NO I did not forget how to use my computer.....

Lauren with her "children" Molly and Michael.

I know I have been a bit lazy (a big bit) about getting updates on my blog. So I will do a brief 1st part of the year update!!!!

January:

3rd - Jim's 45th birthday and my first attempt at homemade Lemon Curd. Oh and the day of my second attempt at Lemon Curd. Jim loves a lemon cake and I had been flipping through the pages of my Martha Stewart cookbook and found a recipe for Lemon Cake with Lemon Curd filling and whipped cream frosting. My first attempt at the curd (trust me...much tastier than it sounds) was a flop!! So off to the store I went to purchase another dozen eggs and another $6 bag of lemons. I also decided to forgo Martha and hit Allrecipe.com for a much more successful outcome. It worked and the cake was a hit.

4th - Lauren and I were enjoy a typical day at home together, me folding and putting away laundry and her looking for something to get into. As I was coming out of Jake's room and rounding the corner into the kitchen, there she stood on the counter. Before I could even react she attempted to jump off to me. Well the fact she had socks on and I was a good five feet from the counter led to her landing face first on the tile floor. I first checked to make sure her teeth were all still in place, thank God they were, and then looked to see where the blood was coming from. It was one of the scariest experiences. Of course she started with the blood curdling scream, which I expected, then it switched to a moaning and holding her head as her eyes rolled around. Well I had the thought to call 911. But then I remembered this is Darien and I've seen our EMS around town for long enough to know that I would not trust the care of my child to them:) So I got in the car and headed to Jim's client's office....don't worry she's the local pediatrician (although not ours). I prayed the whole way that they would be able to see Lauren and sure enough after throwing around Jim's name (Just kidding) they let us in. She looked fine but they suggested that I take her down to the ER for a CAT Scan just to be sure, with so many bones in the skull there could be a crack and that would be the only way to tell. Lauren was such a trouper, everything checked out fine, and by the time we were able to leave she was standing on the bed in the ER room.

Ooops! I said I would make this brief.

Mid Jan. - Weekend in Orlando (at an actual hotel....not the Lamb Abode) Went to Sea World with my mom and dad and had a blast.

That's Jim pretending his finger was chomped off by a sting ray. My dad and the girls are trying to act like they don't know him.

Katherine followed in her mom's footsteps and attended cheerleading camp at her school that was put on by the upper school girls. They finished the week by cheering at the Friday afternoon Pep Rally.

That's here front left, arms crossed!!!!

Jake completed his first science project comparing store bought stain removers and home remedy stain removers. He won 1st place in his category and second overall for his school!!! Way to go Jake!!

FEBRUARY

A trip to Charleston, SC would not be complete without riding on one of these......

Basically uneventful. Jim and I spent a weekend in Charleston while his parents came to stay with the kids. Jim also served 9 days of national guard during this, his last month ever of guard duty.

A Camel!!!

MARCH

1st - Lt. Col. James R. Coppage's official retirement from the Georgia Army National Guard. We won't see any benefits for another 15 years other than an inexpensive, yet nice, resort at Disney and in Hawaii to stay at and a military discount at Rack Room Shoes. But the pension will start being deposited just in time for us to have both girls in college at the same time:)

9th - YIKES can it really be.....34 years old for me?!?

Easter - we spent our first Easter ever with Jim's parent in Senoia. We also managed to drive a million miles across Atlanta (yes that's what it felt like) to go to the American Girl Doll store. Oh to have been 9 years old again (and to have my dad with me). Lauren picked out her birthday present....the bitty twins, who have come to be known as Molly and Michael.

We attended church with Nonna and Pop at FBC Senoia and had a great time grilling out Easter lunch on Pop's new grill. I told Nonna this was the way to, she didn't have to do anything except put a couple of things in the oven and the men did the rest of the work.

Nonna ran out of marshmallows for the sweet potatoe casserole, Lauren had a great idea!!! Let's use PEEPS!!!! Yummy!

Spring Break - We made our first official trip to the beach of the year this week. I was get and yep everyone got a little to much sun.

30th - Lauren Leigh turned 4 years old!!! It was a Sunday so after opening her Hantana "Ontana" guitar we headed to church where she shared cupcakes with her Sunday School classmates!!

ROCK ON!!!!

April - Jim headed to China for 2 weeks with a client for a business/pleasure trip. He had the most amazing time. He spend a couple of days in Tokyo, Japan and then on to Dalian, Beijing and Shanghai. He brought me back some beautiful jade and pearl jewelry and we are now sleeping on 100% silk bedding.

.....NO I have no China pictures to post because I have not even seen the China pictures. I willingly let Jim take my camera (yes we each have our own camera and camcorder) and he has not even shown the pictures to us . He wants to go through them and match them up with the notes he wrote in his handy dandy notebook he took with him, so he can tell us exactly what we are looking at in the pictures. For those of you who do not know my hubby well, if you Google Type A Personality - Jim's picture pops up!!! (okay don't actually try that). I did have to get him to reassure me that the reason we had not seen the pictures was not because he lost or messed up my camera. (yes he has been know to do this, hence the reason we each have our own stuff).....BUT when production on "JIM'S BIG ADVENTURE....part XVII: CHINA" is complete I'll post some photos.

May - The first weekend in May is always Homecoming at Campground United Methodist Church in Hahira, Georgia. This is the church that Jim's dad's family went to when he (Jim's dad that is) was a boy. And every year a clan of us Coppages quadruples the attendance and enjoys good old southern cooking at a fellowship picnic outside after the service. The church is just like the church on Little House on the Prairie (probably why I like going - I think I'm Laura Ingalls sitting there in that pew). My kids enjoy running through the graveyard after they eat. And this year Jim and I stood looking at the small slice of land still available for burial plots and talked about purchasing ours. ~WEIRD~ But, some of the best people I know are going to be buried there and we don't want to be left out!!!

So there you have it. A somewhat brief account of we have been up to. We are looking forward to summer which is fast approaching. I cannot believe Katherine will be finished with kindergarten and Lauren will be joining Jake and her next year at school. I find myself getting a lump in my throat when I think about moving on to this next season in motherhood --all children in school!! It has really caused me to slow down and savor this time I have with my kids. I am however looking forward to being more available to Jim with his work. Oh and the occasional day at the beach by myself!!!