Cute VT/HT Idea

My friend Deb, from Utah, has a cute idea for October Visiting Teaching/Home Teaching on her blog. Check it out!

My Brody

I have two, cute and short, stories to share about Brody! A little background to these stories...Brody has a teddy bear, named Teddy, who he loves very much. Teddy has a family of his own, his own "voice," and is Brody's best friend. A few weeks ago Brody told me that Teddy needs a friend and that he (Teddy) is going to ask Santa to bring him a stuffed Elephant friend for Christmas. Also, Brody loves umbrellas! He loves them so much that he'll use them even when it's not raining-along with the rain boots that he wears every day. Sometimes we call him Mary Poppins because the umbrella he has been using has a floral painting on it.

Today Brody & I went on a little date while Draven and PJ (it's fall break so D is out of school) were with Aunt Carol at Chuck E Cheese. So, today we decided that we would go to the store and buy Brody his very own umbrella! He found a "CARS" umbrella that he LOVES! He has told me thank you and that he loves me about a dozen times in the 4 hours since we got it. After the store, we went to CiCi's Pizza for lunch. While there Brody played the claw game and won a brown bear dressed as a pumpkin. He has gotten really impatient waiting for Santa to bring Teddy a friend-so "Pumpkin Doggy" is Teddy's new friend. They hugged and played together for an hour after we got home. "Pumpkin" has a very deep voice and had lots of fun riding in the car for the first time.


Brody's such a cutie!!

It's A Girl!

Pierce and I are happy to announce that we are expecting a GIRL baby on March 5th! After three boys it almost doesn't seem real, but that's what the pictures show, so we're going with it. We are having another ultra-sound next month because she was turned so that her ribs were in the way, and we couldn't see her heart completely. I'm excited to have the chance to see her again!

So far the only name we have come up with is Eleanor Grace-after our grandmothers. We would call her "Ellie." If you have any favorite suggestions please tell us!

Felt the Baby today!

I will be 16 weeks on Friday, and as I've sat here playing on the computer today I have felt the baby kicking! What fun!! Go to the doctor tomorrow and will schedule my ultra-sound then!

Brody's in Preschool

The first week of September, three friends and I started a Preschool group for our 3 and 4 year olds. Lindsey, Brenda, Katie, and I take turns having the class in our home once a week. We are teaching the kids their alphabet, numbers 1-10, colors, and shapes. Today was my turn and we learned about the letter "C" and the circle. The kids are so cute-3 boys and 1 girl-and they get excited about the smallest things. Today we made Cookies that were shaped like Circles; pictures of elephants, catapillars, and snakes made out of Circles, and pulled lots of "C" things out of a bag. It's really fun seeing the kids learn new things and have fun with their friends. Brody asks me every week day if it's time to have Preschool. It's one of the only ways to get him to wear clothes instead of a costume all day!

Draven-2nd Grade!

Ok, ok...it's been a month since school started, but atleast I'm doing it! We are still waiting on Pierce to share our vacation info. with you and that was before school started!

August 17, 2009 Draven started 2nd grade. He was excited to go back, but also wanted to be home with us instead. His teacher's name is Mrs. Robertson and she moved from 5th grade to 2nd grade this year. So far his favorite subject is Music again; unless you count Recess as a subject! He's having fun making new friends and is excited about the Science stuff that he will be learning soon. Even though the TAG (Talented & Gifted) program doesn't start until 3rd grade, Draven started a one-on-one class with the TAG teacher last year and has already been seeing her this year, once a week. I think he will really enjoy the different things he learns in that program.

His class has already taken a field trip to Safety City where the kids got to drive electric mini-cars, ride bikes, go through a smoke filled house and out the window, and "walk the streets" of a mini-city. I just hope Draven can stay motivated this year and learn to slow down a little and not make silly mistakes on his work. I guess we all do that, but I still worry about it.

My Amazing Husband

Every year, on our Anniversary, I tell my husband how wonderful he is, how much I love him, and how perfect he is for me. I worry that it's going to get redundant, and seem insincere, but when you're married to the perfect man what else is there to say!? Now, he has put his sweet self out here for all of you to see too (see below), and I just have to say-Am I the Luckiest Girl in the World or What!?

