J Cooper Photography

Seriously.  How cute are they?

I had to re-schedule a session this weekend due to another crazy broken bone (not ours thankfully) and decided to use that opportunity to photograph my own little rockers.  It is always a gamble.  But oh.my.word were they a hoot!  We hit crossroads and there wasn’t another photographer in sight (pretty rare for a beautiful Saturday evening).  I had been brainstorming ways to camouflage little man’s cast and then remembered the adorable mini trap set that belongs to a friend.  I coerced her into letting me borrow it and we headed downtown.  Our Christmas cards have always been a bit more classic.  I always try to come up with something fun but have stuck with a more traditional theme.  This one seems to fit us much better…a bit more off the beaten path    I even have my cards designed and ready to order.  And it’s only Oct. 12th.  Pinch me…I must be dreaming.

I knew little mister would LOVE the drums.  What I didn’t count on was his seriousness in playing them.  He was determined to bring down the house and had cars stopping in the alley way cheering him on.  I’m kind of surprised we didn’t get arrested for “disturbing the peace”.  He was LOUD.   I could barely get him to look up from the drum set.  But of course Mr. P came along and brought out the smiles.

This one is hands down my favorite.  He is just so thrilled to be the center of attention! ( So VERY MUCH like him!)

Everyone took a turn in front of the camera.  And we were done in 30 minutes flat.  That has to be a record for me.  Usually I torture them for much longer!  This is kind of a spoiler for our card.  So if you are on our mailing list…just look the other way   OK…gonna stop talking and just share the rest of the pics!

And because I know someone will ask.  The kids are basically a walking advertisement for The Children’s Place.  I didn’t purchase all of their wardrobe for this photo shoot.   Miss A already had the plaid skirt, jean jacket, and boots.  Earlier that morning we ran to the outlet to see if anything from that line had hit the clearance rack that would coordinate with her outfit…and we scored big!  We picked up the red sequined tee, Miss J’s tunic, and little man’s sweater and shirt to coordinate.  The girls REALLY loved these outfits and I think they will wear them a lot.  They were excited to put them on for our evening and I think that really shows in the photos!  Something I need to remember for next time.

Thanks for letting me share my little rockers.  PEACE OUT!

Their mom is so special to me.  Which means these kids are pretty darn special to me too.   If we are fortunate in life…we will have one or two friends who truly understand us…she’s one of them.  And I love her for that!

This was supposed to be a mini session.  But there were a few problems:

1.  Her kids are too ridiculously cute.

2.  Her taste is dead on.

3.  The kids thought I was funny.

So I didn’t do such a great job of narrowing down the choices for her.  Hope she has a BIG blank wall ready to decorate – HA!  (I know she doesn’t!!)

I have never laughed so much at a session…these boys were just a stitch.  They were striking all sorts of poses for me…Alfred Hitchcock in the arm chair, the dead pan stare, the goofy cheesy grin.  That’s the risk of photographing kids you know so well.  But I pulled out the bribes…played them against each other (the offer for free ice cream didn’t hurt either) and we got some winners.

I think I pulled something laughing so hard!  And when I ran out of funny things to say I asked their Dad to do something funny behind my back.  Makes you wonder what in the world he was doing doesn’t it?

Hope this sneak peak brings a smile to your face my dear friends!  Thank you for being you.

Five is a delicate age.  Big girl enough to go to school, carry your own backpack, pack a lunch, and hang from the monkey bars unassisted.  But there is still something undeniably little about five.  Mischievous eyes, belly laughs, princess pretend, and dance parties to name a few.  It’s the perfect age to celebrate.  We took advantage of a crazy field of black eyed Susans.  I spotted them a few days before our session and was hoping they would still be in bloom.  They’re a flourish of vibrant color…wild and unabashed for such a short time.  Kind of like five.  Innocently blooming big and bright…and then gone and onto something else.  Dear Miss C…you are a beautifully bright little girl.  Never lose that sassy spunk and those twinkling eyes.  Five never looked so sweet!

I love this little girl.  It’s as simple as that.  This was my third time photographing her…and this time Mom and Dad joined in the fun too.  They are beautiful people.  Exactly the kind with which you’d want to spend a Saturday morning.  We laughed about how Ms. B only likes my camera.  (rumor has it she missed out on having her picture in the school yearbook because she didn’t like the photographer).  Did I mention I love this little girl?

I am so fortunate to have this little job doing something I truly love.

This was a mini session.  Hard to tell because in less than 30 minutes we knocked about 40 fun family shots for their gallery.  Just finished up their Christmas card and this little beauty is going to steal the show on the fridge this year for sure!

One of my most favorite things…repeat clients.  I am so thankful for the families that allow me to photograph them year after year.  As the kids grow and life changes…I get to be part of the action…and that is what makes this so much fun.

I’ve photographed Ms. B three times this year.  And every time she has provided a HUGE range of personality.  I’d like to say she just really loves me…but I think she just knows how to rock the camera

(catch her other sessions HERE and HERE)

Thanks, friends.

She loves it.  And she couldn’t be a better little kindergarten student…but boy is it tiring!

This is how I found her when I went up to check on her during rest time today.  We have rest time EVERY day at the Cooper house.  I know lots of you have non-nappers.  And while my kiddos (at least the girls) don’t sleep most of the time anymore I still think it is important for them to have some quiet time reading or looking at books in bed.  School is hard stuff and this little gal definitely needs time to un-wind in the afternoons.  Plus I need a break.  So I can blog and do other important tasks like internet shop   I’m probably in the minority here.  But I’m a firm believer in naptime (I don’t call it that though…that’s the key…we’d have a major revolt if I slipped on the rest time title!)  I think we’ll nap until their 16.  Hey…by then they’ll probably be begging for a nap!

