Up until Kit's totally awesome birthday party I have only done studio cake smash sessions to celebrate that totally amazing blur of time that is months 0-12.  Kit's party was so fun and I had a blast capturing those sweet candids of people mixing, mingling, laughing, and enjoying themselves.  And did he smash some cake?  You bet he did.  Let's get to it.

Oh!  And the party was at the Coop Austin.....you may have seen it on Shark Tank - a modern party space you actually want to spend a Saturday or Sunday afternoon at.  It lived up to it's promise.  The space was clean, festive, modern, and though it wasn't my party.....I recommend!

Can we start with the grand finale, please?  Great, thanks.  Cake Smash!

Ok now that we got that beautiful frosting face on display let's get to those perfect party details, mixing, mingling, hugging, laughing, and playing.  

I love updating my website, rearranging the galleries, and celebrating your lives.  It's a true pleasure to see your smiling families, happy babies, smushy newborns, and to know that I helped you capture that special time in your life.

I keep this website full of your treasured memories so I am tucking away the Mravle Family Photos from this year into a blog post.  Ben learned to walk the very morning we took these pictures and the joy on his face as he's toddling around is very real and I smile so wide every time I look at them.  I also love that after a few little training sessions with my mom she was the one who took my big ol' camera and snapped away for our group portraits.  She did great!  

Whenever things get crazy and I find myself yelling to no one in particular "I'm never having another one!" I will come back and look at these and they remind me in an instant how awesome it is to have a family of your own.  

I'm feeling the Christmas spirit friends, especially this year now that we have so many babysitters and caretakers that I truly appreciate.  This is the time of year to take a minute to let them know that they matter a great deal to us.  

What to get them?  This year I'm getting everyone what they really want.  At least, what I think they really want.  
Cash.  
Wine.  
And treats.  

​Who doesn't appreciate extra cash.  Not a gift card.  Cold hard cash to do whatever you want with.  Wine.  No explanation necessary.  And treats because it's fun and festive.  

I have every confidence you know how to get to the ATM and pluck a bottle of wine off the shelf so here's a recipe for decadent caramel brownies that are good enough to gift.  

They are gooey.  chocolatey.  soft.  rich.  sticky.  crumbly.  downright perfection until you have more than one piece because they are that over the top.  
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You will need:
14 oz caramels - one package. you'll need to unwrap the individually wrapped pieces. 
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup +1 tab so Margarine
2 cups sugar
4 eggs3/4 cup cocoa 1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup or 2 semisweet chips

Don't get frustrated.  This is going to sound more complicated than it is.  It's actually really easy.  
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Melt caramels and sweet condensed milk together. Separately melt margarine and cool. Beat sugar and eggs then add cocoa, milk and cooled margarine. Mix flour, salt and baking, powder, add to chocolate mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Place 2/3 of batter in greased and floured 9x13 and bake 12 mins. Then pour melted caramels over. Drop remaining batter by teaspoonfuls over and smooth out a little. Bake another 25-30 mins. Let it cool then cut.  

Go get a cute Christmas dessert box and place them in there carefully with parchment paper in between any layers.  Done!