When we got married I loved him, but we all come with expectations about what our marriage is going to be like, and I was prepared for some rocky times. I have been continually amazed by how magnificent (yes I'm using all the adjectives I can think of!) he really is, and how much Heavenly Father loves me, because he sent me Pierce! There is no other way I could have gotten so lucky! I know, if you haven't thrown up yet (Alice), you're thinking, "My husband is really good too, maybe better than that Pierce guy because..." But that's what is so amazing to me! I got the perfect man for ME. Heavenly Father knew ME, and gave me just what I needed. I hope you are as lucky in love!

Pierce. You are amazing as a Man, a Father, and a Husband. You continue to make me proud every day, and I don't want to be anywhere but with you. I love you more now than I did at dinner!
-Jenn

Happy Anniversary!

11 years ago, I couldn't have imagined that I would love her more everyday now than I did even then. It just keeps getting better and better...she is my best friend and so much more. I love you Jennifer....hope you enjoy the video....Happy Anniversary.

We're expecting the 4th edition to our Family!

Jennifer is 7 weeks into what will be the 4th and likely final installment to our family! We are both excited and looking forward to welcoming our baby on or around March 5th....just in time for March Madness ;o)

Draven has said that he would like to have a little sister and is ready to be a big brother once again! Brody and PJ are still a little unsure what all this means and Jedi is probably saying to himself "Oh no, not again." ;o) We would like to have a little girl as well, to mix things up a bit, but at this point we just pray for a healthy baby. All is well at this point and we will likely find out what we are having sometime in October. You will find over to the right on our blog a Baby Ticker showing where Jennifer is in the pregnancy.

Our First Broken Arm

Well, it has begun...the first broken bone in our family goes to PJ. Jenn and I always thought Brody would be the most prone to accomplishing this feat. On Wednesday, July 8th, PJ fell out of his crib and broke his arm. Although I knew it was hurt, he calmed down fairly quickly and I checked his arm for any swelling and even checked his grip. He seemed to be fine so he went back to bed and that was it. The next day we kept an eye on him and he acted normal, favored his arm a little bit but not enough to cause concern. On Friday, a day and a half later, he took a spill while running around the house with the boys and he began favoring his arm heavily...at this point we thought it to be better safe than sorry and take him to the Dr. The Doctor checked him out, very much the same way we did, checking his grip and feeling of his arm. He seamed to be fine but the Dr did a thorough job and took an xray...sure enough, he had broken it in 2 places. They were amazed that he hadn't been pitching a fit and crying in pain for the last 2 days...I guess the little guy has a pretty high threshold to pain. Mommy and the boys took him over to Children's Hospital where they put his arm in a splint to hold him over to Monday for his arm to be fitted with a cast. The Orthopedic Doctor who saw him said there wouldn't be a need to set the break as it was positioned well to heal on its own. PJ tells us from time to time "Me no want that" referring to his cast, however he's been a pretty tuff guy about the whole thing. On another note, he did want the hospital bracelet on for several days after...he did not want to take that thing off.

Now...the funny thing is, Jennifer and I literally had a discussion about 2 weeks prior to the accident about transferring PJ's bed to a toddler bed but decided to wait a little longer because he wasn't trying to get out of it at that point. Needless to say, it's now changed to a toddler bed and he is very proud ;o)

4th of July

Our family headed up to Brazil, Indiana to celebrate July 4th this year. You may remember that my Mom moved there when she married Pete. Pete is one of 12 children, so when they throw a party it's a big deal. We had a lot of fun and did all the small town, 4th of July, things you can imagine...we started with a garage sale, touring the covered bridges in the area, a carnival, and birthday celebration for 3 at Pete's brother's house on Friday. Saturday we journeyed to the Volunteer Fire House Pancake Breakfast before cooking and heading to the park for the big family bar-b-que and picnic. After dinner we played with sparklers and put the boys to bed before the fireworks started. They were so tired that they didn't wake up, even though the neighbor across the street put on a 30 minute show! Sunday was church, and Monday we headed back home after breakfast at the Sunrise Restaurant (Pete's favorite)! All in all it was really fun and really exhausting!

