J Cooper Photography

Time to share the real deal.

I’d like to pretend I have hours every morning to get all gussied up for my job as laundry do-er and short order chef. I’d like to pretend that I wear blingin’ jeans and carry a designer clutch. I’d like to pretend that I was all that and a cup of tea. But this is the real me. 5:00 in my backyard between pushes on the swing…this is where you’ll find me most days. No make-up, pony tail, signature glasses on my head, and wearing cut offs and a tee. I’d like to pretend that I am ultra hip and fashion forward. But I’d just be pretending.

And that’s ok. I’m “mom”.

1. My Mom called this afternoon to inform me that I had forgotten to post my “10 on Tuesday”…whoa there lady….it is officially Tuesday until 12:00 am…PLENTY of time for a few fun facts at the Cooper house (but thanks for the reminder because…yes…I had actually forgotten).

2. This past weekend my super NIFTY niece and her BFF came to visit me. Ok. So they didn’t really come just to visit me. They came to Kansas City to have one last hurray before heading off to college. I was a free place to stay, a few free meals, and some photos to boot. But, I think they came to see me too. At least I’m telling myself that. And we had such a BLAST with them. And in honor of their visit I will be sprinkling this post with photos of them…because posts are WAY more fun with photos, right?

3. “The Club” is nearing completion. My goal is to have it completed before A heads back to school on Monday. Right now Mr. P is slaving away upstairs working on framing the doorway and laying the baseboards. Then we just have to touch up some paint and move in!

4. I tried coloring with Sam for the first time last night. He was OBSESSED with the red crayon. Wouldn’t have anything to do with blue. He is such a boy. He would hold the crayon high above his head….grunt loudly…then bang the crayon as hard as possible on the paper with a huge smile. I think he might go into fencing or sword fighting….or maybe be a gladiator.

5. Today I did the following: took all 3 kids to the dentist, went grocery shopping (with all 3 kids), made lunch, refereed TWO play dates, edited a session, loaded 2 galleries, made dinner, practiced violin with both girls, did the bedtime ritual with 3 kids, and ate a bagful of M&Ms. I knew there was a reason I was tired.

6. Did I mention I almost have a 1st grader? It is still sinking in.

7. A overheard me having a conversation with her violin teacher about my stomach condition. Her teacher asked the name of the condition and I was explaining the symptoms and treatment, etc. We were talking about how it is kind of an obscure condition that a lot of people don’t know about…but that it can be pretty devastating for people who have it. A piped in “I think we should organize a walk for that.” Oh…my little philanthropist

8. My girls have the funniest names for things. Like “spaghetti” is “scabetty”…”asparagus” is “asquareabus”…and “hospital” is “hostibal”. I can barely say the words myself after hearing them say them wrong so many times I would correct them but it is so cute.

9. If you haven’t booked a FALL SESSION yet…my calendar if filling up quickly! Not trying to scare anyone…but I’ve had lots of requests to meet Charlotte and I have to limit her schedule…so call now to reserve your session with her!

10. I just bought A THESE shoes for school. When she saw them last night she literally grabbed them off the shelf and started kissing them. She never picks out anything really funky so I was completely floored that she wanted them so badly. So of course we had to pick out a few fun outfits to coordinate with the super cool shoes…I can’t wait to see them on her

HAPPY TUESDAY (or what’s left of it!)

I was so lucky to meet these sweet siblings EARLY Saturday morning for a FUN downtown session. Their mom is the Kansas City trunk keeper for Matilda Jane…so you know they were dressed to perfection for our session. And talk about cute kids (and I don’t mean the clothes)…

These two sisters were so adorable. And big brother was my special prop assistant. I may have to hire him to help me out this fall. He was always ready to carry my chairs to a new location…what a guy!

We explored downtown…tried to duck out of the crazy August wind in a few protected corners…and just played. I usually try to keep my client galleries to between 25-30 images. Any more than that and my clients seem to become stressed out trying to choose their favorites. But I couldn’t do it on this session. I just finished proofing the entire morning and have SO MANY images ready for their gallery. There were just too many to cut….so sorry Jerilynn…you can blame your beautiful kids if you get stressed out

My other mission for the morning was to review the Nikon 24-70 f2.8 lens that I had rented for the weekend. My goal was to prove to myself that I didn’t need it…that I did indeed love my prime lenses…and that this insanely huge and bulky lens was not a requirement for my camera bag. Unfortunately, that aspect of the morning didn’t go as planned. I loved it. Like “love at first sight” eyes bulging, lip drooling, hand shaking LOVED that lens. Well poo. Now I have a serious dilemna.

I knew the lens would be great for group shots. But I certainly didn’t expect it to take images up close and personal like this.

or to have the clarity like this…

And it was crystal clear from a distance as well….clean, sharp, vibrant. {insert large SIGH here}

NOW. If you live in the Kansas City area and are thinking “I’d love to have family pictures like this”…then I have some FUN NEWS just for YOU!!

SAVE THE DATE:
Friday, September 11th, 2009
Matilda Jane Trunk Show at my house!
Shop for your cutie and EARN a FREE MINI SESSION

For more information or to get on the invite list just send me a quick email!!

Just a few more images…how about a vintage twist?

At the very end of the session I said, “Hey kids! Guess what…I think we’re done!” And this was their response

Thanks B family…can’t wait for you to see your gallery!

…defintely the coolest tot on the block

…don’t ya think?

