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!