Water Weekend 2

We seriously can't get enough water! Both the kids are so daring when it comes to the pool. I don't really think that's a good thing. Jace and I are constantly watching and can't turn our heads for even a second.
On Friday the kids and I went to the water park on Main Street with Sara and Avery. The girls were so funny. They would follow each other around everywhere. Xander didn't like it so much this time, and was really whiny. But we ended up staying almost 2 hours. It was a lot of fun.







And today Jace and I took the kids to the new Washington City Rec Center. We looked around a bit and they have everything! Workout room, basketball courts, rock climbing, gymnastics/tumbling area...and our favorite...swimming pools! I didn't take a lot of pics...cuz like I said...my kids are a little too daring. But we had a lot of fun. Our only complaint...Why isn't there an outside pool? (-O...and why the heck don't they think they need to heat the pool? I guess that's 2 complaints...O well.) They have all the pools inside, but the walls open up to the outside...if that makes sense. Xander loved the kiddie area where he could crawl around on his stomach. He even got into a little deeper water. When he would army crawl his head would go under, but when he lifted it up he would have a HUGE grin on his face. He learned to hold his breath. He loves to be on his back and he floats! Aliyah loved to walk around everywhere. Her favorite place to be was where the water was up to her chin...which was by the rope. She would walk to the rope, play with the floaty, and walk back to where the water wasn't quite as high so she could get a better breath of air.
It was a lot of fun, but the kids and I are a bit worn out from all the sun and water. It's something we won't get tired of though.

BLINDS!

Holy cow! So, we've lived in this house for a little over 10 months now I've been pretty happy about the decorating and everything. All except Xander's room. It's a long story, but we hired an interior designer when we moved in because we were getting all new stuff and I was 9 months pregnant and I didn't want to deal with it. To sum it up he COMPLETELY sucked and we are completely UNsatisified. He ended up getting us blinds for every room EXCEPT Xander's...and 4 months after we moved in. Nice huh. He's an idiot! (I'm not happy with him...can you tell?) Anyway, I was waiting and waiting for Jace to get paid out on some investments so I could get some nice blinds that match the rest of the house. Well, that was clear back when we got our blinds and Xander's room has still gone with no blinds...and it is horrible! He is on the west side of the house so it's especially bad at night trying to put him to sleep with the sun blazing through his window. (We've been covering his crib with a heavy blanket, but he kicks it off. So it doesn't really work.) He's been getting up early in the morning too because the sun is up at like 6. He wakes up between 6:30 and 7:00. That is SO early! The earliest Aliyah gets up is 8:00. So, I finally decided that it's not worth it anymore. Jace and I ventured out to Home Depot and got some blinds that almost match the rest of the house. They look alright. So, without further ado...the blinds...

My Mr. Fix-it.


The sound of the drill made Xander sad.

Aah. The finished product. It was weird to walk in Xander's room tonight and put him to sleep with the sun not blaring in my eyes. Hopefully he'll sleep longer in the morning too.

Xander's First Hair Cut

Here he is...his first hair cut and he'll be 10 months old tomorrow. That must mean he has his dad's hair...YIKES. It's weird to see him without the hairs sticking out by his ears.

Priceless

Wardies

I have come to love our new ward and it's only taken me 9 months. That's a record for me. I've met some awesome girls and now I know even more. So...I wanted to give a big shout out to Janna who organized a "girl's night" for all the "younger" girls in the ward to meet and greet. I had a lot of fun and can't wait to go out again.

Here's me and all my new girl friends eating at the Olive Garden. :)

Working On It

Well, as you can tell, I've been using photoshop. But, you can tell by the size that I'm still working on it. So, thank you to all of you that offered help...especially Jen and Lindsey. I'll keep in touch...I'm still nowhere near as good as you 2.

Thanks

Water Weekend

The weather down here is heating up significantly, so I'm glad there is so much water around. We'll start out with Friday.
While I was getting Xander ready for a night out, Jace took Aliyah to get the mail. On the way back I guess she got distracted in the empty lot next to our house. Jace came in and got me and I saw this:
This girl isn't afraid of getting messy and playing with some rocks. She was so cute playing in the dirt by herself.

Here she found a bug. She LOVES watching the bugs. Most of the time she wants to touch them, which would be fine if she didn't squish them when she did this. Then she gets sad the bug isn't moving anymore. :(
After a quick photoshoot in the dirt, we headed off to dinner. I wanted to try the food at 25 Main since their cupcakes are so delicious, so that's where we went.



The food was good, but it's what I classify as "Mom Food." It's different flavors that as a kid I wouldn't touch. Only my mom liked it, hence the name of "Mom Food."
After we ate we walked over to the water park right on Main Street. I had only seen the water fountain and I had no idea that behind that there was the cutest water area especially for kids! I was in love! It totally caters to kids who are little and can't swim yet. At the deepest the water probably came up to Aliyah's knees...if that. I didn't know the park was like this or I would've brought the kids swim stuff. Instead they were in clothes and regular diapers which expand so much in the water. (I can't believe how much water those things hold!)

