October So Far and Just Because...

Its been a normal month around here, just with a couple little twists like usual. My mom is back watching Trevor during the day while I am at work and he is loving life. He knows when she is coming and if he actually wakes up before she gets here thats one of the first things he says... "Amma coming?"

We have been able to spend a lot of time together as a family over the last couple months. Rob is getting more time with Trevor than he ever has and its truly a blessing. We take little trips at night to Wal-Mart for silly little presents and a chance for everyone to get out of the house, Daddy included. Trevor thinks it's such a big deal to be able to wonder around and pick up everything in the toy department until he decides on the "one" he wants to take home.

He is growing and talking and dancing and climbing and oh my God... getting to be such a little boy. He is still my baby but even he will tell you that he's a big boy not a baby.

He is opinionated and stubborn and too smart for his own good. There are very few things that we can get past him and bribing is a lost cause. Making him throw his Hot Wheels in the trash because he won't brush his teeth or taking toys away because he wont sit at the table and eat doesnt even phase him. He is all about his own agenda and we have more than learned to pick our battles.

How can anyone look this upset with 4 Krispy Kreme doughnuts infront of them? Maybe it's the bedhead?

My favorite little blogger Cheyna does a post on ramblings every month. She posts all of the little things that her daughter does and says, and will be even busier with a new addition to the family. Long and short, I think I may have to piggy back on her idea. Its just a cute way to keep track of the little things!

For instance... the other day Trevor and I were upstairs jumping on the bed in the guest room. He has figured out that if he sticks his tummy way out it makes him tip over and fall dead weight into the bed which is so fun in case you've never tried :)! He was sticking his BIG belly out and I said Trevor, you have a big belly... and he replied Trevy has big belly like Daddy's big belly!! HA HA HA - I cracked up! I must be looking pretty good for 6 months if Daddy has the BIG belly in the family! HE HE HE!

If I wear my hair curly instead of straight - He will say to me - Mama, your hair is dirty. or Mama, you need a fan! (Fan is Trevoreese for Blow Dryer)

There are more, they happen every day, maybe thats what I will try and post on a daily basis? Im sure at times I will be the only one to find the humor, but at least I will get it documented somewhere.

Outside of that, Rob and I have turned into CNN junkies over the last month with this election and the market. I dont know that I have ever watched a ticker in my life prior to the last couple months. All of this stuff has taken over our prime time television schedule. Thank goodness for TiVo because the 3 that we have are working overtime right now. 7 days to go and I have no idea what I am going to stay up all hours of the night watching while I'm waiting out my heartburn?!?!?

What else? I am gathering things preparing to do the boy's rooms. We will be moving the guest furniture into the basement, Trevor into the guestroom and the baby will be in Trevor's room. Lots of moving and painting to be done and times a wastin'!

Oh, and we have decided to name the baby Braylen Davis Coppock. I will get used to calling him by his name instead of "the baby" before too long.

Our 3rd Anniversary

Rob and I celebrated our 3rd Anniversary with my brother and Blair. They took us to dinner and my mom watched Trevor for a couple hours so we could get out for a little bit.


We went to Brio which is a beautiful place. None of us loved the food, but we had a really good time and it was so nice to get out for a while. Rob would have been happier at the Counter Burger next door but I love trying new restaurants, and now we know that we dont ever have to go back. Although once I can have a cocktail again its a great spot to meet for drinks.

Trevor's 1st Circus!

I see a trend developing here! This blog, once intended to be daily or even weekly has turned into a monthly catch up of our goings on, or lack there of. I truly had intentions on using this as my virtual scrapbook seeing that my oh favorite hobby has become a thing of the past. He is getting so big so fast, and with his little brother on the way I have to do a better job at keeping track of what happens around this place...

Trevor's 1st Circus!

