I mean it this time!

Ok, ok, I know that two posts ago was my last post and that one post ago was my last last post, but this time I mean it! This is my last post on this blog. Seriously. No really. Yes, I mean it!

I am only posting this now because I have had several people contact me saying that they are having problems subscribing to my new blog. Frustrating tech stuff.

Well, I fixed it this morning and all is well. Just click on the subscribe button on my new blog and all your options are there. It's now easy as pie. Not like the homemade pie that takes you all day to make the crust and the filling and get the topping just right. More like the after-you-are-done-with-your-dinner-at-Baker's-Square-and-you-order-a-slice-of-french-silk kind of pie. Wow, doesn't that sound good? 

I had better quit before I get on a pie tangent! 

So, final final final notice. THIS will be my last post here and now you should not have any troubles subscribing to the new blog. Sorry about the inconvenience. Enjoy the pie...

Thank you to all my loyal blog readers. You have no idea how touched I am by your support.

Click here to view the new blog! 

I lied...

...a little bit. But not intentionally. And I didn't know it was a lie at the time. So, does it really count?

In my last post I said that that was going to be my last post on my old blog and here I am, posting here again! I mentioned that I hoped you would join me on my new blog. That you would take time from your busy lives to go to my new blog and take a moment to subscribe to my new blog. Yes, I want to mention my new blog one more time in this sentence, just to sound annoying (It is late - I am tired - Forgive me).

So, forgive me this time and trust me when I say that THIS will be my last post here. I hope to see you on my new blog (Ha! I squeezed it in there one more time!)...

This will be my last post...on this {my old} blog!

We do it ourselves. Everything. All the time. It's who we are. Jessie and Luke Thompson, Do-It-Yourselfers.

We paint. We put up walls. We build furniture. {I drew the line at the homemade breast pump my husband thought up after our daughter was born. Everyone has their line, and that definitely crossed mine!}

And the same goes for some things in my business...like my new blog!!!!!!! I am so excited to announce my new {semi-do-it-yourself} blog. Same Jessie. Same ramblings. Larger images. And much prettier.

A big thanks to all of you who read my blog. I am truly touched when someone references something that they read on it or when I get an encouragement email from a reader. Our world is getting smaller and strangers are becoming friends and I am still fascinated by this whole experience.

So, I hope that you subscribe to my new blog and continue to give me feedback and share your thoughts. 

New blog URL: www.joyfulgirlphotography.com/blog

Thank you again! Now I need to go paint something...

Jessie

My family's potential disaster!

I owe this blog post to you and I hope you heed my advice.

My three-year-old wants to do everything I do (which is both good and bad!). The other day I cleaned the bathroom, and after I finished with the shower I decided to turn on the water for a quick rinse-off shower. My son was sleeping and my daughter was coloring at the table and pre-occupied for a few minutes (or so I thought).

When I got out of my shower and stepped into the hallway, the floor was wet. Before I could even ask my daughter what had happened, she came around the corner holding the cleaning solution I was just using! My daughter, playing with my bathroom cleaning solution! She had sprayed the spray all over and was now standing in front of me with both the spray solution and the scrub I had used in the shower.

But here is the good part. Instead of calling a poison center I knew all was well. I knew that she was safe despite my mistake of leaving the cleaning supplies within her reach. I knew this because I only use these amazing natural cleaning products called Simply Neutral. In that moment, I fell even deeper in love with these family-safe cleaning products and knew I needed to blog about them, letting you know how our potential disaster was avoided.

I must stop right here and tell you that I first used this product because I have taken all the photos (both product and people) for their brand. I got the perk of keeping the products that I used in the shoots and I LOVED them immediately! So much so that I bought some for both my sister-in-laws and asked Simply Neutral for samples that I could hand out to people. Let me assure you, other than being their photographer, I get nothing for spreading the good word about this company. I just believe in them and their products!

I will spare you the kid-safe and environment-safe details here. Their website is much better at that than I could ever be. I just felt like I needed to share my story with you in hopes that you get some of this product for your family and keep them safe too!!

