J Cooper Photography

A few of you have already seen my facebook comments and have sent along well wishes…but here’s the scoop….it’s broken.

And here’s the story:  I was off galavanting around town with my peeps (yeah East girls!) when I got a call from Mr. P.  He had taken all 3 kids to group violin lessons in the morning.  The lessons are held at a local church and there is a small playroom next to the room where the girls have lessons.  We usually throw all the little boys in there on Sat. mornings and let them have fun playing on the Cozy Coop cars and slides.  Apparantly the little boys had TOO much fun this weekend!  When Mr. P got home from lessons and got little man out of the car he wouldn’t stand up.  He wouldn’t walk…just crumpled into a heap on the driveway with a pathetic cry.  He didn’t eat lunch and would not take a single step.  So Mr. P put him to bed in hopes that sleep would help.  He took a long nap and woke up happy.  But he STILL wouldn’t walk or bear any weight on his leg.  About that time I was downtown at the Plaza art fair getting ready for a fun night.  My phone rang…we talked…I agreed that little man needed to be seen by someone…and then I ditched my friends and met my family at Children’s Mercy urgent care.  We were there FOREVER…too many people, broken x-ray machines, wild sisters…you name it…and we waited through it!  After 4.5 hours they booted him up and sent us home to see the Ortho on Monday.

Monday morning he woke up chipper and running like a wild man and I thought FOR SURE that he was fine.  I almost didn’t call the ortho.  (I should probably mention at this point that I am completely out of the running for “Mother of the Year” as I let him sleep Sunday evening with the boot/removable cast on the WRONG LEG…WOOPS!  I bathed him and was apparantly so exhausted from the ordeal that I strapped it to the wrong foot before tucking him in for the night.  Gonna have to tuck that little “oops” into the vault with the Comet accident I guess!)  I decided to go ahead with the Ortho apt…showed up promptly to a full waiting room…endured the fire alarms going off…and was finally called back to the room.  I went into a lengthy dissertation about how he was “just fine” and “running all over the place” when she dropped the bomb….”I can see the fracture on the x-rays…we’ll send him down the hall and cast him up!”

And there you have it.  My little duder with a broken leg.  Like mother like son (hopefully he’ll bypass the multiple breaks that I did as a kid!)  He’ll have the cast for 3 weeks.  He’s not thrilled with his situation but still smiling (he is a pathological smiler…seriously…ridiculously happy kid).

So much for family pictures next weekend!

I’ve been looking forward to this weekend for a very long time.  It comes around every year….the weekend that I re-live high school…pour over old yearbooks…and chat into the wee hours of the night.  I am beyond fortunate to still have many of my high school friends still near and dear to my heart.  And we gather once a year together to celebrate our lives together and to carve out a bit of time to stoke those relationships.

The preparation started at the beginning of the week while Mr. P was flitting about Norway on business (ok…he doesn’t really flitter…but I still have residual resentment over his travel schedule).  I primped the house…

I collected little gifts to give my friends.

I practiced my very best cheerleading bubble letters on the chalkboard wall.

And then I received the VERY BEST birthday gift a girl could ask for.  A dozen people who mean a whole lot to me crammed into our house to celebrate the weekend together.

This year has been full of ups and downs…but I feel blessed beyond words to get to “do” life with these amazing girls.  We live all over the country…working as lawyers, FBI analysts, dentists, teachers, and stay at home moms…but the bond is immediate as soon as we are all together.  A few of us have been together for 30 years (we started together in morning kindergarten!)

Friends who have known you that long…who remember all of the stupid things you did at 14…and who love you anyways…make life better.  Throw in some birthday cupcakes and a cheezy face and you have yourself the best birthday celebration a girl could ask for!

Thank you girls for coming so far to join the fun.  “Chocolate” was a disaster but the $134 necklaces were so worth it, right?”  Thank you for enduring my basement with a thousand blow up beds and borrowed blankets.  Thanks for the yummy treats, laughter, and most of all….friendship.  Love to you all!

And of course…you can’t have a girls’ weekend without some type of disaster can you??  Little Man was happy to oblige by creating a little Saturday night drama for the crowd.  After playing at the church in the toddler room he wouldn’t bear any weight on his leg.  And when he still wouldn’t walk 5 hours later we got a bit concerned.  4.5 hours after we got to the Children’s hospital he was booted up and we were finally heading home.  The ER dr. thinks he has a “toddler fracture” in his right leg.  He’ll get a new set of x-rays tomorrow to see whether or not he’ll need a cast.  The fun just never seems to end!!

