Cornelius Chronicles

March has been an interesting month of unexpected challenges and changes.  A disease that first appeared in China in December has made itself around the world and turned into a global pandemic.  Our Government leaders have asked us to stay home, avoid social contact with other people, and to take extra care in sanitizing our environments to help prevent the spread of this aggressive disease.  Everything has seemed to develop rather rapidly from my perspective.  What started out as a rather normal month has ended up with home schooling adventures, canceled play dates and game nights with friends, strange grocery shopping trips with milk rations and empty toilet paper isles, Sacrament meetings at home where Dustin blesses the Sacrament and Loyd passes it to our family around the kitchen table, birthday parties at home, and lots of facetime phone calls with cousins, friends and grandma to help break up the business of staying home. As a family we are doing well....

Lunch and Nap  All the fun and excitement around the house as got this poor little boy tired out.  Here's some of our favorite spots he's dropped off to slumber lander lately.  :D  Music, Snuggles, and Pap Midnight Nap escaped from bedroom and sleeping standing up and leaning on the Living Room Rocking Chair

 This ball of sunshine and laughter turned 2 this month!  I can't believe that 2 years ago already I got the biggest, happiest surprise of my life when we welcomed this little man into my life.  John has the most sympathetic heart and goofiest personality of my children.  He loves to act the clown as long as he gets a good laugh from his family for hit.  He loves to explore new places, meet new people, and eat lots and lots of apples and oranges.  His favorite thing to do is read books and listen to music (no head phone or mp3 player is safe when he's around!), and he loves snuggles from his family (especially Daddy) and his blankie.  John, you have brought endless joy and love into our home.  We are so glad you are part of our big, crazy family.  We don't know how we lived without you!  Happy Birthday!  Yes! Birthday money from Grandma!    Trying on Maeve's shoes for size  Fun with the br...

Buttercup during one of his many sweet naps. With heavy heart, on March 17th our little mouse friend Buttercup passed away.  He lived a good, happy life, well loved by his human family and filled with yummy treats and a cozy home.  We are grateful he could spend his sweet little life span with us and help us learn about the softness of a gentle mouse friend, and how good it feels to share our love with even the smallest of God's creatures.   Maeve and Rebekah worked together to make a memorial rock for little Buttercup.  He is now resting next to his friend Popcorn Mouse under the sweet smelling jasmine tree. 

We had lots of chances for work and play this Spring Break! Owen had a play date at the park with his good friend Preston We saw the new exhibit at Space Center NASA and we saw the Falcon 9 Rocket new on display.  So cool! Lots and lots of house painting 1st Swim Lesson at South Shore Fitness Center for Xavier, Maeve, and Owen And the highlight of the whole week was our beach day with our friends the Archers!  BOOM!  Beach Day at El Jardine!   Owen and Preston at the Hometown Heroes Park, March 2020 El Jardine Beach, Pasadena, TX, March 2020 with Wesley, Abby, Emily, Evan, and Dana(Mom) Archer.  There is no such thing as a bad beach day!

We continue to work hard on our 3 year home remodeling project.  The big news is we have walls!!!  So we painted them!  Everyone got in on the action.  I had lots of help from Dustin, Rebekah, Xavier, Maeve and Owen to get our new rooms the perfect shade of soft sea grey.  Loyd got in some quality manly time with Dustin while they installed the new flooring in the laundry room.  We even found a new use for our built in kitchen hutch.  I think it makes there perfect showcase area for most of our awesome family board games.  :)

 Character Counts Maeve was awarded the Character Award for Caring at her elementary school by her teacher, Ms Nye.  We are so proud of Maeve and her loving, kind nature.  She always has an eye out for helping others and helping everyone feel like they have a friend in her.  Congrats, Maeve!  I'm so pleased with you! Maeve with 1st Grade teacher, Ms Nye.  She's the best!  Kite Day John and I had so much fun attempting to fly kites with Xavier and Maeve at Ferguson's annual kite day this year!  We had plenty of wind, good kites, excellent company, and lots of good attempts to get our kites into the air, but we never did quite manage to get our kites to stick in the air.  Oh well, better luck next time.  At least we had lots of fun!