Hanging with the brothers......

Saturday morning we headed to Red Rock, which is the ultimate playground for mountain biking, roady bikers & rock climbers. My brother in laws (Todd & David) invited me on a ride. Robbie was jealous as he had a job to get working on! We missed you Babe! It was AWESOME! I think I might seriuosly be addicted!

It was about a 7-8 mile course or so.??? It took us roughly about an hour & a half. It was a great cross country course with everything you could think of; Several up hill climbs, a boulder here & there, sand, large rocks & the best.... down hills!It was definitely challenging, but incredible! My brother in laws are champs! Thanks for letting me ride with you!



Upper: Here we are getting ready to hit the trail.
Bottom: Dusty & dirty smiling our cheesy smiles through all the dirt in our teeth! Yeah!!!!!

Looking through the eyes of Mr. Potato Head...........

We were playing with London's Potato heads, I was on the phone with my mom not really paying attention to every potato move & build. I looked over at Londs & this is what I see.........

She was wearing Mr. Potato head's groovy glasses. It made me laugh so hard, my mom on the other end asked what she was doing. It was so cute and funny all at the same time I could barely get it out. Not was she only wearing the glasses, she was starring right at me without saying a word, as if she was waiting to see my reaction. She seriously has a silly personality & is always surprising us with something!

Mr. Potato Head was happy to have his glasses back!

I thought Londs looked like a little person from a Harry Potter movie!

Slurpee!!!!!!

I love Slurpee's & apparently someone else likes them too! It is always Slurpee time here in Las Vegas. Something cold & sweet, several flavors to choose from & you are left with a colored tongue to prove your recent indulgence. What wonderful memories to make as a family.
The other weekend we went out into the blazing heat into our hot car & Robbie mentioned Slurpee's! How could us girls resist? We were off to the church to finish the Young Women's bulletin board. Just around the corner stands a 7Eleven where we grabbed our Slurpee's. One for Robbie & I & a small one for Londs & I. I did mention I loved Slurpee's right? Well little miss London loves the iced sugar water stuff alot as well, she held on to our Slurpee tight, I could barely get my share (not wanting her to suck down all that sugar). When we were finished with the small Slurpee, she walked up to Daddy & gently touched his leg saying "hi daddy"! We both looked at each other and started laughing! She wanted the big Slurpee, & daddy had it! She knew what she wanted and was shmooshing her way to get it! It was hilarious! Where do they learn these things?
The next thing I see, Londs standing with the BIG Slurpee, sucking it down. That little stinker!


Here she is with
the small Slurpee!






Mom hard at work stapling her guts out!

Happy Mothers Day!!!

To all the women in my life; the expecting mothers, mothers of the young or old, wives, those desiring motherhood in the near or far off moment. Happy Mothers Day!

I love this painting by one of my favorite artists James Christensen. It is rich & beautiful with details of the roles of motherhood, a wife, a friend and much more!

The Responsible Woman
This painting is an homage to artist James Christensen's wife, Carole. He began to contemplate all her roles in life and the many weighty responsibilities she shouldered as a full-time wife and mother of five young children. Women everywhere relate to the need to confidently soar above life's troubles and challenges. In a given day she may shuttle the children, prepare a gourmet feast, keep to hectic time schedules and more, but she always keeps her head up and carries the light of hope to those around her. A delightful gift to honor a wife, mother, grandmother, sister or any heroic woman in your life.Among the important women's roles portrayed in this painting are: Mother, Pet caretaker, Chef, Housekeeper, Leader (Lighting the way with wisdom), Scheduler. How many more can you find?

