Panic

Yesterday I had a little moment of panic when I found Aliyah choking on this. It's about the size of a nickel and it goes on the side of her goggles. (It hooks the elastic to the goggles.) She was still semi-breathing because it's full of holes but it was all the way in the back of her throat. I know from experience to not stick my finger down there to grab it so I flipped her over (upside down on my arm) and started hitting her back. After a few hits it flew out of her mouth and we were ok. But boy, I gotta tell you, there is nothing scarier than when your kid starts choking on something.
This isn't the first time she's choked either. When she was about 8 or 9 months old she found a quarter in Jace's car. (He was sitting in the car while he was talking to someone on the phone, Aliyah was playing in the passenger seat.) I don't know how it all happened because I was inside but all of a sudden Jace comes running in the house with Aliyah whose face is completely red with tears running down and he says, "She's choking on a quarter! What do I do!?!" (I guess he stuck his finger in her mouth to get it and ended up pushing it back farther on accident...which is why you're not supposed to do that - we learned after this experience.) I don't even know where I saw the baby Heimlich but I told him to flip her over and hit her. He said he had and I said, "Well, hit her harder!" So he did and it popped right out of her mouth after a few hits. HOLY COW! Jace and I were both shaking. It was so scary. So, I really try to look out for these small items that they can choke on, but sometimes things just get past you. It's like they have super vision for anything hazardous. Those little kids are pretty quick at grabbing stuff and putting it in their mouths.

Another Milestone

Well, both kids have reached another milestone. Today Xander turns 7 months old, and Aliyah turns 18 months old. I really don't know when they decided to get so big. It's crazy how fast time goes when you want your babies to stay babies. Now Aliyah is officially old enough for nursery (even though we've been taking her for a little over a month). And I didn't want to say anything for fear of a jinx, but Xander has slept through the night for almost a week now. That's 2 whole months earlier than Aliyah. I just love my kids to death and am so happy for every milestone that comes their way. It's so much fun watching them grow and interact with each other.


I had to put this picture on here because they look like they're being tortured or something. Honestly you two, it's just a picture!

Post - post: I took Aliyah for her 18 month old wellness check on March 3. She weighs 25 lbs and is 32 inches tall. She's just growing up so much. That makes her overall in the 76th percentile.

Smarty Pants

Lately Aliyah is obsessed with doing up any type of buckle she can find. When we go to the grocery store, she has to do herself up in the cart. When she gets in her high chair, she has to do herself up. When she gets in her stroller, she has to do herself up. Do you see a pattern here? There's just one problem. She can't do up the straps in grocery carts. Mostly it takes her the entire time I'm in the store and it's still undone. I'm ok with this as long as it keeps her occupied and sitting. Is that bad? She also gets in Xander's carseat and does up that strap so whenever we put him in we have to undo it first...what a pain. I'm so glad that she is mastering this concept, because it's kind of hard. Most of the time she'll get so frusterated because she can't do it, but all I have to do is stand by her and coach her and most of the time she gets it by herself.
And it's not just buckles. She has to zip up her own jacket too. Now, she doesn't know how to do this, but if I even attempt to do it for her she about blows a fuse. She is definitely a do-it-yourself kind of gal. I don't know where she got that. :)

Trying to put together the stroller. This one's a bit more difficult for her.

The carseat. I don't know how she learned this one, but she's a pro! Way to go, baby!

The Rough-Neck

Ever since Aliyah was new Jace has loved to throw her around and wrestle her. It's been fun to watch because she loves it. She will giggle while Jace pushes her over, tickles her, and throws her onto the couch. This is one example of the "rough-neck."




She absolutely LOVED this and kept telling Jace "more." She is hysterical to watch...and I love that she's not too much of a girly girl to rough house with daddy.

Sniffles, Sneezes, and Stuffy noses

Well, the cold bug has settled itself in at the Vernon house. I got a cold a couple days ago. Coughing, stuffy nose, feeling like crap...you know how it is. But now the munchkins have it too. Both of them got it yesterday. We didn't take Aliyah to nursery because I wouldn't want other mom's to put their child in there with a cold. So that was a lot of fun with 2 kids at church. Actually, I went late with the kids because I fell asleep when I put them down for their naps and woke up when Jace came home from his meetings telling me it was 1:00 and time for church. Oops. Naps are the best when your sick...aren't they?
It's so sad to have sick kids, especially a cold cuz you can't give them anything. Poor Aliyah, I could hear her trying to breathe early this morning when I got Xander a bottle. And Xander was having a rough time too, so I propped his head up with a blanket. I hate when kids get sick. So basically I'm totally looking forward to more days of runny noses, sneezing, coughing, and bad attitudes. That's the best.

BUBBLES!

We went to the grocery store tonight..I know, fun date huh. Well, Jace found some bubbles and decided to get them for Aliyah to play with. It was a hit and she tried to catch them until Jace was finally sick of blowing them for her. Good times.

Basketball with Daddy

I was in our bedroom getting ready for the day when I heard Xander giggling. I came out to find Jace teaching Xander basketball. It was pretty cute. Xander kept trying to pick up the ball, or hit it. He's gonna be a balla like his dad.