Saturday was the family picnic, and we brought our patriotic shirts, red and blue sunglasses, and glittery temporary tattoo to wear. What can I say, they told us there was a prize for the most patriotic! The big downer of the day was the fact that it was about 68 degrees and raining the entire day. The adults were freezing, but the kids didn't even notice; they took off their shirts and shoes and played on the water slide and with the water guns all afternoon. One big highlight was the wagon Pete made to drive the kids around. He spent a lot of time designing and building it, and I have to say I was impressed! He even drove an two hours on Friday to buy a riding lawn mower strong enough to pull it. I hope you can see in the pictures how nice it was.

Happy Cake

June 5, 2009 my baby, PJ, turned 2 years old! We started the celebration on Friday night at The Farmer's Daughter for dinner. All the servers sang "Happy Birthday" to him and he loved it. Every time he had a bite of his ice cream with hot fudge he would sing "Happy...to Me!" Then on Saturday night we had the grandparents over for dinner and Pierce's favorite cake (PJ's too little to care anyway right!). Again, he loved the birthday song and was really excited about his new red monster truck, Diego Saves the Dinosaur truck, and Batman pajamas. This time when he saw his cake he said excitedly, "HAPPY CAKE!" We also celebrated Pete's birthday on Tuesday, and "Happy Cake" was big excitement again. It was very cute!

I am starting to miss the baby PJ, but the little boy PJ is so much fun that it's worth it. I have started calling him my sweet boy instead of my sweet baby, and every once in a while he'll say, "Me, Her baby." I confirm he is still my baby, and then we both feel better!

!I Love you, my PJ

New DMB Album!!!

Well, it's finally here and I picked up my copy of the new Dave Matthews Band album, Big Whiskey and the Groo Grux King last week on release date (6/2). Of the 7 studio albums released by this band, none of them are bad, however the big 3 released in the 90's were by far the best in my opinion. In the 2000+ era they have released 3 albums and 2 of the 3 were more "pop" sounding albums which is not DMB's sound in the opinion of many hardcore fans (which obviously includes me). Not bad albums, but not great either...Busted Stuff was an excellent album that came out back in 2002 and was mostly songs written by DMB back in the 90's as well.

With that being said, this new album is by far and away the best album they have released since the 90's. It doesn't sound like the newer pop sounding albums and it doesn't sound like the old stuff either...it has it's own unique style and sound...and it's great. Definitely an album you can listen to and enjoy from start to finish. If you like DMB at all and need some new music, go pick it up....you won't be dissappointed. ~ Pierce Copeland's stamp of approval ;o)

Working Out and Stuff

33 Days ago I started a new exercise/diet plan. Before that I had been working out about 2/3 days a week at the gym and trying to do Weight Watchers online. I was not succeeding enough to lose anything and I was really frustrated. I am very bad about cheating-I L O V E Sweets! So, I was at Sam's and on an endcap they had the Biggest Loser, 30-Day Jump Start book. I really like watching the show; I think it's really motivational and all that, and I had some Personal money burning a hole in my wallet, so I bought it. For every day it gives you exactly what to eat-3 meals and 2 snacks-and exactly what workout to do (6 days a week). Except when we needed to eat out, to see family, Pierce's graduation, etc., I stuck to the plan religiously. I never missed a day of working out and because of the way the food is laid out, I was never hungry. Sometimes I couldn't eat everything I was suppose to because I was so full!

Anyway, in the first 28 days I lost 8 lbs. and a couple of inches on my hips and chest. I have seen a new muscle in my leg and arm, and the outfit I wore for my mom's wedding-that I had to wear a girdle with-fits now, without the girdle! It's not the kind of results you see on the show, but had I not had 3/4's of a Chocolate Bar Cake at my house after Pierce's graduation I would have lost more! I show Pierce every time I see something new, and he is very supportive. He said today that he'll still love me, even though there is less to love! He better love me more! No one else has said anything. I guess I don't look that different yet, but I've definitely noticed the difference.

I'm shsring all this because I am proud of myself. That is one of the main reasons I have had for losing weight/getting fit. I feel awful about myself when I pig out on ice cream, or eat 5 brownies in one day, but I've never been focused enough to do anything about it. The Biggest Loser book has really helped me with that. So, if you see me, don't ask how it's going-I find that I start failing when I talk about it too much, but if you do notice I look different I would love to hear it! I have started the book over-for 30 more days-and my next goal is to run a 5K at the end of the summer. A 5K isn't very far, I could probably do it now, but I want to RUN the whole thing with no walking breaks. Wish me luck!

