Long over due announcement.... Baby Layla is here!!!
Ashley & Paul Blanchard welcomed their baby girl Layla Faye Blanchard on December 21st. Ashley looks as beautiful as ever, sucking on a sucker ready to be a mommy! These are the only pictures we have recieved so far, we hope to see more!!!
However we are so excited for the arrival of sweet Layla, London can't wait to meet her! Congrats to Ash & Paul!!!
Christmas through the eyes of a child...
London has enjoyed everything about this Holiday season! Her favorite movie is Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, it is contantly playing over and over throughout the day. When London hears her favorite songs she comes from where ever she is playing and starts singing and dancing. You would think I would be going crazy with the movie playing and her new Rudolph doll singing his song over and over again, but I'm NOT! I am just happy to see her loving this time of year!
She loves our Christmas tree! Londs cracks us up, she gets right up to the tree and puts her whole body against it and giggles saying, "the tree is tickling me!". It has been a great adventure seeing Christmas through a child's mind and eyes. Everything is beautiful, the Ahhhs and Ohhhs, the Christmas songs come alive and the whole meaning of Christmas comes into perspective.
The best piece of decor is our nativity that sits on our table, displaying the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ! This is the overall meaning of Christmas! We don't focus on Santa Claus a whole lot in our home, however London is aware who he is and was excited to take pictures with him! We even found an adorable letter holder at Deseret Book. Seeing that London loves to receive letters and pretends to write and mail off letters, we decided to draw a letter to Santa of the things she loves and is grateful for. Santa Claus was really impressed when she walked up and handed him her letter. I think he was more impressed with her age and lack of an upset episode. 
Mary & Joseph....
Yes it is true! Both Robbie and I played Mary & Joseph in our ward Christmas play. Gratefully we just had to act out the part and go along with the narrators Que. We were nominated to be the couple to stand in for Mary & Joseph I think obviously because I have a belly. London was not sure about her baby doll laying in the manger. She was concerned the whole time!
Everyone dressed up in the era of Christ. They had food, games and taxes as if we were living and experiencing that very moment. It was a fun time!
We have a profesional photographer in the ward that takes family pictures every year... here we are in our festive clothing!
This was taken just for fun! We thought it would be a great opportunity to sport the belly! Ha!
I love the simplicity of white lights!
I love this time of year when lights are all around us. There is something about those little white lights, so warm and inviting.. with a touch of romance. It warms my mood as well as my thoughts. This time of year can be one of the most stressful times; thoughts about money, giving, school finals and the festive events running all around you as you try to keep up with all the things you want to get in before the season has come and gone. However, it is truely a blessed time to really stop and think of our Savior and his birth and life, even so our own lives and the amazing people who play a special place in all our joy!
Big Girl Birthday Bash!!!!!
It is amazing how fast time flys! Here we are again with another wonderful year ahead of us to celebrate London's Birth. She has turned TWO, and such a big girl! She has been such an amazing part of our lives...never a boring moment! It always humbles me to think that I am her mother , and I have her in my life. My love for her deepens everyday. She is my bestest buddy, we do everything together! I am grateful for the sacrifices both Robbie and I make so I can be home with her. She has become such an independent, intelligent, funny and sweet girl! She is always thoughtful of others and will be the best big sister when this little boy comes. I love you little LU!!! Happy Birthday!
I never thought this time of year would be as crazy and challenging to celebrate a Birthday, but it has at least this year. The week of London's Birthday, both Robbie and I had 10-12 page research papers due on her Birthday. This glitch in our plans didn't leave us much time to plan the birthday party we wanted for London. However, everything came together!
The morning of her Birthday we rushed out the door to pick up Yummy pink cookies to share with her Totnastic class and then off to Totnastics. Our next stop was Toys R Us to pick out her little kitchen with a detour to drop off the dreaded research papers. Ahhhh... we thought we were done for the day! The day carried on like a whirlwind and the next thing we knew it was five o'clock and no party preparation let alone really any plans for one in place... we couldn't let her birthday go by without some celebration. All London would talk about was a cake, balloons and hats!!! That is what she wanted for her Birthday and neither one of us were going to let her Birthday wish dwindle without any effort.
In one hour we called up some family friends, made a cake, ran and got balloons, party stuff and back in time for our party to begin. She loved it!! So here are the moments of her Birthday! Once again we have no pictures.... our camera is still in the shop! RATS!!!!
**So go to the bottom of the blog and push pause on the music(upper left hand side) so you can see & hear the celebration.
Well, it has been confirmed... we had our ultrasound this morning! Everything looks great and our due date stands strong April 19, 2008. We have a very excited daddy who is excited to have a little boy!
We have alot to catch you all up on! We just got home last night from our Thanksgiving trip in San Francisco.... that means video update. Our camera is still in the shop so I don't have any pictures to post, still...ughhhhh. Soon enough!! 
