Cornelius Chronicles

We had our church Halloween Trunk-or-Treat this Friday.  The kids had a lot of fun dressing up in the cute Angry Bird costumes Grandma P made for them and getting lots of yummy candy.  The weather suddenly turned chilly on the day of the trunk-or-treat so I had to make a hat for Maeve at the last minute.  I think it turned out pretty good for an Angry Pig.  :)  Enjoy a sneak peak at the costume fun at our house this week.  I think we are ready for Halloween now.  :) Isn't Maeve perfect as an Angry Pig!  You better hide your golden eggs or she might steal them.  ;) Rebekah Red Angry Bird, Loyd Purple Space Angry Bird, and Xavier Yellow Angry Bird showing off their costumes with Angry Pig Maeve and Daddy.  They are ready to go. Now where is that sling shot? Busy constructing an Angry Bird nest from the branches Dustin cut off the trees in the back yard with his new birthday toy - a chainsaw on a pole.  What industrious ...

 We are still adoring having a baby in the house again.  It is not uncommon for Loyd to be kissing his sweet little sister every time he sees her.  If I hapen to be holding her and he can't reach her soft little head, then he kisses her hand or her little feet to satisfy his need to show his imense affection for his sweet baby Maeve.  Loyd is an adoring big brother.     Bekah and I worked together to successfully complete her first book report this week.  All the first graders at her school were sent home with instructions to decorate a pumpkin like a character from a book, then bring it back to school to be displayed in the school library.  Rebekah picked the book Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes and decided how she wanted to decorate her pumpkin.  I helped her draw the outline of Pete the Cat onto her pumpkin and she did all the painting.  I think he looks pretty awesome.  Bekah was super excited to see the c...

We had the great joy of celebrating Xavier's 3rd birthday this week.  We had such fun on his birthday making a big fuss over our little Mr. X, watching the movie "Wall-e," playing lots and lots of trains, making a yummy Thomas the Train ice cream birthday cake, and opening exciting presents.  While Loyd and Bekah were at school Xavier and I crushed Oreo cookies and mixed them in with whipped cream and vanilla ice cream to make his yummy cake.  Xavier's favorite part was taste testing all of the ingredients before and after we mixed them together.  He is such a happy helper in the kitchen and does a good job to listen and follow directions when helping me make yummy food. Whenever we asked Xavier what he wanted for his birthday or how old he was, he always responded, "Thomas birthday!"  Xavier loves Thomas the Train and all things with wheels.  He thinks about them all of the time and think they are the answer to all of life's quest...

I just couldn't resist!  Some pictures are too good not to share.  :) Maeve, 1 month old.  October 9, 2012

 Maeve smiles a lot and we are all in love with these sweet baby grins.  Why are toothless grins the best?  We also got to go to the homecoming parade for Dustin's high school this week.  Dustin and his robotics kids drove their amazing robot as one of the parade entries.  I think it looks pretty awesome.  The kids love grabbing all of the candy that the high school kids were throwing to the enthusiastic crowd.  I kept trying to get the kids super jazzed by the marching band.  Loyd was enamored with the cheerleaders instead.   The kids did pretty well for themselves regarding parade candy collection.... Some might say a little too well.  If you can't close your mouth because it is too full, then you might have eaten too much candy at once.

We made good use of Grandma P. while she was here.  She was invaluable in getting kids up, dressed, and fed in time to catch the morning bus to school every morning.  She was also a life saver in keeping busy, curious boys occupied and happy while I enjoyed getting to know new baby Maeve.  Grandma even managed to complete a few big sewing projects that I knew I would never get around to on my own.  We are so glad Grandma P was able to come!  It made for a wonderfully relaxing and productive few weeks.  :)  Grandma took the boys on several walks to the neighborhood pool to wear them out and to spend some relaxing time in the warm sun.  This is how Loyd relaxes in the pool.  :)  This is how Xavier spends his time at the pool.  His duck and dinosaur had quite an interesting conversation filled with many quacks and roars.   Here is Bekah modeling one of the eight Angry Bird costumes Grandma sewed while she was here...

While Grandma P. was busy doing this: Loyd and Xavier "fishing" at the neighborhood boat launch Xavier giving Loyd a ride around the backyard Xavier is a crime fighting, dinosaur shooting butterfly.  Its a very manly costume.  Careful, his magic wands shoot!   Dustin and I were busy doing this: Maeve at 1 day old Dustin very happily holding his new baby girl. Loyd meeting his new baby sister, Maeve, for the first time at the hospital.  Now we are all busy doing this: Rebekah holding her little sister.  What a surprise to come home from school to discover a new sister! Grandma P. helping Xavier hold Maeve.  He loves his baby sister and is enjoying his new title of "Big Brother." Catching some sleep whenever we can! Maeve Elanor Cornelius Born Sept 9th 8 lbs 0 oz 20 1/2 inches long Welcome to the family baby Maeve! Funny quotes about the baby this week: Loyd:  "The baby do...