Cornelius Chronicles

The Aquarium

2012-02-05T10:18:00.001-08:00

Loyd had his first big Trooper School field trip this week. We all went to the Moody Gardens Aquarium to see lots of beautiful sea life. Xavier was fascinated with everything. He ran from observation window to observation window shouting, "Oh! Look! Oh! Look!" Loyd just ran. He made 3 laps around the entire Aquarium in the time it took Xavier and I to see 2/3 of it. Thank goodness Loyd had his own personal trip chaperone to keep up with his energy. :)

I couldn't resist getting a picture of Loyd in the shark cage. There's something comforting in knowing he's stuck in one spot for a minute. :)

I had a difficult time getting pictures of the boys' faces. They didn't want to look at me. They wanted to watch the fish and squeal at the water acrobatics of the seals and penguins. I can't say I blame them. I had fun watching the animals too. They are way more fun to watch than boring old mommy.

It was a fun field trip. We had a great time and everyone napped very well when we got home that afternoon.

Ministry of Silly Hats

2012-01-29T09:56:00.000-08:00

Thanks Aunt Lizzy for our new hats! As you can see, they are quite stylish. :)

Back to School

2012-01-22T17:58:00.000-08:00

This week I took the plunge and started back to school. I'm starting a program to earn my Masters in Library Science. Though I'm very excited to be back in school, I can see that it's going to stretch all of my time management skills to keep all the balls in the air with family, church, friends, and school. It should be an interesting adventure!

This week gave me a great chance to test my time management skills. Among other fun activities, Xavier and I were able to tag along with Loyd's preschool to visit the High School barn. We had a ball seeing all of the cows, bulls, chickens, turkeys, pigs, sheep, and goats. It was interesting to hear about individual animals from the students who had raised and cared for them. The boys had to touch every animals and Xavier got quit good at his cow impersonation. He certainly had a lot of practice in the barn. :)

We also had an opportunity to glow in pride over Rebekah. She was one of two children picked from her class to be honored with an Outstanding Character Award. She was honored for showing exemplary acts of Caring for those around her. It was neat to see her receive a nice certificate at a school assembly and then to receive a "bragging rights" yard sign to let the neighbors know what a great kid she is. We are sure lucky to have such a sweet little girl.

Wish me luck and a handy planner! I know I'll need both for the next little bit. :D

New Year Adventures

2012-01-08T08:17:00.000-08:00

Grandma and Grandpa P came for a fun Christmas visit. We all had so much fun and enjoyed every minute of the rare grandparent time we could get. We also took the opportunity to show Grandma and Grandpa around some of our favorite places to play. Here are a few pictures of where we went.

We were lucky to enjoy some amazingly warm and sunny weather after Christmas. We made sure to take advantage of our good luck. On Wednesday, we took a trip to the local beach. We were rewarded with a breathtaking sunset. The children were busy finding precious seashells and the parents were busy tracking the different kinds of bird tracks in the sand. After a time of relaxing beach strolling, Bekah startled us all out of our reverie with two quick, high pitched, panicked screams of death. Everyone jumped and thought for sure some terrible turn of fate had ruined our evening. It turns out, Bekah turned over a rock to reveal an unexpected nest of fast running bugs. They gave her a pretty good startle and the rest of us a pretty good laugh. I guess I'll have to give up my dreams of Bekah becoming a world famous entomologist. :)

On Thursday, we headed to the Kemah Boardwalk. The kids had a riot on the amusement rides, and everyone had fun on the train ride. Of course, we had to walk along the boardwalk and admire the bay while we were there too.

This is a picture of the kids on the "Red Barron" airplane ride. It was the first time Xavier was able to ride most of these rides and he had a ball. I tried really hard to get the kids to look at me for a picture here, but they were intently involved in the pre-flight checklists on their plane. I'm pretty sure Xavier thought he was really flying that airplane. It was exciting, serious business for our little Mr. X.

Our last outing was at the nearby Nature Preserve. The kids "rode" their bikes and the adults walked along the smooth trail to admire local plants and birds. Most of the time the kids convinced us to drag their bikes along while they ran ahead on the trail.

Grandma saw all the birds she was hoping to catch a glimpse of - a cardinal, some pelicans and a few white egrets. We also discovered some interesting Texas plants.

We still aren't completely sure if the sign at the park entrance was to warn us about the local snakes and alligators, or to warn them of our arrival. Either way, we were sure to beware of wildlife. :)

It was a wonderful day to spend exploring the beauties of nature.

The Best Christmas Gift of All

2011-12-25T12:38:00.000-08:00

I want to open by sharing a little conversation between Bekah and Dustin on Christmas Eve regarding the true meaning of Christmas. I hope it sheds some historic light on this magical season.

Dustin: Do you know what Santa Clause represents?
Bekah: Yes, he represents Jesus.
Dustin: Do you know what present Jesus gave us? I'll give you a hint. It's the best gift of all.
Bekah: Yes! He gave us Santa Clause!

We've had a busy week. Here are some of the highlights.

On Tuesday, we went to the League City library and made gram cracker houses. We had a super fun time decorating our little houses in candy and cereal. Not to mention how much we fun we had eating the yummy frosting. We probably ate more frosting than we put on the houses!

We could hardly wait to get our creations home to devour them!

Grandma and Grandpa P came into town on Wednesday for the holiday season. We've been busy showing them around town. On Thursday, we went to the Dickinson festival of lights and had a great time seeing all of the beautiful, illuminated displays. I especially liked the Christmas armadillo. He had a ten gallon cowboy hat an everything! To get to the festival we rode on a shuttle from a nearby school parking lot to the park where the lights was set up. The shuttle was a school bus driven by a friendly volunteer. Loyd was so excited to be on a school bus going to see Christmas lights that he kept knocking his head against the glass as he peered out the window. Silly, excited Loyd.

We've also been on a few walks to the bayou to investigate the local wild life. So far we've discovered a very domineering goose, three very hen pecked ducks, and an adorable Xavier.

Dustin treated us to a beautiful, delicious smoked ham for our Christmas Eve feast. It was a really yummy ham. Thanks Grandpa P for the new Bar-B-Q smoker. Thanks Dustin for making us such a delicious main dish!

After dinner, the kids made reindeer donuts for Santa Clause. Bekah and Loyd made the faces with frosting all by themselves. Xavier was a pro at attaching pretzel antlers. Santa told me he enjoyed his treat very much. :D

Christmas day arrived early with excitement and smiles. We made a big mess of wrapping paper and cardboard boxes. The kids have had a fun morning of exploring their new toys. The adults enjoyed the beautiful Christmas program at Church and the happy giggle from the children as they played with their new toys.

We've had a fun week, but as you can see, all this festive fun has made a few of us go a little wacky. :)

We wish you a Merry Christmas and our sincerest hope that you aren't too wacky from all the seasonal cheer yet. ;P

I never see it coming....

2011-12-11T13:20:00.000-08:00

Boys are funny things. They have curious minds and wiggling little bodies. They have creative ideas that mothers never can see coming. Here are just a few I've encounter over the past few weeks.

Funny Things Loyd Did:
One day, as I was picking Loyd up from preschool his teacher pulled me aside. She said with a bit of a smile on her face, "I didn't see it happen, but...when Loyd came out of the restroom he told us he wanted to see what the toilet water tasted like. We checked the top of his head and it was wet. We didn't see him do it, but a quick shower might not be amiss when you get home."

The next week after the toilet water incident I was again pulled aside by this kind and long suffering teacher. Loyd had been caught playing kissing tag with another little girl. The teachers found out about it because she went to brag to all of her little girl friends that Loyd liked her best. He's only three years old and already he's been dubbed "Dream Boat" material by the girls.

Funny Things Loyd Said:

After watching Star Wars for the first time, "Mom! I want to be Darth Vader!"
After getting caught pulling his pants down and pretending to pee outside in front of his friends, "What? I'm a wild animal."
Shouting from the bathroom as I take Xavier for a diaper change, "Xavier needs a new butt! His poops too much."
After relentlessly barraging me with questions on everything, "Mom, why do you say, 'I don't know,' so much?"
To Santa Clause, "I want a remote control Xavier."

Xavier's communication abilities are increasing too. This week at dinner when we asked him to please eat his food he surprised us. Instead of the simple, "No!" we are use to, he replied, "No! It's yuckies!"

Thank goodness for little boys. They certainly keep us laughing.
And thank goodness for little girls. They help us know we aren't the crazy ones. :)

Welcome Santa

2011-12-04T11:45:00.000-08:00

Santa made a special appearance at the library this week. We were so happy he took the time to come and visit us during his busy time of year. :D The kids thought really hard about what they wanted for Christmas. They come up with some pretty good ideas.

(Anxiously waiting in line by the romance novels at the city library to see Santa Clause.)

Bekah: Rebekah had a terrible time thinking of something. With a little bit of help she finally made a decision. She rehearsed her simple request over and over again under her breath as she waiting in line for her big moment. When she finally had her chance to ask Santa for what she wanted her mind went blank. Pleadingly, she looked to Dad for help and he reminded her of what she was going to say. With much relief and a big smile, she asked Santa for an art kit.

Loyd: Loyd figured out pretty quickly what he wanted to ask for. He wants a remote control Xavier for Christmas. He's a genius! I should have asked for a remote control little brother when I was a kid!

Xavier: Xavier became increasingly more anxious as we approached the front of the line to see Jolly Ol' St. Nick. With his eyes as round as silver dollars and filling up with shiny tears, Dustin took him to stand next to Santa for a picture, but we didn't make him sit on that happy old elf's lap. Santa was a bit scarey, but with Daddy by his side Xavier was able to summon the courage necessary to survive a few quick pictures. We aren't sure what Xavier is dreaming of for Christmas, but he is so genial that I'm sure he will be happy with whatever Santa surprises him with.

Santa came on his classic antique Firetruck. Bekah asked where his sled was. We had to explain that the reign deer need to rest up for their big trip on Christmas Eve so they couldn't fly down to League City this week. Besides, there isn't any snow for a sleigh. Santa has to drive around in a firetruck when he visits Texas. :)

*****

We also went to a fun Marching Band Themed Birthday party this week. Here are some fun pictures of the kids playing in their band hats, blowing their horns and having far too much fun on the slides.

What We're Thankful For and A Fun Craft

2011-11-27T11:36:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of Thanksgiving I thought I would share what the children said they were thankful for this year.

Bekah: "I am thankful for Jesus for making all of the animals."

Loyd: "I am thankful for the Christmas tree and all of its ornaments."

Xavier: Bekah said he was thankful for toy cars. I think he is thankful for cows for making all of the yummy milk he likes to drink. Xavier opted to shove food into his mouth rather than share any insights into what he is thankful for. :)

Because they didn't let Bekah go to school this week due to the holiday break, she has been desperately trying to fill her days and avoid boredom. She has come up with several very cute and clever crafts all on her own as a result of her boredom busting efforts. On one such craft she even included instructions in case anyone else should want to do it too. It was so cute I thought I would share. She thought of the craft, figured out how to make it, and wrote the instructions all by herself. She didn't ask for any help on any with it. She did a great job.

The Mayflower with 20 boy and girl pilgrims, by Bekah, Thanksgiving 2011

"To do this craft you need 3 pieces of paper, 2 rectangles, and 2 triangles, and cut a boat and make waves like is in the water."

Now you are set to make your own fabulous reconstruction of the Mayflower. Happy crafting!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-20T13:19:00.000-08:00

We hope you are ready for another busy, but fun holiday season! I know Bekah is ready for the upcoming big feast day. She has a new outfit and everything. :)

Bekah had her first dance performance this week. Her dance class put on a little performance at a local assisted living facility. The girls were adorable in their pink tutus as they danced to the "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies." She had a fun time and did a great job. She didn't even have a hint of state fright. I appreciate that her dance studio takes the time to organize these types of events for the kids. It was a perfect teaching moment to show the kids how to share their talents and bring happiness to others through service. We had a fun night.

*****
Something funny Rebekah said this weekend:
Completely bored after a Saturday of no school, Bekah woke up Sunday morning and lamented, "Mom, they won't let me go to school tomorrow because of the holiday."

It's very tragic that the school district has chosen to be so cruel as to not let the children go to school and has given them an entire week of vacation for Thanksgiving break. Poor Bekah.
*****
Something funny Loyd said this week:
Looking at the chore chart, Loyd mater of factly declared, "Mom, I did a great job doing the dishes. I should be a mom."

I corrected him and told him his awesome dish washing skills are what will make him a great dad. There's nothing better than seeing a man do the dishes, right!

Some mighty big shoes....

2011-11-13T12:13:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-06T12:21:00.000-08:00

I can honestly say, there is something special about a Texas Halloween. We all had a great night walking around our cozy little neighborhood eagerly soliciting candy and toys from smiling neighbors who were enjoying the warm evening with comfortable lawn chairs, mosquito spray and big bowls of candy. Each time the kids arrived at a friendly door the generous answer to their, "Trick or Treat," was a generous fistful of chocolatey, sugary treats. We were under-prepared for the generosity of the Texas spirit and quickly found our small bags inadequate to their load. Admiring our bursting buckets, we called it a good night's work and gladly took our candy home. The children all had a wonderful night and they are already asking when we can go Trick-or-Treating again. We told them not to worry. Just 12 more months to go and then they can do it all again. :)

So, what was everyone's favorite candy treat this year?

Rebekah's was Kitty Kats (Kit Kats), of course!

Loyd said he liked all of them the best. I guess a robot isn't picky about his input.

And, our Mr. X definitely loved his suckers the best of all.

Happy Halloween!

PS: Here is Dustin's pumpkin masterpiece for this year. He kindly obliged Rebekah in her request for a cat, a spider and a pumpkin. Too bad there wasn't room for a bat. She likes those too. Maybe next year. :)

Scary Halloween Festivities!

2011-10-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

Halloween celebrations kicked off this week and we've been having a spooky good time! Here are some of the highlights from the week. :)

The Church "Trunk or Treat" party was on Friday. We dressed up our excited goblins and headed to the Church Parking lot for some fun! (The weather finally turned chilly on Friday so our Kitty Cat wasn't very enthusiastic about getting her picture done outside. It must have been super cold. You know, like 61 degrees F or something. ;>P Don't worry, we put heavy coats under everyone's costume once we got to the church. No frozen Texans for us!)

There was a costume contest at the Church party and one of our three cuties won first prize. Can you guess who it was?

That's right! Xavier won first prize for his amazing Yoda costume! I'm pretty sure the original Yoda didn't even look that cute. :) This did lead to a brief discussion with Bekah on why they all didn't win a prize. When she's older I'll have to share the story of the time Aunt Jenny unfairly won the "Most Authentic" costume prize instead of ME at the middle school Halloween carnival. Let's just say my Starfleet uniform was made from an official pattern and I had mettle rank pips and everything. No detail was forgotten. Jenny's uniform was a pinned up dress and her Star Trek com badge was stuffed fabric. Oh the humanity! I may never move past that incident....

Loyd's trooper school preschool went "trick or treating" this week too. They went out two days in a row and got quite the candy haul from the high school and district secretaries!

Loyd's candy happiness after his first day of trick or treating....

Loyd's second day's haul of Halloween candy extravaganza. Let's just say we didn't buy candy to pass out this year and we will probably be working on this stash until Easter....

Of course, not all things Halloween are candy or costume related. This week we were invited for a super fun FHE activity with some of our friends. We had a fun time painting Halloween pumpkins.

Bekah commencing work on her masterpiece. She loves all things craft and art. Maybe she'll be an artist some day. :)

Loyd joyfully made a huge mess with his paint, brush, and cleaning water. Luckily, some paint made it onto his pumpkin.

Xavier was a model of painting concentration. He had a ball painting his festive pumpkin friend.

The final pumpkin masterworks! (From Left to Right: Bekah's Face, Loyd's experiment in color mixing, and Xavier's ball of energy)

We hope you are having as much fun this Halloween season as we are!