I wish I could say he has been this happy the last 24 hours…but he is actually somewhat pathetic in his own smiley-easy-going way.  Tonight he braved trying to take a step or two but he is back on the couch with Blue’s Clues eating a grilled cheese sandwich.  He’ll stay there most of the night looking sad and forlorn while I feed him cookies and M&Ms and pamper him with extra snuggles!

sneak peaks of this fun “cousins” photo session!  I loved these kids.  Seriously loved them.  I get to play with all types of fun kiddos…but these kids were SO well behaved and cooperative…they made my job a dream!  When I think “2 year old boy” I don’t generally think “cooperative”…hey I’ve got one of those as my house…and he RUNS from the camera   But this little peanut rocked my camera and wasn’t afraid to show me all his pearly whites.  And the girls…just plain adorable!  I pulled out my favorite special friend…and the kids ate it right up!  I’m going to just post some of the cuteness without a bunch of commentary and let these fun kids speak for themselves

They kept on being cute…and I kept shooting.  And then I had a serious problem on my hands when I tried to narrow down the shots for their gallery

Thanks for a fun morning…come play with me again soon, ok??

Fall sessions are in full swing and I am having a blast running around after all these cute kids!

I promise to come back in a day or two and share more from this session….a group of darling cousins that were SO well behaved.  We had a great morning together.  They laughed at all my jokes

This little lady has an awesome mom.  We met through this blog and then got to meet in person while I was in Wichita for a Matilda Jane show.  I get the feeling that we could sit at Starbucks for hours and never run out of conversation material.  Our hearts are definitely in the same place.  Just wish we lived closer (although I am in Wichita a lot Jen so lets hook up again sometime soon!)  Her little cutie takes my breath away…THOSE EYES!

Can’t wait to show off her cutie pie cousins too!  Have I mentioned before how much I love COLOR???  Thanks for being a little sunshine in my day Ms. E!

Funny how it seems she was just a snoozing infant in my arms.  We could barely wake her to eat…a tiny little bundle full of fresh life and promise.  Now she is eight.  Just like that.  And with the world still in front of her…she is starting to claim her own little space.  She’s a beautifully quirky girl with a compassionate heart that teaches me everyday.  She’s quick to forgive and rarely harsh.  She’s determined, thoughtful, wildly creative, a voracious reader, and a mess at the dinner table.

I love her {still} toothless grin and the way she wakes up every day happy and ready to take on the world.  I love her spunky style, her infatuation with all things horses/ponies, and her ability to diffuse any tense moments with a rendition of the “monkey dance”.  I love that she still plays baby dolls and “puppies” and still thinks the latest teen idol is “Hannah Botanna”.  She marches to her own drum this zany girl!

I’m so proud of the little lady she is becoming…full of grace and compassion…with a heart for God that exceeds her little body.  We may not always agree on bedtimes or her latest wardrobe choice…but I rarely question her tenderness with others.

We stole away a few nights ago to a favorite little spot to take some birthday photos.  She’s not normally a huge fan of my camera but came along willingly (or maybe it was the ice cream bribe that solidified the deal).  And other than almost being eaten alive by bugs we had a great time.  “I did pretty good, huh Mommy!”…she said on the trek home.  “Yeah baby…you rocked it.” 

I hope she always find the beauty in others.  I pray she loves God first and then creatively finds ways to spread that love around.  I trust that she is going to do something great someday.

Happy Birthday baby girl.

{sharing what a can of spray paint and a leftover mirror from a bathroom renovation 3years ago can do for your stairwell}

Mirrors are a funny thing.  Beautiful and dainty, strong and sculptural, or simple and clean…they never lie.  You can dress them up with pretty chippy aqua paint and hang them to reflect your “best side” but the image will always remain.  Me.  With all my faults and imperfections glaringly obvious staring right back at me.  Funny how a sheet of glass can play such an important role in our lives.  How it can shape who we are and how we interact with our world.  Funny how a sheet of glass can make us feel “fat” and “frumpy” or tell us that we aren’t good enough.  But it’s not the glass.  It’s our heart we see in the reflection.  And more than anything…I want to see those faults with fresh eyes and still find the beauty that God created.  Not because of how I (or my house…or my kids…or my life) look but because of what HE created me to DO.  I’m full of cracks and holes…and that’s a depressing thought….unless there is a Savior who loves me with a redeeming power so strong as to wipe all my faults away.  I’m created in his IMAGE.  I’m created to LOVE.  To find the beauty in others.  To REFLECT the love that God has shown me.  What an awesome command.  So what do you see in your looking glass?