My Mom's Wedding

Way back in March my mom got married to Pete. I have been waiting to blog about it until I had some better pictures to show you, but I haven't gotten any yet (hint, hint), so I'll atleast tell you a little bit and may have to do an update if I ever get to see any pictures from the ceremony :(

In January, when she was in Indiana for New Year's, my mom got engaged to Pete. They were planning to wait a little while to get all the "stuff" worked out, but then in February, they decided to just do it. Four weeks later, they were married in the chapel in Farragut where my mom attends church. Her bishop married them, Pete's son-Doug-was the Best Man and I was my mom's Matron of Honor. Everything was very simple, but mom did a nice job of making it beautiful. Almost all of Pete's 8 living siblings were there, and my brother and his wife, Jason and Kristin, and my nephew, Quentin, were there. Mom's sister, Dale, and her two children came down from Pennsylvania, and Auntie Dale made the wedding cake! I don't really know how many friends came, but I know we were busting out of the reception room!

The week before the wedding her friend, Carol, and I threw her a bridal shower. My mom has lived and worked in Knoxville for over 25 years so she had friends there from many different areas of her life. We called the shower a "Pamper Me Shower" since my mom and Pete already have most of the "house" stuff a person could ever need. So, everyone brought lotions, jewelry, manicure gift certificates and things like that. Even though Carol got lost picking her up, my mom finally arrived and I think everyone had a fun time.






The weekend after they were married, my mom moved to Indiana. I miss her being here, but we have cell phones and she and Pete got Pierce and webcam for graduation, so it can almost be like they are here!

My Husband, The College Graduate!

May 9, 2009 my husband graduated with a BS in Organizational Management with a concentration in Marketing! After 12 years of being in college off and on, one class at a time, he started an excellerated program at Tusculum College two years ago. 49 weeks of the year he had atleast one class a week, for 4 hours, plus "team" meetings some weeks. He worked really hard, even at the end when he didn't want to, and did an awesome job. He had mostly A's in his classes and received letters from some of his professors about the great work he did. I am so unbelievably proud of him! I cried before the ceremonies began, and really cried when I saw my wonderful husband walking in wearing his silly cap and gown. I hope, even though the boys are young, that we will help them remember how hard their daddy worked and what a great example he is for them.

So, May 9th my Mom, Dad, Aunt Carol and Uncle Bill, Pierce's Mom & Dad, Pierce's Sister-Melana, and our family drove up to Greeneville, TN where the main Tusculum campus is located for the graduation ceremonies. We had to arrive really early so Pierce could practice, so my mom and I took the boys around the campus, which is beautiful, and snapped some pictures. Tusculum is the oldest college in Tennessee and some of the buildings and trees where really neat. The graduation ceremony was short and sweet, but so special because Pierce was there! He was so much taller than most of the people dressed in robes that Melana commented that it looked like he was with a bunch of little kids!

After the ceremony we drove a couple of miles to Chuckey, TN and one of the best restaurants I have been to. It is called "The Farmer's Daughter," and everything is good ole' southern cookin'. They bring everything family style and it is all you can eat, with drink and dessert included. We picked two meats and the meal came with about 12 side dishes. My aunt had made a Chocolate Bar Cake (I didn't know dessert came with our meal) so several people had two desserts! If you ever want to drive a couple of hours to a beautiful area of Tennessee and have a fabulous meal-only on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday-then this is one place I would really recommend. Next to the restaurant was a little Amish store that had everything! They even had bags of Lucky Charm type marshmallows that you could buy. I got some homemade jam and Root Beer flavor Twizzlers. While we were out to lunch we also celebrated Mother's Day. The boys and Pierce gave me the new EA Sports, Wii Active so I can workout at home sometimes, and Pierce game me a framed certificate that talks about the support and love I gave him while he was working on his degree. I cried again!