Lessons In Elementary School

2011-10-23T13:22:00.000-07:00

Rebekah received her first progress report from Kindergarten this week and it caused me to reflect on some of the things I have encountered that I didn't expect from having an elementary schooler.

I thought I would share some of those things:

1. All Betty Crocker boxes and cans throughout my kitchen are suddenly filled with square shaped holes where "Box Tops" once lived.
2. I have to remind Bekah that she can't do the entire month's worth of homework in a single night. I have to reason with her that if she does, then she won't have any fun doing homework later.
3. Having to sort through the millions of brightly colored fliers, pictures, and fundraiser reminders sent home in her folder each week.
4. Realizing the importance of having your mom show up for a lunch date at the school cafeteria to a tender 5 year old.
5. Running after the school bus inevitably becoming part of the morning exercise routine.
6. Watching "Wild Krats" after school entrenching itself as a non-negotiable part of the daily schedule. It cannot be missed.
7. P.E. is still boring.
8. If there is no homework sent home from school, then self imposed homework must be created and usually entails the cooperation of Loyd and Xavier to complete. Bekah will make an excellent teacher.
9. Reading 3 books each night is a great way to keep Loyd sitting still for 20 minutes each night. (Who even knew that was possible!)
10. One of the new highlights of my day is I watching Bekah get off the bus in the afternoon. I look forward to hearing about the wonderful things she learns and does each day.

Oh, and Bekah did very well in all of her subject areas on her report card, of course!

I just had to share this great picture of father/daughter bonding. Dustin is a great sport. :)

Cutest Fire Chief On the Block

2011-10-16T12:41:00.001-07:00

These pictures of Xavier sporting his new fireman hat were too cute to pass up. We are so grateful for library story time themes about fire fighters and the fun hats they share. :)

It's My Birthday Too, Ya!

2011-10-09T12:12:00.001-07:00

Sharing his birthday with the great John Lennon, we celebrated Xavier's 2nd birthday today. He has been a joy in our family and I don't know what we would do without him. His cute giggles, mischievous grins, and constant running from place to place keep a smile on everyone's face.

To celebrate this milestone out of moving out of babyhood and into the official toddler years, we took the family to the Fall Festival at Rebekah's elementary school. The kids played games, won prizes, got their faces painted and ate lots of junk food. Everyone had a great time. Bekah even won Xavier's birthday cupcakes from the cake walk game. Thanks Rebekah! After all the fun that could be had was over we came home and the kids and the daddy took a much needed nap. After nap time we pulled out the birthday cupcakes and present and sang a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday" to our Mr. X.

Xavier had a tough time blowing those pesky candles out. However, thanks to some perseverance, valiant blowing, and a little help from some friends, Xavier finally got both candles blown out!

Good job little man!

Cupcakes were passed out and the birthday boy opened his presents. Don't worry that Xavier missed out on either one. He ate his cake and made sure Mr. Lightyear had some frosting too. He has always been very thoughtful like that.

In the end, new toys were way more fun to play with than eating a silly old cupcake. The poor cupcake remained half eaten and giggles were heard throughout the house as everyone shared in the fun of breaking in Xavier's new toys.

Doesn't our birthday boy look so happy after a fun afternoon of carnival games and prizes? I'm so glad he had such fun. ;>P

Xavier's New Toddler Milestones:

Epic crying temper tantrums
Excellent use of the "Stink Eye"
The BEST pout face you have ever seen in your life. Yes, there is a lip quiver and pathetic sniffing is involved.
A sudden distaste for anything mom cooks for dinner
His growing vocabulary suddenly shrinking to one word, "No!"
Forgetting how to share
Learning the joys of "Mine!"
Running around the house at 3:30AM because no crib can contain him any longer
Sweet, slobbery kisses on the cheek
Reading lots of fun books with mommy while snuggled in a chair
Big, happy, toothy grins
Being strong enough and big enough to wrestle with Loyd and not get hurt
Learning all of the hand actions to the songs, "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree," and "I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home"

I love you Xavier! I'm looking forward to exploring the toddler years with you!

1st Day of Preschool!

2011-10-09T12:01:00.001-07:00

This handsome young scholar had his first day of preschool this week. Doesn't he look so handsome and smart! Loyd has been looking forward to this day ever since Bekah went to preschool last year. he did great. He comes home each afternoon excited to tell me about his day, happy about his fun and engaging morning of learning, and calmed down because the teachers managed to use up some of his seemingly inexhaustible supply of energy. Who knew? It only takes 56 teenagers to keep Mr. Loyd productively engaged for a morning. :)

Now, I have some good news and some bad news regarding this momentous first week of school. First, the good news. Loyd loves school and he is doing really well to listen to all of his teachers and he behaves himself quite well.

Now, the bad news. Xavier really enjoys having Loyd go to preschool.

While this may sound like good news, believe me it can be a bit of a pain. When we arrive at the preschool to pick Loyd up in the afternoon Xavier begins to cry, "No! No! No!" and spreads himself as wide as can be across the bike trailer so there is no room for his big brother. After we wrestle Xavier back to his corner and strap Loyd in we get to hear, "NO! Out! No! Out!" the whole way home as Xavier tries to undo Loyd's seat belt and kick him out.

This makes for an interesting bike ride home, but at least Xavier resigns himself to his fate and has a lot of fun playing with his awesome big brother by the time I get the boys unloaded from the trailer and they begin running around and giggling in the backyard. Silly boys. :)

Loyd

2011-10-02T07:09:00.000-07:00

Rebekah's Story About Loyd

Loyd gets into trouble with the scissors. Mom says, "No, Loyd! Put the scissors back." And Loyd did not listen. The end.

Things We Have Had to Loyd-Proof Since Turning 3 Years Old

The Freezer - This happened when we found him hiding ice cream under his bed.
The Hall Closet - To keep him out of the "scun scream" and water color paint, among other things.
The Artwork in the Hall
All of the cabinets in the kitchen containing cooking tools
Any Pickle Jars in the House
Grapes
Danimal Yogurt Drinks
Brownies Anywhere in the House
Lunchables
His Bedroom Door
My Bedroom Door
Bekah's Bedroom Door
My Bathroom Door
The Entire Garage
The Time-Out Corner

Silly Things Loyd Says

"What happens if I stick a rolly-polly (bug) up my nose?"
"If I put [hand] sanitizer up my nose will I breath fire!?" - I told him it would burn if he put it up his nose. This was a response to that information.
"That's what boys do!" - He says this every time I ask him why he does something silly or crazy.
"Don't forget the scun scream (sun screen)."

"Dad's Morning Routine" by Rebekah

That's the alarm clock ringing on the night stand by the bed. Bekah said I'm not in the bed because I'm up and making breakfast already. That part of her story is clearly a work of imaginative fiction. All other events depicted are true. :)

Thanks to Rebekah for her artwork contributions to this week's post.

Milestones of the Mouth

2011-09-18T18:24:00.001-07:00

This week Loyd had his0 first dental check up. He did great. He was full of all sorts of funny questions and saying for the hygienist and the dentist. When it was his turn to get into the examining chair he asked the hygienist if he needed to take his shoes off. She got a good chuckle out of that. Then as she was cleaning his teeth she asked him to, "Close." So, he squeezed his eyes shut real tight and left his mouth wide open. That got a bigger laugh. Then the best laugh came near the end. She was cleaning his teeth with the scraping pick. After a couple of teeth he asked, "Why are you drawing on my teeth?" She thought that was really funny and said no one had ever asked that before. He was as good as gold for the rest of the visit and came away with a clean bill of healthy teeth. No cavities. :) I'm glad he was so good and had a positive experience.

You know that Bekah LOVES school. Well, I had to pick her up early to go to the dentist and she was the saddest Kindergartener you have ever seen. She loves going to the dentist, but she was heartbroken that she had to leave school early. As you can see, she was all smiles again once she finished her check up and got her fun prize. But you better believe that she made sure she was going to be able to stay the whole time at school the next day. No more of this early release business. She's one funny girl. :)

Xavier decided this week that he has graduated out of the highchair. He can clime in and out of the counter chairs all by himself and he can mostly sit still while he eats. (That's still something Loyd can't say.) He loves his new grown up status as a counter sitter and refuses to be put back into his baby high chair. Our little Mr. X is growing up too fast!

We're still not sure these two are grown up enough to sit at the counter. ;>P

Finger Painting Fun!

2011-09-11T11:06:00.000-07:00

They're never too young for emergency preparedness....

2011-09-04T13:55:00.000-07:00

It's hurricane season and we have been vigilant in storm tracking and keeping our emergency food and water supplies up to date. Apparently this has rubbed off on the kids. I'm glad to know that their little play house is now well stocked with clean drinking water should an emergency arise. :)

This week we went to Space Center to get out of the heat and to play with friends. They boys missed Bekah, but they had fun palling around together with just the boys. They made a good duo to play trampoline basketball and the wall climbing tag game. They are such good brothers.

We also enjoyed a small ray of sunshine this week. Loyd is particularly partial to a certain kind of ribbon on his beloved boop rags. It is a silky texture with bright multi-colored stars all over it. Those boop rags which have this special "stars" ribbon maintain a higher status of love and use those those without. It has been 5 years since I was last able to find this highly prized ribbon at the store. As boop rags have worn out I have been forced to salvage any used stars ribbon and sow it on a new rag. The stars ribbons we had were beginning to look pretty sorry. They were faded and piling quite a bit. Luckily, while at the craft store I happened to find more of this highly prized stars ribbon. Excited at the prospect of shiny new ribbon and not having to unpick any more worn out boop rags, I bought two rolls. I showed Loyd my find and he could hardly believe his good luck. We brought it home and promptly made him a new "stars" boop rag. He is so proud of his new Basketballs boop rag. He takes it everywhere and goes out of his way to tell people that his mommy made it for him. He knows his mommy loves him and is so proud of his new treasure. Thank heaven for small joys.

We're still adjusting to our new school year schedule. As you can see, we're still ironing out a few of the scheduling hiccups.

Week of Firsts

2011-08-28T11:49:00.000-07:00

It has been a full week of new beginnings for us, especially for Rebekah. She began her first week of Kindergarten on Monday. She loved every moment and has taken to academic life like a fish to water. She has a wonderful teacher and some very nice new friends in her class. She is especially fond of lunch time. She can hardly wait to tell me what she ate for lunch each afternoon as she gets off the bus and walks home. I'm very proud of my baby girl!

The night before school started I asked her some questions about what she thought her first day of Kindergarten would be like.

I asked, "What do you think you'll do on your first day of school?"

Her somewhat distracted reply, "I don't know, probably have a parade or something."

Keeping her answer in mind and with high hopes of a spectacular parade report, I could hardly contain my questioning when she came home from school the next day. I eagerly asked, "How did it go? How was school?"

Bekah replied with a bit of indignation, "We didn't even have a parade today! I think there should always be a parade on the first day of Kindergarten."

I'm inclined to agree. I don't think there is any better way to celebrate the beginning of an illustrious academic career, is there? Happily, other than the parade disappointment, everything else went well on her first day and she eagerly went to bed knowing she would be going back to school the next morning. I'm so glad she had a positive first experience.

Bekah on her first day of Kindergarten.

It's our first trip to the bus stop! Bekah, Loyd and Xavier waiting for the bus to come.
("Hail to the bus driver, bus driver. Hail to the bus driver, bus driver woman.....")

This week Bekah also took her very first dance class. She looks so adorable in her little outfit. It is too cute to watch all the little girls in their pink outfits and dainty slippers float and spin around the little mirrored room. After class, Bekah declared that she wanted to go to dance class every day. Sadly, she has to settle for just once a week.

Not to be outdone by his big sister's exciting week of firsts, Xavier had an important first event of his very own. This week he slept in a big boy bed all by himself for the first time this week. We took down the crib and moved him into a comfortable, little toddler bed. He loves the freedom of getting out of bed under his own steam and smiles like a villain when we tuck him in at night. He's the first kid out of our three to realize what fun stuff can be done with this new freedom of movement. The first night, he and Loyd played toys and ran around their room until 10:30PM, and then passed out on the floor. The second night, Xavier woke up at midnight and decided it would be a perfect time to run around the house and slam doors. We had to put him back to bed three times that night. Each morning he runs with sheer joy into my bedroom to demand breakfast as soon as the sun crosses the horizon. Other than those silly incidences of freedom exploration, we haven't had much trouble from him. Hopefully Xavier got it all out of his system and he can settle back down into his regular sleep schedule. Silly baby.

Bonus: Feeling a little under represented, here are Loyd and Xavier drying off and chilling out after playing in a much needed, gratefully received rainstorm we enjoyed this week. Yea for rain!

Last Week of Freedom

2011-08-21T12:07:00.000-07:00

This week we tried to make good use of our last week of summer vacation before school starts. We started our week with a play date with one of our friends. There was a lot of train playing and running around with pillow pet friends. Then on Tuesday we had a fun day at Space Center playing on the sports exhibits and meeting more friends. Loyd especially loved the trampoline basketball court and Bekah got pretty good with the virtual reality basketball game. (Maybe there is hope for a future basketball scholarship for her.) They all had fun playing in the three story climbing play structure and shooting the Nerf ball guns.

On Wednesday and Thursday we managed to squeeze in two beach days. We loved playing in the sand and the surf. Loyd even found a pet crab to bring home. His new crabby friend likes to sit on the bedroom dresser and watch Loyd while he sleeps. (Don't worry, it's an empty crab shell. No actual wildlife is monitoring my son's dreams.) Xavier especially loved digging in the wet sand. He spent most of the morning covered in wet, clay like sand from head to toe until he would wade out into the inviting waves with Mommy or big sister in hand to wash the heavy sand away. We'll miss going to the beach all together every week.

We finished up our week with a trip to Bekah's new school to meet her wonderful new teacher. We hit the jackpot with Bekah's teacher. I know Bekah will feel comfortable in her classroom and will have a fun year learning all sorts of new things. I asked Bekah what her expectations of school were and what she thought would happen on the first day of Kindergarten. Bekah said that by the end of the year she will be smarter than everyone and know everything there is to know in the world. She also told me that on the first day of school they will probably have a parade. I hope her teacher is up to the high expectations of our cute little girl. ;>)

Where the Wild Things Are...

2011-08-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

...There love is also. :)

Art Update

2011-08-07T11:29:00.000-07:00

It's been hotter then you-know-where this week. The beach was unexpectedly closed the day we had planned to go and there are just so many trips to the library a person can make in one week. So, as a result the kids have been feeling a bit trapped inside this week. I didn't manage to get any fun pictures of the kids arguing and laying around the house letting me know how bored they were every two or three minutes. I just couldn't get any great shots that captured the moment. Sorry.

Instead, I thought I would share some of the fun pictures Bekah has been creating for us. Bekah's Primary teacher has been inspired to ask the kids each week to draw a picture of their thoughts and feelings regarding the theme of each Sunday lesson. This has been a great way for Bekah to internalize the lessons she is hearing each week while letting her practice her art skills. She loves to draw and create. It's been wonderful to see some of the things she comes up with. I thought I would share some of her beautiful pictures with you this week.

Enjoy!

"Our Parents Help Us Learn" by Rebekah - This is a copy of the painting below. Can you find her Helaman leading his stripling warriors?

"Having Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ" by Rebekah

This is a picture of Bekah falling down a tunnel screaming, but Dustin is at the bottom with his flashlight and hands extended upwards waiting to catch her. The rectangular thing in the corner is the lunch box she brought him so he could have lunch. This is not based on any actual events in our family. However, I want to say how grateful I am for Daddies who can always be counted on to catch you when you feel scared.

"I love to See the Temple" by Rebekah

This is a depiction of one of our monthly trip to the temple as a family. I am grateful the children can feel the Spirit of the Lord at that holy house, even from the visitor's waiting room.

"I Am Grateful For Rainbows" by Rebekah

This piece wasn't done in Primary. This was one of her Sacrament Meeting masterpieces. I love all of the bright colors and how she incorporated rainbows in everything from the cat to the butterfly wings.

