Ellie's Surgery

On May 19th Ellie had surgery to remove a tumor from the left temporal lobe of her brain. We were very nervous about the surgery, because there was a chance that she could have permanent damage to her speech, memory, and eyesight.
Leading up to the surgery, our family and Ward fasted & Pierce gave her a beautiful blessing.
At 6:00 we arrived at Children's Hospital in Knoxville. We were surprised by bloodwork to start the morning, which did not give Ellie a very good first impression ;-). After we got to a room, Ellie was given "happy juice." It's medicine that gives her a sense of uphoria so she doesn't care that they are wheeling her away or putting her to sleep. Then the surgery began-right at 9:00. The nurse called every hour, just to let us know that everything was fine, & give us a progress update. The surgery lasted 6 hours. We had several visitors while we waited that helped the time pass. Jennifer Plott, Connie Lyles, Pop, Grammy, Pete, Uncle Jason, Aunt Carol, Melana, Grandpa, & Liz and Austin Jones all came.
After surgery, Dr. Harris spent 30 minutes talking to us about what they found. Unfortunately they weren't sure what it was :-\. What they took out was a mass of extra brain cells that had clumped together with an area of these extra cells, in a smaller amount, surrounding it. After the Pathologist looked at it the next day, he said he thinks it is a very low grade tumor known as a Pilocytic Astrocytoma. He then sent samples to Memphis for genetic testing to hopefully confirm his diagnosis. We won't have their findings back for another week.
Ellie's recovery has been awesome! When Pierce & I went in to see her, the first thing she did was wipe off his kiss (typical ;-))! The next day, she sang 2 verses of "Let It Go!" We had expected her to lay around the first few days home, but we are having to slow her down instead.
We will go to get her stitches out on Tuesday, & hope to hear from Memphis by Friday.
Heavenly Father has blessed us so much. Ellie's recovery has been fantastic, we have been able to keep ourselves together, our family has been such a support, & our trust & love for Him has increased.

Boys Will Be Boys!

Two days after we got home from Ellie being in the hospital, April 12th, Brody broke his ankle! We had gone to our friend, Bryan's house for a relaxing cookout. Before dinner the kids were playing on a really cool swing set that they have in their backyard, when Brody said to his brothers, "Hey, watch this!" He proceeded to swing as high & fast as he could in his attempt to jump over the rail ties that border the playground. He did a really cool jump from the swing...and landed right on the rail tie! He ankle swelled so much & so quickly that by the time I looked at it, I knew immediately that he needed to go to the hospital.
So, Grammy and I made another trip to the hospital to have x-rays & a temporary cast put on his left ankle. It turned out that he had broken it right in the growth plate.
Lucky for us, we have a couple of friends from church who are doctors at Knoxville Orthopaedic Clinic! We were able to see Dr. Becker & Ben Morganegg on Monday to get a permanent cast put on. He wore that for 2 weeks, and is now in a removable aircast for another 4 weeks. He's such a trooper though; he runs around as best he can and gets everyone to play catch with him :-).
When asked if he would try it again, he said, "Yeah, probably!"