10 New Cards

I have spent the last couple of weeks making a year's worth of cards for a friend. In the process, I created 10 new cards! I'm excited about them, and have put them on my card blog if you would like to see them. I am doing a fundraiser too. It's called "Send the Boys to Summer Camp." Through June, if you buy more than 5 cards in one order, they are all $1.00 each!

I hope you are having a great last week (or close to last week) of school!
-Jenn

Easter 2009

Yes, I know Easter was a month ago, but we're a little behind still...Easter festivities started Friday with a Young Women sponsored Easter activity at church. Draven invited his friend Zack from school and his whole family came. They have another boy, Wyatt, who is 2 and he and PJ had fun together. When we got home from church my mom and Pete were sitting in our living room! They had come down from Indiana as a surprise, so it was good to have them here for Easter. The Easter Bunny came early to my mom's house, so we went over there Friday afternoon to see what he had brought for the boys.

On Sunday we had our fourth annual Potluck Salad Easter Dinner and Egg Hunt. The weather was perfect; sunny and warm enough that we could eat outside on the deck. Pierce's parents, my dad, my mom and Pete, and my Aunt Carol & Uncle Bill came. Draven and Brody got new "zip" ties and PJ wore a new white polo shirt and sweater jacket. The zip ties were neat because they are like regular ties that stay "tied" and have a zipper that makes the neck bigger and smaller. Very cool! The food was delicious as always with deviled eggs (my favorite!), Asian Chicken Salad, Broccoli Salad, Potato Salad, Ham, Rolls, Pasta Salad, and Coleslaw. We also had keylime pie and lemon cream cheese pie for dessert. All the boys had fun hunting eggs and finding their Easter Baskets. The Easter Bunny tried to stay away from too much candy this year so each boy got jelly beans and an orange chocolate bunny. Then they got whistle balloons, a frisbee, a dump truck, sidewalk chalk, and Spiderman, Ben 10, and Animal Sticker Books. The whistle balloons were the biggest hit! After you blow them up, you let them go (outside only) and they fly around whistling as the air escapes. Several of them landed on our neighbor's roof or broke, but that's ok; they were meant to be a use up and throw away item anyway.

It was great to spend time with our family, enjoying the rebirth of Spring. Getting together with family is really special to me, and I'm grateful for the real reason for Easter and the opportunity it gives us to be with our family always.

New Playlist

OK...as promised. Now that the DMB festivities are over, the playlist has been changed to our favorite tunes from the 90's and now. Ok, so mostly the 90's at this point...only because I'm the one putting it on here and I can't seem to let go of the 90's ;o) Let us know what your favorite tune is from the 90's and now, and it might find itself added onto our playlist. With my approval of course ;o)
~ Pierce

Dave Matthews Band Show

On 4/20/09, we went to see the DMB with our friends Eric & Kelly in Birmingham. We all went to eat some BBQ at Full Moon BBQ before the show. For those of you unfamiliar with Birmingham, it has great BBQ. There is literally a BBQ joint within blocks of wherever you are in Birmingham, it's crazy....it's also crazy good. We left in plenty of time to make the show, however we barely made it in time. Full Moon was about 5 mins from the venue and we left there about an hour and a half before the show even started and traffic was so bad it took us 45 mins to go about 5 miles....and to make things worse, when we get to the show, the will call line is a mile long and barely moving. We finally got in, missed the opening act and didn't sit for 5 mins before Dave and the Band came out....wheeewww! That was a close one!

Now...this was my 16th time seeing the DMB...crazy huh? What makes them so good is that no show is the same and this one was no exception. We got to hear an incredible set that flowed very well. They played some really old tunes like Recently (one of their first songs) and jammed out some of my personal fav's like Ants Marching, Grey Street, and Dreaming Tree. They played 3 brand new songs (Funny the Way it is, Why I Am, and Spaceman) from the upcoming album and all of them were great. I believe we all agreed that Why I Am was probably our favorite of the 3...it has a great upbeat sound and a great hook. It will likely be the second single from the new album....I'm always excited for new DMB music, however their past few albums have just been OK in my opinion. This album has the makings of being a great one. Ok...back on track...they jammed out the song Recently with some clever rhythm changes (Did I ever mention Carter, their drummer, is a phenom) and jams with the horns that were crazy! Same goes for Rhyme and Reason, Ants, Cornbread, and Grey St....crazy jams! Dave let the crowd sing nearly the whole song called Jimi Thing...it was pretty cool. After Jimi Thing, they went into a Jam called "Anyone seen the bridge" into the song Too Much (Just for a second) as a fake...then into a rocking Tripping Billies to close the set. Now...in amongst all of this...Dave was in a funny mood all night, dancing crazy and being silly on stage, talking to the crowd quite a bit which also added to the entertainment value as he is a pretty odd individual.