What a beautiful world we live in, especially from a child's eyes.

To My Favorite Fellow Cast-Aways

2011-07-31T15:30:00.000-07:00

The kids have been coming up with new games of pretend to play. I get a kick out of listening to the stories they come up with and the things they pretend to be. One day as they were playing in the living room their game sounded shockingly familiar to me, even though it was a new game for the kids. Their pretend game was almost identical to a favorite pretend game my sisters and I would play during the summer, "Cast-Away Ocean Voyaging Orphans."

Our game was quite a tragic story. My sisters and I, the oldest orphans at the local orphanage, learned that we had to escape from some evil bad guys who were out to steal the orphans and make them work in the local mine. (We watched a lot of Dickens, Heidi, and other stories of heroism.) We bravely gathered all the other children (our dolls and stuffed animals) and secretly loaded them onto a boat (the living room couch) for our great escape. Then the adventure began. This ill fated ocean voyage would be beset by storms, hungry sharks, and many almost sinking events of our trusty ship. Our only hope was to never touch the water (the floor). At last we would make it to the safety of a new home or it would be dinner time. It was quite the brave feat for three orphaned sisters and their boat full of orphaned friends.

I guess it's time for a new generation to embark on their own adventure filled living room ocean voyages. Happy cruising kids, and remember never ever to touch the floor or the sharks may eat your feet!

This is another new game we play at hour house. It's called, "Tell Xavier to Go to Time-Out and Make Him Giggle." It's pretty self explanatory.

Step1: Xavier sits in time out, smiles at us and then gets out to tell us he wants us to tell him to go to time out.

Step2: We tell Xavier to go to time out, per his request.

Step 3: Xavier runs to the time-out chair giggling and sits in it with a huge grin.

Step 4: Xavier pops out of the chair and waits for us to tell him to go to time-out again.

Repeat steps 2 and 3 until someone gets bored.

Xavier made time-out look so fun that Loyd actually went for his disciplinary timeout like we asked. But not quite in the way we had intended....

Keeping Busy

2011-07-24T13:30:00.000-07:00

I finished another experiment in doily making. I made this pretty little thing by special request to coordinate with my little sister's beautiful kitchen decor. I really enjoy working with multiple colors. I think it adds something fun and different from your standard white doily.

I've also been working very hard to try and budget my time more wisely so I can fit in a new goal. I've been busy studying for the GRE test I'm signed up to take at the end of September.
If you have any great suggestions for keeping kids happy and busy so I can squeeze in a few extra minutes of math practice or vocabulary building I'm happy to listen!

We are Thankful for the Rain!

2011-07-17T12:42:00.000-07:00

How grateful we are for the rainstorms we have enjoyed since the Stake fasted for rain. The Heavens have begun to open up.

We are thankful for every happy drop!

Fun with Grandma and Grandpa C. and Uncle Jared!

2011-07-10T15:56:00.000-07:00

We have had so much fun this week showing Grandma and Grandpa C. and Uncle Jared around the Houston area. We are so glad they were able to come and visit and see some of the things we enjoy so much about our home.

Here are some pictures of the many fun things we were able to do. :)

Bekah was the only one we were able to catch for a fun pose with Grandma and Grandpa on July 4th. The boys were way too wiggly and interested in exploring to hold still for a picture. The pictures above were taken at the Challenger 7 Memorial Park during the ward pancake breakfast. We ate lots of yummy pancakes and enjoyed playing on the big playground toys.

After the ward breakfast we went to the City of League City's Citizen Appreciation party at the League Park. It was a wonderful party with several free family friendly activities, great entertainment and lots of free food.

They had a free petting zoo. The kids couldn't get into it fast enough to say hello to each and every goat and pig.

Xavier had his first pony ride. He was quite serious about it, but he wasn't scared at all. He made a very dignified rider and I think he really enjoyed the experience. :)

Bekah and Loyd enjoyed their pony rides too. They are seasoned riders now with upwards of 3 or 4 pony rides under their belt. ;>D

We love any opportunity we can get to connect with our rancher roots.

We also ate way too much junk food at the city party. Strangely, a large portion of it was blue....

The next day we headed over to Kemah Boardwalk. We cooled off in the spray fountain....

...rode on the two story carousel (Xavier cried the whole time, but Rebekah and Loyd had to be pried off the beautiful horses)...

...and Rebekah and Loyd rode on their first amusement park ride. When Loyd's airplane rose up into the air he gasped in shock and a big grin immediately plastered his face. He could hardly believe he was actually "flying" the plane. Rebekah was serious faced for most of the ride, but at least she didn't cry or get scared. When she got off she said she had fun too.

Then we spent a day at the beach. It was the first warm water beach Dustin's parents had ever been too. They loved the water temperature and the cool Gulf breeze. We stayed until everyone was well on their way to having a sunburn and we were starving for lunch. I think they would have spent every day at the beach if we had had time. :>D

The kids floated on their new kick boards, walked out into the surf as far as the grownups would let them, and practiced their swimming lesson kicks and hand scoops in the warm salt water.

Everyone had a great time!

On the last full day they were here we went to Galveston Island to check out the local color. We walked along the Seawall and they visited the historic downtown district.

We are so glad we had this fun week with our family. We laughed and talked a lot and ate way too much junk food. The kids even got to torture Grandma's talking kitty app until he phone battery died. It was great fun for us all!

Thanks for coming to visit Grandma and Grandpa C. and Uncle Jared!

All ya'll take your time going home, but hurry back soon!

Peach Harvest and Other Fun Stuff

2011-07-03T10:46:00.000-07:00

Our peaches were ready to harvest this week. The kids have had a wonderful week of picking and eating fresh, warm peaches off the tree. I think they all have definitely met their fruit quota for the week. The peaches this year were plentiful, but small due to the lack of rain this season. Lucky for us they still taste wonderfully sweet. We are enjoying our little peach tree!

During this week of harvests we also finished painting Loyd and Xavier's bedroom. It makes an awesome NASA rocket room. They boys love sleeping in their cool new bedroom.

Swimming lessons came to an end this week too. We have had fun going to swimming lessons at the city pool for the past month. Bekah would go to class and the boys and I would hang out by the kiddie pool while we waited for her. Bekah has been perfecting her freestyle stroke and her back float. I am really proud of the progress she has made getting comfortable in the water and gaining confidence in her swimming abilities. It has been such a great experience to watch her grown and learn during this month.

Bekah in action!
While hanging out in the kiddie pool the boys practiced their kicking, got brave enough to put their faces under water, raced boats, and played underwater dinosaurs. They loved going to the pool each morning. I loved the long naps that resulted from going to the pool each morning. :)

Loyd the fish!

On a final note, not relating to harvests or endings, we were lucky enough to get a free family pass to the Houston Children's Museum on Wednesday. It is the coolest children's museum ever. Their were dozens of different interactive exploratory and educational exhibits. We spent all afternoon there. The children ran from one activity to the next giggling and smiling the whole time. I think Dustin had as much fun as the kids, especially in the Invention Convention zone where they were able to make rockets out of paper and tape and launch them in the rocket launcher cage. We had a great afternoon playing as a family.

Rain, Old Lady Practice, and Kids with Cameras

2011-06-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

Yea! We finally got a decent rain storm! The city pool had to cancel swimming lessons that day due to the storm, but we didn't mind at all!

I think the kids got just as wet playing in the rain as they would have at the city pool anyway. :)

With the hot weather making it a bit hard to stand being outside I have taken this indoor time to further develop my old lady skills. My latest attempt at skill development has been experimenting with doilies. Here are a couple I've made this year. I think they turned out pretty good, don't you?

Now it's picture time!
Sorry, for the lack of pictures of the kids on this post, but it isn't entirely my fault. The kids have claimed the camera for the past two weeks and they don't tend to take pictures of themselves. Luckily we got this picture of Bekah taking a picture of Loyd taking a picture. Gotta love those moments! Here are a few of the things the kids thought photo worthy:

Bekah took this picture of her awesome block castle. I think it looks pretty neat. Way to go engineer Bekah!

This nice dinosaur patiently posed for Bekah while she snapped this rare image of a prehistoric beast.

Loyd wants his posterity to always remember Balls Boop Rag so he captured him in a moment of relaxation and meditation.

Bekah is showing off her aquarium. She made her pipe cleaner masterwork in story time.

Loyd didn't want Xavier's things to be left out of the record books so he kindly took this picture of Xavier's beloved friend, Cheeto the Cheetah.

Well, I hope you enjoyed a sneak peak into our week!

Happy Pictures!

Summer Reading Kick-Off and Beach Fun

2011-06-12T11:58:00.000-07:00

The library kicked off this year's summer reading program with a free petting zoo for the kids. They were in heaven! They were able to pet all the animals and feed a good portion of the goats. Bekah was a natural with the animals. She was so gentle and patient with each creature. They knew she was a friend. Loyd was a little afraid at first, but as you can see, he warmed up and was so gentle. I think he had the most fun pulling the hay out and trying to feed it to the goats. Xavier took it all in stride, happily petting each new creature, but he found the rabbits to be his absolute favorite. He watched and petted them for a long time.

Thank you Freeman Memorial Library for such a fun afternoon!

I just love libraries!

We ended the week with a quick trip to a local beach. It was only 20 minutes away and it was perfect. The kids had a ball. They didn't want to come home, but when I finally pried them away from the sand and the surf they took a good long nap. I love beach days. :)

I was impressed by how dirty Xavier got while playing in the sand. He spent most of our morning there in the sand. He built a pretty good moat with his little cup. He also got knocked over a few times by the waves, but he giggled and grinned and got right back onto him feet each time.

Bekah lived in the water. She kicked and splashed and jumped with the waves. She was very brave and did it all without a life jacket. She's getting very grown up. She can't wait until we go to the beach again.

Loyd managed to split his time pretty evenly between the sand and the sea. And as you can see, he gave a creative effort at bringing some of the beach home with him. I guess you can't blame a kid for trying....

We are so lucky to live near these beautiful, warm beaches. What wonderful memories we are building along the shore and in the warm Gulf water. I wish everyone could enjoy the beach every week like we can. We are very blessed.

One Project Done!

2011-06-05T11:57:00.000-07:00

We finished painting Bekah's room this weekend! Look how pretty it is. :) I'm happy with how it turned out.

This pretty much sums up how everyone felt upon seeing the finished project! Oh, it's a good feeling to cross something off the to-do list. :)

Zoo Trip Fun

2011-05-29T11:49:00.000-07:00

Xavier is growing fast and has come down with an acute case of "I'm A Big Kid Too!"-itis. Everything Loyd and Bekah do he has to be part of too. He will not be left out. He is a happy participant in story time with all the other kids, he studiously colors and looks at books during Sacrament meeting with his older siblings, and he follows Bekah and Loyd around like they are rock stars. He doesn't want to miss a single moment of the excitement.

One such activity Xavier has decided he is old enough to participate in is playing board games. The other morning Loyd was very nice and let Xavier play "Connect 4" with him - after some persistence on Xavier's part. It was so much fun to see my two boys playing so nicely together and being occupied in such a nice, non-destructive, quiet, contained, motor skill building way. Oh, if only all activities could be like this one. :)

In our ever present quest to find fun activities to keep the kids busy and happy a friend of ours invited us on a zoo trip this last week. We happily accepted and embarked on a morning of exploration and discovery at the Houston Zoo with 2 mommies, 1 kindergartener, 2 preschoolers, 1 toddler, and 1 infant. Some might call us brave. Some might call us crazy. Either way, you are probably right.

I'm not quite sure who is more elusive to catch, wild animals or the children at the zoo looking at the wild animals. They certainly are wiggly little things. :)

Every once in a while we would spot an interesting animal and they would magically stand still long enough to get a group shot.

But you have to be quick. One never knows when the spell will break and the kids will revert to their natural state once more. :)

We had such a fun time at the zoo. Xavier could hardly run (that right, I brought the stroller, but he preferred to run like the big kids) from one exhibit to the next fast enough. He was also my number one helper to keep everyone together. If Loyd or Bjorn started to lag behind he would run to them beckoning with his hand to follow the mommies. If they didn't come fast enough he would take their hand in a friendly sort of way and lead them back to the group. He is such a funny kid.

Loyd loved the reptile house and was the fastest at spotting the frogs, lizards and snakes in their habitats. He was fascinated with how the snakes moved so seamlessly without any arms or legs. He was also very good to listen and mostly stay by me as we explored the giant Houston Zoo.

Bekah kept us on task and made sure we didn't forget to take a ride on her beloved Carousel. When I asked her what the highlight of the trip was for her it wasn't the monkeys or the pretty blue frogs. It wasn't the baby elephants or the tall giraffes. No, it was the common grey squirrel who helped us clean up after lunch and her ride on the Carousel. I'm so glad you can only find squirrels at the zoo....... ;>D

Proud Parents of Our First Preschool Graduate!

2011-05-22T12:57:00.000-07:00

After her first day of preschool Bekah excitedly climbed into the van and asked, "Mom, am I a real student now!?" She could hardly believe her luck at going to school and learning so many wonderful and important things. Now, a year later, she has completed another important milestone, she graduated from Trooper School Preschool! She was a model student all year long and adored her time at school. She is so bright and has such a kind disposition that she had fun with all of her friends and teachers. They had a very nice graduation program on Thursday where the kids received their preschool diplomas and an award of achievement. Bekah received the award for "Most Academic." That made her mom smile really big. :>D

It was hard to say good-bye to all of the wonderful teachers and the friends she has made, but Bekah is ready to begin her exciting new adventure into Kindergarten in the Fall. We are so proud of our little student! :)

This is what we have to resort to when a severe drought strikes Texas and just won't let up.....

Nah, just kidding! It's not that bad yet. We still let the kids play in the water every once in a while. :)

Happy Summer from Bone Dry Texas!

S'More Rain Please

2011-05-15T13:05:00.000-07:00

(Cheerfully wet after a spring shower)

To start our newscast I'll tell you a little about our weather. Texas has been in the middle of an extreme drought for the past several months. Starting from October we are currently about 17 inches behind our normal precipitation levels for the year. Every weather forecast is dominated with the question of, "When will we get rain again?" This past week we had cause to celebrate. We had actual rain! It was so exciting. The kids played in the rain until they were soaked and the plants and grass were very happy to have a long overdue drink. I was happy that I didn't have to water the lawn this week.

Pray for more rain to come our way again soon!

(S'more covered smiles)

In other news, Dustin thought it would be fun to set the tent up in the backyard this weekend and have a mini "camp out" with the kids. They set the tent up under our oak trees, then came in and roasted marshmallows over the gas range with our kabob skewers. The kids were in chocolate-graham cracker-marshmallow heaven. The weather was nice and they all braved the great out of doors valiantly and with full tummies. I sissied out and slept in my comfortable bed. Now that is a camping trip I can get behind. :)

(Say what now?!?!)

On a final note, I just couldn't resist including this picture. I'm not sure what Loyd is doing or what was happening at the time of this picture, but it's pretty awesome. Don't you think? :)

Bekah, It's Your Birthday! Happy Birthday Bekah!

2011-05-08T12:28:00.000-07:00

It has been a bit of a birthday bonanza around here. We were able to celebrate the birth of our cute little girl by throwing her a Candy Land themed party. She LOVED it. What could be better than giant board games, tons of candy, bright colors, and the love and support of your friends and family?! Happy Birthday Baby! We love you and are so very thankful that we can be your parents. You are one of my biggest blessings!

Some Pictures of the Festivities:

Bekah, Loyd and Xavier helped me to design, color and decorate Grandma Peanut Brittle's Cottage, the Mud Swamp and the ever important Candy Castle. I think they did a fabulous job. Perhaps we should go into business?

Everyone was excited to go hunting for candy. Here they are all lined up and ready to begin our life sized version of Candy Land.

Everyone had a partner to play with so we could keep waiting time for your turn from getting to long....

But when candy and bean bags are involved waiting for your turn can seem like forever sometimes.

