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 :-)!

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.

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.

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?!

Draven's Report Card

Draven got his very first report card from the 1st grade last week and he did outstanding! He made all A's and E's! In fact, the lowest grade he got was in science, which was an E-...and he's said that is his favorite subject. As a reward, my Dad and I took him to a UT Mens Basketball game last Wednesday. Tennessee was playing UNC-Asheville and since Draven is a Jr. Vol, he got in free and me and Dad got discounted tickets as well. Granted, they were in the nose-bleeds...but that didn't matter, we had a great time. Draven enjoyed the game...the funny thing is that he was probably most fascinated with the scoreboard and how it worked. He kept asking about it so I basically explained every statistical catagory to him and how it worked. When Tennessee finally pulled away in the second half, Draven kept saying off the wall stuff like "UNC better get their act together!"....and "Boy, UNC is pretty slow" I'm not sure where he gets that from ;o) Anyway...he had a great time hanging out with the fellas, eating popcorn, M&M's and Coke, and probably most of all...staying up past his bedtime....and oh yeah, he got to meet SMOKEY!! ~Pierce

Happy Birthday Draven!

On Tuesday, November 4th, Draven turned 6! My first little baby is a big 6 year old. It's fun and sad at the same time-you'll probably have to commit me when he leaves on his mission. On Tuesday he was off school for the election, so we went to the library and met Grammie for lunch. When Grammie asked if he was excited to be turning 6 he said, "All the kids in 1st grade are 6, and now I am too." He also chose pizza for his birthday dinner.
On Friday we surprised the boys and took them to Disney on Ice. Pop had gotten tickets for Pierce, Draven, Brody, and me as part of his birthday gift to Draven. It was an Incredibles themed show, and Draven and Brody had a fabulous time.
On Saturday we had our family over to celebrate the birthday boy. Grandpa, Pop, Grammie, Aunt Carol, and Uncle Bill were here. Draven picked corn on the cob and green beans to go with the chicken for dinner, and chocolate cake with strawberries on it for dessert. No superheroes this year, just strawberries and chocolate! Unfortunately Draven was still feeling a little sick-we've all had it this week, and didn't want any of his birthday cake. He got a big piece at lunch today though! Draven got Superhero Guess Who, Cranium Cadoo, a set of Magic Treehouse Books, a new wallet, a Veggie Tales movie, a Cadoo book, two comic books, and a savings bond for presents. When he opened the comic books the "sensative" older brother in him said, "I don't think Brody can read these. They look like they are made for 6 year olds." We agreed he should read them first and decide if they were appropriate for his little brother!
Draven, you are wonderful boy! We are amazed by your kindness, your thoughtfulness, and your talents. Your brothers look up to you, and you are a blessing to our family. We love you.
Like father, like son.

Our First Fieldtrip

On Halloween, before all the Trick or Treating began, Draven had to go to school. The wise professionals at the school realized it would be difficult to teach anything to a bunch of Halloween crazed children, so they planned a field trip to The Little Ponderosa Zoo for Oct. 31st. This was Draven's first field trip, and I was really excited that I got to go along with him as a chaperone. We used to live in Clinton, but I never knew they had such a fun zoo back in the woods! The kids got to touch African foxes, goats, camels, Zonkeys (Zebra/Donkey mix) and lots of other animals. They also got to ride on ponies. We spent the whole day there and the kids seemed to love it. I am definitely planning to go again and take the other boys; if anyone wants to go with us let me know!Zack, Draven, & Dominic

Halloween 2008

This year we started Halloween two weeks early. Draven & Brody first wore their costumes on Oct. 19th to the Halloween Train Ride on the R&R Railroad. My Aunt Carol took them and her husband's grandson's family. John-the grandson-has three kids; two boys, ages 7 & 5 that the boys really enjoyed playing with.

Then on Oct. 23rd we joined Aunt Carol and John's family at Boo at the Zoo. The Zoo set up a short trail with stops along the way for candy. The highlight though, was the ride on a camel! Draven wasn't going to do it until he saw his younger brother getting ready to climb on; then he thought it might be fun.

