gigiblog

Twitter-pated.

Do you Twitter??! I do.

   You can follow me here: Twitter Away with Gigi! 

Seeeeee you there!

Vaida-Love.

Are you kidding me???!? This session was SO much fun to shoot - I just LOVE watching my clients' families grow. And what better way to expand the family with a GORGEOUS bundle of sweet, sweet pure baby bliss. 

Meet Vaida. Now tell me, is that not a gorgeous name or what?! She was extremely beautiful - her name was so fitting.

She had the cutest baby rolls. :) And lips.

Wow - one of my favourite EVER family shots!

She was a thumb-sucker ... so precious ...

Again. Gorgeous ... they were the sweetest couple ...

T&D, I hope you enjoy your sneak peek - it was so awesome seeing your family again. :)

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And it's time for ANOTHER giveaway!

If you have kids between the stages of a newborn to grade school, this giveaway is for YOU!

So, it's winter. 

It's freezing. FREEEEEZING. 

Too cold to go out. 

Too boring to stay in.

Too insane to host a playdate.

Too tired to clean up from a playdate.

So what do you do? 

You pop the kiddos in the car, grab a Timmies coffee (or Starbucks if you're a Starbucks girl!) and drive 20 minutes outside of Orangeville (on Highway 9 near Newmarket) the fabulous, to the cutest, to the darling Lina Lounge!

I took the kids there last week, along with a friend and her kidlets, and we had a blast! Not only is the owner an AMAZING mompreneur (hello, Caroline!), but the Lina Lounge is JUST what I was looking for. Classy. Clean. Fun for kids. A great hang out for moms AND kids. (Annnnnd - the topper? Yeah, you can drink coffee in there. Yes, I know, that's a priority for me! LOL!)

(photos courtesy of the Lina Lounge website)

I totally love this quote - so true, isn't it?

This week's giveaway is a family pass of four (two adults and two children) to the Lina Lounge, along with an adorable LinaBean, a one of a kind homemade doll. (Pics to come soon!)

Just enter a comment here on this blog post commenting on the cuteness of Vaida (or just leave some blog lovin'!) and you will be entered in the draw. 

Also, check back next week (maybe Monday?) for an update on La Tienda and how YOU can help these women!!

Too good to be true.

How do I get so lucky?! The CUTEST babies come through my studio - and I get to cuddle with each of them. Ahhh, yes, have I mentioned, I have a GREAT job?! (Can I even call it that?)

My FAVOURITE dear, sweet Grandma crocheted this hat for my Gigi babies - isn't she the best? Baby Anthony was the first to model it. He did a good job, eh? (Thank you SOO much, Gramma! I love the hat! You did a great job!)

He had the cutest onesie - isn't this so true for all of us? ;)

Billy & Tania, your gallery will be live tonight! :)

Project La Tienda Update

I have been receiving so many wonderful e-mails and phone calls in regards to how people can help out with La Tienda ...

This is so encouraging! Thank you all for supporting such a worthy cause and a wonderful ministry! I have always believed in paying it forward. Thank you all for being so excited to help these women find a new life off the streets of Haiti! (If you are unaware of this project, please click here for some background details.)

I have sent an e-mail to the project co-ordinator, Rachel Sticklee, but communication is limited right now so I don't have *firm* details on what exactly they need for their village. As soon as I hear news, I will be posting details as to what they would really need in a list here on the blog.

(Photos courtesy of La Tienda)

 

In the meantime, one way you can support La Tienda is buying purchasing one of their lovely handmade bracelets/anklets for $11. Proceeds from the bracelets will help the organization financially - I have bought one and I can't wait to see it arrive in the mail soon! 

You can simply paypal your payment - click here for a link to take you to the paypal.

Their Haitian village was raided at Christmas time and since then, things have been very unsettled for the women. Please pray for Rachel and her La Tienda ladies as they strive to move onwards.

{Pink} Cloud Nine.

"With moonbeams in hand and stardust in eyes, 

you're a baby of heaven drifting down from the sky."

Debi G.

Baby Jordan's mom and dad have waited anxiously for the arrival of their third baby - and they have been waiting for a baby girl ... so for the week after Jordan's birth, they were floating on a pink cloud nine for quite some time ... 

Who could blame them with a sweet baby like this in your arms?

Isn't she delicious?

I LOVE this one ... one of my faves ...

Baby Jordan holds a special place in my heart. In fact, she's calling me Auntie Gigi already. I like that. While mommy was doing a quick wardrobe change, I was lucky enough to snuggle with sweet Jordan - so I snapped a photo while waiting... she's just as cute as she looks... thank you for letting me capture her in all her newness.