Eventually everyone made it to the finish line and were welcomed to King Kandy's Castle....

Where they all decided to stay and eat their candy spoils. Who knew you could fit 10 kids inside such a small castle? :)

Thanks to everyone who came and helped make Bekah's day such a fun one. She really felt special and loved. Happy Birthday and be prepared for a rematch next year!

Game On!

Easter Week

2011-05-01T11:24:00.000-07:00

It has been a whirlwind of a couple of weeks. We have been happily busy with Easter festivities and fun activities with friends. We enjoyed a nice Easter Sunday with a few friends and a very yummy ham dinner. The kids got new Sunday outfits from the generous Easter Bunny. I think Bekah looks like a little ballerina in her pretty pink dress and the boys are quite handsome too in their their new shirts. The Easter Bunny also brought some candy and a new toy for each of their baskets. The kids were very thrilled by their morning surprise. :>D

The kids were able to enjoy three egg hunts this year. We had a great time at the neighborhood egg hunt and then Bekah's preschool hosted an egg hunt for the students. We came to watch her have fun and the teacher graciously invited Loyd to participate too. He and Bekah couldn't wait to compare their loot at the end of the hunt! The last hunt was in our backyard on Easter day. Xavier was all about eating the candy inside the eggs. He was covering in sticky sugar and melted chocolate before we knew it. :)

After all of our Easter fun the weather seemed to beckon us to play outside. On Friday we were able to go to the Kemah Boardwalk and let the kids run through their dancing fountain. The children had a ball getting wet and playing with their friends, and I enjoyed the sunny, warm weather. I may have to take them there every day. We were there for 2 hours. Then, on the way home, the boys both fell asleep in the car. I gently carried them to bed and they proceeded to take a 4 hour nap! Now that is something I definitely could get use to. ;>)

Happy Spring!

Easter Carnival

2011-04-17T12:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend we enjoyed a very fun neighborhood Easter egg hunt and carnival. We found a lot of eggs, met some new neighbors, and had a great time. We are grateful for the time and work put in to make this event happen. Here are some high lights of the afternoon.

Note: The number of pictures of each child is not dependent on how cute they were, but rather is a result of how quickly they could move from one activity to the next. Sorry Bekah, you're super speedy. :>)

Here are Bekah and Loyd counting their haul after the fast paced egg hunt. They did really well. Bekah found 23 eggs (the third highest egg count) and Loyd found 14 eggs all on his own. Xavier took home the prize for the least amount of eggs found with a whopping egg count of 2.

Loyd on the prowl for hidden eggs. Maybe standing like that helps him detect hidden candy better than standing like a normal boy. :)

I love this face. Nothing stinks worse than an empty Easter egg. (Don't worry, this one had candy in it. He had just eaten it already, but forgot that he had. Man, talk about short turn memory loss.)

Xavier contemplating what divine treasures might lie inside of his golden egg.

Here is everyone enjoying a well deserved snow cone after an afternoon of face painting, games, egg hunts and swinging. Oh, how joyful is the spring time.

Happy Easter!

Firetruck Fun and a New Nick Name

2011-04-10T14:31:00.000-07:00

We went to a fun birthday party this week where the local fire department was kind enough to bring a couple of their shiny engines over and talk to the kids about their work and explore let them the interesting trucks. They could see all the tools and hoses; they could sit inside and pretend to drive; they could even try on a real fireman's uniform. Bekah soaked up everything the firemen had to teach her about their neat equipment and important job. Loyd was a bit overwhelmed by the large size of their trucks and wasn't quite sure what to do. He did know he didn't want to climb inside one though. Xavier just coolly sat back and soaked up the experience. Thank you fire department for letting us explore your neat fire engines!

On a more important note, we have a child with an official nick name now! That's right. We can now call Xavier, "Waffle." It fits him perfectly. He enjoys this breakfast food, he is sweet and often sticky, and has been known to smell a bit like syrup. But most of all, he got his name through a funny story. We were watching a movie together as a family this week when Xavier came to sit next to Loyd and I on the couch. Upon his arrive Loyd pleaded, "Mom! Move Xavier. He smells Waffle!"

Matching Park Shirts!

2011-04-03T12:54:00.000-07:00

Last week at the grocery store we ran into the Cabot Cheese man. He was handing out free cheese samples and very stylish yellow t-shirts advertising his product. Not able to resist the adorable nature of 3 crying, noisy kids he kindly offered us yummy cheese squares and matching t-shirts. I LOVE these shirts. They make tracking the kids at the park amazingly simple. I can spot them anywhere in seconds. Thanks Cabot Cheese Guy!

This weekend we have been lucky enough to enjoy LDS General Conference. The boys have enjoyed snuggling their dad on the big comfy chair and I couldn't resist snapping a few shots of this handsome trio.

Bekah is finally big enough to wear the jumper I made her last year. I think she looks pretty cute in polka dots, don't you? She says she likes the 3 pockets (one on each side and one in the front) the best about the dress. :)

Time to Break Out the Swimming Suits Again!

2011-03-27T12:55:00.000-07:00

We finally deemed it warm enough to break out the swimming pool. We Texans are kind of sissy about the temperature of our water. We don't like going swimming in a chilly pool. The weather is warming into the low 80s around here and the water isn't too cold, so we took advantage of a relaxing afternoon in the backyard sidewalk swimming pool. The kids enjoyed the cool-ish water and I enjoyed some quality reading time outside. We're happy to say goodbye to the winter chill and hello to the warm sun!

The ABC's of Spring Break

2011-03-20T12:33:00.000-07:00

Spring Break finally arrived and we had a lot of fun. The best way to share with you some of the things we did is to break it down into the main ABC's of our week.

"A" is for Art

The last half of Spring Break was mostly dominated by Dustin being away at a robotic competition in Houston for CCISD's district robotics team, the Robonauts. On the last day of competition Dustin decided to bring Rebekah up with him to show her what he has been doing in the evenings for the past few months. She had so much fun that she could hardly take a breath for all the things she had to tell me about when they came home. She told me all the rules of how the robots played their game, what songs they blasted over the loud speakers and how many people there were at the competition. She also got around to drawing some great pictures of her experience that day. The picture above is her rendition of what the robot competition field looked like. The robots are in the middle, with their human controllers on either side. The circles and triangles in the middle are the rings the robots had to pick up and throw into goals and the whole field is surrounded by bright lights and big flags.

Rebekah drew some preliminary specs for her own robot design while she was doodling. Maybe they'll use it for next year's model. :)

The best picture though was the last one she drew. It showed her and Dustin happily standing by one another surrounded by hearts and fluffy clouds. I guess she had a great day at work with her daddy. :)

Not to be outdone, Loyd has spent some time working on his artistic talents this week too. However, paper does not seem able to contain his creativity. He thinks big and must express himself in mural form. On Thursday he worked hard to create this compelling self portrait on his bedroom wall. Deciding not to freak out and to let him enjoy the fruits of his labors I left it up for a few days. After all, there are plenty of other things he gets up to that require me to freak out. On Saturday I decided something must be done about his impressive work. I took a picture for keepsake and then worked very hard to scrub the crayon off the wall. Upon discovering me scrubbing his masterpiece away Loyd expressed his concern about "Erasing Loyd." I had to explain to him we didn't color on the walls. We needed to color just on paper. On the freshly scrubbed wall I hung a large piece of butcher paper and told him to keep his drawings on the paper. I felt smug that I had come up with such a magnanimous and clever solution to his desire to draw on the wall. That night I tucked Loyd into his bed, surrounded by clean white walls and sighed a contented sigh for work well done. A few hours later I went to check on the boys before I went to sleep. Upon walking into their room I found myself surrounded by no less than 7 Loyds on nearly every available space of wall. I guess one little boy's talent can't be tamed by a simple piece of butcher paper and a hidden purple crayon.

"B" is for Bike Rides

Tuesday was a beautiful sunny day so we took the whole family out for a bike ride on a great little trail in Seabrook. It went through a park, into a little wooded area, and out onto a lovely pier. It was refreshing to get out into nature and do something fun as a family. Dustin pulled Rebekah and Loyd in a bike trailer. I had Xavier in a baby seat on my bicycle. Who knew that such little people could weigh so much!

Everyone enjoyed themselves so much that we're hoping we can make biking a regular family hobby.

"C" is for Cleaning
I got a lot of cleaning done around the house and Dustin worked quite a bit on the bathroom this week. Noticeable progress is being made on tiling the shower. I even got to plant some flowers in the yard and weed my flower beds. It's good to have a few extra days every now and again to catch up on the ever present "Honey Do" list.

We had fun over Spring Break. We sure hope you did too!

Funny Pictures

2011-03-13T07:40:00.000-07:00

Who knew that a fruit roll up could result in such a vibrant color of blue! Xavier sure looks happy about that goatee.

Loyd earnestly studying and pondering the deeper meanings found in the classic, "Silly Sally" by Audrey Wood. I think I have a great scholar on my hands.

You're never to young for hard labor. I thought the juxtaposition of Xavier's little stature and the big heavy gate was funny. I couldn't resist taking a picture of his herculean efforts to close the back gate for me. He actually did it too!

Poor Miss Bekah has been a bit under the weather this week with a low grade fever and a cough. So, she hasn't been up to taking pictures. Hopefully she'll have slept her cold away and will be back to her cheerful, smiling self by next week. :D

A Face Only a Mother Could Love

2011-03-06T11:46:00.000-08:00

This picture of Xavier just waking up and sporting some truly great bed-head had to be shared. It's when he's this "adorable" that I know I'm his mom because I still think he looks cute. :>D

Little Mr. X has been very sleepy of late. He has been known to fall asleep at a moment's notice in all sorts of weird places. He passed out the other morning in the car during a 5 minute ride from the grocery store. I couldn't believe how quickly he fell asleep! He must be getting ready for another growth spurt.

In other news, Spring is arriving in South East Texas. Here is a picture of our beautiful peach tree beginning to bloom and our newly transplanted Satsuma manderine orange tree. We are hoping the Satsuma will be a lot happier in the front yard and out of reach from the boys who like to beat on it and dig in its soil. Here's to hoping this year's crop is more than 2 oranges!

When the weather is this nice we can't help but be outside. The kids have had all sorts of fun enjoying the warm sun again.

Bekah and Loyd taking their dogs on a wilderness expedition in the backyard.

Rebekah letting nature work as her muse as she lets her artistic juices flow during a warm afternoon.

Loyd studiously learning from his sister how to become a first class artist. He's a very good pupil when he wants to be. :)

Stinkers!

2011-02-27T13:20:00.000-08:00

Here are Loyd and Xavier making growling animal noises and showing each other what a "See Food" diet looks like. Where do they learn these things? I know I didn't teach it to them.
There was way too much giggling over mouths full of crackers.

Xavier is making continued progress toward toddler-hood. He has been studiously practicing his tantrum, perfecting his pouting face, and, as shown above, thinking of stunts to make mom come running in a bit of a panic to prevent his imminent demise (You can't see how he rocks back and forth on this chair as he stands there. It's heart stopping.).

Wish me luck and fast feet!

The Birthday Boy!

2011-02-20T11:48:00.000-08:00

My little man turned three years old this past week. I can hardly believe how quickly he is growing up. We had a fun family celebration for him on his birthday and then on Saturday we went to Loyd' favorite park and had a "Shaun the Sheep" themed party with his friends. We glued cotton ball wool onto "Shaun the Sheep" pictures, played a game to see who could throw their work boots the furthest, we ate lots of yummy birthday junk food, and had a lot of fun playing on the park toys. It was great fun! We are so glad our friends could spend such a fun morning with us.

The Birthday Party via Balloon Icons. :)

Here are some action shots of Loyd blowing out the candles on his cake:

We enjoy the bright and cheerful smile Loyd brings to the family. He is quick to give a tight hug and a heartfelt, "I LOVE YOU!" at unexpected moments throughout each day. He keeps my mind elastic with the many different ways he thinks of how do to the unexpected (and sometimes naughty). He loves to play and laugh. He is a good friend, a loving brother, a determined problem solver, and a treasured son. We are so blessed to have this handsome son of God in our family.

Thoughts on Stinky Goats:
On a final note, I had an interesting lesson at church today. Before Sacrament meeting started Loyd noticed a picture of Jesus carrying a lamb on his shoulders on the front of the program. Pointing out this picture, Loyd asked, "Mom! Why is Jesus holding that stinky goat?" I got a good laugh out of the question, but it also gave me a moment to reflect. How often am I like a, "stinky goat," when I sin and let pride get in the way of my repentance? I need to make sure I'm more gentle and pure like a little lamb as I come to my Savior. Let's hope in life we can all be more like sweet little lambs and less like stinky goats.

Odds and Ends

2011-02-13T12:17:00.000-08:00

It's been a week of odds and ends. Here are a few pictures of our odds. :>)

We tried a new hair-do out with Rebekah and found out that it has the added benefit of giving us Texas-big hair the next day!

This is what an Xavier looks like after enthusiastically eating a bowl full of brownies and ice cream.

Ever wonder what Shawn the Sheep would look like after a diet? Well, now you know.

And finally, this last picture is for my mom and my sister, Jenny. My birthday has come and gone and here is the progress on our bathroom. ;>D

Thanks Aunt Lizzy!

2011-02-06T11:27:00.000-08:00

Don't my boys look handsome! Thanks for the fun birthday package and the cute clothes, Aunt Lizzy! Now we are styling. :)

Moody Aquarium Preschool Field Trip Fun

2011-01-30T11:25:00.000-08:00

(Bekah's class and most of her great teachers from Trooper School)

This week Rebekah went on her first all day field trip and school bus ride. She went went with her preschool to visit the Moody Aquarium pyramid on Galveston Island. Her teacher was kind enough to invite any family members who wanted to tag a lot to join them. So, we all went with her!

It was such a fun day looking at the flying sting rays flap through the water, being startled by the giant male seal as he swam past our observation window, touching prickly sea urchins with our bare hands, and looking for sharks among the colorful fish. We even got to see dozens of sea horses in their various stages of life. I had no idea how small a baby sea horse can be! We also discovered a really cool looking relative of the sea horse called a sea dragon.

(Sea Dragon)

The aquarium also had a large penguin habitat. We probably watched the penguins for the longest amount of time. It was neat to see them speed through the water doing flips and twirls and then jump up onto the shore like they were jumping off a trampoline!

The kids and I all had a wonderful day. It's amazing how beautiful life in the oceans can be. What a loving Heavenly Father we have to give us so much beauty and diversity on this earth.

This was the closest I could get to having all three kids look at me at the same time for a picture. The aquatic animals were far more interesting to watch than waiting for mom to take a couple of pictures!

I am glad we were able to share this fun experience with Rebekah. Thanks for letting your mom and little brothers tag along!

Bye-Bye Grandpa. We Miss You!

2011-01-23T11:53:00.000-08:00

Grandpa P went back home to Morgan this week. The little boys were especially sad to see him go. While Grandpa was here they got to eat way more junk food and candy then they usually get to do in a whole year, played dozens of games of Candy Land every day, practiced their "Duck, Duck, Goose" skills (Except Grandpa could only be a Duck. He doesn't literally run in circle anymore. Figuratively, however, is a whole different ball game.), and refined their tackling techniques with an experience pro. They loved wrestling with Grandpa until he cried for mercy. (It's just pay backs, Dad, for all of those years making me, Jenny, and Lizzy squeal!) Loyd is counting down the days before we can go and visit Grandma and Grandpa P and Aunt Jenny at their house!

Xavier resorted to using our calculator to attempt to contact the outside world. Shh, don't tell him it isn't really a cell phone. I don't know who he talks to, but he certainly gives them an ear full every day.

We also had the fun opportunity to go to the Clear Creek High School farm with Bekah's preschool class on Wednesday. It was so much fun to see cows, chickens, turkeys, pigs, goats and sheep up close. At first, Loyd was a bit intimidated by how large the animals were, but after Shawn the Real Sheep let Loyd pet his nose and ear we were good to go.