The Encore was super...They played a few verses of another incredibly old song of theirs called Blue Water and then Dave played a very pretty song called "Sister." After sister, we all got a super surprise of DMB covering the old 80's song "Burning Down the House." It was very very awesome...and it wasn't even over then. We got Rapunzel as a closer, which is one of mine and Jennifer's favorite songs. It was a great great show...always leaves me wanting more. This was also Eric & Kelly's first time seeing DMB...and Kelly's first big rock concert in general. We all had a great time and I think DMB set the bar pretty high for Kelly with it being her first show...tons O fun. Below is the setlist they played and a pic of all of us before the show.

Don't Drink the Water
Dreaming Tree
Recently
You Might Die Trying
Why I Am (New Song)
Rhyme and Reason
Funny the Way it is (New Song)
Ants Marching
Raven
Crash Into Me
So Damn Lucky
Spaceman (New Song)
Cornbread
Grey Street
Jimi Thing
Anyone Seen the Bridge--->
Too Much (Fake)--->
Tripping Billies

Encore:
Blue Water (First verse)
Sister
Burning Down the House (Talking Heads Cover)
Pantala Naga Pampa--->
Rapunzel

Picture of all of us before the show...

Our Trip to B-ham

Last weekend our family traveled to Birmingham, AL to visit our friends and see a DMB show. It has been a year since we were last there, but we haven't seen most of our friends since Brody was 6 months old (4 years ago), so we were really excited to catch up with everyone. We stayed with good friends, Eric and Kelly Smith, who we also went to the concert with. The Smith's have three boys too-Eli, age 7; Brandt, age 5; and Asher, age 2.

On Saturday Draven & Brody participated in a track meet that the Trussville, AL Track Club was having. Our friend, Kelly, created the track club last year, so we had an in with the staff to get the boys signed up! They each ran the 50 meter, 100 meter, 200 meter dash, and 200 meter relay. They also had the opportunity to participate in the Shot Put and the Long Jump, but we missed the announcement for the Long Jump so the boys only did the Shot Put. Draven really enjoyed running and "getting exercise," but his inexperience hurt him a little. He came in 3rd, 4th and 5th in his events. He got better as the day went on, and worked really hard. Brody was the only boy in the 4 and under group, and they awarded the top boy and girl, so Brody won all his races! He really did win the 50, and would have won the 100, but he stopped half way through. We think he got confused and thought he should stop at the same spot he did for the 50 even though we explained it a couple times! The 200 was half way around the track and Brody lost some steam on the longer distance-I think he was 3rd overall. Brody has been wearing his medals ever since. It was really fun to have the boys participate, and Kelly's boys, Eli & Brandt, were participating, so boys had fun cheering them on too.

Sunday we attended church in our old ward and got to see lots of people! It doesn't seem like we've been gone from there very long, but when we saw the youth it seemed like we had been gone half a life time! The boys I used to sing with in Primary were passing the sacrament! Pierce enjoyed giving the Alabama fans a hard time about Coach Saban, and they did the same about Coach Kiffin. After church our friends, Aaron and Jordan May, came to the Smith's and we grilled hamburgers and let the kids play until we heard a tornado siren and we all came in. Luckily the tornado warnings were south of us so we didn't all have to huddle in the basement while we were eating!

Monday we visited our old house and had lunch at Nikki's Authentic Southern Restaurant-one of Birmingham's best eateries-before going back to rest up for the concert. Draven still talks about our "old yellow house" sometimes and seeing it made us all a little homesick for it.

I'm pretty sure Pierce feels differently, but if it was just up to me, we would still be in Birmingham. I love our friends and family that are here, but Birmingham, and the memories of our family there, have a special place in my heart. Brody was born there and our family grew so much, as a family, while we were there. I never thought I would say I miss Alabama, but I do!