I've been Tagged!!!!!
Since we don't have our camera to take snap shots of daily adventures (our camera is still getting repaired) I thought I might as well post something that has been sitting on my shoulders. My Bff Amy has tagged me twice now, so here goes! I have been recently tagged to state 6 facts or habits that few know about me. Hmmmm....
1. I clean as I go. When cooking or baking I have to use what I need and put it away to keep a clean area. I love to have everything in a organized manner in which I am not over whelmed with a mess. It sounds alittle OCD but it works well for me!
2. I have the biggest sweet tooth! Whenever I go grocery shopping I come home with some sort of candy. I have a bin in the pantry filled with candy on hand for me or visitors that have the same sweet indulgence syndrome.
3. Lip gloss is a must! I love lip gloss and have several different lip glosses laying around and tucked in my bag just in case I forget my favorite stick of gloss.
4. Baby bag fetish. I have one! I have gone through several bags that can be converted into a baby bag/ purse. I'm not into the traditional baby bags....I am always looking for that perfect over sized, stylish bag to carry treats and necessities for Londs and I. I cannot stand the thought of being somewhere without something. My bags become the Mary Poppin bag, I've got it all!
5. I love the outdoors! It is natures playground and I wish we had more time and places to spend our time outdoors.
6. I love reading stories to my two year old. We read all the time with London, I love getting new books from the library each week to read a new story and see her little mind turning and taking it all in. These little people are sponges!
Halloween 2007
Halloween has come and gone, another super busy day of great memories! London as you can see wanted to be a Zebra. More than anything she had to be some kind of animal. Mom really wanted her to be a girlie something; but as I thought more about it I realized, how many more years could she be an animal? Plus she loves all animals and this is what she wanted to be. I thought it was bizarre that they had a Zebra costume... Our school mascot was a Zebra of all animals. As I got to thinking (after the fact) I should have dressed up in one of my old High School cheerleading outfits as we took her around to Trick or Treat. Haa... crazy thought.
We had a great time as a family grouping up at David & Crystals house for some warm, yummy chili and cornbread. It was just what the body needed after a long day. We took the kids out and around their neighborhood for Trick or Treating. London loved it! She had the idea and started running from door to door with her cousins to get her candy. At first she wasn't quite sure what she did after she got her candy, she tried walking into the first two homes to visit. With no worries she had the Trick or Treat saying down pac and Thank you, Happy Halloween as she left. We got video, unfortunately our camera is in the repair shop so we weren't able to get pictures! We have been so bummed as our camera is everything to us! We hope you all had a wonderful & safe Halloween!!!!
A Trip To The Pumpkin Patch With Grandpa McNicol
Grandpa and Londs had a blast at the pumpkin patch, London was amazed at all the pumpkin!
It was a hot day out at the Dixon Ranch Pumpkin Patch, we even went out in the later part of the day and it was still blazing! We were hoping to make it up to Apple Hill while we were visiting, but time didn't allow us. Next Year! I miss the Autumn weather and colors as well as all the fun festive things that are at your finger tips. We have pumpkins in a parking lot as our pumpkin patches... it just isn't that appealing or as fun! I was glad Grandpa took the time to take us to the Punpkin Patch:0
London at the Sacramento Zoo....
Animals is all London signs about, sings about and talks about! I was so excited to take her to the Zoo I had visited as a child, plus it was a healthy clean Zoo. Las Vegas as I have mentioned in previous posts has a sick Zoo. Everything looks sick or malnourished. This is a huge bummer as I love going to the Zoo learning about the different animals myself and best of all, to watch Lond's get so excited! It was a fun day!
London loved the Flamingo's, she even left from the zoo store with a little Flamingo bubble necklace and Flamingo stuffed animal. She carries it everywhere, you wouldn't know it was a new toy it looked so dirty we have already washed it after two days of carrying it around.
The Kangaroos were having a lazy day.. most of the animals were sleeping or laying around that day. We must have the worst timing when it come to picking a time for the Zoo.
Little Miss Truck driver... she loves to pretend the whole driving thing, even in our own cars.
The Lion.... The Sacramento Zoo is not as huge as I remember it as a child, but it is big enough! It is a perfect child size Zoo. I wish I would have been able to snap a few pictures of the penguins but our camera has not been working well for us. It is a shame, they were so cute they reminded me of the movie"Happy Feet".Wedding of Lance and Jessica McNicol
Lance & Jessica's wedding was beautiful, from the amazing view of the Ocean cliffs,the enchanting atmosphere and the couple joining a life together!It was such a great time to be with family & to be back in California. We are so excited to welcome another sister in law into the family.. the last one! It was my first time meeting Jessica and she has such a sweet personality! From what I was able to observe, she is the perfect catch and so perfect for my little brother. I respect her for not being a high maintenance girl that wants the riches of the world! She is very down to earth and lives life with simplicity and happiness.We are excited to get to know her more!!She is as much beautiful on the inside as the outside, good pick Lancer!