I love this little girl who is so unsteadily perched on the fence between little kid and big girl.  Her birthday is quickly approaching and the onslaught of school is already taking effect.  So I’m glad she’s still napping.  Cause when I peer into her sweet pink room and see her breathing deeply I can pretend (if only for a moment) that she’s still my baby

I’m about to begin a slew of fall session previews.  Maybe I’ll make a week of it and do all my sharing at once…that would be kind of fun wouldn’t it”  Like a big blog sharing extravaganza of sorts.  Fun times, right?

These two might go down in the J Cooper Photography Hall of Fame as the easiest clients ever.

I said..”sit on the couch and be cute”.  And this is what I got.  Straight out of the camera.  Cute smiles all the way around.  I could have packed up right then and there they were so darn easy.  But what fun would that have been?  Oh no…I spent the next hour exploring nooks and crannies of the park my toddler clients won’t allow.  And let me tell ya…there wasn’t one spot that stumped these two.

It was all well and good until I got home and realized I had a ghastly number of images on my camera.  So I started weeding through them…trashing the blinking eyes and awkward smiles…oh, right.  They were all adorable.  So I did what I had to do.  I hunkered down and picked the best of the best…rolled up my sweatshirt sleeves…grabbed a large bag of M&Ms…and got busy editing.  Cute kids I tell ya.  Not real happy about the empty bag of M&Ms but the extra 5 lbs on my back side will be worth their darling Christmas card.

I could share a hundred million or so but I’ll stick with nine.  This weekend I might get brave and photograph my own.  That ought to be like culture shock after this session.  No nose pickers, face scrunchers, pants wetters, or cast wearers at this session.

Thanks a lot, kids.  Can we do this again sometime soon?

My mind has been elsewhere today…as in the other side of the globe…in Peru with my sister.

I have a lot going on right now.  A thousand photo sessions, proofing, Matilda Jane shows, soccer, violin lessons, homework, broken bones, doctors apts…but I can’t keep my mind on any of it.  Because TODAY I gained a new NIECE.  Today my sister met the little girl that has been growing in her heart for 18 months.

At noon today I was driving in my car taking Ms. Middle to her violin lesson.  I was daydreaming when my mind immediately went to Emma.  And I lost it.  Right there at 83rd and Mission.  Her baby.  In her arms…FOREVER.

My sister has been a huge inspiration over the past few years.  She has 4 kids already and by the world’s standards…she’s got her “hands full”.  But God was calling her to Peru to a tiny dark haired girl who desperately needed a family.  Her journey to Emma has been heart wrenching at best but God has been in control (even though it didn’t always feel that way).  Today she got to hold her babe in her arms…to sing to her…to smother her with kisses…to promise her she’d never leave…to pray over her.  GOD IS SO GOOD!

They will have a long road ahead with a month long stay in Peru.  Will you pray for their adjustment and for Emma as she learns of their love for her?

You can follow my sister’s JOURNEY on her blog.

I love how her journey has changed our family…opened up the boundaries…created a rainbow.  I love that her story inspires me to get beyond the trivial nothingness of my day and do something that matters.  Because when it comes right down to it…God won’t really care if I took one more fantastic picture…got my sessions edited on time…or made all the beds.  He’s called us to father the fatherless and that puts it all in perspective!

Our little Peruvian Princess….we love you more than you could ever imagine….hurry home!

I can’t believe I have the energy to blog this shindig…but here I go!

A few weeks ago I realized that our plans to celebrate the girls’ birthdays weren’t going to materialize.  So we needed a plan B.  I’m typically a big party thrower.  I LOVE parties…love planning them…love all the fun little details…love girly themes.  But I just didn’t have it in me this year to do two big parties with our crazy fall schedule.  So we opted for one WILD night of fun for BOTH girls.

I quickly scoured Etsy for a fun theme and settled on “Nite Owls”.  The girls really wanted a slumber party.  But I’m not quite that adventurous yet so we settled on a half-sleepover (party ending at 10pm).  I requested a custom listing from Wants and Wishes for THIS party collection.  I loved the flexibility of being able to DIY all my own supplies.

We quickly figured out our guest list (26 little girls later) and sent out the invites.

I made Owl Treat Bags filled with an owl craft (Michaels $1 bins) and a few candies.

We popped up some popcorn in some pink party favor boxes (Walmart party section) with cute little tags.  I ordered cupcakes from the bakery and topped them with homemade toppers.    We sang “Happy Birthday” to two little cuties in owl jammies.  Then we ran around the yard doing a scavenger hunt and relay races.  When they were tired out we brought out every blanket in our house, popped in a movie (Homeward Bound) and cuddled up under the night sky like little owls bedding down in their nests.  Fun times had by all!

We didn’t lose anyone.  No one ate too much popcorn and puked at the party.  There were no broken bones or other accidents.  No fighting.  And I am posting on the blog within an hour of the end of the party.  I’d say we had success!  (Mr. Sparkles here thoroughly enjoyed the crazy attention from all the girlies!)  Pardon the flashy eyes…I couldn’t resist

Wow…26 little girls can wear you out!  Must.get.some.sleep!