Here's the cute little water area. We all started out dry. Xander loves to walk everywhere and he loves water. So he had a blast! I was trying to keep them somewhat dry. I don't know why I even tried. Water + kids = wet. That's just how it works. And it's totally ok.


Xander loves the water too much to only walk in it. He was on his stomach and army crawling everywhere. And Aliyah kept running up to kids and staring at them. She is so intrigued by everyone.

This is at the fountain out by the street. As you can tell...both kids really loved the water. They were soaked!


It was definitely a hit and I know we'll be going back there soon.

On Saturday I was so happy that Jessica called, so I got to spend some time with her. It's always good to be with her. We have the best time. When I got home Jace told me he called the Stubbs and borrowed their pool key so we could go swimming. :) I LOVE swimming...and the sunshine. (We don't have an HOA fee over here. That's good...and bad. That also means we don't have a pool or tennis courts or a workout room or anything. So we would like to thank the Stubbs for helping us out. Hopefully, we will be able to put a pool in our backyard soon...with LOTS of pool parties.)
We were only there an hour and a half. But the kids loved every minute of it. Towards the end the wind was getting cold. Of course, once you were out of the pool and a little dry it was perfect...but the kids didn't want to just sit around. O the days of laying out are definitely over. Sigh...


Xander enjoyed the floaty. Here he was talking to it.

My little fish. She goes under the water and is learning to float on her back.

Me and my 2 babies. They're not such babies anymore though. :( Xander loves splashing and going under the water. Both are pretty good at holding their breath and not breathing in the water.

So, there you have it. Our weekend full of lots of good times, good memories, and refreshingly good water!

The BEST Dinner EVER!

For all of you who LOVE to get new recipes this blog is for you! About 2 weeks ago we had the best Enrichment night. We had a chef come who used to work at a day spa here in town. Now she does all the prep work for a place called Signature Suppers. (It's like "My Girlfriends Kitchen. You can go there and put meals together and go home and freeze them.) Anyway, the goal was to give us some meals that were healthy and yummy and didn't take a lot of time. And boy did they do a FABULOUS job.
Here is the recipe:

Chicken Pita Roll-Ups

home-made marinade...
1 C soy sauce
5 garlic cloves...minced (tastes so much better with fresh garlic)
20 turns of peppermill
1/4 C olive oil

Let 3-4 chicken breasts marinade in the fridge for 2-4 hours. Then put in dish, cover with tin foil and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked. (If you cook it in the marinade it will keep the chicken moist.)

pita filling...
(the measurements are suggestions. If you like more of something you can put in more.)
3 C chicken (cubed)
1/2 C Cucumber
1/4 C carrot (minced)
1/8 C red onion (minced)
1/4 C raisins
1/2 C feta cheese
1/4 C crushed walnuts
1/2 C tomato

Cut everything into bite-size pieces. Remember you're stuffing this.

Combine everything and stuff your pita or tortilla and enjoy! Jace and I put shredded cheese on top. We love cheese...just a suggestion.



Honestly, this recipe is SO EASY! The hardest part is cutting everything and even that isn't hard...it's just time consuming. It's really good too. Everyone should try it.

There is also a "house dressing" that goes with it. It's super simple and really good. You can use it to dip your chicken pita roll-up, or you can use it as a salad dressing or a marinade...the list is endless.

House Dressing

1/2 C Dijon Mustard
2 1/2 C Balsamic Vinegar
2 C Water
1/4 C Apple Juice Concentrate
1/2 red onion
1/4 C Honey

Mix everything in blender and serve cold...enjoy!
(helpful hint...put the honey in last so your blender can blend it in easier)

I hope you all try this. It's very healthy and very yummy.

I Hate Photoshop!

Ok. First of all, I DON'T GET IT!!! I don't understand the "language" of photoshop and I don't understand anything that I'm doing. Why doesn't something that costs so much money come with an owners manual or some type of instructions. That blows my mind that there is nothing to explain anything. I decided to just dink around with it to get the feel and figure stuff out...bad idea. It just got me frustrated. There are too many options...which I'll probably love when I figure it out, but for now I'm just mad.
Second of all...how does everyone figure it out? I've looked on the internet at tutorials and I understand completely when I watch them do it. Then I try and I don't get the results they do and...once again...frustrated. Even Jace hates it.
So, to all those who "love" photoshop and don't know how you ever lived without it...can I get a little help?