Londs kept saying look at the princess as we watched the ceremony, but then quickly fell asleep in Dads arms. It was a great time to be together! These are just a few pictures we were able to snap. I know the photographer caught the best ones, can't wait to see them! Enjoy!
* Remember to go to the bottom of the page to pause the music on the left hand side of the player.. it will be more enjoyable to listen to!
It's in the air... Babies, Babies, Babies....
It has been a long awaited announcement as we wanted see how long we could wait until we could wait no more to say.. We are having baby #2! We are 14 weeks and growing.. Some of you may already know, but we wanted to tell our siblings before posting the news on the blog as they check it out often. We finally made our way around through phone calls and even a yucky text to spread the news. Now you all know!
We thought we would post it before we head off to Sac town tonight for Lance's wedding this weekend. Who knows who we will see and if people will stare at my little bump and feel uncomfortable to ask the question.. are you??? I am, and It has been so far a better pregnancy than I had with London. I am nausea, but not throwing up 24/7.. Blessings! I am still teaching my classes as before and plan on teaching to the end! I love exercise, I think it has leveled out my endorphins and has kept my energy levels somewhat up to keep up with Londs.
Our expectant date is April 20th, 2008! We are extremely excited as well as London! When we ask is she would like a baby brother or sister she says sista, then brother and then sista. She is a cheeky little one.. she likes to play games with us! We heard the heartbeat the other day when Kelly came over to cut our hair. She had a friend who as a gift rented her a Doppler machine.. whatever you call them to hear the heartbeat. Kelly and I are due within a day or so from each other. Sooo she brought it over for all of us to hear it together. It was fun to see Lond's get all giggly. I will try to post the video, however my hair is in foils and I am exposing my belly... maybe I'll think about it first!
The day at the Lied Museum with cousin Kylie.....
It was a great time to meet up with London's cousin Kylie and have adventures through our local Lied Museum. It is a great hands on Museum that allows the kids to interact with displays upon displays. We spent a good hour and a half with the girls inside with plenty of more to see and do. They say it takes about three and a half hours to go through everything. We were surprised to see that the girls were still going and exploring everyhting they could. They have a supermarket you can shop and play cashier at the register. They have a section for children a year to five years old to keep them entertained with learning machines and props. They have bubbles,acting stage, a music studio to make your music. The list goes on and on with the many things to explore. I think the girls loved the house stuff and climbing in the tunnels more than anything! We then came over to our place and watched London's favorite signing time video "The Zoo train". The girls had pizza and yummies and then still wanted to play more. Once Kylie and Erica left I couldn't get London down for her nap, she was still busy as ever. It was a great day!! Thanks Kylie and Erica for coming to play with us!!
Well, really Londs has had a few trims here and there, but this was her first big cut of a inch and a half taken off. She was so good and just let Kelly (our friend and hair dresser) cut her pretties. It is such a blessing that Londs hair is wavy and curly it makes it easy to do and is so cute on her, I was afraid by cutting it she would loose the curls. The curls bounced back up and she was our curly sue again!!
Summerlin Art Festival...
It was a beautiful autumn day to walk around the Festival. A few girlfriends and I took Londs to the Summerlin Art Festival last Saturday and enjoyed the yummy foods you find at these sort of places.We feasted on the yummy Italian ice and kettle corn. London loved all of the different arts and people. She especially loved the kettle corn and walking around like a big girl! She loved the fish at this exhibit, I had to make sure she didn't touch any of them as they were very brakeable. She was good just to look! These are just a few of the artist working on their space on the sidewalk. I wish I woiuld have taken more pictures, there was some amazing work!
HAPPY OCTOBER!!!
This is my most favorite time of the year!! I love fall, and get so excited for the upcoming events that await family togetherness and traditions. I anticipate the autumn air and the change in the leaves and colors of the sky. It is the greatest time to reflect on the amazing creations our Heavenly Father has given us, including life it's self! There is a peace I feel during this time; it might be the cozy sense of fresh veggie's harvested, oranges are in season and the fresh citrus aroma it leaves on your hands. Possibly it is General Conference around the corner with great enrichment for the soul. I enjoy something baking in the oven and football in the background. The most sweetest pleasure is the beginnings of the crisp air in the morning, the days grow shorter with the sun kissing you with fall warmth and by the end of the day you are again left with a bite of coolness preparing you for the snuggles of your bed and loved ones. This is why I love this time of year!! I thought it would be fun to put a little festive touch to the blog page... let me know your thoughts. Is it too difficult for you to read the writing? Does it damage your eyes with a power or orange? Let me know your fall thoughts!