Chris had a great idea to take Trev to the circus, and that's exactly what we did... All of us. Rob, Trevor, Amma (Grandma), Chris, Blair, Joe and I took him to see his first circus. He was so excited to go. I had been showing him videos from the Barnum and Bailey website for a week so he had some idea of what he was going to see. We got to the Denver Coliseum, which is a little different for a circus than the stock show, and he was instantly in overload. Flashing lights and toys, music and noises coming from every direction in sight. This poor kid didnt know where to look first.

It didnt take long for him to figure it out and dial in on the toy that he wanted. A shiny gold and red motorcycle. My mom said she would buy it for him and Trevor was more than helpful pushing her hand holding her credit card to the lady behind the counter so she would hurry up and get him his motorcycle.

(Trevor and his Uncle Joe - Getting a better view)

We got his motorcycle and went down on the floor to see the elephant painting, yes, an elephant painting a picture with his trunk, up close and then find our seats. We had great seats in the 9th row and could see everything. When the lights went out and the music started, he really enjoyed the show... especially the fireworks. His attention lasted a whole 30 minutes until he was ready to head back to the toy table for more. Little did we know that there was a matching ATV that we had left behind, and he was going to have it regardless of the fact that it was zip tied to the display.

One ATV to match his motorcycle later and back to our seats for about another 30 minutes. He really did well considering that this child doesnt sit for long, ever. He sat in his seat, had a snack, watched the show and played with his new toys.

Eventually he did get tired of playing with his motorcycle and the ATV on the floor under our seats. Not to mention that I wasnt a huge fan of the idea but he was happy doing it. I got a good tug and a "Come on Mama" and we were heading back up the stairs. He found a little spot all of his own and was more than content sitting in the walkway of the Coliseum playing with his toys. Who's kid is this? I guess he could have picked a dirtier floor to play on, maybe?!?

Isnt that how everyone eats a snow cone?

It was a great afternoon. He had a blast and talked about it all day. He slept with those silly toys for at least two nights and regardless of the fact that they do absolutely nothing, are still two of his favorites. It was fun to be back at the circus after 25+ years. We all enjoyed it! Maybe next year he will last a little longer and we will get to see more of the show!

Summing it up and September So Far...

I know there is more to the month, but if I dont have pictures for it, it didnt happen!!!

So far September has been a sick month for all of us. Trevor came down with what I thought was a cold about a week and a half ago. Turns out after his first trip to see the Doctor, he had two Accute Ear Infections, not a cold. He refuses to take any sort of medicine, so the Doctor gave him an antibiotic shot and a pain reliever shot that trip. Rob had the priviledge of being on that trip. He said that within 20 minutes he was a different kid. His eyes opened up, his nose stopped running and he was in much better spirits. I am totaly against shots, but I guess in this case it had to be done.

He had to make another trip back to the Doctors the next day for two more shots of antibiotics. Rob said that he did great and he did seem to be feeling a million times better. He went back to see the Doctor that Tuesday and got the green light. He ears were much, much better.

He was out of school for a week and two days. He still has a crappy cough and his nose is still running, but there really isnt anything we can do about that seeing that he will NOT take any meds. Rob and I have now caught his little cold. So we all have it now!!

When Trevor finally got his appetite back - this is what it looked like....

He is feeling much better and is pretty much back to his same ways. Being the crazy little boy that he is. He did so well when I took him back to school on Monday. I was really expecting the melt down seeing that he had been at home with us for so long. I put him down in his class, he gave me a big hug, rubbed my back and said, "bye Mama"... and off he went. I couldnt believe it.

I talked to Rhiannon as I was leaving and she was shocked too! I guess she and Tonya had pretty much been expecting the same thing but he shocked us all!! What a BIG BOY!

Big BBQ at School

Creme's Annual Picnic

The Bouncy Castle

Getting Trevor on the Pony

Riding the Pony

Creme had their Annual BBQ / Picnic on the 22nd after being rained out the weekend before. Rob and I met Trevor at school around 4:00 to join the party. He was outside riding cars on the playground when we got there. I really didnt know what to expect seeing that we are new to this whole day care / school thing. They went all out for these kids!!! Not to mention that there were hundreds of kids and parents there to navigate through.

