Kinder-Zoo and Phoenix Zoo

Gracie's kindergarten class just finished a unit on animals, so to celebrate, they had a Kinder-Zoo program where the kids all dressed up as monkeys, lions, zebras, giraffes, tigers and elephants. Then they got in their "cages" and their parents got to feed them snacks. This was very cute, I thought, and fun. Things I didn't experience when I taught Jr. High :-)

Our lion had the sun in her eyes


family trip to the real zoo - this is the new species of stone-colored, two-headed turtle

their rendition of when Ariel's supposed to come

out of the shell in The Little Mermaid

Our zoo recently acquired Komodo dragons, but 2 of the 3 times

we've been, he's been in his "nighthouse" because it's been

too cold for him to be outside. Did you know they have 50 different

kinds of bacteria in their mouths plus a venom that puts their prey

into shock as they then start to gnaw on their dinner. Yikes! g

You may recall my Facebook status from a couple of weeks ago. Hope and I fed the giraffes, but alas I did not have my camera. So, we took a family trip to the zoo today and all fed giraffes. Their tongues are 18 inches long and quite fuzzy. It was fun!

Hope fed this one some lettuce.

Lettuce from Gracie

Student of the Month

Brent and I are honored to introduce our student of the month:

drum roll please. . .

Gracie Cornelius

the proud family after the assembly
the proud kindergartner

She walks up boldly to receive her recognition

waiting patiently with her class at the assembly

Yeah! for Gracie! She's turning out to be a stellar student!

Dare I say she takes after her mother? :-)

The Year in Review

I've been working on a facelift for our blog - hope you like it :-)
This is no small feat for this technologically challenged blogger, so I am quite proud of myself!!!


Instead of writing my annual update on the family and including it in the Christmas card this year, I'm going to put it here, and since you all have our blog address now, you'll be kept apprised of all the goings-on here at Corny Clan. Our theme for 2009 is Learning New Things.


Brent - The fearless leader of Coyote Kitchen, Inc. has learned many things in 2009. The main one would perhaps be learning to rely on God in uncertain times. The business is doing well and we're so thankful, given the current economic situation in our country. It's growing and so the problems or challenges we face are good ones. He's learning how to turn it from a mom & pop company into an organization. We've doubled our staff and he's now more of a deal-maker rather than a supervisor. He finds it hard sometimes to let go of things and trust that they'll get done the right way, but he's learning to build up his employees and trust their skills as well. In addition to business, he's learning the "girly ways" of his two daughters and wrestling them as frequently as possible. He's working on re-organizing his daily routines to include workouts and church meetings as he is now, or will be soon, a church elder. He continues to be a supportive and encouraging husband, and I love and admire him a lot!


Gracie - Our oldest daughter has certainly enjoyed learning this year as she started kindergarten at our neighborhood school. She frequently says to me, "Mom, I just want to be able to read." She's close as she knows all of her letters and sounds and can work out simple words and books. She constantly asks me how to spell things, and she can report the day's schedule pretty much hour by hour. P.E. is one of her favorites along with her time on the computer. Tag is her favorite game to play at recess and she wants to invite many friends over to her house to play. She continues to learn about being a big sister and a good example. She is pretty patient with her sister and enjoys her company for the most part :-)
She's learning to let Hope do as many things for herself as possible instead of jumping in and then causing Hope to emphatically scream, "I want to do it myself!" I hope she will always have the enthusiasm for learning that she does now. Our best conversations happen in the car where she'll give me a run for my money - questions about heaven, communion, Santa and God. She's a delightful 6-year-old girl.


Hope - Our youngest daughter actually describes herself using the word "mischievious" - She's heard me call her that plenty of times that now she can say it. She definitely fits that definition. Hope is full of life and pretty much happy most of the time. She loves to learn as well. Specifically, she loves to learn personal histories. This usually results in numerous questions about names: "What is your friend's name? What is her mom's name? What is her dad's name? Why are those their names? What is her grandma's name? What is her grandpa's name? Why is that man saying that? What's stinky over there?" She keeps me answering all day long that at times I am known to say in the evening, "Okay, you have lots of good questions, but Mommy needs a question break. I'll be ready for more in the morning." Oh, she is funny. She enjoys her preschool class twice a week and attends Bible Study with me and plays with other children there. She's my little sidekick for errands while Gracie's at school. It was a little emotional to send Gracie off to school, and I think Hope might be hard too because then I'll be all alone - but then again, I'll be all ALONE, to do whatever I want!!! :-) Okay, back to Hope. She keeps us in stitches with her funny looks and sayings - a very special 3 1/2 year old.