Xavier wasn't sure what to think about all the large, noisy, smelly animals, but he did know he did not like me stepping more than two or three steps from the stroller. Especially by the pigs. I think their loud and numerous friendly oinks were a bit overwhelming to him.

Bekah ran around the farm without fear. She's a regular country girl! She fed the cows by hand, turned her nose up at the stinky chickens and turkeys, admired the sheered sheep who got to wear clothes to help keep them warm, and said,"Good-bye," to every single pig at the end of the visit. It was really nice of her to let her mom and little brothers tag along on her first walking school field trip.

Thanks Bekah, for such a fun morning!

Time Out Chair

2011-01-16T13:57:00.000-08:00

This little man visits a special spot in our home several times a day. This special little corner is known as "Time Out." It is a portion of wall between the front room and the computer corner. It's pretty boring and only decorated with a child's sized wooden chair. When one of the kids is in need of some time to think about a poor choice they made they get to come and sit in this corner for a few minutes. Loyd has to think about his actions a lot. He generally takes correction quite well, but I'm thinking it is because he gets so much practice at it every day.

Noticing all the trips to this special chair his big brother gets to take each day, Xavier has decided to institute his own time outs. He has taken to knee walking over to our time out chair, climbing in and sitting quite happily for a few minutes. After all, with all the time Loyd spends there, it must be a cool place to hang out. Let's hope he keeps such a positive attitude about being corrected. ;>)

Bekah and I are very glad we have each other in this house full of boys. On Wednesday, we had a moment to tighten our bond of sisterhood and roll our eyes at the silliness of boys. It was when Loyd introduced us to a new pronunciation of "Nephite" during our daily family scripture reading. When it was his turn to help Mommy read the Book of Mormon he proudly pronounced "Nefart!" when he was given the difficult word to repeat. He thought he had nailed the pronunciation right on the head. Dustin's inner 12 year old lost it and he broke out into a fit of giggles. Grandpa P lost it soon after and Xavier joined in the good laugh too. Bekah and I were left to roll our eyes at those silly boys and laugh at the joke of it all. Boys, they're so silly.

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.

2011-01-09T11:50:00.000-08:00

What a Fun Week

2011-01-02T15:13:00.000-08:00

We've had a wonderfully fun two weeks. We have been lucky to have Grandma and Grandpa P and Aunt Jenny come and visit us. We took it slow the week of Christmas, but after the presents were opened and the candy was eaten we went adventuring!

Aunt Jenny helped keep the kids busy by using her amazing teacher skills and doing art projects with the kids. They LOVED it and will treasure their hand-reindeer forever.

We then picked the coldest and windiest day to visit the Gulf of Mexico. Loyd wasn't so sure he liked all the wind, but Bekah couldn't have cared less. It was all we could do to convince her not to go for a swim.

We took advantage of the free day at the Houston Museum of Natural History on Tuesday and saw many wonderful things. The kids were able to play with a smoke machine in the weather center, see hundreds of mineral formations and beautiful gem stones, look at a real mummy and mummified cat, and top the day off with Bekah getting to hold real dinosaur poop! (That's called a coprolite for all of you budding paleontologists.)

On Wednesday we helped some dear friends get ready to move and clean their home. It was really sad to see them go. We are going to miss them like crazy.

Thursday was our day to visit NASA. We saw all of the great exhibits about space, touched a genuine moon rock and explored a totally cool LEGO exhibit.

They had a dozen LEGO castle models, 2 life sized knights, a virtual catapult, and this totally cool Dragon. It was pretty much one of the coolest exhibits they have had at Space Center Houston.

We sadly said goodbye to Aunt Jenny and Grandma P on Friday, but we get to keep Grandpa P for a few more weeks.

After all that fun we have needed a little rest. We have definitely enjoyed our Saturday and Sunday naps this week. ;>)

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-26T08:45:00.000-08:00

We have spent the last month learning about different aspects of the Christmas story using a wonderful advent calendar from this year's December issue of the Friend. We finished the calendar on Christmas morning. It has been a great experience to spend a few minutes each night reconnecting through the scriptures with the Savior's birth story and the reason why we as a family celebrate Christmas. I recommend it to anyone looking for a new family tradition.

Now, don't get me wrong, we still very much enjoy the presents and Santa Clause and Christmas candy at this time of year. I love to watch the excitement of the children on Christmas morning as they open their presents and fall in love with their new toys and dream about the mystery of Santa Clause.

This year the kids woke up early to discover candy in their shoes, stockings on the couch, and wonderful presents under the tree. The twinkle of Santa Clause gleamed in their eyes as they beheld the magic of Christmas morning. Bekah had been a very good little girl this year and Santa happily brought her the unicorn pillow pet and doll house she requested. Loyd was mostly good this year so Santa saw fit to bring him a cool basketball hoop and the first season of Shaun the Sheep on DVD (which we then spent the rest of the day watching). Xavier was a good boy too and was excited to play with his new toy CD player and touch and feel books from the jolly old elf. A lot of candy was consumed before breakfast, paper and toy packaging was strewn all throughout the house and children were busy playing with new toys. It was a good Christmas.

I also discovered a new holiday tradition, AMAZING sweet potato casserole. A friend brought this tasty treat to our house for Thanksgiving and I begged for the recipe. I'm thinking this dish will have to become a holiday tradition for our family from here on out. Now that I've got you all wondering how to make the best sweet potatoes in the world I'll share the recipe with you. :)

Sweet Potato Casserole
Combine:
1/2 cup melted margarine
3 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes (about 3-4 sweet potatoes)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
Beat/mix well and pour into a 9x7x2.5 inch (2.6 L) dish.

Combine and sprinkle on top:
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2.5 tbsp melted margarine

Bake at 350F degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Enjoy!

What do you do when you run out of pockets?

2010-12-19T07:34:00.000-08:00

I think Loyd has finally answered the age old question, "What do you do when you have more sticks than pockets?"

The kids have been enjoying their new Christmas PJs from Grandma C. They loved them so much they couldn't wait to get their pictures taken in them.

Bekah felt very pretty in her pink Mini Mouse nightgown. She would wear it every night if she could.

Loyd was excited to have Mickey Mouse PJs that matched Bekah's. He looks up to his big sister with such love and excitement. He wants to do everything she does.

He takes such handsome photos when I can get him to stop wiggling.

Xavier must have been channelling Elmo from his new pajama set. He giggled and smiled all night long as we took pictures. Every time I said, "Cheese!" he would grin and squint his eyes and wait for the flash to hit.

Don't let the previous pictures fool you. This was by no means a simple or easy photo shoot. Most of the time was spent corralling wiggling, giggling kids, trying to get them all to look at me at the same time (that is an impossible feat!), and trying to get them to stop wrestling and pulling silly faces long enough for me to take a nice picture of my unruly brood. At least I got a few lucky shots!

Merry Christmas!

The Jig Is Up

2010-12-12T08:09:00.000-08:00

The jig is up, Mr. Xavier. I saw you do it. I saw you talk half way across a room all on your own Friday morning. Now that the cat is out of the bag I expect more walking out of you, young man. :)

I thought I would share this little dress up ensemble. Xavier picked it out himself, brought it to me and grunted for me to put it on him. He wore it all evening. He loved being a superhero cat. I knew there were superhero tendencies in our little Professor X all along!

There are no strings on me!

2010-12-05T08:58:00.000-08:00

Xavier finally decided to try standing on his own, unsupported. He decided to show off this new skill to me while in the bathtub Thursday morning. I'm so glad he thought standing up on unsteady legs in a slippery bath was a great idea. Crazy kid. :>)

Bekah decided to play with her wardrobe this week. Can you guess the theme of this outfit? I'll give you one hint; it's not stripes. ;>)

I just love picture perfect moments like these. :>D

We met Santa Clause at the city library this week. The kids were so excited they could hardly contain their wiggles on the drive there. Once inside the warm library they eagerly watch Mr. Clause arrive in style on his red fire truck and come into the library. We all patiently waited in line to sit on his lap and share our Christmas list wishes. To keep the kids busy, the librarians kindly brought small cups of Goldfish crackers. To keep the adults busy, they stuck the line by the cheesy romance novels. We got a good laugh out of reading the ridiculously cheesy titles like "To Love A Highlander," and "The Black Sheep and the Princess."

After a short wait we found ourselves next in line. Bekah rehearsed her Christmas mantra, "I want a doll house and a pillow pet." Loyd was getting a bit nervous and wasn't entirely sure he wanted to near this big red guy with too much facial hair. Xavier started pouting.

When our turn to greet Santa came Bekah nervously approached Santa and spilled her Christmas wish list before he even had a chance to say "Hello little girl, have you been good this year?" Loyd clutched Daddy and was only made to sit on Santa's lap with a bit of gentle cohesion. Xavier wouldn't go anywhere near the nice Santa and cried his best and loudest cry. In the end Santa confirmed that Bekah wanted a doll house and Loyd wanted a pony. Xavier got a candy cane to help dry up his tears. It was a pretty fun experience. The kids are excited to go again next year.

Answer: Rainbows, of course!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-28T09:54:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for so many blessings.

I am thankful for cheesy grins and baby cuddles.

I am thankful for sweet children who play kindly one with another.

I am thankful for hair bows that are way too big for their own good.

I am thankful for wiggly little boys.

And I am thankful for handy husbands and inquiring young minds.

I am thankful for my family and the many blessings they bring.

They Look So Innocent....

2010-11-21T07:15:00.000-08:00

This is the face of an innocent child who would never even think of something naughty, let alone do it. Or is it?

My garden doesn't stand a chance against my two busy boys. After turning it into his personal sand box and climbing wall, (Yes, I did find Loyd scaling the chicken wire behind the tomatoes.), I'm not sure my poor plants can survive the abuse, let a lone give fruit.

Xavier wasn't far behind his big brother on tormenting the garden. He decided to cut out the middle men (aka Vegetables) and go directly to source and eat dirt. Boy, did he eat a lot of it. He decided to have this little snack in the few minutes it took me to put him down to get Loyd buckled into the van so we could go to story time at the library. I'm so glad cleanliness is such a high priority for my boys.

We decided this week that Xavier has the best morning routine out of everyone. Each morning I make him his own personal recliner out of a couple of pillows on the floor. Then, he gets to settle in to a leisurely breakfast of Cheerios and milk while watching PBS cartoons. It's a sweet life to be a baby.

Xavier has also been getting braver with his climbing skills. I turned my back to put some dishes in the dishwasher and turned around to find him playing with some toys...

...on TOP of the table! I guess I'm going to have to order my second set of eyes from Amazon to make sure I can keep track of these busy boys.

Sorry I don't have any pictures of Bekah this week. I guess she didn't do anything too wacky to get a picture.

She has been having a fairly good week. She has a case of the giggles and laughs at everything, and she is also getting really excited for Christmas. I went to the toy story yesterday to pick up their gifts. The kids wanted to come, but we told them that I was going to a meeting with Santa Clause regarding their presents. Rebekah decided the meeting must have taken place at the library, as that is where we see Santa every year. When I got back I was greeted by very excited children. Bekah asked me what Santa looked like and if I really knew him. She also wanted to know if he has way too many toys at his house. I guess she was thinking that if he had too many toys then he would be forced to send some her way. She is a silly girl and always thinking. Between Bekah's believing heart in the magic of Christmas and Loyd now being old enough to understand some of the fun of the season, I think this will be a fun Christmas.

Bikes

2010-11-13T21:55:00.000-08:00

Xavier still refuses to walk, but he is totally cool with riding one of his scoot cars. He LOVES scooting around the backyard on his rocket and cruising through the house on the Dora car. He is definitely a car man.

Now that he can get out of the house on his own I have an incredibly hard time keeping him inside. If the back door opens he is gone. He loves to play outside with Bekah and Loyd. It's fun to see him explore nature on his own. He crawls through the grass, eats the dirt and harasses the cat with the biggest smile you have ever seen on a kid.

Bekah and Loyd are good to play with their baby brother outside too. They like to turn him into one of their obstacles as they ride their bikes. They ride wide circles around him and his scoot car. They also show him how cool it could be if he would walk. He could do awesome things like hold a bucket and still keep moving or actually be a contender in a game of Red Light, Green Light. Oh the possibilities!

They are ready to welcome him into the fold of older kids and have him run around and play and Xavier is anxious to join them. Now he just needs to learn to walk.

Tough Negotiations

2010-11-07T06:34:00.000-08:00

Bekah was pushing Xavier on the swings at the park yesterday and having a wonderful time doing it. I thought I would take this opportunity and open payroll negotiations for when she is old enough to baby-sit. After all, why not settle job specifics while she's in a good mood? My starting offer was for a dime an hour for baby-sitting. Bekah, with all her savvy business skill, counter offered with 5 cents. After all, 5 is a big number. Realizing I was dealing with a business mind far beyond my abilities, I conceded and we agreed to the hefty sum of 5 cents and hour. Do you think I should get this in writing? Nah, I'm sure she'll totally remember and be ok with our financial arrangement in 10 years, when she is finally old enough to baby-sit.

In other news, a new park opened up nearby. It is quite possibly the most awesome park ever. The kids had a blast. We had to peal them off the toys to go home after they had been there for 3 hours playing. Their favorite section of the park was the music exploration corner. Loyd spend almost the entire time playing with the drums and jumping on the musical notes to make the music beats play.

Xavier found himself looking quite dashing in his blue fall jacket and plaid hat.

He even found a kind mommy-friend to help him practice his walking skills up and down the playground. He'll walk and even stand on his own for other moms, but he refuses to do it for me. He's holding out for me to carry him everywhere still. But, after our park day now I'm on to him. He can't fool me anymore. The forced marches begin now. That kid has to walk everywhere so he can practice and my poor arms can have a break.

I just thought this was a sweet brother moment. Our neighbor gave the kids some paper crowns to decorate and Loyd thought he would share his and teach Xavier how to color. They are so cute sometimes.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T07:14:00.001-07:00

1 Pink Fairy + 1 Adorable Giraffe + 1 Unhappy Robot = Way Too Much Candy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don't worry, our Robot eventually warmed up to his costume and gave us a smile.

A Long Walk....

2010-10-24T07:54:00.000-07:00

This last week Dustin went to Washington D.C. for a Project Lead the Way conference. While he was away we kept ourselves very busy. We tried to think of something fun to do every day and I got some of my craft projects done.

On Monday, we had story time preschool at my house. We learned all about big and little and the kids had a fun time painting their big and little Halloween pumpkins.

On Tuesday, after we dropped Bekah off at preschool, the boys and I went to the park and then to the library for story time. I think they liked playing at the park best.

Wednesday was Xavier's 1 year old well baby visit. He wasn't brave at all. Every time the doctor or the nurse would look at him he would try to burrow into my chest and cry. He was especially woosey when he got his immunizations. Poor Baby Xavier.

On Thursday, the boys and I decided to walk around our little neighborhood while Bekah was at school. If you walk every square inch of my neighborhood you will have walked about a mile, barely. Well, we set out on our expedition at 9:30AM. We didn't return home until 11AM. Loyd is one thorough explorer.

Later that day Bekah shared her home made play dough with her brother and we watched a fun movie and ate a treat of twisty Cheetos. There is nothing better in all the world than twisty Cheetos, according to the kids.

Xavier discovered the joys of eating the whole apple on his own, seeds and all. I think those may be Grandpa P's genetics at work there. :)

On Friday we played all morning at the park with our friends and then I had a girls' movie night at my house.

Saturday was action packed with grocery shopping and a birthday party. Dustin came home late that night and now we are enjoying our normal Sunday family routine. It's a return to our normal chaos.

Here's to a less action packed week.

Happy Birthday Grandma P!

2010-10-17T09:23:00.000-07:00

A momentous event took place this past week. Grandma C. took great pity on us and our perpetually wrong dates on the pictures and she sent us a camera. Thanks Grandma C! We are loving our sleek new camera and the great pictures it takes. Now future generations can rest at ease and know the dates on the pictures are actual and true. :>)

Here are some pictures we have taken with our new toy.

