Cornelius Chronicles

 This moment in backyard nature beauty is brought to you my Maeve's favorite flower in the yard this year.  Such a pretty little daisy.  

We had the opportunity to go on a beautiful Sunday drive up the Wasatch Cache mountains to the Snow Basin and Powder Mountain ski resorts to see the stunning Fall colors.  The trees were vibrant, the temperatures were perfect, and I saw one of the most stunning sunsets of my life over the Great Salt Lake.  I just love this little tradition of heading out for a beautiful, scenic drive with Dustin, my Mom, and any of the kids we happen to rope into going with us for a few hours in the car.  We also took some time to hike Old Snow Basin Road to see the seasonal changes in nature up close.  So fun! Next time I'll wear better hiking shoes.  ;D 

This cutie loves a good bath! Grandma P's backyard is one of the best places to play in the whole wide world! And there are few things as enjoyably relaxing as hanging out in the hammock with your own cute kids on a lazy Sunday afternoon.  

Just another fun Saturday afternoon at the mall aquarium in Layton.  The fish and aquatic life were awesome, but the best part of the trip was the fun time spent with the cousins!

Pumpkin John The kids had fun at the middle school's annual STEAM night celebrating math, science, and the arts.  The kids all decided that hands down the best part of STEAM night this year was the fantastic face painting. I always knew this cat was wild, but I never knew how wild!  Wild Cat Maeve Mild mannered kid or monster man!  Two Face Owen.  

This handsome young man turned 14 yrs old this year!  You know what that means?  Time to start applying for jobs!  Xavier is such a fun, easy going young man.  He works hard, is kind to everyone, isn't afraid to try new things and explore the world.  He's also an awesome mountain biker, a tough opponent in a nerf blaster battle, and has a great dry sense of humor.  I love that he still stays up late watching boring home shows with his Mom and Dad.  I love that he finds joy in the world and has a great laugh.  I love that he dreams big for his future and is willing to work hard to get there.  I am such a lucky mama to get to call this amazing young man my son.  Happy birthday, Xavier! For his birthday celebration this year we hosted an awesome nerf blaster battle for Xavier and his friends at Grandma Phillips' house.  We battled, ate lots of pizza and snacks, played Nintendo Switch party games, and then ended the night with fun night...

How's that for alliteration!  Check out the awesome family photos we took at Snow Basin on October 6th. The autumnal colors are almost as wonderful as my children! Rebekah - age 17, loves crafting, cyber hacking competitions, working on science fair, and being an overall awesome big sister.  Diana, age 10 months, loves to cuddle, give kisses, wrestle, read books, clap, build blocks, explore the garden, and eat everything!  Xavier - age 14 (close enough).  Loves playing video games and hanging out with friends, trying new adventures, eating candy, watching TV with Mom and Dad late at night to put off going to bed, and planning ways to be a future titan of industry.   John - age 5 yrs. Loves cuddles and hugs and sharing a great funny story, loves his family and his friends, works hard at school, tries his best to be a good boy all of the time, loves Jesus, and melts his mother's heart in an instant every time with that sweet face.   Maeve - age 11 y...