Ironically, a couple days after this incident I had to shoot a few more products for them including some of this Mad Green Towel. Their awesome product list is growing and I cannot say enough great things about them!

Please check out their website and try their products. Again, I don't get anything from this. I actually feel like I am doing my blog readers the favor here.:)

Visit Joyful Girl Photography's Website

Happy {Belated} Easter!

Visit Joyful Girl Photography's Website!

My laughs for the day (well, two of them anyway)...

If you have read my blogs in the past, you may know that I have admitted to reading Reader's Digest. This morning I read a couple things in April's Reader's Digest that made me laugh out loud, and thought you might enjoy them and be in need of a laugh yourself. 

They are not jokes for the young and innocent. So to balance out the adultness of these jokes, I thought I would throw in a few images of my daughter from the other day.

Enjoy...

--

A farmer pulls a prank on Easter Sunday. After the egg hunt, he sneaks into the chicken coop and replaces every white egg with a brightly colored one.

Minutes later, the rooster walks in. He spots the brightly colored eggs, then storms out and beats up the peacock.

--

Nobody ever calls you up to tell you something good you did when you were drunk. Nobody's ever said, "Jim, you got ripped last night and painted the orphanage."

--

Visit Joyful Girl Photography's Website (My new website!)

Joyful Girl Photography!!

I started this post as an ode to sleep. It was about how much I have missed it so, remembering days not long ago, when we would meet at eleven, and continue our date until late-morning Heaven. {Perhaps this taste of my ode helps you see why I abandoned the idea and moved on to a more traditional format.}

The reason that I have been missing sleep lately is because I have been up late every night for weeks working on my name and website! Yes, I am now Joyful Girl Photography!

I still love A Kid's Life Photography, and kids will still be my big love and focus. However, I wanted my name to be more versatile as I have done photo shoots with more than just kids including events and products and dogs, etc. Not to mention the fact that I did my first wedding in February and loved it and have two more lined up for the summer. And I am going to start working with high school seniors and am soooo excited about that too!

So, I hope you like my new name and website. It is still a work in progress and you will more than likely see little design changes here and there along the way.

Please check it out and pass it on to everyone you know.

New site: www.joyfulgirlphotography.com

I will leave you with a couple more rough starts to the failed ode...

--

Remember the times when you could sleep til noon?

When you stayed in jammies and watched cartoons?

When I wasn't a busy mom with a job too?

And building my new brand name with a website to boot?

I love sleep way more than I can say

If I could, I would sleep until noon each day

And I used to do this

I used to sleep lots

And then I had kids

Two of them, now tots

Not to mention a business I love too

working so hard, so much to do

---

Visit Joyful Girl Photography's Website

To thine own self be true

"The vows," he said. "And my dad giving me away," she added. They could have easily said the dress or the fancy location shots. They could have focused the conversation on extravagant food or the rings. Or the kiss of course (admittedly my probable first answer!).

But when I asked them what the most important things about their wedding day were, I got answers that were genuine and real, answers that went deep to the heart, just like them.

And when their big day came they held onto each other while still being themselves. They kissed lovingly. They shared laughs. They didn't give me big fake smiles just because they thought they should. They embraced families, both old and new. But most importantly, they held hands and looked into each others eyes...and they exchanged vows, for a lifetime together.

It was beautiful, and true, and so genuine. "It just feels like they should be marrying each other," his mom said. "They just seem to fit. They seem so right." And anyone watching them that day would have agreed.

Thank you, Jason and Jen, for letting me photograph your wedding. For knowing it was my first wedding, and trusting me anyways. For tolerating the click click of my camera all day. For letting me in. For going in the middle of a field in Iowa in freezing (literally) weather. For sharing your day, and yourselves, with me.

Your friendship and love is obvious and I wish you many, many, many years of happiness!

Jason and Jen opted to see each other before the ceremony... 