ABC Tag

A-Attached or Single? Attached to my hot hubbie, Jace! (It's almost been 4 years!)
B-Best Friends? Jace (of course) and I am totally bad at keeping in touch with people, but I'd have to say Sara and Courtney...maybe all the "office wives."
C-Cake or Pie? CAKE! I just love cake!
D-Day of Choice? Saturday...when Jace stays hangs out with me.
E-Essential Items? for me? ...I would have to say my hair straightener, eyeliner, chocolate, and scriptures
F-Favorite Colors? Lately I love neutrals...earth tones, but then I do always love bright colors too...red, green, blue. You know, springy stuff. I guess it depends on my mood. I don't really have one favorite.
G-Gummy bears or worms? Gummy worms...the sour ones.
H-Hometown? Fruit Heights, UT. Loved growing up there!
I-Favorite Indulgence? When the kids are asleep and I'm the only one up, I love the quietness and just to be able to do anything I want! (Ice creams a good one too.)
J-January or July? July! It's full of birthdays (mine and Xander's) and parades. What's not to love about July?
K-Kids? 2 beautiful babies. Aliyah is almost 18 months. She likes to be the center of attention, but at the same time is shy. She is the best big sister to her brother, always getting him toys and making sure he's ok. Xander is almost 7 months. He's my chunky man, and the happiest baby ever! He loves everything.
L-Life isn't complete without? My family and I have to get churchy on this one...the gospel. How could it be otherwise?
M-Marriage date? June 18, 2004
N-# of brothers and sisters? 2 sisters. Amy is my big sis, she's 25, single and HOT! Natalie is the younger sis and she's 19, married, and a great babysitter for my kids.
O-Oranges or apples? Oranges are good, but I have to be in the mood. I like apples...especially grapples. (Apples soaked in grape juice...they are divine! You can get them at Albertson's or Harmon's.)
P-Phobia or fears? Sharks, sharks, sharks. I don't know where it came from, but as long as I can remember I have always been scared of sharks.
Q-Quote? O there are so many. But off the top of my head: "Faith...When you have come to the edge of all the light that you know, and are about to step off into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing one of two things: there will be something solid to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly."
R-Reason to smile? My kids always make me laugh...even when I am frustrated with them, I can't stay mad long. And Jace also makes me smile.
S- Superman or Wonder Woman? When superman was Christopher Reeve I loved him. I would watch it at my grammie's house with my sisters. Those were the days...
T-Tag 5 people? Sara, Tyra, Tammie, Jen, & Suz
U-Unknown fact about me? I hate odd numbers. If I can help it I'll schedule important things on even numbered days. Example: marriage day 6/18/04. My birthday is the 2nd, my kids were both born on the 28th. I don't know what I have against odd numbers, but they bug me.
V-Vegetable? My favorite...green beans, cucumber, zucchini, squash, broccoli...pretty much I love them all
W-Worse habit? Probably that I have a short fuse. I sometimes get angry way to easy, especially once a month...don't know why?
X-X-Ray or Ultrasound? I've never had an X-ray...so I guess ultrasound. I love seeing that little baby growing inside you...ahhh. Don't worry, I can wait for another ultrasound. :)
Y-Your favorite food? This is so bad...but lately I have a roll fetish. I LOVE the pillsbury buttermilk rolls. YUM! And of course who doesn't love Texan Roadhouse rolls?
Z-Zodiac Sign? Cancer

At The Park

This is the new park they just finished a couple blocks from our house. I decided it would be fun to take the kids for a park adventure.


It's pretty nice. They also have a basketball court, 2 tennis courts, a splash pad, and a big field of grass. I think we'll have some good times here.

Aliyah wasn't so sure about it. We don't have stairs in our house so it takes her a bit to warm up to them.

I'll be honest...she hated the slide until I went down with her. I didn't get a chance to take any pictures when she was actually smiling because by that time Xander wasn't.

This is Xander's first park adventure. It pretty much sucked for him because he was stuck in the carseat the whole time. When it's only me with 2 munchkins it's a bit of a challenge. We ended up only staying about 10 minutes. That's all this kid could take. But I'd be a bit bored if I was stuck in that thing too.

Girl Time

This morning Aliyah disappeared for a little bit. I looked all over the house. Then I found her...


I asked her to show me what she had and I swear she said "tampon."




After that I decided we might need a different type of girl time. So, I painted Aliyah's toes for the first time. She said she wanted pink so that's what we both got. She just stared the whole time I was painting her toes. After I was done I pulled her feet up to my face to blow on them and she got the giggles. She thought it was pretty funny.

Peek - A - Boo!

A couple weeks ago Xander learned how to play Peek-A-Boo. So while we were playing today I decided to whip out the ol' camera and snap some shots. Isn't he adorable?

"Where's Xander?"



"There he is!" Isn't he the cutest kid!?!

Hair Elastics Make GREAT Bracelets!