Family Filled Mother's Day Weekend

We ended up driving up North for Mother's Day weekend. We were going to stay home, but then one of Jace's friends wanted him to play in a softball game with his co-ed team on Friday, so we decided it was perfect because of the holiday. The kids are not turning out to be such good travelers anymore. Aliyah was always so good, but now she's got little Xander to influence her mood, and he hates to be in his car seat for more than an hour. Lately it's been hard because they downright refuse to nap in the car. That adds to the stress. O well.
So, we got to Provo earlier than expected and had time to stop at an elementary to play in the park. When we got to Jace's game the kids didn't like watching, so we played on some grass where Xander crawled for the first time! He actually moved his knees! Amazing.
We stayed with my parents that night and most of Saturday. My parent's were nice enough to watch the kids while Jace and I went to a movie. We saw "What Happens in Vegas"...(so funny). Then we headed to Coalville to see the Vernon's. We stayed there for Mother's Day and celebrated it at Jace's grandma's. Aliyah had so much fun playing with the cousin's. It was really good to see everyone.
So, that's a brief synopsis of the weekend. Enjoy the slide show...it's kind of long.
O - for my Mother's Day present Jace bought me Photoshop Elements 6. So you'll be seeing some great things soon...hopefully. :) Thank you, honey.

Fun at the Library

Every Thursday there is a play group at the library. This was the first week I was actually able to take the kids. There were about 20 or so kids there and it was so cute. They read some stories and sing songs and today they colored cards for Mother's Day.

This is during story time. Aliyah is sitting by Cru and Avery is patting Cru's head.

The battery died in my camera so I couldn't take more pictures than this. I really think the kids liked it. Aliyah probably liked it more than Xander. He was stuck in the stroller the whole time, but he was really good. Aliyah is mostly an observer and just liked to watch all the kids around her, but when they sang "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" she got into it. Somehow she always gets stuck on nose...(her finger gets stuck anyway...) It was really cute and I wish I could've started doing this sooner with Aliyah, but I guess we're starting now. We are looking forward to more trips to the library.

The In-N-Out Experience

So we tried In-N-Out on Monday with my sisters and Jalee and Kyle. The verdict is in...it's just a hamburger.

Jace and I munchin' on the grub

Jalee and Kyle. MMMmmmmmmmmmmm

Amy and Aliyah. She loved the ketchup...and running around outside...and the ketchup...

Xander was begging for scraps. He is so funny.

He was loving the Grilled Cheese. Yep, they have a grilled cheese. (I have the "secret menu")

Now I am trying to understand what the big deal about In-N-Out Burger is. I was expecting some huge, juicy, hamburger...the best I've ever had in my entire life and I was completely disappointed. It tastes just like every other hamburger I've ever had. I mean, I might as well have gone to Wendy's. It wasn't a bad hamburger...it just did not measure up to the hype. And the fries...are so rubbery! Eew. Who wants to eat rubber? If anyone has been to Hires it is SOOOOO much better. So, sorry to all you In-N-Out lovers, but I don't think we'll be going back anytime soon.

Sisterly Love

So this weekend my sis, Amy, came down to see Natalie graduate. Yay. My parent's couldn't make it down because my dad was also walking on Friday. (Yay Dad.) He is getting his Masters at the U of U. Congratulations Daddy! Amy got here on Friday and was warmly greeted by Aliyah...

and Xander.

The graduation was on Friday so we headed out to the Burns Arena. We had to wait forever for the Associates graduates to walk. The kids were troopers though...only because Aliyah was outside half the time.

We took some pics to pass the time. Aliyah loves getting her picture taken.

Here we all are on the back row. A staple for us Vernon's.

CONGRATULATIONS! You are now a graduate!

We ate at Iggy's after...mainly because the Jazz game was on and everyone is obsessed.

Here's the sisters all together and so excited for food.

Food wasn't as important to Xander. He had to make some phone calls.

Are you sure you're old enough to graduate?

Anyways, good times were had and the kids didn't last that long at Iggy's. We were out of there in about 30 minutes. But watching the Jazz game at home was so much more comfy than the hard chairs at Iggy's.
So today we (the sister's) all hung out. It was a lot of fun to be together. Natalie and I really don't get together as often as we should, so I'm glad we had an excuse. Jace was really sweet and took the kids pretty much all day so we could be together. (Thanks hun.)

Ahh, sweet. All the sissy's together. :)

We thought we would venture out to a movie. I really wanted to see Made of Honor...but it was sold out...along with every other movie playing. So we thought we would go support a certain smoothie franchise that is by the theater. No good deed goes unpunished. It was the worst thing we could've done. They were so disgusting. I don't know how you can mess up a fruit smoothie...but they did...3 times!


Boo! It was not good. We gave it a BIG thumbs down.

We chucked them in the garbage the first chance we got.
And so to get the yucky, filmy, chalky, disgustingly gross taste out of our mouths we had to go to 25 Main for a yummy cupcake. These got 2 thumbs up.


Mmmm. Nat couldn't wait to dig in.

So there you have it. 2 days of sisterly love. I'm sad to see Amy go...but she is staying til Monday. :) Hopefully we'll do this again soon.

Random Pics

I haven't written in a while, but that doesn't mean I wasn't taking lots of pictures. Here are some of my favorites over the last few days.