I found this article interesting. What is a mother worth? Ladies it is greatly in our favor and quite surprising how the worlds view, is tagged with a price. We all know that money is not everything and there is in no way a price you could put on motherhood. It is priceless and very much rewarding in every aspect. However, it is fun to read! http://kdka.com/business/finance_story_123213030.html

Road Trip/Londs & Mom





Well, as I had mentioned in my last post,I didn't get to spend the last couple of days with Grandma while she was visiting here in Vegas:( It was less then 12
hours from when Robbie & I made a decision to make this trip to leaving.It all came together quick & the window of opportunity was then to go and get the screw removed from my toe, in hopes that the bone had not grown around the screw. This all first started 2 years ago when I had my bunion surgery. Dr. Hoyal(my boss then & podiatrist)left the screw a little higher then normal, knowing he would be taking it out in just a few months. Well he didn't get a chance; everything happened so quick.... finding out we were expecting, moving to Las Vegas & more. It was starting to get a little irritating while teaching my classes, so I was anticipating this moment. So long story short... it's out!!! A few stitches and a bit tender, but all went well.
Robbie gets to take the stitches out on Sat. Yeah! I can't wait to go swimming!!

It was a great time to quickly meet up with friends and family, although more time with everyone would have been even better! We stayed with Ashley & Paul for a few nights in Farmington and the back to the happy valley to see Jena & her family in Lehi. She has an adorable little girl Shalie. London loved playing with her! We can't forget meeting up with Tera Nichols for a little catch up lunch! Londs must have been bored, she zonked out. We could talk for hours!!! It was so great to see her!
We had a too short, but very pleasant visit with Uncle Lancer & his girlfriend Melissa at Wingers. They have the best ice cream pie! Yummmmy yum!
We then caught up with David and Crystal who were visiting that weekend for a wedding in Lehi, & last but not least Paul & Kelli. We spent hours at Fudruckers eating some good grub and catching up. It is always a great time getting together with family. That is what the gospel is all about!
I wish I would have taken more pictures, but wrestling a 17 mo.old, enjoying a little adult conversation & everything in between, pictures come last! So enjoy a few of our moments!

Grandmama's Visit


Yay! Grandmama was here again visiting with us! It is always great to be graced with her company. Here are a few pics of our family dinner at David & Crystal's last Sunday. It is always a good time & always good food. Grandma was here for 10 days, I didn't even get to spend the last few days with her, Londs & I took off to Utah to get my foot taken care of. More of that to come. We miss and love you so much Grandma! Enjoy the Dakotas, see you this summer!

Ricky & David visiting with Grandma, reminiscing on all the good ole times on the farm.
Grandmama with the great-grandbabies. Don't they all look so happy? Too precious!

RICHARD MARX

Last night we had a opportunity we just couldn't pass up! A chance to see Richard Marx LIVE. Zach & Nancy, some good friends we've meet here asked us last min. to join them. How could we pass a night up of great entertainment and fun with friends? Some of you might need a refresher on who this amazing artist and singer might be. He was a mullet wearing 80's hottie with some of the greatest hits. Come on I know the majority of you know the popular prom/dance song "Right here waiting" classic!
Just a few facts and interesting info:
Richard Marx
- Over 30 million records sold
- Writer of Thirteen #1 songs
- Nineteen Top 20 Singles as an Artist, including SEVEN #1 HITS
- 2004 Grammy Song of the Year Winner, with Luther Vandross, for "Dance With My Father"

With his debut single "Don't Mean Nothing" and self-titled debut album, Richard Marx kicked off his career as a solo artist in 1987. Over the next three years, he became the first male solo artist to have his first 7 singles reach the top 5 on Billboard's singles chart, including the #1 hits "Hold On to the Nights," "Satisfied" and the worldwide classic, "Right Here Waiting." He remained a fixture on pop and adult contemporary radio for years, selling over 30 million records, even as he emerged as a top producer working with some of the biggest names in the music business. Among those artists, *NSYNC, Keith Urban, Barbra Streisand, Josh Groban, Vince Gill, Leann Rimes, 98°, Luther Vandross, Kenny Rogers, Sarah Brightman, Lara Fabian, Sister Hazel, The Tubes and SHeDAISY. More recently, he has written and produced records for Emerson Drive, Natalie Cole, Paulina Rubio, Kenny Loggins, Chris Botti, Michael Bolton, Chely Wright, Meredith Edwards, Hugh Jackman and Sissel.

In February 2004, Richard won the Song of the Year Grammy for "Dance With My Father," which he wrote with Luther Vandross. It was a big night for several reasons. "It was the award itself," says Richard. "For me and more importantly for Luther. I was proud."

