Cornelius Chronicles

Look who turned 4 yrs old!  How the time has flown with my little buddy.  John is so sweet and such a joy to be around.  He has a bright mind and a kind heart.  He can't stand to see anyone cry and quickly comes to their rescue to ease their pain, comfort away their sadness, or right the wrong that has you in tears.  John loves to play and snuggle.  He loves to laugh and explore.  His favorite thing to do is to hang out with this brothers and sisters.  He loves them more than they know.  John loves to be a helper and he loves to stay up late, past bedtime, and watch TV with Mom and Dad.  We are so grateful for our little John.  He brings such sunshine and love into our family.  How lucky are we! Xavier wanted to do something special for John for his birthday so he found the perfect Monster Truck birthday card for him, wrote a sweet note in it, and delivered it with a treat and a dollar.  John was absolutely thrilled. ...

After an unseasonably warm and dry February (we're talking about day time temps in the 40s and 50s!) we decided to welcome March in with a bang and got at least 6 inches of snow!  It only lasted a week, but it was sure fun to play in and pretty to look at, and we're so very grateful for the precipitation.   The crocuses I planted last Fall were not to be deterred. We brushed the snow off the garden beds and were greeted by these pretty little buds.  Welcome Spring!

Motherhood is a lot of work, a lot of prayer, a lot of prayer, and a whole lot of crossing my fingers that I'm doing a good job raising these special kids.  One Sunday I discovered Xavier snuggled up, reading his scriptures by the fire.  It was a precious mom moment I just had to catch on the camera.  I love that he wants to learn from the scriptures and follow Jesus Christ.  What a happy mom moment! Here's just a couple of snapshots of fun with Owen!  He made a pretty cool shape castle for school math.  Owen's totally accurate self portrait at 100 years old.  I love the bald head and rockin' mustache!   I finished it a bit early, but I wanted to share a picture of Owen's finished baptism blanket.  I'm so excited he can be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints this year!

John has been busy growing and learning and having lots of fun.  He already knows all of his letter and their sounds, can count to 25 without any mistakes, and is the fastest scooter this side of the Mississippi.  Here are just some fun moments of life with John.   Preschool fieldtrip to the Morgan County Library.  Book and reading fun! Just hanging out with our baby cousin friends.  

You know when you see a tiny toy tiara sitting on a table and so you have to try it on?  Yea, it's pretty standard.  I must say, Rebekah pulls off the look quite well.  She's been having a busy year at school with a full load of classes and taking an early morning technical certificate program in Robotics and Automation.  She's a kind sister and a helpful daughter.  A studious scholar and a sweet friend.  How lucky are we to have her in our family! Maeve has been a hive of creative activity.  She recently took part in the 3rd Grade Wax Museum.  She got to be Julia Child.  We had all sorts of fun learning about that fascinating woman and practicing our own cooking skills.  Maeve memorized her part, practiced her best Julia Child voice, and sent off every museum visitor with a heart-felt "Bon Apatite!"  She was awesome! Maeve wanted to give dance a try and signed up for the Morgan Mini Dance Troyettes. They had 2 days to learn a dance...

This handsome kid finally did it. He hit the big 14!  To celebrate we had his favorite dinner - Subway Sandwiches, made his favorite cake - chocolate chip cookie cake, and took some friends to his second favorite place - Park Side Bowling Alley.  Of course his favorite thing to do is play computer games, closely followed by relaxing on his bed with his gerbil friend, Tornado.   Loyd is one awesome guy.  He's loving and kind.  He loves little creatures and exploring in the garden.  He works hard to do well at school.  He's a friendly guy, a big smile and friendly "Hello" to all he meets.  Loyd has been practicing his music skills this year, getting better at playing his euphonium.  He really loves Band and did awesome at the 3 performances he has already had this year.  Wow!  He's still growing like a weed, now taller than his dad and loves to go for walks or bike rides to the grocery store for a soda treat and candy. ...

Just in time for Valentine's Day Maeve and Dustin had a great time at the Elementary School Daddy Daughter Dance.  They had fun seeing friends, making fancy masquerade masks, and dancing the night away.  Maeve, as always, was the life of the party and a great date for the night.