Of course, like all girls, I will sometimes put a hair elastic on my wrist just in case it's a day when I can't stand my hair and it might need to go up. A couple months ago I caught her with one of my elastics on her wrist and I thought it was so funny. Now whenever she sees that I have an elastic she needs one too. Or if she just sees one laying around it goes right to the wrist. What a cutie.
Here she is jammin' out to her music.

It's FINALLY Here!

I absolutely LOVE the Parade of Homes. Every February since we've lived down here we drive from city to city and look at all these Beautiful houses. Last year was a bit challenging carrying a kid around, and this year we have two to haul around. Well, it starts today and I am so very excited about it. This year I'm looking for great decorating ideas and nice paint textures and techniques. I'll keep you posted if I find anything I absolutely can't live without.

Valentine's Day Traditions

Growing up in my family it was a tradition on Valentine's Day to make sugar cookies (obviously in the shape of a heart) and take them to our neighbors. We would always leave them on the porch and doorbell ditch them. It was a lot of fun. So this Valentine's Day I decided to keep the tradition alive. Aliyah was a bit too young this year to help, so I did it myself. Next year will be a lot of fun. So, here's my cookies, and here they are all packaged for delivery.

We weren't able to get a baby sitter for the kids...ahh, who am I kidding. We didn't even try because our only baby sitter is my sister and I figured that was a lost cause. She's babysitting on Friday. So we celebrated with the kids at the Pizza Factory.

New Teeth

This has pretty much been the scene around our house for the last...mmm...week and a half, I think. We couldn't figure out why Aliyah was SO whiny and screamed whenever we put her to sleep. Well, a couple days ago I was brushing her teeth and discovered 4 new teeth...2 of which are molars on the bottom...and a light went on, DUH. But I do know why I never even thought of it...no fever, no runny nose, nothing. How can a mom know this is coming if there are no physical signs? So, we put baby orajel all over her gums, cuz I think more are on the way, and now I guess we just have to sit it out and wait through all the whining. I'm sorry, baby. That's no fun at all...for both of us.
(If you zoom in on the picture you can kind of see those little rascals.)

I Found A Good Quote

"Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace."
--Ezra Taft Benson

Mommy's Little Helper

Aliyah is usually a pretty good helper around the house. You've seen how she helps with the garbage, and she also helps make my bed by bringing me all the pillows, and she'll take all the dirty diapers and put them by the garage door so we can take them out. She's a big help with Xander too. When he cries she'll give him his binky, or blanket, or toy...just something to calm him down. If she can't make him happy she'll come get Jace or me. I don't know how she knows to help or why she wants to, but I think it's the cutest thing. I guess I should take all the help I can get now cuz I'm sure it won't last for long.
Today she heard me unloading the dishwasher and came running to help. She takes out the clean utinsel and hands it to me so I can put it away. :)



Putting the rack away to shut the dishwasher. Oops, the silverware basket is stuck.

Our first casualty of Aliyah helping. :( That's why she only gets to help with the silverware.

She showed no emotion when the bowl broke. She just wanted a hug. I think the noise scared her.

Sunday Fun!

Yesterday we had Stake Conference so it was over at 12. (So much better than starting at 1.) That left a lot of time to mess around with the munchkins. We had a lot of fun playing last night. Here are some pictures.

Sitting up like a pro. Good job buddy!

Looking at their CRAZY dad.

Yah, that's Xander's lounger, but do you think Aliyah cares about that? It almost touches the ground when she sits in it. Little chunk!

Ahh, hugs. Notice Xander's arm behind his head. He's a true boy, just kickin' back on a Sunday.

Kisses too! I'm glad they love each other now. I have a feeling we're going to have major wars between these two when their older. Starting with...

First, Aliyah knocked Xander in the head with the pillow...

Now he's tipping over. Her plan is working to perfection.

1...2...3 He's OUT! Aliyah wins. Just wait til he's old enough to move. I'm sure he'll get you back for this one, baby.

Calming down with some tunes before bedtime.

There's even hugs left over for mom.

Cute Xander

I had to post this...cute naked Xander. He now loves his stomach, unless he's been laying on it for a while. He lays there and kicks his legs...so cute.

Happy Birthday Amy!

Today is my sister, Amy's, 25th birthday! Wow, you're like half way to 50. That's old. :) I just wanted to tell you I love you and love having you for a big sis. You're so loving and so caring of others and their feelings. You've fought with me, you've cried with me, you've always been there for me. I love you and wanted to say HaPPy bIRtHdaY!

Amy, Xander, Me, and Aliyah at Christmas.

Amy and Me in Cancun. (Don't look at my fat arm, Xander was only 2 months old, give me a break.)

Xander Sits

A couple days ago I realized that we really haven't been spending that much time trying to help Xander sit. He has a bumbo (if you don't have one, you need one) that helps him sit up so I kind of forgot. Well, here are some of his attempts. He's actually quite good. It's just when that noggin' goes to one side he's down.

Sitting up and doing very well.

He just tipped over backwards. Not the best way to go. He's usually fine if he tips sideways, but backwards he hit right on his head.

Still pretty distraught about the fall.

As you can see, now I had to hold him up. He was pretty upset.