J Cooper Photography

We have family in town this weekend so it seemed like a perfect time for the girls to show off their horse back riding! We all drove out into the country where they have their lessons….it is a gorgeous drive and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect. We got to watch the girl get down their tack boxes and comb the horse, saddle them, and walk them to the arena. A has turned into a true equestrian…I think she has found her calling. Her instructor let her handle her horse “Beau” completely on her own today…she did her own leading, brought her horse to a trot, stopped him, turned him, etc. J had fun too although she looked a bit panicked when “Uno” took off on a trot! I snapped a couple of pictures of them in their riding gear Such a fun morning!




And A had her Kindergarten “meet and greet” Friday at her new school. She dropped off her school supplies and met her new teachers. She will be in a multi-age classroom that combines Kindergarten and 1st grade….she is so excited for Monday to get here!! Here she is with one of her teachers and her new BFF (they just met last week but have become best buddies already!)

More school pictures from the first day to come!!

NO…It’s SUPER SAM!!!

He may not be able to leap tall buildings in a single jump but he has quite a few tricks up his sleeves these days.

The amazing feats of SUPER SAM:
1. Tips the scales at nearly 12 lbs. of pure chubbiness
2. Rolls over at will from his tummy to his back (proven to be a useful trick when fighting other superheros!)
3. Provides his exhausted parents with 8 hours of uninterrupted blissful sleep
4. Lights up any room with his contagious smile
5. Laughs, squeals, and says “Ah-gooo” in 3 distinct languages

We love you Sam…you have completely swept us off of our feet!

p.s. You may remember THIS post about Sam’s SuperSam outfit. I must give credit to “The Librarian” as she is the genius behind his ensemble. I have been patiently waiting for it to fit perfectly…oh you should see it in person…with his little chubby belly hanging over his yellow velcro Superman belt…too cute for words! Oh. And the CAPE! If only I could harness him and let him fly!!

that he is really 2 months old? The girls and I took Sam for a little photo shoot today at a local studio. So before you compliment me on the great shots…I didn’t take them I wanted to have at least a few “studio” shots of him as a little guy and that isn’t my specialty. He was a trooper…hardly cried and didn’t pee on anything during the outfit change! We got a couple of “keepers” that I thought I would share. I will (of course) attempt some photos of my own this month too…will share those soon!

And his 2 month stats!
11 lbs. 11 ounces
23″ long
full of smiles!

I have 2 sisters. And since they both work in literary positions, I lovingly refer to them as “The Writer” and “The Librarian”. The Writer is the middle sibling and I love her dearly. She’s eccentric, funny, and full of life. Her pint sized body is barely big enough to contain her spirit. She has a squeaky high voice, curly brown locks, red plastic glasses, and enough funky printed peasant blouses to clothe a third world country. She stands tall in her leopard print heels and any cause in which she believes. And although I tower a good six inches over her…I look up to her in more ways than one. She has three fantastic girls…each just as quirky and fun as the next…and a husband (”The Pastor”) whose nickname, “The Weasel” is better suited. They live in a three story pink house that somehow calls to you from the street…”come inside…meet this fun family…you won’t regret it!”

So…that’s my sister…”The Writer”. And since she is a writer and writes her very own column I get the chance to hear the rough draft every Thursday morning before it is sent of to her editor. I’ve heard many stories through those phone calls…I’ve laughed, and cried, giggled, and about wet my pants…but last week’s story really hit home

Click HERE to have a good read.

Here are the rest of my favorite photos from last night’s photo shoot. I’ve added texture to all of these because I love the vintage feel it gives them. I just can’t decide how I want to have them processed…with our without?!? Post your opinion and help me decide!







And here is one without the added texture for reference. I was curious how the texture would process so I had Walmart print out a couple for me and they looked great….now I just need to make a decision and order my prints! I worked late into the night trying to erase back some of the texture from the kid’s faces…but it seemed to wash them out…if anyone knows any tricks give me a holler!

I promised I would show a sneak peak of a special project on which I have been working. I’ve had a vision in my head for weeks of a special family portrait I wanted to take. It involved a ratty old chair, an abandoned field, and my three adorable children. Only a few problems…I didn’t have a ratty ‘ol chair or know of an abandoned field (although I did know where to find 3 beautiful kids pretty easily).

So after a search through Craig’s List for an old chair (scored one for $20) and a 40 minute one-way drive to a not-so-stellar neighborhood…I had my prop! And after a quick afternoon run to Walmart I discovered that the field behind my favorite Super Store was just about perfect. Throw in a couple of white dresses (and a handsome sailor suit) and I had everything I needed to try to capture the beauty of my children!

Here is my favorite shot from the night! I’ll post more tomorrow! This one is going above my mantel in my family room…blown up big and framed

Remember my post about onsies with sayings? I’ll admit to having a bit of an obsession. I’m finding them everywhere these days and having a hard time resisting them Here is Sam in one of my new favorites! Check out the double chin he is getting…thinking he’s going to be a big boy!

In case there is any question about who is in charge at our house!

And I promised to share baby gifts we have received as I am able. Here is Sam in an adorable oufit from Tracy of PBandJ*Creations. She is one of the Queens of the boutique boy community on Ebay. Sam wasn’t in the mood for formal pictures yesterday…nor would he keep on the darling hat that came with this set…but I PROMISE Tracy…I will send some better pictures of him your way soon! And check out his cute new play gym! I used a gift card from my friend Lala to get that for him this week! He has already enjoyed batting at and talking to all the silly little toys

I am slowly trying to get back in the swing of daily sewing. It is so hard to make it downstairs to my studio but my fabric stash has been calling and I have definitely had the sewing itch! One of the things that I have been selling locally are my baby name blankets. I’m thinking it may be time to start offering them online as well…haven’t decided if I will use Ebay or branch out and give Etsy a try?!?

I often give my blankets as shower gifts and new baby presents. I love that they are personal and so far they have been a big hit. This week I made one to send off to a special friend who just had a baby and I included three matching burp cloths too…it all looked so pretty tied up with a big bow!


I’ve also been working on getting my studio organized better. My project last night was to sort through my large collection of buttons. The girls and I ran to Walmart and got this nice little organizational tool…then A and I spent a couple of hours sorting and chatting. She was really great at catching all my mistakes too This would be a great activity for little ones who are learning their colors!

Buttons are like candy to me! So colorful and pretty…I could stare at them all day!

And last but not least. Today was A’s first “Jump Start” day at school. She is going to Kinder this year and she couldn’t be ANY more excited…and I’m thrilled for her. She is beyond ready and has talked about nothing else for months. So today the Kindergarten kids got to come to school for an hour to meet their teachers and some of the other kids! Her school is right inside our neighborhood…we can jump on the walking path out our back door and walk right down the hill. Today we stopped to pick up the girls’ boyfriends on the way (they are heading to Kinder too!) They are all so cute together…they have plans to have a double wedding some day like in the movie “Princess and the Pauper”….hey that ought to save me some money at least!

Sam after church this morning

I mentioned that I have a lot of friends having babies right now. I can’t resist sharing them as I get a chance to photograph them!

This sweet baby is so special. Her mommy is a special friend and I prayed for her before she was even born. She is such a blessing…and the sweetest, most angelic baby. Smelling and snuggling her today made me realize how much my own baby has already grown. Those first few moments are so fleeting.

Meet Addison…bear with me…it was hard to choose!

Tracy, thank you for letting me share the first precious moments of your daughter’s life. You are both beautiful and so special!