Michelle - Learning - wow! I've learned a lot this year. I'm still teaching English online for a community college in our area and really like it. It's a perfect fit and I'm thankful to have it. I attend a women's Bible study at church on Thursday mornings and find I'm learning more and meeting new ladies. I was just thinking the other day about what I appreciate about my Bible study and I realized that I've gone through phases of reading and studying the Bible. When I was a young girl and teenager, I learned the stories and the characters. When I was a college student, I learned the deepness of my faith - the logic, facts and appreciation for how it all came together. And now, as a wife, mom and teacher, I'm reading it and realizing how personal it is - how it speaks to so many concerns we all have and has comfort all throughout. Anyway, that's a pretty spiritual sidebar, there. But what do you expect from a P.K.? :-) I learn new things through my book club with some fun women. It keeps me reading - and reading things I might not ordinarily choose. I'm learning how to be a mom of a school-age child and what a kindergarten teacher's life is like :-/ Yikes!



It's a fun life, full of ups and downs. We've had the chance to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, milestones like starting kindergarten and retiring from 40 years of full-time ministry (my parents). We are thankful for all the days of 2009 and look forward to 2010 with eager anticipation. May God bless you and yours!

Men are from Mars; Women are from Venus. Men would do well not to think with their p****.

When I taught writing to freshmen in high school I always told them how important a creative hook is to get your reader interested in your piece. I'm rather proud of my "hooky" title - it even rhymes - sort of :-) By the way, this piece might not be for the younger crowd :-)







So, Tiger Woods - the lastest celebrity to fall victim to thinking with an organ other than his brain. I don't suppose cheating is anything new, but this particular episode of infidelity especially disappointed and puzzled me. I mean, you have seen Tiger's wife, haven't you? She's gorgeous - with a capital G. I know that beauty isn't everything, but geez. Anyway, when I'm puzzled with some aspect of the male psyche, I take it to my resident expert on male sexuality - my dear husband. I asked, "What was he thinking? She's beautiful - they have two little kids. Why would he jeopardize that?" And my husband, true to his straightforward, pulls-no-punches form said (and I quote), "Men like variety. You could get tired of having steak every night." Well, there ya have it! He also followed this up with more pearls of wisdom, "Men are weak; we're pigs. Monogamy is not natural for us. Plus, Tiger is in the position to be presented with lots of temptation. Don't worry, honey, I don't have lots of women throwing themselves at me." Hmmmph! How comforting :-)





Ok, men - I'm attempting to see things from your perspective, but let me enlighten you with a female perspective. (This is just mine - it doesn't necessarily hold true for all females, but I think I'm rather typical.)

I understand being physically attracted to a member of the opposite sex - there are plenty of attractive people out there. However, I don't get ruining a relationship built on trust, commitment, values, friendship, faith and family based on some physical urge. It doesn't compute with me. Women cheat too - I'm aware of that. Women also have parts of their nature that need suppressing. To me, though, we seem a little less destructive. Is that being too bias? :-)


Could you not see that this would end badly, Tiger? Could you not anticipate that trying to have more than one relationship would eventually turn disastrous? Seriously, it ALWAYS does. Perhaps I could do husbands a great service if I invented a device upon which to attach a family photo that would spring forth from the top of their head and dangle directly in the line of vision whenever a distracting pair of tatas bounced across your path. Would that work? Or would you just clip the photo off and get back to your staring?


I don't know - but there's got to be some lesson in this for both Mars and Venus.

1. Wives, (and I'm speaking to myself here too) love your husbands. If having some fun in the bedroom on a more frequent basis shows your husband how much you love and value him, and helps him control whatever freakish male nature he has, then by all means up the frequency. I know that a hot bath, a glass of wine and a good book is often at the top of your list at the end of the day, but you could always hop in the bath together??? Could be nice :-)

2. Husbands, COME ON! Help me, help you. If your wife is a mom, then she's got a huge to-do list. If she also works outside the home, then she's performing two full-time jobs. Do some laundry without asking. Take your wife to her favorite restaurant. Cook dinner. Leave her a note that tells her how much you love her. Do the dishes. Wrestle your kids. We LOVE that stuff! Really. That ups the response level tremendously.



I read somewhere that marriage is a relationship only God could've designed because to be successful, each partner had to consider the other's interests and needs before his or her own. Simply put, it's based on selflessness - just like God's actions toward us. Be a good partner. Be worthy of the love and sacrifice.


I don't know how all your marriages are. If the statistics are true, then some are good, some are bad. I do know that with forgiveness and the right help, relationships can be repaired. I pray that Tiger and his wife can repair theirs. It's worth it.