They had three ponys to ride on two bouncy castles and face painters for the kids to mess around with. They cooked all the burgers and hot dogs and the food went for miles. I have never seen so many cookies and cupcakes in my life!!! I ate more of them then Trevor did. We played for a while, walked around a lot, ate a little and rode the pony and he was ready to head home for a nap. But what a good time for the kids. Hopefully next year we have a chance to spend a little more time and get to know the parents a little more.

Where Did August Go????... Cont'd.....

There has to be an easier way to get pictures in these blogs. I have to drag and drop them through my entire post to get them in so I am going to break this baby down into seperate posts or Im going to pull my hair out...

Abby Came to Visit...

Trevor and Abby playing at Dinner...

Trevor's little friend Abby came over to visit while they were here from Florida. I have to say that Trevor is not the best sharer with most kids, but when it comes to Abby it's a whole different story. He is so nice and considerate with her (except with the dog kennel... see Abby's blog) but he will share with her and give her toys and all sorts of things that I have never seen him do with any other little kid. Its really cute.

We took the whole fam to Old Chicago for dinner. The three of us, Cheyna, Abby, Andrew, George, Jane, and Duke. They did really well and shared dinner too. Cheese bread was a great hit! It is always good to see all of them when they are here. Pretty soon Abby will be a big sister and Trevor will be a big brother. Once again, Cheyna is ahead of me by just a couple months!

Where Did August Go????

So, keeping with my M.O., it's been over a month since I have had a chance to get to this blog. I just don't know where the time goes. August was a very exciting month for us. Lots of changes and new things for us and Trev. I am going to do my best to cover it all...

August 1st was Trevor's last day with Cami. She is now at the University of Northern Colorado and we are so happy for her new move! We have been so lucky to have her for the last year and are sad to see her go, but couldn't be more excited for her. We had a little get together with everyone before she left.

Trevor Opening Gifts from Cami

Seeing that Cami was headed to College, it was time for Trevor to follow in her footsteps and head to school. He started at Creme de la Creme in Lone Tree on August 4th. What a BIG BOY!! This was so exciting and so hard on me. I dont think there is a better place to have him be, but it was heart breaking for the first three weeks. Thank God for the wonderful people there. They let me sit in the lobby and watch him on the monitors for hours and hours and never gave me a hard time. Its amazing how quickly he has become comfortable there. He now gives me a big hug and says "Bye Mama" and runs off to play... Just amazing.

He is in Ms. Rhiannon and Ms. Tanya's class. His little classmates are between 2 and a half and 3, even though he wasnt quite old enough to be in the class when he started. They decided because he is bigger than most of the kids his age, this would be a better fit for him. Here are some pictures...

The Inside of Trevor's School

Trevor Playing with Balls in the Gym

The Waterpark - Yes, Waterpark!!!

Trevor Not Being Cooperative...

The Gazebo by the Koi Pond

They send "Report Cards" home with him everyday so we can see what he did and how he did. They are on a 30 minute rotation from class to class. They are learning Spanish, Art, Math, Creative Movement, Music and more. Its hard to believe he is 2 when looking at his schedule, but he really seems to be doing well.

He doesnt like eating there, but I dont blame him... things are a little different there. He cant sit and watch TV and take as long as he likes to eat at school like he does at home. So he gets a really big breakfast and comes home and eats like a champ!!! Hopefully this will change as well.


CHRIS AND BLAIR GOT ENGAGED!!!

Chris proposed to Blair (FINALLY), and I got to go along for the ride... I have a million pictures but I will only post a couple here since this post is going to be huge anyways... He sent her on a "scavenger hunt" to find clues along the way that led her to her final destination. I had to play stupid the whole way along, but there were so many people in on it, I couldn't feel to guilty fibbing my butt off about knowing a thing. It was a great day and I was so happy to be part of it! We had a little party afterwards with friends and family to celebrate!!!