Finally, we all planned to attend a Halloween party and Trick or Treat at Travis' house. Travis is Pierce's friend from the gym. The boys were dressed up as Boba Fett (Draven), Mr. Incredible (Brody), and a "Little Devil" (PJ). I finally got with the program this year and dressed up as a witch-wart, fake eyelashes, and all. On the way though, PJ started throwing up :{ So, we turned around and Pierce dropped PJ and me off at home and took the other boys to the party. I was feeling a little sorry for myself, so I ordered Papa John's pizza (Pierce doesn't like that brand), and I ate more than my share of Halloween candy. Later that night I got sick. The big boys really enjoyed their party though. Pierce said the neighborhood was crawling with kids and everyone decorated for the event. Next year we are thinking to find a theme that the whole family can dress up in-Star Wars or something!

The First Day of 1st Grade

Ok, so 2 months ago we were so excited because Draven was starting Kindergarten. Well, that was before he amazed all of his teachers, principal, and reading and math specialists. So, today my baby boy started 1st grade. I think I'm having a harder time with this than I did with the first day in August! We are so proud of him, but it's still hard.

This was a very hard decision for Pierce and me, because we don't want him to feel overwhelmed, or upset down the line because he is the youngest in his class. Luckily his birthday is the first of November so he'll only be the youngest by a month or so. Finally we decided that he is far enough ahead of the other students in kindergarten that he's going to get bored quickly, and he needs the stimulation from learning new things to keep him interested. I was worried that he was going to be upset or stressed by this change, but he seemed pretty excited. We told him that when Daddy does really well at work that he sometimes gets promoted, and because Draven was doing so well, he was getting promoted. He seemed to like that. My dad and I took the boys to Chuck E Cheese's last night for dinner to celebrate-that may have helped with the excitement! They just had school pictures done this week. I think that's the reason for the cool guy pose!

Good luck Draven-we think you are super-duper little trooper! We love you.

Draven & School

Just a little update on our Kindergartener...he is doing very well. Every morning he says he has a tummy ache and doesn't eat breakfast, but every afternoon he tells me he loves school and it's the best thing in his life! He is still nervous to leave in the morning, but he does it. He gets out of the car with just a quick hug and kiss, and walks into the school by himself. I think it's as hard for me to watch him go as it is for him to do it. He has gotten a green ticket, for behavior, every day, and has set a goal to get a green ticket every day for the whole year! His teacher, Mrs. Knight, is very impressed with his reading skills and has told everyone else in the class to go to Draven if they need anything read. She has also set up an appointment with the Reading Specialist to determine what grade level he is reading and comprehending on. We're very interested to find out the results of that!

The 1st Day of School

Our little man had his first day of school last Tuesday, August 12th. He was very apprehensive leading up to this day-he gets very uptight when faced with new things, but he did great! The whole family, including Dad, piled in the car and drove the 1 1/2 minute ride to school. Draven had his new Spiderman backpack, his new Hulk lunchbox, had on one of his favorite shirts (What Time is Recess?), and his Teddy-as requested by the teacher. I walked him in to school, where we had to wait in the gym without talking until the 7:40 bell rang. We found our way down the hall, and into Mrs. Knight's classroom. Draven had gone with Grammie to a "meet the teacher" night while we were at the beach, so he was able to show me where to go. All of the parents stayed for a couple of minutes while the kids got settled playing with Playdough. When it was time to leave, Draven started getting a little weepy and clingy, but the teacher got his attention by asking him what he was making with his playdough-it was smooth sailing from there. He told me that they watched the Corduroy movie and then went looking for Corduroy's button in all the important places-the bathroom, the hall, the cafeteria. He is going to staggered start days for two weeks, so there were only 5 children in the class, Draven and 4 girls. He made a new friend, Teagan. They gave each other a hug and played legos together. Tomorrow we go for a 30 minute literacy testing session, and then again for school on Tuesday. By the way-I haven't cried yet. I think I probably will, but not yet. I'm feeling quite a bit of relief right now!
As a side note-Draven wanted that picture taken there, in front of the tv, because he said it would be like he was in a movie!?

Star Wars II-Attack of the Clones

Draven wanted to blog...I wanted to watch star wars 2 attack of the clones so daddy wanted to watch it with me at night, so I liked it!

School Prep Begins

Today the boys and I went to a couple of different stores-Big Lots & Staples to take advantage of their 1 cent sales. If you need school supplies be sure to look in the paper on Sunday because I've gotten everything we need plus some for under 25 cents each. Anyway, after the "fun" shopping trips we took Draven to get his hair cut. He asked at the beginning of the summer if he could grow his hair out like his favorite cousin, Quentin. So, we agreed that he could grow it out for the summer, but before school started he would get it cut. So, today was the day. I thought he looked grown up with long hair, but seeing him now I'm wondering where my 5 year old went!

