PJ's Hospital Visits

The week of February 25th, we had a bit of a scare of the unknown with PJ. He came back from a trip to Nana and Grandpa’s house not feeling well and running a fever. The next morning, he still had the fever and also complained of his neck and the back of his head hurting. Jennifer contacted the Doctor’s office and explained the symtoms…they asked her if he could turn his head and look up to the sky. When she asked PJ if he could do it, he tried and could not do it and it obviously hurt him to try. They told us that we should go ahead and take him to Children’s Hospital and have him checked for Spinal Meningitis. At this point, both of us were a little freaked out because we didn’t know much about Meningitis, but we knew it wasn’t a good thing and could be deadly if not treated in time. When the Dr checked him out, he said it didn’t look like meningitis, however during the checkup, they did find that he had strep throat…which was a surprising relief compared to meningitis. They gave him a shot of antibiotics and sent him on his way.
After a couple of days of antibiotics, he was still not getting much better at all. Jennifer took him to the Doctor for another check up and they discovered that he may have an abscess in his throat….for anyone that doesn’t know, this is a pocket of fluid that gets infected and starts to swell. The danger is that it could cut off the air passageway. We took him again to Children’s and they confirmed that was in fact what he had. To treat this, they had to give him another separate round of IV antibiotics and steroids in hopes of healing it without having to do surgery. Luckily, the abscess was in a favorable location for antibiotics and was caught before it got too big. That evening, Pop (Jennifer’s Father) and I gave him a Priesthood blessing that he would recover and be well taken care of should he need the surgery. As soon as the blessing was finished PJ looked at us and said, "The blessing didn't make me feel better." We told him it might take a little while to feel the effects :). Thankfully, the antibiotics took effect and he only had to stay 2 nights at the hospital while they monitored everything. With having strep throat and an infected abscess in his throat, it’s pretty safe to say PJ had a rough week. He was a really tuff guy though…he was definitely not himself, but didn’t complain very much and really appreciated all the visitors and gifts he received at the hospital. He specifically asked that Zoe (his "beautiful" best friend) come visit him, and it really lifted his spirits when anyone came to visit. The nurses really seemed to enjoy him as well….they kept wanting to call him Raymond, but he would always correct them and say that he was PJ….and only his brothers and family could call him Peej. In the photo, you will also see him wearing a headband, Nana gave him this to help his head feel better and he was convinced that it worked because he hardly took it off the whole time he was sick…what a cute fellow!

Ellie Stands

One more exciting event at Ellie's birthday party was that she stood up by herself. I got a picture of the second time-the first time was way funner, but it's still an exciting moment in time!

Ellie's 1st Birthday

March 1, 2011 our baby girl turned one year old. I can't believe it's already been over a year since she came into our family! I was suppose to be back in shape by now...wonder what happened with that? :P Anyway, we celebrated her birthday on Saturday, March 5th with a family get together. Pop, Nana, and Grandpa came over for a Spaghetti Dinner and birthday cake. We enjoyed dinner, but the real fun began with dessert! Our children have been less than enthusiastic when it has come to their 1st birthday cakes, and we were interested to see how Ellie would handle it. For each 1st birthday, my Aunt Carol has made a special little cake just for the birthday child. The boys touched it, ate a bite or two, but really just weren't interested in their cakes. Ellie was not that way! She started out trying to touch the fire on her candle; after the singing she sat for a moment looking at her cake. Then she ran her hand gently along the surface of it, then poked one little finger into the icing. After tasting that she went to town! She grabbed little bits of icing and cake and shoved them in her mouth as quickly as her baby hands would go. She basically ate from one small section to the point that her whole hand was inside the cake and touching the bottom of the plate before she moved to a new section. She didn't get totally messy (much to her mother's relief), but she definitely enjoyed her first birthday cake.
Ellie received some fun gifts including a felt shopping bag full of "food," a Little People castle with princess & dog, a pink tutu & pink hair, a savings bond, and some new dresses.
As Ellie grows it is bittersweet for me. I love seeing her learn new things, hearing her talk/babble, and watching her interact with her family. I already miss the little baby who would sleep on my chest and look up at me with wondering eyes as I fed her. Since I can't (and probably wouldn't want) to go back, I will hold those memories inside me.
I can't wait to see the amazing things in store for this amazing little girl!
"Happy Birthday to You!"
Just a touch
"This is SOOO Good!"
"Want to share?"
Princess Ellie with Knight Draven

The Boys & Their Basketball

Its basketball time again for 3/5’s of the Copeland crew. Daddy is playing with the Bonus Brothers (Primetime and Jarome), Draven (#2) is playing in his 3rd season, and Brody is playing in his very first season. Draven is on the heels of playing a season of flag football last fall, which he really enjoyed. He is doing well, and has really improved his dribbling and shooting….the main thing he needs to work on is that natural aggression and competitive fire.
Brody is probably the most excited about basketball, he really just started playing back in the late fall (2010) and went to a few clinics with Draven. He literally could barely dribble the ball….it’s only a few months in and he is dribbling very well for his age. He loves to practice, he practices nearly everyday…he even wants to go to Draven’s practice so he can practice on the sideline while Draven practices. It’s super cute….he really wants to work at it….the sky is the limit if he holds on to that desire.
Daddy and the Bonus Brother gang just completed their regular season and finished as the overall #1 team with only one loss. They are all excited about the upcoming tournament….and the annual party that follows!

Our 1st Pinewood Derby

Now that Draven is 8, he is now in Cub Scouts at our church…and it was just in time to start preparing for his very first Pinewood Derby race. Since I don’t have much woodworking materials around the house, my father, Draven, and I went to a friends house that has a woodshop. He was really good about showing Draven everything he was doing and how to safely cut the wood to the design that Draven and I put together. After the cutting, Draven decided he wanted an all black car with decals of one of spiderman’s arch enemy’s, Carnage. We added a little racer to the cockpit, it’s actually a lego alien from the video game HALO. We also got our weight all the way up to the 5 ounces allowed, sanded down our axels and added lubricant and everything we could within the rules….we were feeling pretty good and excited. On race day, we placed 4th out of 9 cars. Draven was a little disappointed but we still had a blast. The top 4 cars were all really really close, so it was very competitive and we have some ideas to improve our speed next time. Needless to say it was a super fun experience and we’re excited about next year.

Brody's 6th Birthday

February 18, 2011 our sweet Brody turned six years old! He is such an incredible boy-sweet, caring, sensitive, funny, etc., etc. He is usually excited about something and loves school-especially Mrs. Smith! This year Brody had a friend party and a family party-they're usually combined, but we made pizza at the friend party so Brody got to have 2 separate parties. Brody's cousin, Quentin, and Grammy & Pete were able to be in town for the parties, so that made the day extra special. .
At lunchtime, his friend, Tyson, came over and they made personal pizzas, played basketball, and ran around outside. They looked cute in their little aprons and made some interesting looking pizzas!

At dinner, Nana & Grandpa, Pop, Grammy & Pete, Quentin, and Aunt Carol & Uncle Bill joined our family for hot dogs and cake to celebrate Brody. Some of his presents included an Imaginext Joker Funhouse, a Rebounder for the basketball goal, a slime making kit, a telescope, some books, and a US boardgame It was a full day, but so worth it for such a special boy! We love you and your amazing little spirit, Brody!