Pool Time!

I took Trevor to Palomino Park to spend a little time in the pool! Chris and Blair had a little BBQ/Volleyball/Pool party and we joined the fun. Blair's friend brought her little girl Kiara and they played in the water for hours.

He had more interest in playing on the steps than actually swimming around, but all in all he had a great time!

I was so proud of him for playing well with her. He doesn't spend a lot of time around kids his size and age and usually wants to hang with the adults, but they seemed to get along really well. Not to mention that she is a doll.

Grandpa Don

What a year this has been for my family so far. I suppose we should consider ourselves very blessed that the passing of loved ones has come very few and very far between until lately. We lost my Grandpa Don earlier this month and it has been a hard time for my Step Dad and my Mom.

My Dad has spent the majority of this month in Arizona with my Grandma Shirley helping her get through the arrangements and getting Don back to Denver for his burial. He was buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery and the ceremony is something that I will never forget. This was my first Military funeral and if you have never experienced one, once you do you will not forget it.

It was very regimented and silent. The flag ceremony is interesting and again mostly silent. The gun salute, although done with fair warning is still soul shaking. It is nothing shy of appropriate for the people that earn that ceremony.

If you have not had an opportunity to visit Arlington National Cemetery and feel the energy in the thousands and thousands of acres of headstones and witness the Changing of the Guards, this will get close. Arlington will take your breath away and leave you speechless. I hate to suggest that visiting a cemetery should be at the top of anyone's list, but it is an education in itself. To see the headstones of the people that served this country in not one or two, but three and four wars is sobering to say the least.

I am looking forward to Shirley coming back to Colorado to stay. We had not seen them since right after Trevor was born and it will be nice to be able to spend more time with her once she is back.

Obviously Not Enough Sugar!

Today we went to see Doctor Furr to get the all clear for day care. He was really good considering that he hasnt had to see the doctor for a long time. He got a clean bill of health and I promised him an ice cream cone for making the trip! He cried a little at the doctors and it was close to nap time but I never thought that he could sleep through this!

SLACKER!

Trevor's First McDonalds Ice Cream Cone!!!









So it's been over 2 months since I have posted anything on our blog, so this ones gonna be a doozey! Lots and Lots has happened since our last post. Life in our little house has been exciting. I will try and keep this in order... wish me luck!

On May 10th, we lost my Uncle David. He had been fighting rhumetiod arthritis for a while and coupled with cystic fibrosis, it just wasn't a battle he was going to win. Most of you reading this blog have already heard the story but if you havent... The beauty of this story is that after 12 long years of "dating" his girlfriend Roxanne, they finally got married. It happened to be in his ICU room at Rose, but it happened! The hospital staff there were AMAZING. If you didn't see the story on channel 9 news, YouTube, CNN or many of the other channels or sites you can google it! Anyway, the short story is the hospital made their cake, the flower shop made her bouquet, they brought in the minister, all friends and family were there including the entire ICU staff and the amazing Doctors that were by his side, channel 9 news cameras filming, and they FINALLY got married! It was such a happy day! Less than 24 hours later, he passed away, but we are all content with the fact that he had the most amazing last day here!

Ok - sad stuff out of the way...

May was here and gone with all of that, so we'll just move on to June...

Rob's Mom and Dad came for a visit! We always get so excited when they are here. Its not that we do anything exciting, but just the fact that they come to visit is enough. They live in Manassas, VA and its a long trip for them. We usually just spend time at home visiting, eating and playing with Trevor. Rob's dad is a HUGE soccer fan and we watch a lot of "football" while they are here. We had people over like normal so Bob and Virginia had a chance to see everyone at once. They spent a day with my Grandparents which is so nice. It is kinda crazy that my Grandparents and Rob's parents are the same ages but it works out great. My parents are gonna have to get their playmates out of my brothers I guess!!

