"Fall"ing into Autumn

A Trip to the Pumpkin Patch!

Things are really going full-speed here in the Cochran household!  Drew and Kallie are back into the swing of things at their respective schools, and Levi is (finally!) getting used to being back at the babysitters.  We've really been enjoying the beautiful weather here in the valley and are welcoming fall with open arms!  Kallie and Levi took a trip with Aunt Natalie last weekend to the local pumpkin farm to pick out some seasonal decorations! (Levi wasn't too thrilled with the pumpkins, but he did love the farmer's dog!)

Drew's triathlons have come to an end for the year 2013...complete with back-to-back first place wins in Sherwood and Morgantown.  He's happy to have finished with such an impressive season, but already looking forward to next year.

Kallie is super busy with after-school activities.  She's been very active trying to rebuild the school's theater program--the competition group's first performance has been scheduled and is quickly approaching!  For those of you who may find yourselves near the Lewisburg area on October 30th, stop by Eastern Greenbrier Middle School!  Kallie's competition troupe will be presenting their musical, The Apple Tree, for the first time to the public.   The Apple Tree is a whimsical, tongue-in-cheek play telling the story of the world's first couple, Adam and Eve, as they navigate the wonders of the Garden of Eden.  The group will compete in the state's high school theater festival in early November; if they place, they'll be invited to perform at the regional theater festival in Mobile, Alabama.

We hope you all have enjoyed your summer and are settling into autumn easily.  Stay tuned for more adventures and milestones--Halloween, Levi's 1st birthday, and Christmas are right around the corner!

Waving Goodbye to Summer and Hello to School

Well, it's been one heck of a summer for the Cochran household!  From 5:00 a.m. triathlons to birthdays and state fairs, we've done it all!  We've been able to enjoy our first summer here in Lewisburg exploring and taking everything in. 

Drew spent a decent portion of the summer life guarding at the county's youth 4-H camp.  Kallie and Levi loved getting to spend some quality time at camp with Daddy and the nicest kitchen staff around!  (Levi especially loved the treats he got every time Mom and Dad had their backs turned.)  

In July, the whole Cochran clan took a week-long trip to Virginia Beach.  Even though it rained 90% of the time, we enjoyed the company and being able to get out of town for a while.  Kallie got PLENTY of reading time in, and Levi had ample opportunities to be spoiled rotten by Gigi and Pop C!  

Drew has been working very hard the past month to train and compete in triathlons all over the state.  He's named this summer his "Welcome Home Tour."  He plans to finish off the season with the first annual Sherwood triathlon--it's taking place in a state forest very close to Lewisburg.  He's considering this the perfect end to a "Welcome Home" season.  We're all hoping the triathlon will draw a big group of supporters and competitors, so that we'll be able to look forward to a "welcome home" race at the end of every summer!

This week starts the first full week of school for both Drew and Kallie--which means the first full week back to the babysitter's for Levi.  We're not sure who's taking it worse!  Drew is at one of the local elementary schools teaching special education, and Kallie is at the high school teaching freshman English, speech, and two theater classes.  She's also working closely with a small group of theater students on a one-act musical for a state competition in November, in addition to helping out with the marching band.  Drew's really been stepping up to bat helping to occupy and mind Levi!  They're turning into quite the duo together!

 Levi is now 9 months old and unstoppable.  He's figuring out the whole "crawling" thing, and pulling himself up on to anything that will support his chunky little frame.  He loves to talk and has never met a stranger!  He really does stand alone when it comes to the stereotypical 9-month-old who is afraid of new people.  He loves to watch cartoons with his Uncle Dan, and watching the cats run around the house is second best!  Walking and running in his stroller around the neighborhood with Mom and Dad in the evenings has also quickly become a favorite pastime (for everyone!).  Levi also believes he has "dibs" on any food or drink that happens to be within his sight...

Dear Friends:

Please, please!  Lewisburg is such a beautiful little town at any time of the year, but it's especially fun and eye-catching in the fall...come visit us!  We have plenty of room and would love the company! 

With Love,

Drew, Kallie and Levi

Where has the time gone?

Our little monkey man is officially 8 months old... that's 2/3 of a year!  He's weighing in at 18 lbs and 10 oz., and is stretching out to almost 28 inches.  You'd never know he was a preemie by looking at him--the  kid loves to eat and grow!  He's developing more of a personality every day, and is turning out to be quite the ladies' man (wonder where he learned how to flirt?!).  We've got some big milestones ahead of us...walking, talking, and turning ONE!  

Team Cochran--Tri Season 2013

We've had a busy, busy, busy end of spring and beginning of summer...no time to blog!  We've been to Illinois and back to visit family, beaching in Virginia with Drew's side of the family, and have spent a LOT of time exploring, swimming, and hanging out with Aunt Nat!   But now we're into racing season...

Team Cochran has a few new members this racing season, and we're excited to welcome them to the world of triathlons! Levi has proven to be quite a daddy's boy, and we couldn't ask for a better traveling companion (even at 6 a.m.!) or number one fan! He's the best "tri baby" out there!

Drew's cousin, Michael, has also started to compete in triathlons this year.  He's often trained with Drew in the off-season, and finally decided to get his feet wet.  So far he's entered into two of the races we've been to this year, and he's getting faster every time--look out Drew! 

We're about half way through the season now, having attended the Rocky Gap and Bath County/Moomaw tris, and just this past weekend was the Richwood/Scenic Mtn. tri.   Drew has been lucky enough to place in all three races, even against professionals! 

Our next race is in August at the Glade Springs Resort in Beckley, WV.  After that we've got a few more: Stonewall Jackson, Savage Man (in Virginia), and Morgantown.  If you're ever in the area, the boys would love the support and Levi and Kallie would love the company!

