.:unconditionally:.: .:melisabeth and skyler are having a baby!!!:.

Melisabeth and Skyler are SO perfect together. Seriously.

We met Melisabeth and Skyler the week of their wedding last summer and instantly bemoaned the fact that our paths hadn't crossed sooner in life (especially because by the time their wedding took place, they had already skipped the state). But, lucky for us (and, well, I guess for them), the two are expecting!!! So we e-mailed back and forth and found a time that we could all meet up to get photos of Melisabeth and Skyler and that adorable baby belly. = ) No one knows the first name yet (including us, though we were hoping to coax it out of them and swear secrecy, alas, to no avail!) of their little baby boy. So we headed out east of Columbia for some early morning shots (Melisabeth and Skyler were such troopers to drive in from K.C. for our 7 a.m. shoot!). We had just found the contact info for a farm we've been eying for awhile--an abandoned house along with its falling down outbuildings. Sound perfect? It was. (Other than the electric fence separating half the property which neither Skyler nor Brian were brave enough to test to see if it was actually live.) The owner gave us permission to shoot there under the stipulation that we just needed to not fall in the well out back of the property cause he wouldn't come get us if it happened. So with his instructions in mind, we enjoyed the beauty of the early morning and the joy of the company of such an amazing couple as Melisabeth and Skyler. (If you haven't been following the blog long enough, you can check out their story here.)

I was so excited to see Melisabeth and Skyler. Melisabeth was positively glowing and even more beautiful than when we saw her last year on her wedding day!

Melisabeth brought balloons!

I *adore* that dress she wore. I think colors and patterns are just marvelous.

Skyler was pretty darn happy. = D

Reading to baby. (And Brian difusing the harsh morning light with our makeshift reflector a la gigantic plastic bag that originally housed the balloons).

Interesting side note that I learned in my social work classes in school. Did you know Sesame Street was created to catch up minority kids with the predominantly white kids who were attending preschool and learning all kinds of stuff? Interestingly, though, the show didn't just attract minority children, it attracted kids like Melisabeth and I who were white. Maybe that's part of why I so desperately want to have skin color and culture that isn't so... well... white.

I see this photo and hear Melisabeth saying "Awww... baby!" It sound better in my head than it looks written. Trust me.

Skyler was very proud of the fact that he drew this very heart.

We all sang "Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful... beautiful, COLE" when Melisabeth wrote this on the chalkboard. Well.. maybe it was just me. Yup. Wait, now that I think about it, it was just me. Whoops. Mr. Holland's Opus shout out!

I just smile when I look at this one. They are going to be amazing parents.

So often I give couples direction. "Look at him." "Kiss her cheek." "Both look at me." Apparently I hadn't been directing Melisabeth to kiss Skyler's cheek so she decided it was time. This is why I love them!

So this photo is kind of my fault. Maybe. I told Melisabeth about the only commercial I'd seen in like... maybe... 3 years. And it was about bubbles. Colored bubbles to be exact. So she got some. And... well... they definitely were colored. And popped. With color. Needless to say when you are wearing nice clothes, they don't seem to be very welcome guests.

Brian blowing said *very orange* bubbles which claimed to be washable.

And 10 frames or so later...

Brian appeared as if he was bleeding toxicly orange blood from his fingers.

Goodbye little last bubble! You were not as welcome as we would have liked, but it was an adventure while it lasted...

Brian improvised with his new neon orange toxicity otherwise known as Crayola Washable bubble solution.

There were a few other fantastic photos in this set that shall remain a secret unti the little one and his super top secret name is revealed. = ) Guess you'll just have to wait like us!

I can hear the baby voice that parents use in my head. "Where's the baby?" "HERE's the baby!" So cute!

This was inside the abandoned house. Simultaneously so cool but so sad! We had to get a little creative to find sturdy enough ground to trust to get Melisabeth to this awesome room with the old wall paper still intact.