More recently was "Better Life," a song written by Richard and Keith Urban which was included in Keith's last CD, the triple platinum "Be Here" and was also the biggest hit single from the CD, spending 6 consecutive weeks at #1 on Billboard's Country Singles chart.

As Richard readies his next CD, the follow up to 2004's "My Own Best Enemy" which contained the hits "When You're Gone" and "Ready To Fly," he's also been back on the road. He just concluded a tour of Australia, his first time there in 8 years, and plans many more tour dates around the globe in '07.

This was five years ago when Robbie & I took our engagement pictures... oh how young we look! It is amazing how pictures tell a story & all the memories that rush through your mind! These are fun to look back on, it brings back all the wonderful memories of dating & falling in love!
This is just a tester,I'm trying out this new site for slide shows... I love it!

New Carpet & More....

We have finally put new carpet in, replacing the fancy smanshie blue carpet we had in the back rooms to a beautiful tan color! We finally have a room for Londs! Her toys were starting to take over the front room & we spent alot of time in her room with storytime, napping, & playing! So we thought we would take the second bed out and give her space to play. She loves it! She seems to enjoy her drawing table more and plays by herself in the room. The only downfall is we don't have a bed to lay on while reading stories! I guess we need to look into getting a nursery chair!
We have had a fun filled weekend with again more visitors.. :)Tyson and Tiff Tuttle came into town! It was so great to see them and spend time with friends! They are some of our great friends we meet while living in Provo. They took a few pics, so when they send us a few well have to post our buds!
I really need to get a blogging camera, I have been jumping in the car and taking off without the camera..yikes!! This last month I have missed a great bit of blogging moments. I want to thank everyone for your wonderful comments you leave and e-mails about the blog. It inspires me to keep blogging. Thanks for loving our family and wanting to keep up on us... I do have to say I wish more of you would do a bit of blogging so we too could catch a glimpse of your wonderful family moments. Just a little bug in your thoughts, keep thinkng about it "a great thought will eventually turn into action".
Here are a few fun pictures of Londs & her room.


London's New Room ---> click to see photos

Grandma McNicol's Visit.....
It was so great to have Grandma come into town for a few days this past weekend! We had fun shopping, eating, playing and best of all walking together for the Arthritis Foundation. I wish we had taken a lot more pictures, but when your having fun you forget; or your batteries go dead! Here are a few moments of last weekend....

Easter Bliss!

Easter was a wonderful time for our family! We didn't take many pictures, actually only one! We video taped our whole Easter; so here is a quick view of London's first Easter basket, egg hunt and the many things she does that keep us laughing. Enjoy!

HOPPY EASTER....

What a wonderful time of year! We are graced with warm weather, spring blossoms (along with allergies),and best of all Easter! A time to reflect on our dear Savior, and his atonement & love for each of us. I loved, loved, loved General Conference last weekend as it has really had me reflecting on the Savior in my life and my families life. We have soo much to teach London and what a great responsibility! She knows who Jesus is and points to him often throughout the week.
We spent hours at Desert Book last Saturday night for a Women's night while the men attended priesthood. Lots of yummy foods & prizes. London picked out the best book! "Jesus wants me for a sunbeam" a sing-along book of favorite songs about the Savior. It has 6 primary songs to sing too. She loves pushing the buttons and mom or dad sings. It is a great little book! I enjoy little teaching tools to help educate these little minds!
We are excited to share this Easter with London as this will be the first one she can interact with all the festive activities. We are looking forward to spending time with family, having some good grub, and participating in London's first Easter egg hunt! We love and miss all of you who are far, wish you were here with us!





















HAVE A WONDERFUL EASTER!

Sweet April showers
Do spring May flowers.
- Thomas Tusser, A Hundred Good Points of Husbandry, 1557

All about London....