Camping 101

Rain
Our Cabin
1. Get to the camp site before the rain starts so you can get the tent put up.

2. Talk to someone who has stayed at the location where you are planning to camp.

3. If the pictures look too good to be true, they probably are.

4. No matter what, have fun anyway!

There are no pictures today, but I'll be sure to get some posted tomorrow. This has not been the picture perfect start to our vacation that Pierce and I dreamed of, but we are still excited and the boys are too-tired, but excited. Before I give you the dreary details, let me started by telling you a cute Draven story. I was in the bathroom with Brody for his 20th trip today (he had a lot of water on the trip), but Pierce just told me this...He and Draven were in the cabin-I'll get to this next-and Draven excitedly told Pierce, "come here, I have to show you something!" So Pierce went into the boys' room and Draven said, "This is the happiest I've ever been in my whole life!" And showed Pierce his sleeping bag and his bed and was really excited. Doesn't that melt your heart?! It makes all the craziness worth it.

OK, to the details...The trip was uneventful except for the 5 stops we had to make before we could really get started-eating lunch, Pierce's work, Pierce's other work, pee pee breaks, etc. Why is it that when you're trying to get somewhere with a car full of kids you have to stop a dozen times? It always happens! Draven also asked every five minutes how many more minutes it would be before we got there-his version of "are we there yet," and Brody kept asking when we were getting to Nana's house?! So, we finally get to Manchester, TN and we are all excited, driving down the interstate, spotting the exit sign, when we notice the KOA sign just off the interstate on the left. Yes, just off the interstate. Who ever heard of a "campsite" that has the calming sounds of 18 wheelers 200 feet away? Then, I went in to register and the kid at the desk asks if we want to upgrade to a cabin for the night, because it's suppose to rain. Nah, we say...it won't be that bad. Just as we got the tent laid out on the ground the lightning started and the clouds opened up! We sat in the humid car for an hour hoping it would let up soon. It finally did, but our campsite was so water logged that we couldn't set up the tent. So, after sitting through an hour in the rain, I went sheepishly back into the office and asked if we could upgrade to a cabin. I think that should have been Pierce's job, but he did the driving instead. Then we went to the highclass eating establishment, Walmart, for dinner because everything was so wet we couldn't start a fire. While at Walmart, the KOA man called and said he had made a little mistake. The cabin he had put us in was rented for tomorrow and could we please move all our stuff to another cabin?! So, we are spending tonight in the comfort of a 2 room cabin, all in beds, and thinking about staying here tomorrow too, as it's suppose to rain all day again. The weather.com people had it all wrong!

We are still optimistic though, and the boys can't wait to get to the playground and the fishing pond, which really are very cool. I think they have to have something awesome to put in the pictures to lure you here. While sitting in the rain Pierce said he wanted to have a real Griswald family vacation...he may just get his wish!

It's Over!!

Our second season of soccer has ended. I have to say that this season was NOT fun. Things started out pretty good-Draven was really excited and was getting into it more, but then our coach became that coach you never want...cancelling practice after you're already there, not calling when a game or practice is cancelled, changing the date of the make-up games 2 and 3 times, etc. We also didn't really have a team mom-we still don't have trophies and don't know when the end-of-season party will be. So, with the decline of our coach's attitude came the decline in Draven's attitude. It was a struggle to get him to go and once there he didn't seem to care. On Friday we had our last make-up game and Draven told me he wasn't going. I explained that he had made a commitment to play and he would finish the season. It was only 2 games after all. He seemed ok with that, but then when we got to the game he said-"I'm never playing soccer again!" He did though.

Hopefully we will have another season to talk about in the fall. If not we'll have more time for basketball-Draven's current favorite!

*In the picture Draven is the tall one on the right.

Our Fun Weekend

The fun began Friday night with our Ward's Spring Picnic. Alice is so good at her calling, I guess that's why she didn't replace me as the Primary chorister. :) I made Cream Cheese & Jam Turnovers; a recipe I got from another blogger. I thought they were great and so easy! My mom and dad were both there with us, and the boys had lots of fun playing croquet and throwing the football with daddy. I've shared my favorite picture...