Loyd was my first subject with the new camera. He's such a cute kid and I couldn't pass up this moment where he was actually sitting still.

Dustin took this shot of Bekah and he is quite pleased with how it turned out. She's growing up to be such a cute little girl.

Check out the baby blues on this kid. I can't get over how beautiful his eyes are. Why is it that little boys always get the prettiest eye color and the longest, darkest eye lashes?

Even Rebekah got in on the fun and took a few shots herself. So, here is what a 4 yr old deems photo worthy.

School Days

2010-10-10T07:59:00.001-07:00

Rebekah started Trooper School Preschool this week. We met her teachers and saw her fun classroom on Monday at an open house. She was so excited to go the next day that she jumped right out of bed when I woke her up at 6:30AM to get ready. We got all dressed up for our first day of school and got her backpack and lunch bags all packed for the big day.

Rebekah loves going to school. She cheerfully gets dressed each morning and chatters the whole car ride to and from school. She loves her teachers and is having a lot of fun making new friends. She can hardly wait to tell me all about her day and the things she makes when I pick her up in the afternoon.

When I picked her up after her first day of class she exclaimed, "Mom! I got to eat two times at school, play on the play ground outside 3 times and we had carpet time 5 times today!" It is all so new and exciting. I am so pleased she is loving school and learning. I may be a bit biased, but there are few pleasures like that of learning something new.

While Rebekah is embarking on this new stage of life, those of us left at home are missing our big sister. Loyd was broken hearted when he didn't get to go with Rebekah to school. This is really the first time they have been separated for that length of time. He is used to following along on all the great adventures that Rebekah gets to do. To help fill our morning, so we didn't miss Rebekah too much, I took the boys to the toddler story time at the library. We got to learn all about firetrucks and we got to take home these cool fireman hats. I know this picture makes it look like Xavier isn't too happy about wearing his cool hat, but don't let that fool you.

All it took was a kind hug from a loving big brother...

And Baby Xavier was happy once more.

Happy Birthday Xavier!

2010-10-10T07:45:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Mr. Xavier's first birthday this week. We are thankful this cheerful little boy is part of our family. He is a fun little spirit and always cheers us up with his silly laugh and his ready smile. I can't believe a year has past already since he made his big appearance. The time is flying by too quickly. We love you, Xavier. We are looking forward to all the future birthdays we can have together as we watch you grow.

We had a little celebration for this big event with some friends a few days before his birthday. Embracing my chance to make crazy Halloween cakes for my October baby and combining the festivities with another friend who also has an October birthday, I got brave and had Rebekah help me make a bunch of these monster cupcakes. I think they turned our pretty amazing.

Xavier thought they were pretty cool too.

When he finally got his cupcake he wasn't quite sure how to eat, or even touch this prickly creation.

After a few hesitant attempts...

He finally figured out how to attack that bad boy.

It was a yummy chocolate cupcake and I think Xavier enjoyed it a lot. Don't you?

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

Working Hard or Hardly Working?

2010-09-26T09:40:00.000-07:00

This week we began learning about chores at my house. We ordered some awesome chore charts from Amazon.com and briefly let the kids know we would be having an F.H.E. lesson on Monday about chores and allowance. Well, apparently that is all we needed to say. The kids heard the word "allowance" and jumped into action finding chores to do around the house.

Bekah turned to the kitchen for her chore inspiration. She surprised me by volunteering to do the dishes all by herself. She put them in the sink, rinsed them off with the sprayer (she had to change her shirt when she was done) and then stacked them neatly in the dishwasher. She did a fantastic job and had a smile on her face the whole time. I was greatly impressed and delighted at the prospect of not being the only one doing dishes around here anymore. ;>)

Loyd did his own version of surprising me with his helpfulness. He turned his eye to the living room. On Thursday, while I was cleaning the bathroom (I should have known better. Nothing good comes of cleaning the bathroom), Loyd decided to wash my living room floor for me. I came out to put the cleaning supplies away and found my floor sopping wet. Loyd had used his ever present ingenuity to drag the backyard hose through the garage and into the house. He then proceed to spray down the floor. Luckily the damage was extremely minimal, bless his heart. My floor isn't carpeted and he had miraculously missed the computer, TV and most of the couch. It wasn't mostly a mop up operation to right the misdirected good deed. Needless to say, I did a large load of wet towels and Loyd had a long time out. I think We'll have to explain to him in more detail which chores are appropriate for him to undertake. Who knows what will happen next if he is left to is own devices!

Not everyone has embraced this new work ethic. Xavier discovered this week the joys of laying on the floor watching cartoons first thing in the morning. This little man couldn't be happier than when he is chilling in front of the TV watching Dinosaur Train. Oh well, I suppose we have plenty of time to train him to clean the kitchen and mop the floors. Maybe I can convince him to clean the bathrooms for me....

In other cool news. Rebekah participated in her first Primary program today. She got to sing all of the wonderful primary songs, give a little part on her own, and recite the first Article of Faith with her Sunbeam class during Sacrament meeting. She was very excited, a little wiggly, and a touch nervous. She sang the songs with vigor, did the sign language to the song, "How Could the Father Tell The World" with flare, and did the cutest little dance to the music when she forgot she was on the stand. She did a wonderful job and we are all proud of our little Rebekah. There's another milestone for her and for me down; a lifetime more to go.

Kaminari Taiko Drum Show

2010-09-19T08:08:00.000-07:00

Last night we went to the much anticipated annual Kaminari Taiko drum show at the Miller Outdoor Theater. This is Loyd's highlight of the year. He's been asking when we could go see the drum show and he has been practicing his air drumming skills for the past month strait. As always, we weren't disappointed. Their name means "Thunder Drum," and boy they aren't kidding. It was another awesome show, full of energy, amazing talent, and loud drums. We even got to hear the most powerful drum in North America. The two drum heads on this 7 foot long, 5 foot diameter drum were made from one whole Texas steer each side. It was massive. Loyd was in drum heaven. Xavier was a bit scared of the loud rhythmic beats at the beginning, but after a few songs he was as in to it as Loyd. Loyd was engrossed in the performance, absorbing every stroke of the drums. Xavier was kicking his legs to the beat and swaying with the music. Rebekah did her best to copy the performers' choreographed moves and to dance with the beautiful traditional Japanese dancer during her piece.

We're lucky we have such a great public arts venue so close. I love taking my family to fabulous arts programs for the amazing cost of FREE!

Everyone settling in on the green to watch the drum show.

Two Car Family

2010-09-12T09:42:00.000-07:00

After 6 years of marriage, 3 children and a major move to Texas we finally did it. We finally became a two car family. It feels momentous; it's the first car Dustin and I have purchased together. I feel old; I can't believe I drive a mini van. We bought an awesome 2003 Toyota Sienna yesterday. I love it. Dustin loves it. The kids love it. Now I have to get use to being able to drive a car whenever I want to. Weird....

"I'm Hungry for Breakfast"

2010-09-05T09:04:00.000-07:00

Loyd is many things. One of the most vocal things he is, is"hungry for breakfast." Grandma P spoiled my hungry little man by introducing him to the joys of a big breakfast. Since we've been back from our trip to Utah, Loyd has woken me up each morning by informing me he is ready for breakfast. Well, unsatisfied with my cold cereal, yogurt and granola bars Loyd began taking matters into his own hands. During the early hours of the morning I have founding him munching tomatoes on the couch, dripping yogurt on the floor, and climbing the cupboards looking for candy. Realizing Loyd will not give up his search for food, I've finally decided to cave and try to make some organized breakfasts for this poor little boy. On Wednesday I made my first appearance in the kitchen before 10AM. As I was making breakfast sandwiches at the early hour of 7AM Loyd walked into the kitchen. Bleary eyed and completely stunned by the sight of his mother in the kitchen Loyd stood motionless, mouth gaping, staring at me for two or three minutes trying to understand what was going on. The aromas of sausage and eggs finally overcame his shock and he sat happily down to eat a real breakfast and watch Curious George. He has been a very happy little boy ever since and I have had far fewer yogurt messes to clean up. For Loyd's sake I guess I'm in this for the long haul. The things we do for our boys....

One of Loyd's other traits is that he is a little boy who isn't afraid to get what he wants. I've decided to enlist his help in pushing forward progress on our ever slowly moving bathroom remodel project. After studying Dad's technique, Loyd is using his enthusiasm, energy, time and tools to work on projects around the house for us. Here he is applying his ingenuity by setting to work on sawing an important piece of packing styrofoam. He worked very hard to break this large chunk of foam into the millions of individual tiny balls that form it's structure. It made a very conveniently large and unexpected mess for me to clean up. It's a good thing we have a hard worker like our Loyd.

Here is a rare moment of peace we enjoyed this week. There was screaming, whining and arguing just minutes before the picture was taken, and it resumed a few minutes after, but for a moment they played so kindly and nicely with each other.

Xavier is getting better at pulling himself up onto his feet. He can cruise around the furniture at a good clip now. Today he found an empty cardboard box and employed it as a walker around his room. He could stand up on it and push it around the room while he walked behind. He is one ingenious baby boy. I'm sure it won't be too long before he starts experimenting with walking on his own.

No Cavities!

2010-08-29T15:11:00.000-07:00

At long last we finally found a good dentist who will see Rebekah. (It's tough finding a family practice dentist who will see kids under 5.) On Tuesday, Bekah made the big trip to visit the dentist for the very first time. She was a bit nervous, but Rebekah was very brave. She told me she wouldn't talk to anyone, and she held true to her word, but she didn't cry or become uncooperative. She did everything the hygienist and the dentist asked. She was probably the most quiet and obedient patient they had ever seen. At the end Rebekah had sparkling clean teeth, no cavities, a new princess toothbrush and a cool bouncy ball. She did fabulously and I am very proud of her. Go Dentist!

...Of course, I think all the stress made her a bit goofy afterward. ;>D

Beach Trip and Smiling

2010-08-22T08:42:00.003-07:00

This weekend we had a fun trip to the beach. The kids always love a trip to the beach and this time Xavier really got into the fun. He enjoyed himself much more this trip than he did the last. He was crawling (army crawling still) and walking (with assistance) across the wet sand, squishing his fingers in the super saturated sand between the beach and the waves, bouncing in the surf, jumping in the water and eating lots of sand, seaweed and seashells. He was one very happy boy. Bekah and Loyd enjoyed exploring the beach and walking out toward the horizon with their daddy. They discovered the joys of digging for tiny sand crabs and Dustin got stung in the leg and pinched on the pinkey finger by unknown sea creatures. Everyone was sand encrusted and tired by lunch time. No one died and a great time was had by all.

Bekah diligently digging for sea shells to add to her collection and trying to catch an elusive sand crab.

Loyd working hard to fill his bucket so he can dump it out again. It's amazing how many times a little boy can repeat this task and never get tired of it!

Xavier was feeling particularly photogenic so we got a lot of great pictures of him. What can I say, I'm a sucker for those big baby blues!

Xavier analyzing one of his latest discoveries, seaweed. Don't ask me how many times we had to stop him from putting this stuff in his mouth or, failing to notice him sneakily putting it in his mouth, fishing it out of his mouth. Crazy baby.

Xavier showing us just how much he loves squishing his hands through the water-saturated sand sludge. It feels so cool between your piggy toes!

Happily enjoying a day at the beach with Mommy.

For those of you who have met Mr. Xavier in person you know he is a little man who always has a smile at the ready. To illustrate this fact I want to share a picture of how I found our little trouble maker this morning. He was crying in his room so I went in to find out what the matter was and get him out for the morning. When I went into his room I found him stuck in the predicament below.

Being the kind and compassionate mother that I am I started laughing and went strait for the camera. Of course, my leaving the room only made Xavier angrier and his crying intensified. After a few seconds, when I walked back into the room carrying the camera everything changed. Xavier saw the camera, I said, "Say Cheese!" and he immediately stopped crying and started flashing me these handsome smiles. Silly kid; he just loves his picture taken. And yes, I did eventually rescue him from the crib. ;>)

Rough Week for the Cornelius Kids

2010-08-15T07:54:00.000-07:00

The kids have been having quite a dramatic week and Loyd has been kind enough to instigate it for us. On Monday, I walked into the kitchen to find Loyd had gotten into the fridge, again, and had gotten the watermelon out. He was happily eating his stolen treat with Xavier crawling on the ground begging him to share. Out of the kindness of his heart Loyd passed a piece of watermelon down to his little brother to taste because, as Loyd explained, "Xavier is starving."

Later in the week Dustin was working on cutting and hanging drywall in our bathroom. Loyd was supervising the work in the garage to make sure it was done right. While Dustin was picking up a large piece of dry wall and turning it around it scraped Loyd' knee slightly. Loyd immediately burst into tears and came running into the house to find me and show me his boo-boo. When I asked Loyd what happened he explained, "Dad's killing me!"

Finally, on Friday Loyd was having a busy wiggly day. To keep himself busy for a few minutes he took it upon himself to make his sister scream as much as possible. Bekah wasn't safe anywhere. He found her in her room, down the hall, in the front room and even outside. Loyd took great pleasure in the squealing and Bekah got quite the workout trying to hide from him. Poor Bekah, it's rough putting up with two little brothers.

So there you have it. This week my poor children have endured starvation, murder attempts and little brother torture. Who knew that life was so troublesome. :)

P.S. Here is a picture of my sweet baby girl and I dressed as close to the same as we could get for Church. Thanks for helping us pull these outfits together Grandma P.! We're pretty in purple! Isn't my Bekah pretty!

Bathroom Remodel Update

2010-08-08T09:12:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, this is actually progress on our bathroom remodel. This week we received our new shower base and a great plumber replaced all the old pipes in the bathroom. Now Dustin can cement the base in place and begin putting up the wall boards and tile. Yea! I may get my master bathroom finished inside a year yet!

With a bathroom remodel comes some pretty awesome big boxes. The box the shower base came in has come in handy as a great toy.

So far it has been used as a bed, a hiding spot, and...

An awesome speedway raceway. Lookout Lighting McQueen; we're coming for the Dinoco cup next year!

Meanwhile, as the house has been a wreck, the water has been turned off and the bathroom has been under serious construction Xavier has taken this opportunity to learn to pull himself into sitting, kneeling and standing positions. He has learned to push furniture around the house and has found a renewed enthusiasm for dragging himself around the house in a never ending search for all the dangerous small tacks, nails, pieces of foam and plastic and other exciting objects he can put into his mouth to make his mother panic. This morning he even attempted a few tentative attempts at crawling on his knees. I knew it would just take an inconvenient moment for him to learn how to crawl. :D

Oh well, at least I can look forward to an end of the army crawl. While it works great for Xavier to slide around on the floor, all the army crawling reveals the frightening extent of filthiness that is my floor. His tummy is in a disconcertingly continuous state of dirty blackness. No matter how much I sweep and mop he still gets filthy. Friends and family have suggested strapping a Swiffer to his tummy and letting him clean the house for me. While this is a terrific idea, I have a feeling the moment I strapped that Swiffer on Xavier he would magically learn to crawl on his hands and knees. Hm, maybe I should get the Swiffer....

July Trip to Utah

2010-08-01T09:36:00.000-07:00

Ah, to finally sit down and write the longest blog entry of the year. How I dread, I mean look forward to this giant entry each year. We have so much fun and do so many things visiting our wonderful family and friends each summer that it feels a bit daunting trying to record it all in a single blog entry. Oh well, I'll give it a try. Hopefully I don't bore anyone too much. If you get sick of reading you can just skip through and look at the pictures. That's what I do when I get board reading someone else's blog. The pictures are the real fun of the post anyway.