A Day to Remember

April 6, 2014 will be a day we remember forever. That was the morning we woke to Ellie laying on the floor having a seizure. Pierce heard her making sounds, & went to investigate. He called to me and said, "I want to show you something." I thought, she must be doing something very cute for him to wake me at 6:00 in the morning! I quickly realized that was not the case, as I saw my baby lying on the floor, unresponsive, convulsing,and drooling.
We called 911, & while we waited, Pierce gave her a blessing. The ambulance arrived in what seemed like minutes; we were very blessed that they were close by. They rushed her to Children's Hospital with me in the ambulance and Pierce following behind. As the doctor and nurses worked on Ellie, I counted 12 in the room at one time. I also noticed that they were passing syringes to the trash by the handful. I don't know what all they gave her, I'm just grateful they did because she stopped seizing and calmed down. We know for sure that her seizure lasted 30 minutes, and was probably longer because she was seizing when we woke up. The doctors called it a prolonged, clonic-tonic seizure (aka-Grand Mal seizure). She slept until mid-afternoon.
The first thing Ellie said when she woke up was, "It's Ellie's lunch time." :-) She's not a girl that likes to miss meals! As the doctor had told us, her whole body hurt and she was unsteady on her feet for a few days.
The doctors did a CAT scan, blood work, urinalysis, & spinal tap trying to figure out what caused the seizure, & final said they couldn't find a cause. Her neurologist said we would put her on Keppra for the seizures and monitor her, but he wanted to do an MRI before we left just to rule out everything.
Ellie was put to sleep for the MRI, so I went to wait. Almost 3 hours later they called me back. The neurologist was there, & the first thing he asked me was, "Where is your husband?" I knew then that something was wrong. He showed me her scan, and the black, bean shaped tumor that wasn't suppose to be there. He also showed me a white haze around and behind the tumor. When we returned to Ellie's room, Pierce was waiting there and also had a chance to see the scan firsthand.
The next day we met with Dr. Harris, the only Pediatric Neurosurgeon in Knoxville. He spoke to us for over 2 hours and laid out all our options for treatment. Ending with his recommendation that we operate. After thinking for a couple days, we scheduled surgery for May 19th. A day that is both anticipated and dreaded.
We also met with a Neurosurgeon at Vanderbilt. He gave us the same recommendation, so we are going ahead with the surgery in Knoxville as planned.
We know this is a surgery that needs to happen, but are scared. All hope is that everything will go smoothly, and she'll be back to normal in 3 short months. The reality is that there are lots of unknowns, and this is major brain surgery on our 4 year old daughter. We are therefore, putting our trust in Heavenly Father. He will only give us what we can handle. I have already learned so much from this experience, and I am willing to learn whatever I need to...I just hope it's not too much ;-). I know more than ever that we are amazingly blessed with generous, thoughtful friends and family. I also know that Heavenly Father knows me and my family, & that Ellie is his daughter too.
Please pray for our family.

Draven's Acting Debut!

Draven, who has loved acting, movies, etc. for years, made his stage debut this month! He is playing the role of Dr. Chilton in Knoxville Children's Theater's adaptation of Pollyanna. He has loved everything about it, & is doing a great job! We are so proud of him. It is also heartwarming to see him involved in something that he is so passionate about. We can't wait to see what character he will play next :-)!

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!

Brody's 1st Day of School

We now have 2 in school….Brody started kindergarden this year and he started off like a pro. Our school had an open house a few days before school started to give the kids and parents an opportunity to see where there class was and to meet the teacher. His teacher’s name is Mrs. Smith and she has been teaching kindergarden for 20+ years….she seemed really nice with only one major flaw, she’s a HUGE UGA Bulldog fan. Her ENTIRE room is decorated with UGA logos and colors.

On Brody’s first day, Draven and I walked him down the hall and the whole time he told me he knew where it was because all he has to do is look for the Bulldog on the door. When we get to the class, he said hello to Mrs. Smith and gave me a hug like it’s no big deal and gets in line with the other kids waiting on class to start. It was much harder on me and Jennifer than it was for him. He told Jennifer that he wanted me to take him the first day because, "he didn't want to walk down the hall holding a girl's hand!" We are so very proud of how confident he can be at times and he is so excited about being in school and learning new things every day.

We are writing this blog a few months into the school year, and even now, Brody is still doing great and although I have never seen them do it, Draven tells me they give each other a hug at the split where they go their separate ways to class. I really wish I could get a picture of this because it would be a wonderful thing to keep and show them later. They also wave to their Daddy (especially Draven) nearly all the way before they get to the door to go into school or by the time my car is gone, whichever comes first. I’m really going to miss these days when they pass me by.