Our trip to South Dakota was a few weeks ago, and yes I am finally posting it!! It was and is always so great to go home to South Dakota. Grandma and Granpa Lueck are so much fun!Every time we visit, I feel like I am leaving my own home. It is a beautiful place with such beautiful and amazing people!
Our main visit for the trip was for Robbie's 10 year high school reunion.... that is another post! It was so much fun to meet his high school buddies! It was very busy as we were all helping with the reunion and spending time with our favorite people....grandma & grandpa. London loved, loved everyday with grandma and grandpa, they kept her busy with running around outside, taking her on four wheeler rides and helping grandma in her garden! Did I mention her bath's? Oh my, she loved bathing in the big bathtub, didn't miss a day!!!!
This little slide show is just a small glimpse of how busy and fun our week ended. We always tend to take too many pictures so take a look and just know this was not it!
(don't forget to go to the end of the blog page to the music & click on upper left hand corner to turn the music off:)
It was about time to update our family photos. London has changed so much this past year, it has been fun to see her change in each picture from year to year! 
Our little princess pose.......
My little Buddy!!!!
These last couple of weeks have been extremely busy! Last week both Robbie and I started back up at school, running around getting books and school supplies gets exhausting! So we successfully made it through the first big week back to school then..... we got sick! Robbie first, then Londs and I thinking I was in the clear as I nursed them back to health out of no where.. BAMM it got me! That nasty viral/flu stuff, yucky! It is still lingering a bit as I finally catch you all up on our crazy week.
South Dakota friends and family, I still yet have my post on our adventures in South Dakota! Without further delays, I hope to have it posted SOOON!
As for this week we had many highlights that have slightly been over looked by our illnesses. First we celebrated Robbie's 29th Birthday Sept. 8th. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Cute boy!!!
Above to the right we have little miss gymnast, doing her thinga miagigger. We haven't quite made a name up for it yet. She will do this for an outstanding amount of time, yes we worrie she is getting to much blood to the head, but she loves this trick and it's entertaining to see her do it over and over again. A little kooo ko!
Then we have her standing on her bike! Quite the trickster, might I add she has great balance! Perfect trick to practice for those snowboard training years, right?
Last, but not least we have the accident Robbie had on our crazy freeways here in Las Vegas. Last Thursday he was commuting to school when the car in front of him kicked up a huge chain! It was coming straight at him and luckily only hit his truck. The chain wrapped around to his drivers side door, adding huge welted holes.It crushed in the radiator and grill. More damage was done then what you can see in the picture. Could you only imagine the damage it would have done if it had hit a few more inches higher? It would have been a devastating day! We are so grateful for our blessings, and the safety in which we have. The first thought that came to my mind was the family prayer we had that morning. I remember we specifically asked to be watched over and that no harm would come upon us. I know Robbie was watched over in that incident!
Well, the time has come to catch you up on our much needed time away from Vegas! San Diego was a blast! We car pooled down to San Diego with our buddies the Brandts. It was so fun to get away with them all, (Zach, Nancy, Sydney & Noah) and spend time at the beach, on the boardwalk and just relaxing with great company! London was a trooper, she was feeling a little under the weather as her upper molars decided to go on vacation with us. Londs is always a happy girl & the star of the party. London was happy to have her buddy Sydney along with us (her babysitter) & her heart throb, Noah! More than anything it was a treat to have Dad all to ourselves for several days!!! Whahoooo!
Here are our San Diego Adventures!!
**Reminder: Go to the bottom of the page & turn off music on the left upper hand corner.
This past week, or better said our last couple of weeks have been super busy! Both Robbie and I have been finishing up summer school this week... yeppie yah! It is such a relief to have another semester behind you! Along with school we have kept busy with the daily grind with little tiny, teaching at the club and Robbie working on a bathroom remodel. We are excited to have a few weeks off to just spend time as a family! We are taking off to San Diego next week and then off to the beautiful Dakotas to visit Grandma & Grandpa Lueck on the farm:) We hope we'll get a chance to keep you posted on our adventures as we go, if not we'll catch you up before long!
Here are a few of my favorite moments of this week:
London riding under the blazing sun on her Radio Flyer, a classic vintage ride! I love the little bell and red/white handlebar streamers, too cool!
I love to see and hear my two favorite people laughing and playing together! Daddy reading a book about planes to Londs in the "office." Ever since we have returned from Nor Cal, London has talked non stop about planes. She can't wait to fly on another plane, she thinks they are the coolest!!!! She loves wearing her little backpack...just like daddy! I love to see them smile!
Someone is sticker HAPPY! While we were at IN & OUT for lunch, the guy helping us handed London a stack of stickers... her favorite!!! She wanted to stick them on everything including herself! Come to find out, the stickers were very sticky and stuck to her little body like glue. She didn't like taking them off one bit!
* Before watching the video go to the bottom of the page to the music player and click on the upper left hand side to turn off music.
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