Our drive out to Utah this year was certainly an adventure in and of itself. We packed food, snacks, and drinks for two days, clothes and toys for three weeks, and three small children and two adults into our amazing Toyota Camry. It was a bit snug, but with some Tetras skills and a lot of patience we got all of it shoehorned in. I don't think there is anything that car can't do. The kids were a dream and behaved themselves very well during the drive. Xavier loved having the exclusive attention of Rebekah and Loyd all to himself in the back seat. They played for hours with each other. It's a wonderful sound to hear giggles and laughs coming from your children as they play together in a tiny car. Xavier did have his moments though; he was a little cranky when his pain medicine would wear off. He started teething just before we left. Xavier left Texas with only one tooth and came back with five! I couldn't believe all the teeth that came in during our trip. I have the bite marks to prove it too. We made it to Grandma and Grandpa P's in one piece and very happy to be out of the car after two days on the road.

Xavier reminded us of a certain cuddly Dr. Who monster we just couldn't resist. So we took to calling him "Adipose" while he only had one tooth. Isn't he cute!

Grandma and Grandpa C., Uncle Jason and Uncle Jared drove out from California to visit with us while we were in Utah. We went on lots of fun field trips with the Cornelius clan. We visited Temple Square, went shopping at the Gateway Mall, went out to eat (Loyd gave a nice juicy sneeze all over Grandma C. and her dinner at the restaurant. It's a good thing she was almost done!) We visited with Grandma Grape (Loyd and Bekah called Great Grandma Cornelius this cute name the whole time we were there.) and Uncle Russ and Aunt Cathy and their nice family. We even went to the Hansen Planetarium. Rebekah was so impressed with the big motion machine at the planetarium she drew a picture of it and entitled it, "The Difficult Machine."

Rebekah and Loyd loved playing with Grandma and Grandpa Cornelius. It was such a treat to spend some time with them in person without the use of Skype.

I think the exuberance of the kids wore Grandpa C. out! From the looks of Loyd I don't' think he feels a bit bad about running his grandparents ragged.

The kids didn't waste any time making themselves right at home and getting into the spirit of play time.

Xavier learned to pull himself up to a kneeling position under Grandpa C's watchful eye. He loved exploring the toy box with his happy grandpa.

Spending time with family really brings your true self out. It's amazing what we learn about ourselves when we spend time with little children. Uncle Jason didn't know he was really a strong man, a jungle gym, a catapult and a pathetic bowler until after his week with the kids.

Rebekah was quick to point out how badly Jason bowled during their friendly game where she "kicked his bum." Don't worry, Uncle Jason. I'm sure with practice you might be as good as Rebekah one, in the far distant future.

Loyd took great joy in thinking up new and unusual ways of teasing, I mean playing with Uncle Jason. Here's a shot of another brilliant plot hatching in his brain...

And here is the attack in action. Poor Jason didn't have a chance. Loyd came flying at him before he knew what was going on. Silly, body-slamming Loyd.

Xavier was a very lucky baby and got to meet Grandma Great for the first time during this trip. We are so blessed to have Great Grandma Cornelius. She is very talented and has such a love and patience for us and the great grandchildren. By the words she says and the actions she takes you know she loves you. She has a kind and open heart. We love you Grandma Grape!

It was so much fun to see our Cornelius family. Thank you so much for taking the time to come out and visit with us. We are so glad we could spend time with you!

We wasted no time getting into the business of activity once we arrived in Utah. The day after we arrived my amazing sister Lizzy gave Xavier his very first hair cut. Doesn't he look handsome with his new tidy hairdo! What would we do without our own personal family stylist? We kept Aunt Lizzy busy with haircuts for the entire family. Thank goodness for Lizzy, and her mad skills at making us look presentable. Liz, are you sure you don't want to move to Texas? You could give us more free haircuts!

One morning during our trip Brandon took Dustin and I up in his airplane. It was amazing to see the beautiful Morgan valley from the air. At one point Brandon let Dustin fly the plane for a few minutes. Those were the scariest minutes of my life! It was a wonderful experience. We had such a great time flying in the little airplane. Thanks Brandon!

The children quickly rediscovered the magic and beauty of Grandma and Grandpa Phillips' beautiful backyard. They were drawn to it's beauty and vastness. Rebekah and Loyd spent most of their time running around playing ball, jumping on the trampoline hidden behind the pine trees, playing games with their cousins Kailyn, Jayden and Skyler and Kaleb, and swinging on the comfortable porch swing. It was absolutely wonderful. All this activity makes a kid thirsty. To solve this problem Rebekah and Loyd ate popsicle after popsicle every day. I would guess they ate between 5-7 "popscibles" each day. They were in frozen treat heaven.

Grandma P even became famous for her amazing breakfasts each morning. Loyd knew that when he woke up he could go upstairs, locate Grandma P and then sit happily at the kitchen counter while she brought him all the yummy berries, cereals and glasses of chocolate milk a kid could ask for. He was in hog heaven. One morning Grandma had to go to Aunt Karen's early to help her with the twins. Grandma had to leave before breakfast. Warning Grandpa P of the eminent call for breakfast she left instructions for him to finish up his bath fast and get dressed because Loyd was due upstairs any moment. Grandma left and Grandpa remained in the bathtub. Not two minutes after Grandma was gone Grandpa heard an unusual noise on the other side of the tub curtain. "Good morning Rebekah and Loyd," says a slightly startled Grandpa P. "Do you need some tub toys?" replies a concerned Loyd. He hated the thought of Grandpa taking a bath without entertainment. With some clever finagling Grandpa got the grand-kids out and he was able to get dressed. When I came in search of the kids I found them sitting stunned at the counter not really willing to accept Grandpa's well intentioned attempts to feed them breakfast. Apparently, once you've had Grandma make you breakfast no one else will do.

Xavier even got into the fun. He could be found bouncing on the trampoline with Daddy or swinging on the porch swing with a very happy Grandma. He is such a happy, handsome baby. How could you not want to snuggle him in the beauty of nature?

Hands down, Xavier's favorite person was Bandit. He would see Bandit and begin to giggle and squeal. If he was on the floor he was heading for Bandit. Bandit was the coolest person who ever walked on four legs and had a fur coat. Xavier wasn't the only Bandit fanatic. We had to keep a tight key on the dog treats and a close eye on Loyd. Loyd thought it was his personal duty to feed dog treats to the ever willing and docile Bandit every two or three minutes. Bandit wasn't quite sure why this was such a bad idea.

Here are some action shots of the kids playing at Grandpa P's house.

Loyd played every form of ball imaginable. He played soccer, t-ball, golf, basketball and even football. This little man is definitely all boy.

Bekah spent a good deal of her time as Bandit's understudy. She copied Bandit's every move and nap. She would lay when Bandit would lay down. She would pant and walk on all fours just like the dog. Bekah put in a lot of work and effort into become the most believable canine she could. Bandit even taught her how to use the dog door so Rebekah wouldn't have to bother with those cumbersome human sized doors anymore.

This handy wheelbarrow was used to haul many toy horses and ponies to and from their sandbox stomping ground. It proved the children were related to Grandma P. They played horses for days on end. I think it might have been one of their favorite games. They played so much that Grandma P let them each take one of her horses home to Texas to play with when we left. Neigh!

Here is Bekah with her teen idol - Kailyn- and her fun cousins Skyler and Kaleb.

We also spent an afternoon with my friends, Ann Marie, Markelle, Laura, Cami and Trinity and their families at the city park. It was so much fun to catch up with everyone and see how big and beautiful their families are getting. I'm go grateful everyone could come. We'll have to do it again next year. It was a high light of my trip.

Half way through our trip we went to Mapleton, Utah, to visit with Uncle Royal and his family. On Friday we went to BYU to visit with our friends the Larsons and see the Bean museum and the Paleontology museum. Bekah couldn't believe we were seeing and touching actual dinosaur bones. She was in heaven. She carried the paleontology museum pamphlet around for nearly two weeks afterward to study the pictures of the exhibits. On Saturday we went with Royal, Loretta, Delaney, Olivia and Walter up the Nebo loop and went on the same little hike up to a grotto we visited last year. The kids had a blast hiking in the mountains and crossing the log bridges along the way.

I carried Xavier up last year (in utero) so it was only fair that Dustin take his turn this year. Xavier had the sweet deal of experiencing nature from a backpack. He loved looking at the forest and listening to the waterfall at the grotto. I think the waterfall was so soothing to him he almost fell asleep.

Loyd decided it was his job to scare away the frightening and vicious friendly butterfly. Luckily, Loyd wasn't very sneaky and no butterflies were hurt during the course of this hike.

Delaney gave Bekah the grand tour of the grotto. She even got Rebekah to touch the ice cold waterfall.

Olivia and I got to play a few games of Slap Dragon. I'm totally awesome at that game. I'm pretty much the best that ever lived. If Olivia should disagree, pay no attention. We all know the truth. ;>)

And Walter and Loyd enjoyed thinking up naughty boy things to do. We weren't at Royal's house more than 10 minutes before the two had snuck outside, turned the hose on and sprayed each other so they were soaking wet just before bed. Boys. Walter is also very sweet. He was very thoughtful to look after his cousin, Rebekah, at Church. It was a precious moment to see them hold hands and walk to Primary together.

The last Monday of our trip we took a picnic up to Midway to visit Uncle L. Grey and Aunt JoAnn. We ate a traditional Great Grandma Young lunch of fried chicken and chocolate cake at a nearby pioneer heritage park. It was very delicious. Then, Uncle L. Grey took us to a nearby fishing pond where the kids learned how to cast a fishing rod for the first time. Rebekah became a regular expert withing 15 minutes. She was casting and reeling her fishing line like a pro with Jayden and Skyler. We were all impressed with how quickly she picked it up. Loyd wasn't quite so quick to get the mechanics of it so we just left some line down for him and he perfected the art of smacking the water with his rod. Silly Loyd. Xavier even wanted a chance to hold a fishing rod. He though the reel was fascinating. Maybe next year he'll be a fishing pro and we might actually catch something.

After fishing we went back to Uncle L. Grey's house and the kids went swimming. It was a wonderful afternoon. Midway is beautiful and a day spent with Uncle L. Grey and Aunt JoAnn is always fun. We are lucky to have such wonderful family.

We spent the last few days shopping for mother/daughter matching outfits with Grandma P. and Aunt Lizzy and relaxing around the house.

The kids were so worn out from their hectic schedule of continuous playing, eating glorious food and staying up late with extended family that they were known to fall asleep in the most unlikely of places at the most unlikely of times. I guess you take a nap whenever you can get it when you are at Grandma's house.

We were so sad to leave our beloved family, but the time came to come back home to Texas. We are grateful we could spend another memorable summer with friends and family we love dearly. We wish we could live closer, but we do love our home in snow free Texas too. I think the only real solution is to have everyone move out to us. What do you think?

Crazy Week

2010-07-04T07:34:00.000-07:00

This has been a whirlwind of a week. These kind of weeks seem to be increasing in frequency. They require a large amount of energy, but they help the time fly by quickly. By the time we get to the end I can't believe all that we managed to cram into one week.

We began with a bang. I made Monday a canning day. This made my house a thorough mess. Tuesday was dedicated to cleaning my house and recovering from canning day. Tuesday rolled into Wednesday. One day of canning equals two days of cleaning. On Thursday we went to a very fun birthday party and to the movie Twilight Eclipse. Friday, we played with friends, both old and new. On Saturday we worked like crazy people to get our house cleaned up and ready for July. Now I am looking forward to today where I can enjoy the Sabbath. We didn't get everything we wanted to done this week, but it was a valiant effort on our part. Here are some pictures of our week.

Brotherly shenanigans and general tom foolery has already begun at my house. Loyd gets the best laughs out of Xavier with this silly antics and games of peek-a-boo. Xavier is positive Loyd is the funniest and cleverest person he knows. He is always watching his big brother and committing every move to memory to be pulled out at a later date. I better rubberize the walls and floor of the house before Xavier can walk. I'm sure the two of them will be rolling and running through the house together like bear cubs and raiding the kitchen for cereal and cheese sticks.

Xavier is working on a second tooth. (You can see the first tooth in the picture above. It's in the top front of his mouth.) During this LONG teething process we have learned that Xavier does not take pain or discomfort well. He is a very cranky baby boy. I miss my content little man. Heaven help us if he ever gets the flue!

I loved this picture because Loyd looks like a little king sitting on his throne. Silly kid.

Rain from Hurricane Alex drove us inside for most of the week. To break up the tedium, Daddy graciously agreed to be a noble steed for an afternoon. The kids loved riding around the house, but their balance isn't that great so they kept sliding off his bum. They finally came up with a "cling for dear life" approach to stay mounted.

I didn't want to leave out my baby girl in pictures this week. Rebekah has been a big helper. She and Loyd helped me pick the peaches from our tree and wash them. She kept Loyd busy so I could work around the house. She is growing up so quickly. Every time I look at her I can't believe how much she has grown up in just four short years. I'm so lucky to have my Becky.

Well, that's one more busy week down. Now we get to tackle another one!

Canning Lessons

2010-06-30T08:03:00.000-07:00

As you know, our peach tree ripened this last week so I jumped on this first opportunity to bottle my own peaches. This experience provided a laundry list of lessons learned by a first time canner.

1. 1 canning day + 3 kids = one disaster of a house
2. Xavier can eat playdough off the floor without any adverse effects
3. Xavier can eat dried old leaves off the floor without any adverse effects
4. Xavier can eat forgotten cereal off the floor without any adverse effects
5. My floor can turn Xavier's clean clothes into very dirty clothes
6. Raspberry juice may be red in color, but it leaves a purple stain on your clothes, the counter, the cabinets, the floor, the children....
7. Jam won't set up unless you remember to add the pectin, no matter how long you boil it
8. My mad blanching skills need practice
9. When trying to figure out how to skin a peach after a failed blanching attempt a vegetable peeler works in a pinch!
10. One can never have too many large bowls
11. No matter how many bowls you have it is never enough
12. 1 Loyd + yummy fresh peaches = one very vigilant mommy
13. It takes two days to do all the dishes resulting from canning peaches and making jam

And the most important lesson I learned:

14. Canning is much more enjoyable when done with a friend!

Bye Kailyn!

2010-06-27T09:58:00.000-07:00

Our super cool cousin Kailyn went home yesterday. It was so much fun to have her stay with us for the past few weeks. The kids are really missing her. Luckily, we'll get to see her and all the other cousins soon!

Here is a picture of the beginning of our first peach harvest! Yea peaches! We've gotten a pretty good haul for our first year. The peaches taste delicious and have such tender flesh. We even had some neighbors stop by on their evening walk and ask for a fresh peach to eat. Nobody told us we should be fencing our tree to keep the neighbors and the wild life out! ;>)

Loyd loves the peaches and has one with breakfast every morning. He would have one for breakfast, second breakfast, morning snack, lunch, after nap snack, and dinner too if I let him. But I'm trying to save the bulk of the peaches. Tomorrow I'm going to be brave and try to bottle them, and maybe attempt a few jars of jam. Wish me luck!

Happy peach eating!

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T09:11:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's day! I want to share a little humor with you on this day where we express our gratitude for our dad. It's not dad related, but I have to record this before I forget. Two Sunday's ago, on Fast Sunday, Rebekah added a new hymn to the Cornelius cannon. She was heard singing around the house very sweetly, "God be with you till we eat again....Till we e-e-eat. Till we e-e-eat. God be with you till we eat again." She cracks me up with her silly songs and the funny ways she changes melodies that we know to make them all her own.

Since that Sunday we have been busy with swimming lessons, mini family adventures and playing with our cousin Kailyn.

Rebekah and Loyd both graduated from swimming lessons on Friday. I was very proud of both of them. They were very brave and listened to their teachers very well. Loyd loved playing in the water with his daddy and Rebekah developed a little crush on her swim instructor, Spencer. She would do anything for Spencer. She jumped in the water without hesitation, kicked her legs with gusto, scooped the water with her pretty little hands and even put her head under the water, all for Spencer. It's so nice to know that a cute boy can motivate Rebekah to do difficult tasks.

Yesterday we had a beach day.