{btw…I took these with a rental Nikon 24-70 that I have for the weekend. What do you think? Disregard the sun flare that hit his hiney These are SOOC with just Picasa sharpen…no photoshop enhancements. I’ll have more shots to share with the lens later in the weekend…gotta see if I really LOVE this lens…cause I’m gonna have to sell my soul to buy it!}

I wasn’t sure I was going to win him over. I’m always amazed when a little one doesn’t love me from the start What’s not to love, right? But I’ve known his mommy since junior high and we were determined to get this little man laughing. I’d love to say my charming wit brought on his big smiles…but I can’t. I just happened to have his true love hanging out in my car. Once he saw that little blue car and a pile of large rocks…he was Mr. Smiles.

Is he too cute or what? I love how toddlers smile with their whole bodies! He has the cutest mouthful of pearly whites!

We played on an assortment of bicycles…

which gave way to more smiles and giggles.

We played peekaboo through my old black chair.

And by the end he was putty in our hands Yeah for smiles!! And don’t worry Miss A…there are plenty more smiles in your gallery!

Thanks for a fun morning to my new best buddy!

1. Augmentin is NOT my friend. After having some testing done at KU Med Center this past week I was prescribed a high dosage of this drug. I took one pill and a few hours later was violently sick. I thought I might die…maybe I am over-reacting just a bit..but the thought did occur to me when 3 hours later I was still getting sick every 5 minutes. After speaking to 2 different doctors and our pharmacist and still not getting any relief, I got to spend the rest of the evening at the local ER. Fun times indeed.

2. The tests I took last Friday basically determined that my initial diagnosis was correct. I’ve got Gastroparesis. It typically effects middle aged men with diabetes. So, I’m not exactly the poster child for the disease. There are several drugs on the market that are used to treat the condition but it appears I’m not a candidate to use any of them. Time to begin some major research into altering my eating habits. Refined white breads, no raw fruits or veggies (except bananas), no nuts, no popcorn, no dairy, etc. Wow. The fun never ceases huh?

3. The club is making good progress. We’ve painted the bead board ceiling as well as all of the walls (Priscilla Pink from Sherwin Williams for all you color buffs out there). I’ve been painting all the trim in the garage and Mr. P will start installing that tonight. After that we will put up the light fixtures, install the flooring, and finish framing out the doorway. The girls are getting so excited to christen their new room with a sleep over!

4. Boys are so different. One of Sam’s favorite new activities is picking up a small toy…releasing a primal scream…and chucking it as far across the room as he can. Then he laughs when it hits the wall, lamp, mirror, etc. And no, he has never seen the Tarzan re-runs.

5. Now is the time to book your family session for fall…October is filling up VERY fast!

6. If you live in Kansas City…keep your eyes open for my annoucement about the Fall Matilda Jane Show. It’s going to be BIG and FUN…and did I mention I am giving away FREE SESSIONS? Yeah. You read that right.

7. Wondering what I can make for dinner that doesn’t include wheat, fat, vegetables, or dairy? Hmmm…rice cakes anyone?

8. Remember the lens I was debating? I found a cool place in town called The Digital Labrador that will rent me the lens for the weekend for $40.00. I can’t wait to try it first hand before I take the big plunge towards selling one of my children in exchange for this pricey piece of glass.

9. My girls have been drawing books this past week that depict the various ailments one might incur. Each page is devoted to a different health concern: chicken pox, broken legs, “the spits”, fevers, rashes. While sitting in church on Sunday, A colored a very nice picture of a little girl in a green dotted dress…”spitting” into a measuring cup that yielded 21 feet of waste. Then she proceeded to show that to the nice couple seated behind us. I’m so proud.

10. What do you do when ordering from Mini Boden when your child is a size 6-7 and they only carry size 5-6 or 7-8. Do they know the torment they are causing me?

11. (this is just for bonus points) Consider purchasing something from Nic’s store for a worthy cause. THIS will look quite lovely on J this fall with jeans and some boots. It arrived yesterday and it is beautious in person.

Her mommy and I met a couple of years ago. If you take the path from my backyard down about 10 houses you will run directly into her house. We met while standing in the pick up line at J’s preschool. She had twin boys…I had 2 girls. A few weeks later I found myself in dire need of a ride to the emergency room. Mr. P was out of the country and I was pregnant and beyond sick. After several calls around the neighborhood that turned up nothing…I went searching through my purse for the little slip of paper she had given me days earlier. I was so nervous to call. Nothing like asking a brand new friend to see you at your worst.

Funny how that jump started our friendship. Many play dates, walks, phone conversations later…I am lucky to call her one of my best friends.

They are living in South Africa right now. Brutal. Way too far away…especially since we have both added little ones to our lives this past year.

So while they were home visiting, I was THRILLED to get to play with sweet Miss A. And boy did we play!

We started off the evening like this. OH MY…did you see her shoes? Every baby need gingham espadrilles don’t you think?

I got smiles, smirks, and few great serious shots too. She is such a little ham. And did you check out her little bob? What 1 year old has a stacked bob? I think I need a referral to her stylist!

Then we moved on to some girly shots…had to break out the much loved tutu!

But the shots that I REALLY loved happened at the end of the evening when my sweet friend dressed her in this little vintage dress. The entire series was one big, happy accident. I just happened to bring my tub of beanies and hats and had this fabulous flower to match. As soon as she was dressed, she crawled away and started munching on some flowers near the fields (did I mention she put EVERYTHING in her mouth?) After we pulled several large flower heads out of her mouth we plopped her down next to a tree back in a shaded grove. BOOM…the lighting was PERFECT. Her white dress popped against the dark trees and lite up her face beautifully! We got some of my most favorite shots EVER!

A few of my favorites




I know this was quite a post. I don’t normally do “sneak peaks” quite this long…but I couldn’t chose my favorites of this little beauty. And since I don’t get to see her often…I had to get my fill

Love you T. We will be right here waiting when you get home!