lucky kind of day

I should be cleaning my toilets, vacuuming, wiping down my kitchen counters.....

But could you resist this face?

On our way to drop A off at school today we hit the jackpot. I had planned on buying J a doll house for her upcoming birthday. But today, emerging from the morning mist on my neighbors driveway, sat this. My rational side told me to keep driving. Fortunately for J, my rational side lost and after dropping A at school...I was carrying this mansion down my basement stairs.


So I should be cleaning for my Labor Day company (that will be here tomorrow....yikes!) Instead, I am setting up house and helping Barbie and her clan get ready for a beach vacation. They are having a hard time deciding if they should drive their car or ride the horses...decisions, decisions!

It's not everyday that you can make your daughter's dreams come true. As J would say..."I guess today is just a lucky kind of day!"

Her turn

J has been waiting patiently for her turn to start school. I thought she would really miss A during the day...they are best of friends and really seem to enjoy playing together (I'm a seriously lucky mom I know!) I asked J today if she missed A while she was gone. Her reply..."Not soooo much. I get to play with all her toys!!"

But she has been a bit jealous that A has so many fun school stories to share at the end of the day. And I have been promising her that her day would come soon too.

And today it came. J got to meet her teachers, see her school, find her name on the wall where she will hang her brand-new-pink-sparkle Disney Princess backpack (cringe), and show off her baby brother to the entire school.


(Pardon the serious squinting. I didn't think the preschool would appreciate me moving the school sign so that she wasn't looking into the noon day sun!)

My little baby will be heading out on Tuesday for her first official day of preschool...two days a week...in a class full of sweet little 3 year olds. I'll be lingering in the hallway with the other moms, wondering who told our babies it was ok to grow up. SIGH....

If you are trying to get in contact with me about my HUGE BLOW OUT SALE please email me HERE!

jenncooper@fellowship.net

If you would like to join my mailing list to receive special notification of upcoming sales and my latest ebay auctions click HERE!!

Thanks!

***********HUGE SALE*************

I spent the day cleaning and sorting and have TONS of GREAT SAMPLES and SHOES to get out of my house!!

Just a few ideas of what I am offering!


PLUS tons of shoes like BEAR FEET, COCO JUMBOS, STRIDE RITE, CONVERSE...you get the idea!

You are going to want to click HERE to see what I have to offer!

First come first serve...so if you see something you want please email me and I will send you an invoice...paypal only pretty please!

HAPPY SHOPPING!

***update***

Good news...my perfectly perfect little guy is still perfect :)

We went to his cardiologist apt. yesterday. They ran several different test (EKG, sonogram, oxygen saturation, etc.) and he did quite well. The cardiologist said his murmer is louder than a typical newborn murmer but he is not in any type of danger. His heart is functioning well and he is hitting all of the baby milestones at the right stages. There is a small hole that allows blood to pass from the mother into the baby's placenta which usually closes right after birth. Sam's is still open but the Dr. thinks there is a good chance it will close on its own in the next year or so.

Best case scenario: the hole will close on its own over time
Worst case scenario: we will need to manually close the whole in a few years with a catheterization procedure

But all around...a good apt. that put my worry-wart manic mommy side at ease :)

Thank you for the prayers and well wishes! We appreciate them more than you know!

inner struggle

Tomorrow we are taking Sam to see a pediatric cardiologist. At his two month appointment his pediatrician found a heart murmur that he felt needed further investigation. He told me not to worry (yeah right). My cool, level-headed mommy side says "no big deal...totally common...he'll be fine" but my worry-wart manic mommy side is a bit concerned (ok, not a bit...) The thought of anything being wrong with my perfectly perfect little guy scares the begeebers right out of me. And I think to myself, "if it's no big deal...then why are we being sent to the leading pediatric cardiologist at the Children's Hospital". So you see my inner struggle.

So. If you think of Sam tomorrow...pray for a good report...a "it's no big deal" kind of response that will let me stop stressing about the "what ifs".

Thanks a bunch. And cuz that perfectly perfect little guy is darn cute I'll share just one pic.

endorphins

That isn't me. But if you add 20 lbs of giggling baby fat and cut off the ponytail you might be close.

I have come to a crossroads. I hit 2 months postpartum and had an important decision to make. Lose the remaining 10 lbs. or buy an entire new wardrobe. And after a shopping excursion with my husband to buy jeans (don't fret, he earned extra "good husband points" for that), I've decided it will be easier to lose the weight then to find a pair of jeans that fit in all the right places.

So tonight I laced up my new-2yr-old sneaks and hit the pavement.

I had a nice long talk with God about mommyhood, business, and why I can't let go. We talked for a long time until my mind went numb and all I could hear was the blood pounding in my head. I walked and walked until I ran out of light and it was too dark to see my watch or to calculate how far I'd gone....or to really care.

The house was quiet when I got home. Girls in bed. S asleep in my husbands arms. Lights off.

That felt good.

Boo!

Don't be too shocked...but I actually sewed this week. The stars and moon aligned and while A was at school, J & S both fell asleep, at the SAME time! It was like a beautiful respite...a reminder of what life was like before 3 kids...when I could sew anytime inspiration struck. Now by the time I make it to my machine, I am either blurry-eyed from lack of sleep or my brain is too numb to think creatively and I just stare at the mounting piles of fabric.

This week I've listed this sweet little Halloween jumper made from some of my all-time favorite Halloweeny fabrics (ha ha...I just said weeny!) I had so much fun making this jumper that I have two more to list next week in other fabric combinations (so be sure to check back...maybe it will be something you can't live without!)

Click HERE to see my auction!

Also...you will need Erin's adorable necklace to go with the jumper! She just joined IVYLANE and I am so thrilled to be getting to design with her!!

Click HERE to see Erin's auction

That's right...I need help! I'm working on building my portrait portfolio and would love some models! If you live in the Kansas City area (or are headed this direction!) and would like a free photo shoot please contact me or post a comment here! Babies, kids, siblings, families, seniors...I'll do my best to capture their personality and provide you with 10-20 proofs free of charge. I'm currently working on my photo gallery and website which will display my latest work!

Here are a few samples of some of my portrait work for reference!

New adventures!

It's official...we have moved from the realm of preschool. Today is A's first day of Kindergarten! Apparently she is already too cool for pictures but I insisted the day be documented so she obliged me. With family visiting we were able to walk A to school without the little kids...a momentous walk down the path towards an entire world of new adventures waiting for her! The entire neighborhood was out to welcome the kids back to school...with music playing and the teachers lined up in the hallways chanting and waving to the kids. It that doesn't pump you up I don't know what would! A settled right into her spot and got busy...can't wait to hear about her big day!
Here we are heading out for our walk to school





Our special neighbor friends!

Settling into her new classrom

I'll miss your sweet smiles today A...but we are so proud of you! You are a special little girl!!

Saturday morning in the country

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!!

It's a bird...it's a plane...

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!!

Is it possible...

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!

The Writer strikes again

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.

A few more to share

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!