I remember a LONG time ago I wanted desperately for Ms. Linda from “Romper Room” to look through her magic glass and call my name.  I was 4 years old.  And as I watched her on our tv set my heart skipped a beat at the end of every episode.  “Romper Bomper Stomper Boo..Tell me tell me tell me who…Magic mirror tell me today…Did all my friend have fun at play?  I see Jimmy…I see Susie…I see Sally” she quipped while peering through a looking glass seated at the Romper Room set table.  How I longed for that simple recognition.  {just a note to the producers of that show:  would it have been so hard to give a shout out to the Jennifers of the world…there were only a hundred thousand of us in 1979).  I’ve since learned that the recognition is often hollow.  It’s the simple, joyous acts {that go unnoticed by most} that usually yield the most beauty in my life.

So on this sunny Friday afternoon…will you join me?  Take a good, long look in your mirror.  And repeat after me, “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and gosh darn it…people like me!”  {HA…so sorry…did anyone else LOVE that skit from Saturday Nite Live??}

Go be beautiful in the life of someone this weekend!

It’s no secret that I’m not in the running for mother of the year.  I mean, heck.  I found my 2 year old with the bottle of Comet.  But I have been redeemed by a cute space blasting monkey named Paul Frank. (If you haven’t read about how I sent my newly commissioned school boy to school on his first day sans a backpack…you can read about my inept moment in motherhood here.)

Little man may have been embarassed last week sporting his green Macy’s re-usable tote but I didn’t fail him this week.  On my weekly trip through Target I spotted the 75% off backpacks.  And this little gem was sandwiched between a gastly Wolverine backpack and a irredescent I Heart Carly pack.  I’m not a big character lover.  But I love me some good ‘ol Paul Frank.  Little man was thrilled with my selection.  I could hardly keep him seated for our 4 second photo shoot.  “3…2…1…BLAST OFF!!!  He kept yelling “Pau Frak I duv you…BLAST OFF”  Good to know I’m a good mother again.

And because I’m just that cool…I even sent him to school in his brand new shoes.  Double points for me.  (Does that make up for the Comet incident??)

I finallly finished our chalk board wall.  It was a bear to photograph…a teeny tiny hallway with really bad lighting.  So I laid on my back in our teeny tiny laundry room.  It looks like we have 20′ ceilings.  It’s like living in the Taj Mahal around here – HA!  Just kidding.  Despite the crummy snapshots it really did turn out pretty darn cute!

After getting the paint up and letting it cure I re-hung our original cork board (high enough that little hands couldn’t reach it).  The frame was originally black which just wouldn’t do so I spray painted it (and half my yard) aqua…much better!  I wrote one of my favorite scriptures at the very top which I will leave visible as a daily reminder during this excruciating wait time.   Below the cork board is a free for all.  I commissioned it with a count down to holding my sweet boy (acutally 66 days now but who’s counting?)  It looked clean and neat for about 30 seconds.  As soon as I hunted down some white chalk my girls were ALL over it!

I can’t ever go back to teaching because I CANNOT write nicely on chalk boards.  It didn’t help that I was standing on top of the “do not stand above this line” sticker on my ladder and could barely reach!  Once I finished I realized the whole scripture drooped a bit to the left…but that just adds to the homespun charm, right?

If you live nearby you should really stop by and see it in person…I’ll even let you leave a message   It is much more fun in person!

And a few tips if you want to try this at your house:

• I used Sherwin Williams chalk board paint because I have a crush on that brand.  I did not prime the wall at the ill advise of Mr. Williams in the store.  He was wrong.  Definitely prime.

• Use a foam roller.  I used a mohair roller that the afore-mentioned “expert” recommended and it yielded unsightly roller marks that I had a hard time covering.

• Purchase white chalk before you begin the project (especially if you live in Kansas City) because there is apparently a chalk shortage here and your children will drive you crazy wanting to try out their artwork on their newly renovated canvas.

