Cornelius Chronicles

On Friday we took Uncle Jason to the airport to fly back home. The kids were way bummed so we took them to the free day at the Houston Zoo after we dropped him off. (Note on the picture above: I love that non of the Cornelius men are smiling. Rebekah is the lone grinner! I guess it's a man thing) Rebekah and Loyd had a blast at the zoo. Dustin was happy he didn't have to spend a penny to take them there. We spent all morning there and only saw about a third of it. It is HUGE and really pretty. There were several large, open common spaces for resting and sitting in the shade, water fountains and ponds to break up the paths, lots of toys for the kids to climb on that looked like the animals, and very pretty pathways leading to all the exhibits. It was the nicest zoo I have ever seen. They even had a little farm and a petting zoo. Rebekah was brave and touched the goats. Loyd loved all the people and animal commotion around us. He's all about action. I love fla

Happy Thanksgiving! We are lucky to have Uncle Jason with us this year for our first Thanksgiving in Texas. It has been a fun week. I made my first Thanksgiving dinner this year. It turned out pretty well and the double oven was heaven sent. Dustin took on the important job of the Turkey and his brother Jason was on gravy duty. I tackled everything else. Everything worked out okay except for my sad attempts at pie. Both pies turned out a bit on the burnt side. Jason has been kind enough to help us rebuild our fence that we lost during hurricane Ike. He and Dustin have been working from morning until dusk each day digging post holes and filling them with concrete. It has been hard, long work and they have had to battle giant Texan mosquitoes to boot. We are grateful for Jason's help. Rebekah has even pitched in to help! Loyd has felt a bit left out with everyone working in the back yard, but he manages to keep tabs on what we are doing by spying out the back door. Silly

This morning I went to get the kids out of bed and I found this. Rebekah decided to give me a break and tried to keep Loyd happy so she threw in all the toys and diapers she could lift into his crib in an effort to keep him from crying. Poor little guy didn't have a square inch to call his own. Loyd is trying his hardest to walk. He loves to grab a hold of the Dora car and walk around the living room until he crashes into a wall or the counter and needs to turned around. He is also trying to figure out how to get on the car so he can drive it around. Oh boy! I'm in for a runner I think. Here isDustin with the kids. We had to capture this moment and record it in Rebekah's baby book as this was her first request ever to watch "Dr. Who." Dustin was thrilled by her Science Fiction request and more than happy to oblige. Here is our little girl looking so grown up. She is getting taller every day and more independent to boot. Well, I wish everyone a happy Twilig

Okay, so I haven't gotten the camera out much lately so here is some video of the kids we have taken over the past little bit. Enjoy!

We had an awesome weekend with Aunt Lizzy and Uncle Thomas here for a visit! Everyone got hair cuts (note Loyd sporting his new hairdo - his first haircut- with our amazing family stylist, Lizzy!), we had a few great parties and ate lots and lots. Now everyone is sad because Lizzy and Thomas flew home. Thanks for the visit we enjoyed having you stay! Loyd is a regular musical genius. Today he learned to use my tin whistle. He has been tooting his flute all afternoon. Rebekah thought it looked like such fun she joined in on the musical moment. Bekah couldn't figure out how to work a flute until she was a year and a half old. Go Loyd! Ah, and what is a blog post without a wacky Bekah picture. Here she is showing me what a monkey does, but it is getting lost in translation do to the addition of the recorder. These kids crack me up!

This was a week of birthday celebrations for Dustin and for Uncle Royal. Rebekah was all about the cake! Rebekah also figured out how to turn a simple box into a totally rockin' slide. Here she is demonstrating her great invention skills. You go girl! Halloween was tons of fun! The kids were adorable and Rebekah was so excited she could hardly wait until after dinner to go "Trick or Treating." Rebekah was a princess and Loyd is her noble steed. Here are Rebekah and Loyd next to their Jack O' Lantern. Rebekah is modeling the "scarzie" face that she gave as the pumpkin's inspiration. We won the prize for "most creative" pumpkin at the ward Halloween party with this beauty! He is the cutest horse I've ever seen! Ah, I love it when the handsome prince is handy for a quick kiss.