Mother to my niece, Madelyn....but each time, I think I was too young to truly grasp the responsibilities of that title.   Point in case....it is kind of hard for a 16 year old to properly plan and execute a killer bachelorette bash.....I knew that I wanted this party to be special.   I wanted Alicea to feel special and how truly loved she is.  I had a million ideas flooding my mind when I first tried to figure out what I was going to do......then I started narrowing down the planning.   Pinterest played a big part in  my planning, and it was the best way to get my plethora of ideas all in one place.    It was my visual creative chart, and the only way I could show my mom what I was talking about..   For a little look into what was going through my mind and onto my Pinterest party planning board.....click HERE.

There were a few things I knew I wanted from the beginning for this party:

Soft Colors with pops of Purple

a cake from Whipt Cream (more on this in a bit)

a girly theme

brunch

Lots of personalized details

I ended up deciding on the theme "Lavender & Lemonade".  The colors would be pale yellows and soft purples combined with pops of purple and splashes of yellows.   I know how excited Madi was to become a big sis and I combined that with the fact that she loved to read.....so on the invitations, I asked guests to bring their favorite childhood book (new or used) in lieu of a card, because I just could envision Madi curled up in bed reading to her baby sister.   :)   Here is the invite.....

 And here is the breakfast brunch/candy bar buffet.   I included some of our favorite foods growing up......Beeps (aka. grapes), Mom's Breakfast Pizza, Yogurt Parfait, and a close rendition of one of Alicea's favorite Chicken Breast salad.....

And the lemon name tags.....those were an idea from one of my 2011 brides, Tressa!  She did all of her own decor at her winery wedding, and I loved everything about it!!!  Check out more from her wedding here.

Growing up, our mom ALWAYS made breakfast pizza.   I have not had this pizza in YEARSSSSSS.....and I knew getting mom to pull the old b-fast pizza recipe out of retirement would be the hit of the party.   I reached much opposition and also the, "Why can't you just have a normal baby shower and make sandwiches!?" suggestion......Like I said, Sometimes my mom thinks my ideas are a little much, but once I have a vision, there is no stopping me.......When push came to shove....the party had Mom's Breakfast Pizza......and it was the first thing gone from the buffet!!!  Everyone LOVEDDDD it!!!!  Thank you, mom!!!  :) 

And here is the yogurt parfait.....and Purple lemonade!  One of my favorite parts!!!   

And the part I was absolutely, positively, most bouncing off the wall, can't keep a secret, excited about was..........the cake!!!!  Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not really a cake person.  I may not be able to say no to a gummy bear, but if there is a cake in front of me, you can rest assured it will not be touched....unless it is from Whipt Cream.    I learned this the hard way at the first wedding that I shot that had this bakery's goodness at the reception.   At first I declined a cupcake, and then my sister insisted that I try one.....Next thing I knew, the cupcake was gone, crumbs were falling down my face and shirt, and I was left with an empty wrapper in my hand feeling like I didn't know where I was.   I call this, cupcake coma.   Whipt Cream has provided not only some of the most beautiful cupcakes, cakes, and pieces of art for my Brides in the past, but they are also the honest to goodness best, most heavenly piece of sweetness I have ever tasted.   With this being settled, I knew the cake could come from only Whipt Cream.   Thank you guys for providing us all with cake comas for the day!!!  

So beautiful!!!!  

I made an entire candy bar as well!   Madi came to spend the night with Aunt Ashaley and help me make some of the details......the purple flowers below were one of our projects!!  Home-ade candy chocolates!  Oh....and of course a big shout out to my mom who despite still thinking I was cray......she helped me make all of the chocolate dipped pretzels.   :)   

My book selection choice to bring to the library party....I had to bring two.  Pat the Bunny and Are You My Mother.   Grandma D. used to always remind me how every time I was over I would ask her to read this to me.   And then I had a little slideshow from Alicea's Ripe Belly Session playing....   

Madi Girl helped me with all of my paper poofs that I hung also!  :)   

And I knew I did not want to have a baby shower with all of the games that no one ever really wants to play, so instead I set up the UnScripted PhotoBooth with lots of baby props....and let people take as many pics as they would like!  They were able to download them all when they got home, and now Alicea has a photo book of her guests.   I also made a little questionnaire for people to fill out with their hopes, wishes and dreams for Annabelle.   Now I was able to put pics from the shower, the filled out questionnaires, and photo booth pics in one scrapbook as a gift for Alicea.   

Here is the questionnaire.....

And my UnScripted PhotoBooth Setup....

Of course Zoe Zoe was there as well!

Look at those blue eyes!!!! We have got to do a kiddo session, Jen!!!  :)  

Once again, a big thank you to everyone who helped out and made this possible!!!   A big thank you to all of the family and friends who were there to support this next chapter in Alicea's life.    Lot of love to you all!!!!  

City Love: A New York Engagement

"They say life's what happens when you're bus making other plans.  But, sometimes in New York, life is what happens when you're waiting for a table."  - Carrie Bradshaw

The girl knew what she was talking about.   The city thrives off of spontaneity.   There is a certain magic in the air.   No really, it really starts in the air.....each and every trip.    From the moment I spot the city skyline, even 30,000 feet above.....my heart rate elevates.   I get giddy.   I suddenly feel free.   There is something about this city.   Maybe it is the sound of sirens that serve as a lullaby and soothe you to sleep.  It is the way that you can miss your train, make the next one, find out there is a detour that takes you 1/2 way around the city, then it starts pouring....and you realize you forgot your umbrella.....you know, one of those days where it seems like the city is out to get you.   The beauty of it all is that out of nowhere, your day from Nyc hell turns into the best day of your life.  You meet someone who changes your life, offers you your dream job, or turns into your best friend.   It is the one city where you are only one subway ride away from anything you can possibly imagine.  Anything is possible.   In the words of Miss Keys and Jay-Z, it is the "concrete jungle where dreams are made of....there's nothing you can't do."   It is the city full of dreamers, and at the same time, the city that never sleeps.  It is the city you can go to when you don't want anyone to know you, and the city you go to when you want everyone to know your name.  Personally, it is the city I go to when I need to spark that certain something inside of me.  The spark that awakens my soul, allows me to breathe a little deeper, and refreshes my outlook on life.    There is something about walking around realizing how small I am in the big picture of things that sends me home feeling so big that there is not anything I can not conquer.

I have been meaning to post this blog for a while, so when I woke up this morning missing New York a little more than normal.....I knew I had to post it for the weekend.   Meet Jim and Taryn.   We stuck around the Upper East Side for their city session.....which I just happen to love.   Jim works for the Apple store on 5th Avenue....which happened to be my first stop on this trip, and the place I purchased the MacBook Pro I am currently typing what you are reading from.   

If you live in NYC and you are thinking about hiring me (Ashaley)......do it.    :)   Email me HERE.