Cornelius Chronicles

We had a guest come visit this week. Her name is Flat Olivia. We are all very glad she came. The picture above is with her and Rebekah by the NASA rockets on NASA Rd 1. Flat Olivia is here for a school project. We are suppose to show her around town and teach her a little about League City then send her back home. Wish us luck! A very nice couple in our ward was cleaning out their attic and came across the table/chairs above and a small pretend kitchen complete with dishes. They kindly gave them to us. The kids are in heaven! Loyd learned how to climb up on the chairs by himself in about 5 mins . He also learned he can drive his sister nuts by pushing the table around the kitchen while she tries to put "food" on it. They crack me up. Now Bekah insists on baking in her kitchen all day long and pushes plates of "cereal" and "pancakes and hash browns" on the family all day long. (Note: My menue is more extensive. She just has an obsession with...

Ok, so I thought I would be brave and cut Loyd's hair (but not too brave I did give myself some time for mistakes to grow out before Loyd goes in for his first birthday pictures). All I can say is that we REALLY miss Aunt Lizzy and her fabulous hair cutting skills. Thank goodness hair grows! Here is a funny picture of Bekah sporting her flawless fashion sense. She cracks me up!

Yesterday we went to the Houston Children's Museum . The kids had a ball. They had a building zone, a pretend grocery store, giant puzzles, a puppet show theater, live chicks, and a giant water works exploration zone. They even got to paint their faces. Rebekah's engineering and grocer genes showed threw. She adored the little grocery store and got pretty good at building pipe systems to direct water flow. Loyd loved the table that blew small beach balls into the air using air pressure. He loved to grab the balls and then make them float again. We made it home happy and tired. Here are some photos of their silly face paint.

NOPE! I am loving this warmish weather in January! I think we would all go crazy if the kids and I were cooped up all "winter" long due to snow and cold. I am very grateful we can go outside and ride/run around until everyone is good and worn out for a nap. To all those who must endure a long, cold winter, I send my condolences. We will think of you as we watch the butterflies start to come out.

Loyd and Rebekah are looking more alike every day. It's fun to see how similar they are. Rebekah has taken to hiding in the small hutch thingy we have in our front room. She yells, " Shh , sleeping," and then closes the door. It doesn't take long for Loyd to crawl over and swing the door open and giggle at his sister's silliness. They think this is a great game of "hide and seek." Loyd is developing more of an interest in books. I can often find him pulling out some of the board books I have cleverly stashed in baby friendly locations and then he practices his page turning techniques for a few minuets. He is beginning to take an interest in the pictures too. Maybe one day I can get him to sit on my lap long enough to read 2 books in a row!

We are now a two bike family. Rebekah is a pro on her trike and Loyd is learning the ropes on his new-to-him Dora the Explorer car. The kids had tons of fun riding around exploring the back yard and racing each other today (Rebekah was more into the race than Loyd). Loyd also discovered Dustin's newly placed dirt, hence his attractive dirt face. Dustin has been working on the fence all Christmas break. he is getting close to done. His buddy Ryan came over today and helped him put in the last 3 post holes. Now he just has to nail up the pickets. Rebekah "helped" him out a little bit this afternoon too. The shot below is Dustin showing Rebekah an earth worm he recently discovered. Bekah is extremely enthusiastic about his discovery.

We had a terrific Christmas and hope all ya'll had a great Christmas as well! Here are some photos and video we took. Enjoy! Bekah was not expecting a tricycle so she didn't even register that she saw it for quite some time. Very fun for parents. :) Here is a shot of Bekah "helping" Loyd open his presents. He was a little scared of the wrapping paper so Bekah stepped in to help her little brother out. This also includes Loyd grooving out to his driving toy. As you can see, he is rhythmically challenged just like the rest of us. So cute! Happy full stockings! Our little, pretty tree. The star of Christmas - The Red Tricycle The unexpected surprise! Thanks Aunt Karen! She drew these gorgeous pictures of Rebekah and Loyd, framed them and sent them to us for Christmas. I LOVE them and can hardly wait to hang them up where I can show them off.