Thanksgiving Activities

It's been a while - sorry :(

We've had a fun and busy fall. Preschool and kindergarten activities

keep this momma hopping from school to school. On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, I did the "Crismon Turkey Trot" (a crazy exercise time sponsored by her P.E. teacher) with Gracie in the morning and then raced over to Hope's preschool later for her Thanksgiving Feast. Hope was ecstatic to discover she got to take Pooh home from preschool for the whole Thanksgiving break. (Each child gets a turn with Pooh and then writes in the journal and brings back pictures).

Here are Hope and Pooh in the fort we made in the living room.
Here we have the family drying Pooh off after his
Thanksgiving dip in the pool :-)
Ask Aunt Alecia about that one!


This was Pooh's first swim. Hope's preschool teacher said that in the 10 years she's had Pooh in her class, he's never been swimming - he's been in a hospital OR, but not swimming. We were proud to present Pooh with his first aquatic experience!

Hope was a little Indian (or Native American)

and the other class dressed as pilgrims.


I got her looking right at the sun - sorry pumpkin :(

I've got to say - I love Thanksgiving! The food is scrumptious and the relaxing family time is something I always treasure. I'm very grateful for so many things: my family (both immediate and extended), my faith, my church, my friends, my job, my house, the ability to learn new things, exercise, chocolate, blogging, and the list could go on and on. I am disciplining myself to have an attitude of gratitude throughout the rest of the year.

Persevering with a "Through" Faith

I know it's time to write something when I'm constructing paragraphs in my head and everything else I am doing is distracted by the thoughts swirling about. So, the college students waiting for their essay grades are going to have to wait just a bit longer. They'll be thankful in the long run since I'm not a very fair grader when I'm distracted :-)



I've been thinking about overwhelming situations or circumstances that pop up in peoples' lives and wondering sometimes how it's even possible to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Looking around at the world today, I see a lot of turmoil. Healthcare concerns us - what decisions will be made and how will they affect my loved ones? The economy is worrisome. The unemployment rate rose to 10.2% in October. The fear that wraps itself around a family facing unemployment can be paralyzing. Families are facing relational breakdowns. Soldiers who valiantly face death every day have been attacked on their own turf at Fort Hood in Texas. A disgruntled gunman killed six people in Orlando, Florida, today. I have a dear friend who is facing an insurmountable family crisis. My husband and I face uncertainty each day as business owners, knowing any decision or event may drastically affect our ability to succeed. It would be easy to let fear take over.



You see what I mean? You could probably add numerous examples of your own to this list. We all have our "stuff" to deal with. (I cleaned it up for posting purposes :)
So, my question becomes, what do we do with overwhelming circumstances? I don't want to be Pollyanna and cover up the difficulty with a blank stare and a pasty smile. I do want to know how to maintain hope and optimism despite my circumstances.



I've been learning some tools that help me cope with both the world's problems and my own. The first is to have a "through" kind of faith. One of my favorite Bible teachers, Beth Moore, talked about this kind of faith in her study, "Living Beyond Yourself, Exploring the Fruit of the Spirit." Her contention is that we should always associate "through" with faith - as in when we're going "through" something - we must trust our always faithful God. Consider Isaiah 43:2-3


"When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
And when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the LORD your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."



Many times we think that because we don't see God acting or doing what we want, that He's somehow not faithful. In other words, we often want God to change our circumstances, and perhaps, more often God wants to change us. Therefore, going "through" something with faith will probably mean that I'll come out of it with a stronger connection to God and a deeper appreciation for Him.



Remembering God's faithfulness is step one for me. It helps remind me not to look at my circumstances, but at God's hand reaching down, holding me. Step two is serving Him with the gifts He's given me. Serving something larger than myself shifts my focus from my circumstances to others and what needs they might have. Galatians 6:9 says "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." According to the New Testament Lexical Aids, (again from my favorite Bible Study teacher, not my own library :)) to become "weary" doing good means "to give in to trouble; to become exasperated by difficulty, be defeated in spirit, discouraged, or faint-hearted; to despair, lose heart. . . . to turn out to be a coward, to lose one's courage." Well, the last thing I want to be is a coward, especially when it comes to doing good for God. So, I will persevere. I will persevere, "because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." Rom. 5:3-5.



And so my friends, I urge you to keep pressing on and to rely on the ever faithful and true Jesus Christ. "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Halloween 2009

a ballerina, banana, polar bear, Ariel and a bunny (Grandma Tibby in the back)
aren't they cute?

Hannah Banana & Isabel polar bear

trying to be taller than her sister :)