The kids loved splashing in the water and digging in the sand. There was a crazy amount of seaweed on the beach, but it wasn't too much of a hassle. In fact, we ended up using the seaweed as a natural barrier to protect or sandcastle. Rebekah wanted to do everything Kailyn did and Loyd loved chilling out by the food between bouts of running in the water and filling buckets with sand.

Xavier even enjoyed the sand and the surf. It was his first trip to the beach. He giggled when the small waves hit his chest and grinned with delight when he first felt the squishy sand push up between his toes.

It was a wonderful day. We were so glad Kailyn could be there with us and enjoy one of the many beautiful landscapes the Lord has made for us.

Onward and Forward!

2010-06-17T07:58:00.000-07:00

We have forward momentum! Xavier has finally figured out how to pull himself forward. He is even experimenting with getting up on his knees now. He loves this new found mobility and is constantly on the move to swipe interesting looking toys from Bekah and Loyd. Mr. Xavier also got his first tooth this month. It's a pretty cute little chomper. He now has his front left top tooth. Look out world! Xavier is moving and he has a tooth!

Loyd is enjoying the summer weather. If he isn't outside playing he can be found inside staring out his window at the wide world of the front yard. This is a picture of how we often find Loyd when he is inside. His favorite things to watch from his window are the garbage truck and the lawn care guys who come to cut the neighbors' lawns.

Rebekah has found a new role model. Our cousin Kailyn has come for a visit and the kids are in heaven. Rebekah does everything Kailyn does. She follows Kailyn around the house, wants her hair to look like Kailyn's, sits on the couch like Kailyn, and generally asks me if what she is doing would be Kailyn approved. We'll see how long it takes for our resident teenager to snap under all the adulation. ;)

Wacky Week

2010-06-06T07:26:00.000-07:00

This week was the last week of school for Dustin. Now we have him home all summer to finish those pesky bathroom, storm window, and insulation projects he's been meaning to tackle since last fall. Yea for Honey-Do lists! We celebrated his last Friday with our traditional honoring of National Donuts Day. In observance of this important holiday we ate donuts and drink chocolate milk before dinner. I'm thinking this will be one of the kids' favorite traditions. :)

We enjoyed Memorial Day at home with a few friends on Monday. We all went to the neighborhood pool in the morning to play and relax. Then we came home for a yummy lunch. Finally, we took some cookies over to our neighbor Mr. Keickie; he is a retired veteran. It was a very nice day.

The rest of the week has been spent in general wacky behavior. Here are just a few pictures of the silly things the kids are thinking up.

This is probably my favorite. Rebekah didn't think her fairy dress and sparkly wings were enough dress ups. She got Xavier's floating tube for the pool and stuck it upside down on her head to add to her costume. She appears to be channeling some extraterrestrial vibes. :D

Loyd decided he and Xavier were a bit on the dirty side and needed to be washed up. Maybe I'll have less laundry to do if I just skip the middle man and put the kids directly into the washing machine? What do you think?

And finally, though this isn't too wacky, it is very important. Xavier finally learned how to drink from a bottle! Loyd thinks it looks pretty cool to feed the baby so he wants to help. Xavier is a bit confused by his brother's less than expert bottle holding skills. But, I'm sure the two of them will figure out a system to keep that pesky bottle in Xavier's mouth. Or, Xavier will just have to learn to hold his own bottle and cut Loyd out of the process all together.

Summer Swimming Season Commences

2010-05-30T09:32:00.000-07:00

Summer swimming season has officially commenced for the Cornelius crew. We visited the pool a few times this week and plan to ratchet up our walks to the neighborhood pool as the temperatures increase. It truly is the only way to survive the Texas heat.

It's quite the production to get us ready to go. Getting swimming suites on three wiggly, excited children and two tired parents, spraying everyone down with a protective layer of sun screen, and gathering all the various flotation devises needed to keep said children and parents afloat is no small task. Happily, the kids enjoy the production and are willing to cooperate for the most part. Finally, we are able to walk to the pool.

Once we get to the pool everyone jumps into the refreshing water. Loyd prefers the shallow kiddie pool, but for purposes of the picture we did manage to convince him to try the big pool out for a little bit. In fact, he was feeling so brave this week he even tried to swim without me holding onto him. He had his life jacket on and a water noodle and he kicked himself around the pool for a minute or two before he felt he needed some moral support again. He was a very brave boy. Rebekah's swimming lessons from last year are already paying off. She can navigate the pool under her own steam with some water noodles and a life jacket just fine. Xavier is part fish. He has enjoyed swimming more than the other two kids did at his age. He floats in his tube and kicks his little chubby legs almost constantly for the shear pleasure of splashing.

To all our friends and family this summer season, happy swimming!

It's been nearly 6 months already, kid!

2010-05-23T09:18:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had something you loved so much you thought about it every day? Well, Loyd does. Every day since Christmas, my life has been plagued by one question, "Where the stockings go?" Loyd absolutely loves the Christmas stockings Grandma P made for us. Since I took them down after the Christmas season, Loyd has asked me at least once a day, "Where the stockings go, Momma?" Just posting this picture of them on the blog has nearly put him into a frenzy. He loves seeing the stockings and feels the house is missing something important without them. So, to all those who think Christmas should last all year long, Loyd understands.

In other Loyd news, here is a shot of our little hooligan spending some quality time with his little brother. Loyd loves getting into the crib with Xavier and pretends to be a baby or just jumps around for a bit. I think he may be part little monkey. :)

Rebekah and I have had a nice quiet week together working on her alphabet and coloring pages from her giant coloring book she got for her birthday. Here she is displaying one of her beautiful masterworks. She did a great job coloring her frog like a rainbow and filling in the multi-colored lily pads. She also added lots of flowers to the trees in the background. She thought they looked a bit bare. Bekah loves color and thinks everything should be in shades of rainbow. Life would certainly be less colorful without my sweet little girl.

It's Just a Little Rain...

2010-05-16T10:15:00.000-07:00

The heavens opened up in Southeast Texas this weekend. We got a ton of rain Friday night and Saturday morning. As you can see from Loyd's picture, we had our own swimming pool in the backyard for a while. It's all good though. The kids got incredibly wet playing in the rain and the puddles, the plants finally got a good watering, and our house didn't flood. So overall, I would say it was a win, win situation.

Xavier is still trying to figure out how to crawl. He is totally awesome at rolling over, pivoting in a circle and pushing himself backwards. Now, if only he could move forward he would be all set to explore the big wide world under his own steam. He is anxious to be playing with his big brother and sister and loves to discover new things. He's a very happy explorer and scientist. Until then, he will simply have to make do with going backwards and convincing grown ups to carry him around.

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T09:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's day!

We had a fun week. Rebekah turned 4 years old. We are so happy to have such a sweet and loving daughter. I can hardly believe four years have passed since we brought our beautiful baby girl home. Rebekah, I want you to know that you are a very loved little girl. You have parents and siblings and grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins who think you are special and love you with all of our hearts. Most importantly of all, you are a beloved daughter of Heavenly Father. He loves you beyond imagining. We wish you another wonderful year of growth and learning and adventure! It's a wonderful world in which we live.

We had a small family party on Friday and a swimming party with friends on Saturday. Rebekah was very lucky to have such a nice birthday. I think her favorite present was from Grandma C. Bekah has been asking for the Playmobile Animal Clinic play set for months now. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head when she actually opened it for her birthday! Thanks Grandma!

Bekah had a great time with her friends playing in the pool water and eating lots of goodies on Saturday. She has some wonderful friends.

I experimented with another ice cream cake for the party. It was super good. It tasted like a Dairy Queen cake and it was really easy to make.

Xavier tried watermelon for the first time at the birthday party. As you can see from his very happy face, he loved it.

Loyd finally got a hair cut this week. I tried the fohawk again on him. I think I got it mostly right this time (Aren't you proud, Aunt Lizzy!?!). Xavier's hair is long enough to put into a Mohawk now too. I couldn't resist the opportunity. :) Here's my two boys sporting their rockin' hairdos!

It's a hard lesson...

2010-05-02T15:25:00.000-07:00

Xavier has had a big week. He learned to sit up for short periods of time (less than a minute, but more than 10 seconds) all by himself. He learned to make kissing sounds (it's super adorable). And for the last big lesson....

...Xavier learned that there are two kinds of food in this world, ice cream and not ice cream. He prefers ice cream. ;)

Loyd has been keeping us on our toes. We are now using the promise of buying him a basketball to motivate him with potty training. Cross your fingers that it works!

And, as you can see from the picture above, Rebekah has been working on her civil engineering skills. That's one awesome train track!

Chew Chew!

Baby Food

2010-04-25T12:20:00.000-07:00

Now for our word definition of the day according to the LCLD (League City Loyd Dictionary).

Baby Food: Small peaches on our peach tree that aren't yet ripe.

The weather is rapidly warming up here in southeast Texas. This week we broke out the swimming pool and enjoy getting wet with some friends. The weather was warm, the water was cool and the kids were extremely enthusiastic. After a few hours of water fun we cut up some watermelon for a snack. This innocent looking group of kids managed to eat the ENTIRE watermelon in about half and hour. It was an amazing feat.

Happy spring!

Human Food

2010-04-18T09:19:00.000-07:00

For those of us who are stuck in the city without horses we have to get creative with our modes of transportation. Loyd tamed a cheetah to run him around the back yard, and Rebekah convinced this gentle giraffe to take her on leisurely rides over the vast savannas of League City.

Last week as we drove to church Rebekah decided to let Xavier taste her pretzel. He liked the taste of the salt and sucked with enthusiasm for a few minutes. His enthusiasm for the new taste got Rebekah really excited. She called to us in the front seat, "Mom! Mom! Xavier likes human food!" So there you have it, Xavier likes human food.

Happy Easter

2010-04-11T09:01:00.000-07:00

We hope everyone had a great Easter last week! We invited some friends over, had an exciting little egg hunt and settled in for two solid days of Conference. As you can see, the kids had a ton of fun looking for eggs. We hid candy in several dozen plastic eggs and placed them around the back yard. Once the children were released from the house there was running, squealing in delight, and munching on jelly beans by all who participated.

Bekah made sure I knew she was good at finding eggs. She reiterated several times to me this talent was due to her excellent eye sight. Loyd just had fun finding the eggs. He got quite the thrill out of discovering another hidden treasure trove of chocolate and happiness.

Along with some sidewalk chalk, new beach toys and some candy the Easter Bunny dropped off some play dough. This has become one of their new favorite things to play. They roll it, smash it, shape it, cut it and try to eat it when mom isn't paying attention. Loyd will eat play dough, but he won't touch dinner. Go figure....

Why My Toyota and My Husband are Awesome

2010-03-28T08:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my poor husband was subject to one of my spur of the moment big projects. I started out my Saturday afternoon thinking I would just weed my front flower beds and investigate how bad the winter kill was to my yard. Sadly, I discovered that all of my beautiful hibiscus bushes had perished in our unusually late freezes this year. While weeding I came up with a plan to replace the bushes and make my curb appeal more uniform. Dustin came home from work a few hours early. He thought he was going to score an unexpected nap. Unaware of the job ahead of him, the second he drove up the driveway I pounced on him with plans of new hibiscus bushes, more dirt, crazy amounts of mulch and a few flats of flowers. Dustin didn't even flinch. He dutifully said, "Yes Dear," marched into the house to change into work clothes and drove us all to the nursery. We purchased 14 cubic feet of dirt, 18 cubic feet of mulch, 7 three gallon pots of hibiscus bushes, 1 flat of zinnias, 1 flat of marigolds, 1 three gallon pot white azaleas, and 1 three gallon pot of a cool flowering vine plat that I can't remember the name of. We managed to stuff all of the plants, dirt, mulch, three children, and two adults into our 1997 Toyota Camry. My Toyota is awesome! I'm sure the guys at the nursery thought we were pretty crazy, but it was a short trip and we made it home. It was a bit like driving inside the Amazon.

We worked hard for the rest of the evening. Dustin and the children never complained. They are awesome! It was perfect weather and there wasn't a single mosquito buzzing in the air. Dustin dug and pulled out old plants, the kids used their play tools to assist Daddy in taking out the dead plants and spend a great deal of time jumping from one bag of dirt to the next and walking between the pots of plants while pretending to be kitties . Lots of hard work, the exciting discovery of another hose spigot, several necessary baths and a dinner of cake and chocolate syrup resulted in this....

We added dirt and mulched to all of the front flower beds and the peach tree. We cleaned up the porch section. We put lilies across the front between the roses and the red leaf. I'm still thinking about what else I might want to put there. I know I'm going to pull some chairs from the back and put them on the front porch. That should perk it up a bit too. It's still a work in process.

Then, we framed the door approach with white azaleas and a border of orange marigolds. The marigolds smell great and should help keep some of the bugs away.

Finally, we put 7 hibiscus bushes across the front. They'll grow taller and look more like bushes as they grow. Later, when we have more time/money we will deepen the flower beds and do some more plant shaping. For now, I think it looks really clean and uniform. It should be more low maintenance than it was before and hopefully will look nicer too.

In other news, The kids have traded up bikes. Loyd is now the enthusiastic rider of the red tricycle and Rebekah is great at riding on her new two wheeled, sea themed bike with training wheels. They just keep growing. It won't be long before Xavier is out there scooting along with big brother and sister on the little red rocket. At least I can rest assured that he has to figure out how to crawl and walk first! We're looking forward to another season of bike races, puddle splashing and stick fencing in our backyard.

Happy spring!

Quiet Your Fears...

2010-03-25T06:38:00.000-07:00

"If you are helpless, he is not. If you are lost, he is not. If you don't know what to do next, he knows. It would take a miracle, you say? Well, if it takes a miracle, why not?
~ President Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

St. Patrick's Day and the Food Trials Continue

2010-03-21T15:43:00.000-07:00

Here is the fabulous three leafed clover hairdo Rebekah sported last Sunday in honor of my favorite holiday, St. Patrick's Day. I am not Irish, I've never met Darby O'Gil or his little people, and I have never found a pot of gold. Despite these things, I am an avid celebrator of St. Patrick's Day; we're talking Thanksgiving proportions. We all dress in green (if you don't, I pinch you mercilessly until you change!), we think about things that are green or should be, and we top the day off with an Irish feast of corned beef and cabbage and Irish soda bread. 'Tis a wondrous day indeed. I think this year was another fabulous St. Patrick's Day. Happy snake whacking!

Xavier is still not terribly jazzed about food other than milk. Loyd has been volunteering to tempt him with our specially made rice cereal delight. Sadly, even with the encouragement of his super cool and amazingly awesome older brother, Xavier manages to keep most of the cereal out of his tummy.

This picture was too cute not to post. Loyd is showing off his natural Texas cowboy style. These are Rebekah's boots, but they are easier to put on himself than other shoes. Maybe we'll have to buy the kid a pair in his own size.

Finally, just a reminder to always be on your toes. You never know when a fairy might pop up ready to grant your wish.

The Perfect Shoe

2010-03-14T08:48:00.000-07:00

Let me introduce you to the perfect shoe. We recently purchased this pair of Disney Princess inspired, light up as you walk, sandals for Rebekah. They were deemed the perfect pair of shoes; they both light up and have princesses on them. For several days now Rebekah has worn them around the clock. She plays in them, she gets dressed around them, and she even sleeps in them. When I asked her why she needs to wear her shoes all the time, as we were trying to convince her to take them off for her bath (we were successful in our persuasions by the way), she told me she needs to wear them so she is always ready to go. So there you have it, once you find your perfect shoe statement never ever take it off. You never know when you'll need them to go some place.

I helped throw a baby shower this week for one of my good friends. Part of my responsibilities was to make and bring some cookie dough truffles. As you can see, Loyd was an integral part of the truffle making process. I couldn't have done it with out him. Thanks son!

And after yet another amazingly busy week, Xavier decided to illustrate for us how we are all feeling at my house. I think this week I'm going to focus on relaxing and resting.

Happy napping!