The sunset was so amazing. The fields next to the church were so beautiful. And Jason and Jen are so photogenic! Yes, a photographers dream. But...Jason and Jen were incredibly tired of having their photographs taken. They were ready to go out and live it up with their friends. The fields outside were full of, well, manure. Not to mention the fact that Jen was in sandals and a strapless wedding dress and it was only about 20 degrees outside! 

After a little persuasion (begging?) the bride and groom braved the cold for one last shoot and I am so glad that they did! Jason and Jen did an amazing job posing in the freezing cold and we got some great shots from their efforts.

After we all came in (freezing), I think that Jen pretty much summed it up when she said, "That was a real kick in the butt!"

{You may have noticed a change in my logo from A Kid's Life Photography to Jessie Leigh Photography. Yup, some big changes are coming...}

A Kid's Life Photography Website

One of my new favorite products: Square collection prints!

I have two new favorite products: new fancy dancy wedding albums and square collection prints.

I just ordered these 20x20 collection prints this morning and I had to share them with you! The mom is picking up 20x20 frames at Ikea (only $25 a piece!) and displaying them in their living room. I think they will look great! Frames are also available at Target.

I hope you are having a great Thursday. 

A Kid's Life Photography Website

The Rock Star.

My prediction is an extreme snowboarder. Or maybe a karate master. Actually, I am going to go for major rock star. Yes, that's it. 

Let's run him through the potential rock star test:

Love of music? Check.

Comfortable with his shirt off? Check.

Amazing blue eyes to make the girls melt? Check.

Wild hair to shake around? Check.

Loud voice for screaming out lyrics? Check.

Excitement and enthusiasm that is contagious? Check.

Well, I guess that that's it. Rock star it is! I am happy to be a part of his life now so I can share stories about the famous Joey when he makes it big. "I knew Joey when he was just a year old! Yes, I got him to take off his shirt!" My memory is not so great. I had better write this stuff down.

I hope you enjoy some of the photographs from our shoot...

A Kid's Life Photography Website

This is Heaven to no one else but me...

A few things to note:

1. Four blocks from our house my daughter announced that she had just had an accident in her car seat and I cannot figure out how to get the liner out to clean it.

2. Exactly 48 hours ago my husband and I decided to turn our house completely around and swap all bedrooms and offices and TV rooms (and build a couple walls and paint - you know, the usual thing people decide to do on a whim). The house is a complete mess and we are now sharing a room with our kids.

3. I cannot do any more laundry until I get a new lint trap and I may be moving on to swimsuit underwear soon!

4. I have a sore throat and a slight fever and I am not feeling like my usual self.

5. Every one of my sons diapers in the last 24 hours have been poopy.

6. My husband left yesterday for an out-of-town job, so I am doing everything by myself for at least a week until he returns.

And then there I was on the swing today with my little Abe. My butt was wet from the fabric swing. I got slight wiffs of Abe's freshly poopy diaper. And all I could think about was how happy I am. How wonderful that moment was. He was sleepy and tired from playing in the mud so he happily snuggled up to me and we swung. The weather was beautiful. The sun was warming us. His hair was soft on my face. I sang quietly to him and he leaned his ear to my mouth to enjoy this too. 

There was a time long ago when I had some boyfriend troubles and I rode my bike a few miles to a park and got on the swings and blasted the Sarah McLachlan song "Elsewhere"on my Discman over and over again. I kept swinging and singing and playing that song, and I after a while I felt such joy. Like I could really see how blessed I was in the things that mattered, and that the rest was not worth worrying about.

That song and that feeling of joy come back to me sometimes. Times like today when I felt pure bliss to be in that spot, in that moment, with my Abe. Singing. "I believe, this is Heaven to no one else but me, and I'll defend it long as I can be, left here to linger in silence if I choose to would you try to understand..."

Just so as I always leave an image with a post (I am a photographer after all!), I will include two here. One from today with the kids, and one from a little bit ago of my Abe, who, after a morning of swimming just couldn't stay awake long enough to make it to bed for a nap...