Draven's Baptism

November 6, 2010 our little boy, Draven, was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In preparation for this day, Draven took the discussions from the missionaries. He really seemed to listen, and think hard about what he was doing, which I was really happy about, because this is a big step. Baptism is the first covenant we make with Heavenly Father in this life and it was important to Pierce and me that he understand and feel good about what he was doing. Draven received some gifts at his baptism-new scriptures (a quad), a journal, a picture and journal from his Primary President, LeAnn Lunsford, and some scripture accessories. He gave me the opportunity to read his journal after he wrote about his baptism, and it was beautiful! I'm so glad I have the chance to see glimpses of my Amazing Draven in amongst the 8 year old Sassy Draven :). He said he felt like Heavenly Father was right beside him and that the Spirit engulfed his body. Pierce was able to Baptize him and confirm him into The Church (give him the gift of the Holy Ghost), I gave a talk on Baptism, and our friend Clark Ensminger talked about the Holy Ghost. While Pierce and Draven were drying off we did something a little different...we had everyone there write a note or testimony to Draven and then I put them in a little photo book-later I'll do something cool in his scrapbook, but for now I wanted him to be able to see them whenever he needed to. They were all wonderful, but one I especially liked said "you are now one of Heavenly Father's soldiers." How awesome to be lined up next to Him!

I am so proud of Draven and his decision to become a member of Heavenly Father's church. I am especially proud of his desire to do good. This seems to be a hard age right now, but he is such a good boy and wants to Choose the Right. He's a thinker by nature, and I've seen him contemplate the right and wrong and tell me that he doesn't feel good about that-whatever it is. He prays often and chooses to read his scriptures on his own. How can we ask for more?!

Crash!!

No...this is not in reference to your favorite Dave Matthews song of the same name. On the day before Halloween (Oct 30, 2009), I decided to come home from work to have lunch with the family and my world got literally rocked in the blink of an eye. I was turning left on to Western Avenue at the intersection of Copper Kettle and Western. I was first in line at the red light and when it turned green, being the cautious driver that I am, and remembering what my dad taught me years and years ago...always look to make sure everyone is stopped or at least coming to a stop. Seeing that they were, I proceeded to go and turn left onto Western...when I'm in the middle of my turn, I look to my left and see a car coming down the center lane with no intention of stopping. My first thought was Oh my, he doesn't even see me and it was the most helpless feeling in the world...he literally does not stop until he is about 10 feet away from my car. I tried to turn away and speed up but then BAM!!! A sound that I believe will forever go through my head when I go through any intersection from now on. I was knocked clear across the intersection and my car died and rolled into the Taco Bell enterance way. The impact knocked the glasses off my face and my phone came free from my belt and flew across the car. After taking a moment to gather my senses, I found my phone and called 911 and no one answered....thinking I may have dialed the wrong number, I tried again, and still no answer. So, I call Jennifer and try to calmly tell her that I have been in a pretty serious accident and ask her to call 911 for me and right at that time, the ambulance arrived...no seriously...that fast. They were there minutes after the wreck...they were only a couple of blocks away eating lunch. I told Jenn they were there and that I needed to talk to them. I could feel my extremeties but pain was really starting to set in bad on my lower back. The firemen arrived and they had to cut me out of the car which took a little while...they had me strapped in with a jacket to keep me from moving too much and I was getting extremely claustrophobic. They finally got me out and put me on the straight board and loaded me in an ambulance. Long story short, I got to the hospital and they thought I had broken my pelvis but the x-rays came back negative. I was extremely blessed...all I kept thinking of was not being able to play with my kids, work, play ball, etc...thinking the worst.

That night, my home teacher from our church came over and gave me a blessing. The blessing stated that I would recover with minimal soreness and be able to return to work and my normal activities. The Doctors told me I would be extremely sore the following day and very sore for a few weeks up to about 6 weeks. The following 2 days I was pretty sore but nothing like I expected and was able to go to church and to work the following week (my wreck was on friday). Needless to say, I'm extremely thankful our Father in Heaven was looking out for me that day and also thankful for the blessing I received for a quick recovery. It was an eye opening experience that things can happen beyond your control that can change your life forever...I'm very blessed.

Back on Track...

We have severely fallen behind on our blog and need to get back on track! We have been so incredibly busy these past 5 or 6 months they seem like a blur, however we do have a lot to show for it. So...over the next few weeks, we will try to bring our blog up to speed with all the things we've been doing over the fall and winter and bring you into the spring with our new baby, Eleanor Grace. Posts to come...stay tuned!

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.