Too cute to pass up.

Helloooooooooo ... can this little guy be any cuter?! Seriously. His eyes just GET me! I loved photographing him and get this - it was over two years ago and they still blow me away ... beaaaauuuuuutiful boy. His mom (who is somewhat of a local celebrity - hahaha! Right, Jody?) came back to order some extra prints and I'm so glad she did  ... :)

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous ...!!!!

My favourite - thus the header above! ;)

His dad is a local firefighter- how sweet is this?

Scrumptious...!!!!!

Welcoming William.

"The moment you hold your baby in your arms for the first time, 

you wonder how could such a tiny bundle of thing creates so much emotions within you. 

And you wonder if it's possible that you've actually brought such a tiny, 

beautiful being into this world. 

Sometimes, the feelings are just too overwhelming..."

There is nothing more amazing that holding your newborn baby in your arms for the first time ... any mom out there can relate. It's AMAZING - it's life changing. It's incredible.

And for the parents who have been blessed with more than one child ... just when you think it can't get any better, you have the opportunity to introduce your sweet bundle of adorableness to your first babies ... what joy fills your heart!

Welcome, baby William. 

And hello to your new brother and sister. :) 

Welcome to the world, Baby William ... you are so loved. 

My Little Prodigy.

So today is Family Day.

 For those of you in the U.S., you may wonder what that means? Exactly as it sounds - a day to spend with family. A new holiday for us, really. And for the Gauthier family, well, since we are self employed and daddy works in a business that never stops, daddy still had to go to work today (boo hoo). 

So it's family day minus daddy. So far, we've cuddled. Played. Watched a movie. Painted toenails. Ate lunch. Ate some cheesies. And that's about it. We're snuggled down into bed, watching The Nutcracker, right now. Yeahhhhh. I'm diggin' this Family Day. And while we were snuggling-eating-chilling-relaxing, I asked Lacey to take a photo of Lucia and me. I gotta say, that girl can really work the camera! I think I'll get her a camera for her next birthday ... one of these, perhaps ... 

Anyway, the reason is - she loves to take photos and ... quite honestly, they are better than most adults' photos!

Proof.

And she took this one ... Lucia is 13 months old now and just learning to walk. It is breaking my heart to see how fast my children are growing.

She took this one while we were playing in her room... Lyla (2.5 and still holding strongly to that soothie) and me ...

Here is the photography-master herself - quiet play in her room with the Diamond Castle that Santa brought this Christmas.

Quiet play with princess Jasmine and Snow White.

and doggy kisses for Lyla - she loves Daisy. She really does. I love that someone else in my family shares a love for animals ... so far, Daisy has been so accepting of my girls and their somewhat-un-gentle-way of loving Daisy ....

Oh, and I found this online last night. Does it not look amazing? I am so tempted to buy it but I am afraid of the shipping costs to Canada. 

It would be a great way for clients to showcase some Gigi images, as well! If anyone finds a Canadian supplier, let me know! I love this idea!

Oh, and Happy Family Day. :) 

Perfection - pint sized.

This little guy was absolutely perfect ... he was easy to photograph, he had bunches of beautiful dark hair (which every photographer loves!) and he was so happy to just be my little model for the morning. I first met this family a few years ago with the birth of their first daughter - what a delight to stay connected to my clients and watch their families grow over time.

What a sweet family ...

Ohhhh ... and just one more because he was THAT scrumptious!

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And today I get to announce the winner of our Dali Decals giveaway ....

Have you ever seen such fabulous wall decals?! I think not! I was blown away by their selection - they are so awesome!

So, using a random number generator, this week's winner is:

#13 - Krista

Congratulations, Krista!! I know this wall decal will look fabbbbbuuuuuulooous in your home! Just e-mail me and I will hook you up with your winnings! 

Check back soon for more sneak peeks and fun giveaways! :D

Love, love, love makes people happy ...

Spread love everywhere you go: first of all in your own home.

 Give love to your children, 

to a wife or husband, 

to a next-door neighbor. 

~ Mother Teresa

It's Valentine's Day ... so happy Hearts day to you! <3

And although this day is reserved for kisses and dates with lovers, sweet notes and bouquets of fragrant flowers, I hope you find it in your heart to show love to somebody - anybody - who needs it today.

It's not just about a Valentine. 

It's about spreading love wherever you go. 

Back to basics - the golden rule - be kind to others - do to others what you would have them do to you ....

And then extend it beyond today. 

Here are some sweets to carry you along the way (lovingly made by Leanne Button of She Takes the Cake):

Happy Valentine's Day! xo

P.S. Check back tomorrow to find out who wins the giveaway from Dali Decals!