Leroi Moore 1961 - 2008

As you may or may not know, Leroi Moore, the saxophonist for DMB passed away last fall. He passed due to complications from an ATV accident that actually happened a few days before the July 4th show we attended last year. It's extremely weird to me seeing photos of the band (like the one from our earlier post) without him in them. He was known for being extremely shy and almost always wore sunglasses on stage because of it. He was also known for being extremely funny and a prankster. He was a huge part of their unique sound and I don't believe it will ever be the same without him. The new album is going to be a tribute to him. The album is called "Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King." Groogrux was a nickname given to him by the band and I have know idea what it means. I've posted below a link to a tribute video to his memory...you may want to pause the player on our blog located at the bottom of the blog so you can hear the music in the video. The song played is called #36 and is off their first album...its an instrumental song that features Leroi.



Here's a video regarding the upcoming album and how it is dedicated to Leroi...

Operation Rescue Teddy 2

Those of you who read our blog when we went on vacation last year may remember our Operation Rescue Teddy post. Brody's teddy was lost at Cumberland Caverns and we had to drive an hour both ways to rescue him. Well, last week, we had to rescue Teddy again. This time from being hit by a car! As we were leaving a friend's house, we were riding with the windows down and Brody was letting Teddy look outside. Suddenly, he jumped out the window! Teddy may be 4, like Brody, but he has not learned to keep his hands and feet inside the car yet. So, Mommy had to turn the car around, park on a side street, and make her way along the very narrow edge of Pleasant Ridge Road to rescue Teddy. One thing that was really cute was that the cars that were coming slowed down and waited for me to run down and pick Teddy up. The car in front was driven by two old ladies-they have probably had to rescue teddies themselves! Brody was very grateful, and Teddy said, "I love you," so I guess it was worth it.

A Milestone

Today is Monday, Laundry day. Which means that I have no clean socks. So, I decided to borrow some of Draven's, thinking of course, that they would be a little smail, but do-able. No, they fit! Draven's foot is only about 1/2 inch smaller than mine. I didn't plan on sharing clothes with my boys at all, but definitely not when they were 6 years old. I can't believe my little boy is as big as me in any way, but I guess it is a milestone; to be celebrated?!

Dave Matthews Band!!!

Yep...It's that time of year again! Another stop to see DMB! As many of you already know, we are huge fans and we always try to sieze the opportunity to see DMB at least once every tour. DMB is starting their tour a little earlier than normal this year, with spring dates to kickstart support of their latest album to be released on June 2nd....can't wait! We are going to see them play in Birmingham, AL on April 20th. We have some great friends down there (other than DMB:o) and we are looking forward to catching up with them and hanging out for a few days. If all goes as planned, I will just be getting finised up with school a few days prior and this will be my little graduation getaway celebration of sorts. It can't come soon enough!

In light of this post, I just changed the playlist to all DMB so enjoy if you are a fan...I guess I'll add the 90's and now music I promised in the previous post after the DMB festivities are over ;o).

OK....We really promise this time!

As you can see, our blogging has been pretty non-existent in 2009. It's been a crazy 1st quarter of the year for us. I doubled up on my course load this semester to ensure I graduate in May and it's been a killer for me but I'm almost done! Jennifer has been busy making cards, organizing enrichment activities at church, and helping her Mother plan a wedding. Draven has finished up a season of basketball and we celebrated Brody's 4th birthday last month.

Now we're getting back into the swing of things and documenting all the fun stuff we get ourselves into and all the blessings we encounter in our lives...we'll try to catch you up on some of the high points from the past couple months over the next few weeks. We just changed the design of our blog just to prove we're serious ;o). Coming soon...we're changing our playlist. Jennifer says she wants to live into now and have more modern music on our blog...I have a hard time with this because I am still very much stuck in the 80's and especially the 90's....so maybe we'll meet somewhere in the middle and have a 90's and now playlist.

New Cards & a Promise

Ok, I promise to really blog very soon, but I'm trying to get to bed early tonight, so for now just 3 new cards...
The first was inspired by my son's birthday and the invitations we needed for it, the second is a "Thinking of You," and the third is a really cute "Get Well Soon."

