Cornelius Chronicles

This week we have been busy. It's been warm and nice for the first part of the week; then it turned cold and cloudy for the second part. We were all sick while it was nice outside. Therefore, we were stuck inside. When the weather turned ugly we were feeling better, but it was too cold to play outside. My poor kids have been trapped in the unique toddler torture known as "We can't go outside today," all week. We're resourceful, tough Texans now, so we haven't let it get us too down in the mouth. Here's what we have been doing to keep cabin fever at bay. Bekah and I have been working on her letters and her paper cutting skills. She has also been practicing her art skills. She's getting really good at drawing people. "Loyd Sleeping" by Rebekah Anne Cornelius "Self Portrait" by Rebekah Anne Cornelius Loyd has been finding various household items to turn into super cool and fun toys. They are way better than what they sell at...

As Grandma Young would say, "We Have been sick of bed and on two chairs," this week at our house. It's nothing serious, just a common cold. It started with Loyd and worked its way to Rebekah, then Xavier, and it has taken final residence with Dustin. I think I got off lucky on this one. With everyone sick no one has wanted to smile or pose for the camera. Sorry for the lack of pictures. I'll just share a couple we snapped between sniffles and coughs. A very kind lady in our ward dropped off a few new toys for the kids. She bought them for her grandson, but now he has outgrown them. We are happy to be beneficiaries of her growing toddler. This Radio Flyer red rocket is a huge success. Not only has it been to Jupiter and back, it now has covered the entire expanse of our house and backyard. It's one amazing rocket. Bekah got her very own Book of Mormon . She carries it to Primary each week in her cute little pink purse. She feels very grown up and loves...

Loyd and Xavier have been posing for some cute pictures this week. I guess we'll dedicate this Sunday's blog to my two boys. Loyd's philosophy is that one can never have too many burp rags. Here is a cute shot of our smiley little Mr. Xavier. He has been experimenting with sitting on his own. Keep trying little guy. You'll get it soon!

Our little Mr. Xavier was given a name and blessing by his daddy this last Sunday in Sacrament meeting. It was a very nice blessing, but it almost didn't happen! Our little Mr. Man was blessed in the middle of Sacrament meeting because the Bishop forgot about his blessing, twice! Our poor Bishop is brand new and has a lot on his mind. We are a ward that likes to keep their bishop very busy. We confirmed with him two weeks ago about the blessing date. We invited our friends to come and found a sweet little outfit for Xavier to wear. We even got to church early the day of the blessing (nothing short of a small miracle for our family) to make sure we were ready for the big event. Because I'm a bit paranoid, before the meeting started I asked Dustin to reconfirm with the Bishop that we were still good to bless Xavier during the meeting. The Bishop had forgotten all about it, but told Dustin it wasn't a problem; we could go ahead with the blessing. We settled into our b...

We have had a busy holiday season. It feels like we have had one party after another. We enjoyed New Year's Eve with friends, went to the Dickinson festival of lights for FHE, threw a baby shower for a great friend, and spend several days being generally lazy. Here are a few pictures of what we have been up to lately. We also want to give a quick birthday shout out to Grandma C. Happy Birthday! Yes, in Texas a lighted Texas flag and long horned cows are considered festive holiday decor. It's totally awesome! We also saw a dragon, chili peppers, a mariachi band, dolphins, and Santa with his reindeer in twinkly Christmas lights. This was at the Dickinson festival of lights. It's a park a few miles away with a few thousand lights to celebrate the season. Temple Square it is not, but it was fun for a family home evening. Do you see them? Do you see the FLAMINGOS! Be still my beating heart! One day I too hope to own a holiday lighted flamingo for my front yard. A g...