We took them to Landsdown Arms for dinner which is as close to English Pub food as we can get here in the "Ranch". They had a great time and we learned a little bit from Dad about Irish and English Fare... Smashers, Bangers, and Blood Pudding. I can handle the Smashers and Bangers but Im out on the Blood Pudding! I stuck with good ole' fish and chips - SAFE!

They were here for a week and it always goes so quickly. I wish they would move here, but maybe soon we can travel there and visit. It would be nice to take Trev in the summer and get to the beach!

We've been having these cookoffs almost every weekend this summer. Chris and Rob have this man competition with cooking. So far its been ribs and burgers, but its been good times and good food. We had a burger cookoff and believe it or not, my Grandma and my Aunt got in on the competition... It was fun... WAY too much food but a great time.

Christopher introduced my 82 year old grandfather to Beer-Pong. Can you believe that? Not to mention that he is totally GOOD!! They were killin' em!

The weekend of Father's Day Joey moved home from Arizona! Yippee! Its was a great weekend! I had all my boys here for Father's Day. We had a big BBQ with the family and some friends. Joey is staying here with us until he gets settled and we are so excited! I know Trevor is loving having some Uncle Joe time!
This was also the day that we found out that there is going to be another baby in this crazy household! YEAHHHH! Blair and I had gone shopping to get all the goods for grillin' that day. She was convinced that I was pregant and we were buying a test. We were headed to Costco, and everyone knows you dont get one of anything at Costco... Anyway... she grabs the tests, we pay, leave and head home. Rob sees what we have in the box and rushes me upstairs to take the test.

There's one line, two lines... Oh my gosh... and then I hear Rob laughing, "Jennifer, you guys bought ovulation tests!!!" So I scream for Blair, she comes running up the stairs so excited and I break the news to her that she grabbed the wrong box! We should have known that 10 bucks for 10 pregnancy tests was just too good to be true!! So, Rob proclaims that he has to do it himself if it's going to get done right, and off to the store he goes... 10 minutes later with a pregnancy test in hand, he comes home.

I snuck off to take the test. And sure enough... one line, two lines - BABY!!!! Blair was the only one I told, and thought Father's Day was the best day ever to spill the beans! SO.... I took the card that I bought for Trevor to give his Daddy on Father's Day and wrote... "Happy Father's Day, Love Trevor and Baby #2." I thought it was pretty cute, and made it obvious what was going on... HA - Boy was I wrong!

Rob opened his gifts and his card, read it and looked at me puzzled. His response was - "Well go take the test then." I about died... are you kidding me? You dont' get that? I rolled my eyes and before I knew it, my Mom had snatched the card and read it herself... "I dont get it. What am I missing?" Aunt Kath next,"I dont get it either, what's going on?", and then to the boys. Chris first, "Are you kidding me? I get it. How dont you get it?", and then Joe - "How do you not get this, did you read the card?"

As I am dieing because I really thought I was being cheeky, but clear at the same time, Blair yells... "I have an announcement, Jen's having another baby since none of you can read!" And then... THEY GOT IT! Holy crap! So... there's the story. It was probably one of those things that was much funnier in person, but I just couldn't believe it. Plain English people... Are you kidding me?

So - Lets see what happened after that bit of news....

We had a little get together at my Mom's with all of the Hargrave girls! Its so fun to get everyone together. I never get to stay very long when I have Trevor in tow, but its just nice to see everyone at once! We sit around and shoot the crap and talk about how crazy our family is... who doesnt do that?

And since then life has just been normal... Playing out side with Trevor, spending lots of time in the sprinklers and relaxing as much as possible.

I feel great, no problems, no morning sickenss and after going to the Dr.'s to seeing the little bean and hearing a good heartbeat, I am finally excited. Its just hard not knowing... I'm due on the 18th of February! That's so fun because Trevor was born 4 days after Rob's birthday and this baby is due 4 days after mine!!! Too funny!