Ka-chow: If you know a little boy you have probably heard of Lightning McQueen from the movie "Cars." This card features road map paper, with the phrase "ka-chow" in the lower right corner, and a 2 dimensional character sticker highlighted in the center (the "Cars" character varies). This is the perfect card for a little boy birthday! I used it for our invitations, but it could also be used for birthday or thank you's. Because the cost of materials was higher than usual for this card the price is $2.25 per card or $10.50 for a set of 5.

Butterflies & Blooms: This card features floral embossed background paper with a patterned accent and butterfly stamp. The stamp is highlighted with glittery pen. These are great for "Thinking of You, Birthday, etc." Paper patterns and colors will vary. Set of 5 for $5.50 or single cards for $1.25.

Tasty Medicine: These cute mice are the perfect way to say "Get Well!" Solid background, patterned and coordinated color paper strips, with the mice colored to go with the colors in the papers. Inside message: "Hope you feel better soon" Paper patterns and colors will vary. Set of 5 for $5.50 or single cards for $1.25.

Please visit my card blog for more samples, and custom orders are available. Coming soon-Easter and Graduation designs!

Our weekend...

So, as promised I have the full story on our weekend with my mom's fiance and two of his sisters...They all-my mom, Pete, Peggy, and Elissa-came to our house for dinner and card playing on Friday and Pete brought the dinner (chili) and an Indiana sweatshirt for me and an Indiana t-shirt for Pierce. The man knows how to make a good impression! Pete's sister, Peggy, brought new clothes for the boys too-super cute church clothes mostly. So, after our boys did their best to be the center of attention for a couple of hours, we put them to bed and played cards. Saturday my mom and Pete cooked us breakfast before the boys and I joined them for a ride through the Smoky's and lunch at Bubba Gump's Seafood House in Gatlinburg. Pete works with disabled students at the high school where he lives, and the patience he has learned doing that really paid off during the 4 1/2 hour car ride with the boys! Today the boys and I joined my mom for church in Farragut before seeing Pete and his sisters off. Overall it was a good weekend, and probably for the best, my opinion of Pete has not changed. If he makes my mom happy, and will continue to make her happy for the rest of their lives, then he's great. Also, the boys love him. Draven has said several times that "Pete is fun!" and he and Brody both couldn't wait to see him this morning at church. My poor mom-the Grammie after all-was left high and dry!

You may have noticed that my wonderful husband was absent from some of the activities this weekend. He was home Saturday working on our house, and at our ward Sunday working on his calling. We are trying to sell our house so there is a lot of maintenance type stuff that we've been working on, and with tax season upon us the Ward Clerk (my husband) has a lot to get done. I missed him this weekend, but I'm so proud of all he does for us!

The Happy Couple No. 2

My mom got engaged over New Years and I'm a little behind in posting about it, but I was waiting for "someone" to send me a picture to include in the post. My mom met Pete online and they have been talking on the phone for about a year. In November, for Thanksgiving, my mom ditched us and went to Brazil, Indiana to finally meet this man face to face. (She didn't really ditch us, we were with the inlaws for the holiday) Then she went again for New Years and that's when Pete popped the big question! We haven't met him yet, not sure how I feel about that, but he seems to be very nice and he makes my mom happy. They talk on the phone 24/7-like they're in middle school again-and he's coming here to meet all of us and see mom this weekend. My mom says he's the nicest man she's ever met, but I'm sure he can't be as good as Pierce-no offense Pete. So, I'll have to give you the full scoop after that!
Congratulations to my mom, Lynn, and her fiance, Pete!

New Valentine Designs!

For Christmas I received a fun little Cuttlebug die cutter and embosser from my wonderful, handsome, perfect husband (he made me say that), so you'll notice that both cards feature embossed and die cut papers!


Valentine Stamp: Sets of 5 for $5.50 or single cards for $1.25 each. This card features two embossed stamps, white ribbon, and a Valentine themed paper on the right. One stamp says, "Love" and looks like a postage stamp, and the other is embossed with a pretty design. The inside message says, "be mine!"

Be Mine: Sets of 5 for $5.50 or single cards for $1.25 each. This card features a textile embossed, solid color background with white satin ribbon and a "Love stamp. The front says, "be mine" and the inside is blank. Perfect for your own loving message!