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

We got a little wagon to pull our little pumkin around, it was a bumpy ride!

Dirty Girls have more fun!!!!

Grandpa and Londs by the HUGE hay tractor!!

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!!

LONDON'S FIRST HAIR CUT!!!!!

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!!

Hanging out with Dad in the back of the Truck!!!!

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!

SOUTH DAKOTA........

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:)

LUECK FAMILY PICTURES 2007

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.......

Giving us her big cheesy smile......

My little Buddy!!!!

Ahhh, my bestest Buddy!!!!

THIS PAST WEEK!

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!
Rock on! Thanks grandparents, aunts and uncles for being patient with our overdue posts! Have a great week! We hope all the nieces and nephews have had a great first couple of weeks back at school!

SAN DIEGO ADVENTURES

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!!

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TAKING A PEEK OF OUR WEEK!

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!

FIVE YEARS AND GOING.......

* 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.

Today is our fifth anniversary! This video highlights the last five years of our marriage. I hope you enjoy it, but most of all I hope Robbie checks the blog to veiw it.
These past five years have been a awesome adventure for us! It is so crazy to think we have been married for five years, it has gone by so fast! We have had so many wonderful experiences that have strengthen us, both as a couple and as individuals. Robbie is the most amazing husband I could have ever imagine, any young girls dreamed prince. He truly has everything I need in a friend, as father to our children and as my eternal partner. He is my buddy! (wink, wink Rob)
It has not always been easy, but I will say this.... it has been worth every fight to get to where we are, and where we are heading. It only gets better! I will always fight for our marriage to survive and thrive! Families are Forever! Rock on Babe! Happy Anniversary!

Our Trip to Nor Cal.....

London and I took trip back home to visit Grandma in Mendocino. Robbie wasn't able to join us due to school everyday.:( However, we were gratefully to spend our time with family & friends, laughing & playing! London has become obsessed with planes, she talks of our adventure non-stop!
We started our trip off in Sacramento, but not for long... we headed down to Livermore which is about an hour and a half drive,(near the bay area)where our good friends the Tenney's now reside. It was a blast catching up and watching London with allll the boys. She loved them, and loved that they drove her around in their jeep! They treated her like a princess! We can't forget the new addition to their family Mylie. She is a doll!
After a day and night with the boys we were off to see another new addition, Tavin Kidd ( Amy's little guy).I can hardly remember London that small. He's a cutie, with two dimples! Then off to Mendocino with the cousins to visit Grandma and Mitch.... Mendocino is a awesome little village set on the headland cliffs, off of hwy 1. The little village is filled with character, arts, history and you leave filled of natural goodness. Grandma kept us busy with beach visits, movies, storytelling, walks through the village and best yet, visiting the local toy store... it is amazing and I myself love going and playing with all the different things they have. Of course the visit with grandma and our cousins(Bella, Austin and Mya)is never long enough! We headed back to Sacramento to steal a few moments of laughter with busy bee Grandpa and Judy. It was nice to just relax at their home, swim and best of all playing with the puppies,the bunny and feeding the Turtle! That is all London talks about, a turtle! She tells dad over and over about a turtle. Haa so fun! Our trip was awesome! We love and miss all of you! Wish we had the time to catch up the rest of you!! Here is a video of our visit home.....

*Just a reminder to turn off music at the bottom of page by clicking on the upper left hand corner of the music box. Thanks for checking in on us, we hope you enjoy!

P O T T Y C R A Z Y

London has shown some interest in the potty for a while now, so we thought we should get a potty of her own.
She loves it! She talks about her potty and even wants to sit on it quite frequently.
I love the look she gives in both of these pictures. It looks as if she is thinking, "u-umm, can I have some privacy?" Lond's has quite the facial expressions these days, they make me laugh so hard!
She has not officially gone potty in her potty, but it's a start! I thought when she got closer to 2yrs. we would start this process. It seems as if Lond's beats the drum at her own beat. Hey, she is quite the independent girl! I have been surprised at every stage. She started walking early at 10 months, and all the unexpected words that have come out of her mouth, and now she is ready for potty training? Is this my baby?






Anyhow, we are excited for the potty training experience and hope it goes well. If any of you have some advice on this sort of thing, I am more then happy to take it. The only things I have read on potty trainning is, that you let them potty train at their own pace and help them have positive experiences. Do we start pull ups?

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!

She's growing up...TOO FAST

This is Lond's first night sleeping in the toddler bed. We thought it was time to change the crib into the big girl bed. It has since been three nights, and she has done awesome with the change! When we say her prayers at night, she loves kneeling next to her bed... she even has to kneel in the same place. I'm not sure if she likes saying her prayers this new way or if she is killing time with going to bed, because after I ask her to hop up into her bed, she folds her arms and says"pray". We sometimes say a couple of prayers before I have to say, "no more prayers, it's time for bed".
She is a silly girl, and growing up way so fast! This last week she has started saying a few complete sentences. Today when I got home from running she ran up and said, "I missed you!"several times, giving me bear hugs. It was sweet! It is amazing how much they take in, and give out!

Camryn's Baptism

We were excited to celebrate this special day with our sweet niece. Camryn is truly a girl full of love and happiness. She is always willing to help out, help with the little ones and always happy to serve others. Cam has a pure heart, you can see it in her happy glowing face and in the way she treats others. We are proud of her decision to be baptised, and know the blessings that come with such a decision.

Dad and Camryn dressed in white, ready for her baptism! Camryn said "she was nervous", but you wouldn't guess that with her big smile!

What a princess! Cam looks beautiful in her white dress!

<--Camryn with her beautiful family!

A picture with the star of the day!:)