last weekend i photographed a very special little girl. i met bailey back in october of last year. she was 4 months old. her parents brought her to my first fall/halloween mini session. bailey came with her cousin, kendall who i photographed a few months before. these two sweet little girls are 3 months apart. i can already see it… laughing together, getting in trouble, staying out late together, covering for each other. i could go on but i want to photograph them again… i am sure they will grow up to be perfect little angels.

i feel apart of this family. i love it! they ask about my children, offer me drinks and food, joke around with me like i am truly apart of the family. it means the world to me to have met these guys! not to mention, i get to see their beautiful girls grow up.

the day was perfect. the sun was right where i wanted it to be. bailey, well she was a ROCK STAR. it was almost like she knew momma wanted some pictures and this birthday was going down in the books! you only turn ONE once, right?!?

bailey was amazing, not once getting overwhelmed or cranky. she just took it all in.. smiling and looking around.

look who’s almost walking…

her friend showed up that she didn’t think was coming! ha!

it truly is magical to have all of the family come together to one place and knowing that every single one of them loves, bailey. i know i’m the photographer but i can’t help but sit back and watch. it was a celebration… they made sure of it!

one of my favorites.

this girl swings… she sits in the big girl swing and holds on with all of her might… daddy pushes her and her smile goes from one ear to the next… kicking her legs like she knows that she can go faster. i sat there shooting away.. laughing and smiling… it’s the simple things people. the simple things.

its not a party without birthday cake!

kendall wanted to help…

i wonder what they were talking about. i’m sure it was some secret 1 year old code.

it was a great time by all!

i wonder if momma knew that she was going to do a ladybug theme back in October?

happy birthday sweet bailey! until next time…

it hit me like a bolt of lightening. finally, i knew what this blog post will be about! for all the bloggers out there… you know what i’m talking about.  i have been pondering on this situation for days. life is crazy.. things happen at the darnedest of times. (needless to say, that special child immediately picked those shoes up, and everything else on the floor for that matter. he knew what time it was… get it together dude.)

i had been thinking of the best possible way to tie in my AMAZING experience last friday with my own life.  i’m just thankful it came to me then, in mid air, crashing to the ground… as opposed to 3am when i should be sleeping.

let’s back up a few days. last friday, i had the honor to photograph 2 very beautiful people’s wedding. yes of course, they were great looking people but i’m talking about inside.  i’m talking about where it counts. we met many months ago to discuss the plans for their special day. they walked into Starbucks hand in hand, very slowly and graceful. they talked quietly and calm. there was something about this couple that intrigued me. they held hands the entire time. he stared at her when she spoke. she stared at him when he spoke. it was a beautiful thing. i loved it. i loved them… from the very beginning.

friday came fast. i could barely sleep the night before. i paced my kitchen at least 100 times, telling myself i would forget something, or miss a shot, or get sick, or forget where the wedding was. really, jessica? really? yes, i was so nervous. by the time 330pm hit and it was time to pick up my oldest at the bus stop, i was ready! i was excited! my heart was beaming with anxiousness. lets do this!

i couldn’t have prepared myself for what i witnessed. this was not only a wedding, but a joining of two beautiful families with children. during the ceremony the brides best friends spoke. i could barely hold the camera and wipe my tears at the same time. holy beautifulness! the words that were spoken by her friends were stunningly special. it made me think of my closest friends and what they mean to me.

you truly have to get this mental picture in your head- photographer holding large camera, taking photos while wiping her face with her shirt… all at the same time. i looked ridiculous, i’m sure. i couldn’t help it.

it was moving. it was personal. it was special… like REALLY special. i’ve been to many weddings and yes, i usually cry. all weddings are meant to be beautiful and special, and they are. there was something about this wedding and it touched me personally. i was completely over whelmed with happiness for this couple. i had to seriously remind myself.. ‘calm down jess, you’ve got a job to do.’

i left the celebration gaining so many things. i photographed my first wedding! cheers!! -insert chest bump here-  but most importantly it made me realize what type of friend i want to be. and though I sometimes fall short and kick myself for going too long before calling someone back or sending a birthday message or going out of my way to let someone know what they mean to me, I am learning. I am learning how to be a good friend because my friends show me how and these friends REALLY showed me how on that beautiful day.

i love my friends like i do my family. if you are reading this and you’re my friend… i love you. thank you for what you have brought to my life. your continued encouragement and support are two things i can’t live without.