Happy Mother's Day!

Levi (5 months) and Mommy

Today was Mother's Day!  A first for many in our family...first Grandmother's and Great-Grandmother's Day, too!  We we were so happy to be able to drive with Drew's parents to visit his "Meme" and Papaw this afternoon for a big family lunch.  It was a great way to celebrate the day and spend time with the people we love.  

So, what did Kallie get for Mother's Day?  A Garden!!!  We're in the process of planting, and had planned to be done by today for a big Mother's Day reveal...but looming frost warnings have scared us away for a few days!   The plants have been purchased, though, and are sitting nice and cozy in the garage until the cold snap passes.  Our future garden will be home to strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, (Kallie loves berries!), banana peppers, wax peppers, and a variety of tomatoes.  We're even going to try to grow a few squash plants with the hopes of creating some homemade baby food for Levi!  Of course, no garden of Kallie's would be complete without sunflowers =)   Check back soon for pictures!

Happy May!

It's finally May, and finally spring! 

There have been a lot of changes happening at the new Cochran household, from the outside in!!!  Drew has been diligently working on beautifying our house's exterior.  He's been painting shutters, re-sealing the driveway, and ripping out all of the overgrown bushes in the front yard.  Kallie's been working on clearing the cluttered garden bed and decorating with pretty tulips and snapdragons for springtime. 

Levi's been spending some  quality time with family and friends, even the babysitter!  Now 5 1/2 months old, he's experimenting with rice cereal, oatmeal, and squash.  Drew and Kallie were extremely lucky for Levi to have a smooth transition from his bassinet to the "big boy" crib. He's sleeping anywhere from 8-9 hours at night, and Kallie couldn't  be happier to finally enjoy some sleep! 

Levi's first taste of squash...yummy!

We're also counting down the days (27!) until Drew's national triathlon, The Best of the U.S., on June 2nd.  We'll be traveling to Gary, Indiana for the race, which will take place outside of Chicago.  Since most of Kallie's extended family lives in Illinois, this should be an exciting time for Levi to meet some "greats" from mom's side!  Drew's been training for 2 hrs/day during the week, and even longer on the weekend! 

At school this morning, we heard of a local family who lost their house in a fire.  The father was a coach of Drew's, and many other family members, in high school; he still teaches and coaches, and is a very compassionate and important person in the lives of many of Greenbrier county's young people.  I  bring this up because, on hearing this sad news, we immediately sent prayers up for that family--but also, we remembered how blessed we are to live in such a beautiful place as a young family, with means to live on, and surrounded by loving family and friends.  We are truly grateful for all of you.

-The Cochrans

Country Roads, Take Me Home

I had a day off from substituting, and after the rainstorm passed through this morning Levi and I found ourselves with nothing to do and no money to spend.  We decided to follow Drew's advice and take the camera for a drive, exploring the back roads of our new town.  

A view from Route 60

Memorial Gardens

Levi met his great-grandparents, Elmer and Emma Cochran

Sam Black Church

 

 

One of our neighbors' trees

Spring Bloom

When we finally pulled into our own driveway, I realized what a lousy backseat driver I had:

Once Upon A Home...

146 May Apple Trail

We're finally starting to feel like we've settled in to our new home in Lewisburg, WV. We particularly loved this house because of the surprising space once you walk in the front door.  It's a 3 bedroom, 3 bath bi-level.  Contrary to what it looks like from the sidewalk, this house almost doubles the sq. footage we had in Morgantown.  Drew has a gigantic "man cave" downstairs, and I have taken the basement den and turned it into a comfy, cozy library--complete with wood stove!  This spring we were able to experience new life from our back porch; the cows that live on the farm behind us calved lots of babies, and we've been excited to watch them run, play, and grow.  I'm tickled that we'll be able to see this happen every year!

Drew was lucky enough to get hired on in Greenbrier County as a Special Ed. teacher for one of the middle schools, so he is no longer driving 2 hours a day to the next county over for work.  He loves being so close to home! The time he previously spent driving back and forth to Beckley is now dedicated to training for his upcoming triathlon season.

I began working for the county as a substitute teacher last month.  It felt great to get back out into the schools again, but I was so anxious to leave Levi with a babysitter!  Fortunately, Jill (the M-I-L) found us a fantastic sitter and Levi just adores her.  It's been such a blessing; he's even beginning to get a solid daily routine down!

Levi's quickly approaching 5 months and no longer looking like a preemie.  At 15 pounds and 24.5 in long, there's not much about him that's little anymore!  He's developing quite the personality as well.  He enjoys watching himself in the mirror, CMT, and is exploring his feet.  Lately, with the warm weather we've been having, he loves taking long walks with Mommy and Daddy around the neighborhood (sometimes the puppies, too!)--often he get so relaxed that walks quickly become nap times.

*Merry Christmas!*

Merry Christmas from the Cochrans!

Wishing all a very happy holiday season!  We feel extremely blessed to be able to have spent this Christmas as a family, with our families.  This year we were mid-move and  staying with Kallie's parents until Drew could finish up at his workplace.  Since we were still in Morgantown, we spent Christmas Eve with Kallie's side of the family (parents, grandparents, brothers, sister-in-law, and neice and nephews).  

Christmas morning came bright and early; with a few teary goodbyes we loaded up both vehicles, packed up the baby and the dogs, and officially moved to Greenbrier County.  We celebrated Christmas and a birthday with Drew's family once we arrived in Lewisburg and got settled into our new temporary home: the Fred and Jill Cochran residence.  

And here we remain...us, the in-laws, a baby, and 2 dogs in one house, until the day we move into our forever home--January 10th!