Then on Saturday we were looking for something fun to do...there wasn't even soccer to interfere. So we packed a lunch and headed to West Knoxville for Earthfest. Go Green! Draven & Brody had lots of fun digging in a compost pile for worms, making newspaper hats, and playing catch with a tennis ball and empty milk cartons (I thought that one was a little extreme). I forgot my camera, so you'll have to plug into my head to see how cute Draven was in his newspaper hat. Brody wouldn't wear his so I did. As we walked to the car lots of people were laughing.

When we got home I finally planted our vegetable garden. Last year I planted at the end of March, because that's what things say to do for our region. Then everything died when the mid-April freeze happened. So, this year I waited, and the mid-April freeze came again. This year we moved the veggies to the side of the house (Pierce cringed every time he came home last year when they were in the front), and I planted roma & sandwich tomatoes, corn, & watermelon. We also have peas that the boys planted at Earthfest, and Strawberries that have been growing. Does anyone know how peas grow? I can't decide where to put those.


Tonight we had FHE. Pierce gave a lesson on Journaling. We talked about how we're printing our blog entries to use as a journal, but that the boys also need to write their own thoughts. So we had Draven and Brody each tell us their favorite part of this week while I wrote it down. Draven had fun with that. Brody said his favorite song is My Green Kite, by Peter Himmelman, and his best friend is Draven (it was Brielle on Wednesday so who knows how long this will last). I think PJ is most excited about finally learning to pull up and sit down on his own. Does anyone have any good ideas for getting Brody to participate more in FHE?


The most fun part of the weekend was spending it together. With soccer, mowing the grass, grocery shopping, etc. sometimes it's hard to just play together, even on the weekends. So that was my favorite part!

Brotherly Love

Most of the time, when I think of Draven & Brody's relationship, I would call it Love/Hate. They love to hate each other; but today I have gotten to see the love side twice. I think it bears noting!
This afternoon when we got home from the park Draven wanted to finish his soccer treat (the snacks he got after the game). So I told him if he was going to eat it right then, with Brody right there, he would have to share. He said ok. So, they were standing at the table, sharing a rice krispy treat, when Brody said, "Draven, I love you." Then he leaned over and gave him a hug. It wasn't silly or dramatic, just simple and sweet.
Then, tonight I put them to bed early because we had been to the park, played in the sandbox outside, had two neighbor boys over, and they were so wired that they were making me crazy! As I was doing the dishes I noticed that they were still talking a lot, so I went to their room to tell them to be quiet. When I walked in Brody & Draven were up on Draven's top bunk getting ready to go to sleep. I told Brody to go to his bunk. A couple minutes later they were still talking. Usually by this point, oh yeah they got up once too, I would be pretty upset and near the yelling stage, but today is a good day...So, I walked in the room and Brody & Draven are in Brody's bed. When I told them they were nearing the end of my patience, and Draven needed to get in his own bed right now, Draven said, "But, I just want some time with Brody." What could I say? I gave them 10 minutes to be asleep.

Draven Stakes His Claim

A couple of days ago Draven asked for a piece of paper and a pen, so I gave it to him. He's always writing something down-usually a list of movies he wants to see, has seen, etc. So, then he asked if he could have some tape; I asked why. He didn't want to tell me, but I gave it to him and kept an eye on him. He went over to his toy box and put this sign on it. If you can't read it, it says, "Keep Out, My Toy Box." He said that in the Little Critter books (some of our favorites), Little Critter has a sign like that on his door, but it says "My Room" instead of "My Toy Box." We agreed that the toy box belongs to Brody too, and when PJ gets older he can look in there too; it's only Mommy, Daddy, and any other big people that are not allowed.

Our New Piano

On Tuesday our new piano was delivered! It was actually my mom's piano, that she bought when I was a kid and taking piano lessons, but to us, it's new. The piano tuner is in the other room right now tuning it! Lucky for us, my mom was looking to clear out some space in her living room, so the piano is now in our dining room. We are thinking about started piano lessons for Draven-following the "every child will play an instrument and a sport" motto. He is still a little young, but our neighbor teaches and she is convenient and has good rates. So, we'll see how it goes for a couple of months.

He is already playing, as you can see in the picture. He picks a song from the Primary Song Book, looks at the words while he "plays" notes on the piano. He even sings along to his playing. I think it's really cute! I am even more impressed that he lets Brody play with him. They are such a good team.