“Friendship isn’t about whom you have known the longest… It’s about who came, and never left your side…”

over 25 years of friendship. rock on!

i wasn’t the only one wiping my tears.. i’m telling you. her friends’ words went straight to the heart.. no stopping.. straight to the soul.

there was a whole lotta huggin’ … i think this is where i wanted to put my camera down and joined them.

a few shots from the evening…

seriously, don’t even get me started…. tears are forming in my eyes right now… and i’m not a crier. for.real.

i was honored to be a part of this wonderful day. this wedding will always hold a VERY SPECIAL place in my heart. i will never forget. thank you kim & kevin for trusting me. i did it. we did it.

i can’t leave this post without thanking a VERY special person. THANK YOU Linda from the bottom of my heart! meeting you and working with you has been a complete blessing. i am so glad that we are partners. i enjoyed every moment. you are an amazing photographer, who has taught me SO MUCH. thank you! thank you! thank you! linda is on facebook, make sure you ‘like’ her page!

this evening as i put my oldest to bed, he looked up at me and said, ‘i love football, mom.’ i smiled and hugged him tight. while i was hugging him so many memories went through my mind. when i think back on my childhood, sports stand out the most. i loved playing basketball and softball. i loved being part of a team. i loved making new friends that didn’t go to my school. i loved to look forward to practice and especially games. i loved that my parents never missed a game. i loved hearing my mom and dad over everyone scream as loud as they could when i hit the ball or scored a basket. so many years ago but i remember it like yesterday.

to hear my son tell me that he loves football may not mean alot to some people but to me it means the world. there is something so special about being a part of a team. coming together as one and working together to achieve a goal. having fun at this age is all that matters. winning is just extra!

football isn’t just throwing the ball, scoring touchdowns and intercepting passes. football for some people is life. football for my little man is LOVE.

football is family. going to practice everyday with your dad is everything. memories that will last forever. priceless memories.

football is beautiful. sitting in my fold up chair with one little guy on my lap while the other little guys are running around learning the ways. its a gorgeous night and there is no place i would rather be.

football is high fives. next time, when you give a child a high five… look at their face. it’s proud. it’s happy. it’s what matters.

football is exciting. look at that expression. as a parent, i look at that and i can’t help but to take a deep breath and say ‘thank you’. thank you for my blessings. nothing is better than seeing your child smile. nothing.

football is tebowing. we here at the tapscott house LOVE tebow. if you don’t know, you better ask somebody.

football, this season is flag pulling. that’s the name of the game. its harder than it looks. ask jordan… every time he comes off the field he asks me, ‘are you sure i can’t tackle?’

football is hysterical. i look over and this is what i see. i guess the brother was tired.

look who knows how to tackle? side note: this was supposed to be two hand touch. not my dycen, that’s not how he rolls.

football is a rush of adrenaline.

football is concentration.

football is once again, family. cousins playing together. one throwing the ball another catching it. pure bliss. watching them bump chests and sit and go over what just happened. i don’t make this stuff up.  memories that will forever be embedded in their sweet little hearts. sn: jordan’s first name is demond.

football is a huge part of my life right now because its a huge part of Jordan’s life.  i can’t put my finger on it, but i think it’s just an extra dose of love. especially since i have all these dreams of making his life the most heavenly place on earth. i want him happy and if this makes him happy. i’m smiling ear to ear. go rookie 49ers!

this is such a HUGE step for me. i am proud of what i have accomplished over the past year but haven’t been proud to say, ‘my website is www.jtapscottphotography.weebly.com.’ it wasn’t professional enough. who the heck is weebly anyways? well, my weebly days are over and i couldn’t be more thrilled with how everything has blossomed.

one day a few months ago one of my friends had just announced the launch of her brand new site. i immediately clicked on her link and fell.in.love. yes, fell in love with her design, her fonts, her creativity, everything. i couldn’t stop looking it. i contacted Nikki and had to know who did this awesome work. Nikki put me in touch with Jessica, from Southtown Creative. yeah, great name right? i knew it was fate. check out Nikki’s site here! Nikki is so awesome! I will be telling you more about her soon enough. Hint: come hungry.

over the next few months i sent Jessica website designs, fonts, ideas, questions, pictures of my kids, etc. i wanted my site to be something that described me. something that was personal but professional. when she began work on my logo she asked me many questions about my personality and my vision. the most important part to me was, i wanted something different. i didn’t know what, but something to represent my 3 sons. lord only knows what i’m going to do if i have anymore kids. lol when jessica came back with 3 different beginning options for me to look at, i cried. the first option she designed, was it! i asked two friends their opinions and they both agreed. she knocked it out of the park the very FIRST time! um, seriously… even when i look at it now.. it’s ME, it’s my kids, it’s everything i envisioned.

we spent the next several weeks working on everything. changing things, adding things all while being moms. trying hard to balance life as moms and business owners. i would watch some of her tutorials and have a huge smile on my face because i could hear her little man in the background dropping toys and running crazy. i so can relate and appreciate all of her hard work.

if you are interested in having someone design your logo, your brand, a website and/or blog, among other things, please contact Jess and tell her i sent you. you will be thrilled, just like I am!

i am so pleased to be here with you. i am so excited to have a forum to tell my story. i will be blogging about my photography sessions, things that are important to me and many, many other neat, creative topics. i urge you to ride this wave with me. the past 10 months have been incredibly joyful and fulfilling. i know i always say this, but i am thankful. so thankful for every family member who has encouraged me. every friend who has given me ideas and a shoulder to lean on. but most importantly, my clients who continue to trust in me to take their photographs. i am honored to work with each and every one of you.

well, there it is.. my first EVER blog post as Jessica Tapscott Photography. here we goooo!!!!