• If you get over ambitious and think about using magnetic paint first so that you have a magnetic chalk board…just move on.  I researched this heavily and the research was not kind to the magnetic paint manufacturers.

• Chalk board paint is OIL based and incredibly stinky.  So use proper ventilation.  Probably best NOT to paint when it is 112* with no fresh air  in the same room as your children are eating (not that I did that or anything).

• Due to the condition above…make sure you have paint thinner on hand BEFORE beginning unless you like having black sticky hands.

Go forth and chalkboard.  And then come back and share!!

I’ll admit to being REALLY behind on my client sharing here on the blog.  Galleries are up and my clients have ordered and I have just run out of time for sharing here.  So I’m going to backtrack and hit a few sessions here and there just for fun.

This session had all the cards lined up against it.  It rained on and off all day.  The ground was saturated and the skies were DARK.  But with 3 little guys under the age of 6 dressed and ready to go…we pushed forward.  And even though my ISO was MAXED out by the end of our quick session…we still managed to get some pretty cute shots!  I know I’ve said it before…but I LOVE LOVE LOVE candid family photos.  I don’t think I have ANY photos displayed in my house with our family all lined up pretty for the camera (at least none that I really love!)  I love the interactions too much…the movement…the tickles…the whispered secrets.

So this shot made me extra happy.  Divide and conquer people…divide and conquer!

The boys gave me a workout running around the park.  They shot me with their laser beam eyes and I rolled around in the soggy grass (hey…I’ll do whatever it takes to get eye contact!)  So when they laid down for a second in the grass and gave me these pensive looks I melted.

I thought about editing out the brown grass…but I kind of liked the added texture so it stayed   And talking about double chins (oh we weren’t??  well we are now!)  Check out this cutie.  He was all eyes for mommy…didn’t really think my camera was all that cool but we still got a couple of cute smiles on Charlotte…and who doesn’t want to just eat up the neck fat??  Makes me baby hungry!!

Thanks guys for winging it with me!  I hope these images were worth the rush to beat the rain and you didn’t get too wet on the way home!!

God has been busy with some major character building at our house.  So I’ve made myself busy adding a touch of character to our home.  Sometimes the plateaus in life are easier to handle with some good ‘ol re-decorating fun.  I’d love to do a major overhaul…just strip the place bare and start again (unfortunately, that wasn’t in the budget)…but even little changes can make a big difference in how your house functions!

Here’s a few of our changes:

Slip cover the dated striped chenille couch with a washable linen…and paint the walls a cocoa brown.  (been dying to paint the walls in our house since we moved in 3.5 years ago!)

We carried (actually WE didn’t carry anything…2 men with biceps bigger than my toosh carried it) the piano downstairs to make room in the living room for more seating.  S man’s changing table fit perfectly between the windows and I found a little basket to slide right into the diaper storage cubby.  A pair of $15 clearance lamps added some MUCH needed lighting to the room.

Switched out the red/green dishes for some simple white wares from my cabinets.

Pulled a flea market table into the family room to use as a coffee table (after sawing off the legs).  I threw a bunch of favorite magazines in the rustic tray for easy access and inspiration.

Painted an entire wall with chalkboard paint near my pantry door.  This picture is horrid…the space is VERY tight.  I am finishing up re-painting our corkboard and then I’ll hang it on top to keep our school papers organized.  We can’t wait to try out the chalkboard…as soon as I can find WHITE chalk (I think there was a run on it at our Wal-mart!)

Some added laundry room shelving.  Our laundry is TINY and there was NO storage.  I’m hoping that once these are primed and painted they will help coral the ART SUPPLY BEAST who lives at our house!

Daniel’s room is painted and the crib and dresser are up.  Now I’m trying to add some personality to the room!  We moved this bookshelf in from the girls’ room and I used some leftover paint to change out the color of the beadboard.  Now I’m busy scouting for vintage cars and trucks, books, and other random tidbits to fill it out.

Pretty little vintage knobs for a flea market dresser in the baby’s room.  Boys like crystal knobs, right?  OK don’t answer that.  But I have a rule that anything I put in the kids’ rooms has to be stylish enough to be later worked into the rest of our house…so crystal knobs it was

I’m still working hard to complete a dozen or so projects.  And while my mind is consistently MILES away…it is providing much needed relief for my tired, waiting heart.  Once we are home from Africa I certainly won’t have time for re-covering chairs and scoping out flea markets so I better get it out of my system now!!