Every stage has been so much fun! It has been amazing to see this little girl grow from a small seed into a precious baby and now into a smart, enthusiastic, giggly, lovable busy bee toddler. Yes, I said toddler! She is 16 months and growing up way too fast! London is communicating fairly well, with a bit of sign and now words. It makes things so much easier! Although... we do have our moments when we are both trying to communicate something to each other and we both, just don't get it! It's hilarious, because we are both so frustrated! I start laughing and then Londs starts laughing even though she has no idea what she is laughing about! We try to keep things fun!
The best has been in the last couple of weeks she has been saying her name & pointing at herself! I thought she was saying 'nana" for banana so I would give her a banana. Then I realized she was saying her name,"london". I wondered why she didn't eat the banana, just a few bits. That was a lame one on my part!

Happy Birthday to meeee.....
Yes I am blogging my own birthday! Who else would?! Right?
Really, I am excited to finally have my golden birthday! I am 29 today! I only have another year to enjoy the rest of my twenties & then onto my flourishing thirties. Whats not to look forward to?

There is something about a woman once they reach their thirties, they seem more grounded in who they are and seem to blossom in outward beauty as well as inner beauty.

Robbie & I enjoyed an evening together, just the two of us at my request. Robbie arranged the babysitter, our reservations & a memorable birthday! We indulged at my favorite restaurant, Benihanas. Yummy hibachi cuisine. The atmosphere is amazing here at the Las Vegas location. It is huge with landscape of Japanese gardens, ponds, waterfalls & many other accents and props to help you experience a bit of the Japanese culture. It was a great time & a great birthday treat to just hang out with my buddy !

_________________________________
I thought it would be fun to tell a little bit about me... Just a few things you may or may not know about Marsha.......

1. I have to use 2 or 3 seat covers when using a public restroom, if they don't have any, I squat!

2. My worst habit is picking at zits/blackheads on my face. I think of it as a home facial. Come on, its not as bad as those scratch and sniffers out there.( you know who you are!)

3.I regret to mention these two things but, when I was 18 and soo grown up I got a tattoo of a hibiscus flower on my right 1st metatarsal. It's still there! I also thought getting my belly button pierced would be fun; so I choose to do that opposed to getting my tongue pierced while I was with a group of guy friends. I still have the holes to prove it! What was I thinking?!

4. I love extreme sports! My passions are still snowboarding and longboarding as it is on hold for full time riding until I teach my children and they are old enough to ride together.

5. My biggest traffic pet peeves are: Drivers on the freeway who slam their breaks on over and over again with plenty of room ahead of them... take your foot off the gas and coast with traffic. I also get irked when you have a blinker on to move to the next lane and the car next to you speeds up instead of letting you in and then you loose opportunity to move over because the cars behind him speed up too. No worries I don't get road rage! okay maybe once in awhile. lol

6.My testimony of the gospel has always been strong! Even when I have maybe not made the best choices at times in my life there has never been a doubt in my mind of the love my Heavenly Father has for me and of the great atonement of our loving Savior. My love for the gospel has grown tremendously as I served the people in New Zealand to the adventure of becoming a wife and mother. I know his plan and understand my divine place in it. I know the temple is a sacred place where it has been made possible that families can be together forever!More than anything I love my husband and adore our little girl and am excited for our life and eternal adventures. The book of Mormon is another testament of our Savior Jesus Christ and witness of our Heavenly fathers love for all of us! I love the Young Women I work with! It never ceases to amaze me the strength and understanding they have to live the gospel so valiantly today. I loved working with the youth from EFY to my home ward! It is rewarding!

7. I love to keep my cupboards and refrigerator full of food! In any circumstance i like to have the ingredient or food I need to make a meal or bake a goody at the last min. Or better yet if someone needs anything I would be the neighbor to call for the rescue. I don't like making several stops to the grocery store more than once a week. My shopping trips are intense and prepared by a long list that gets me through the whole week. One thing I don't love is making the meal plans. I don't mind the cooking, but thinking what to eat is not fun to me. I prefer baking over cooking any day!

8. I love running and working out! It is a rush for me! I feel strong and powerful after a good long run or taking an intense class. Of course it doesn't feel good as I'm sweating and struggling to finish a workout, but it is the after effect that keeps me desiring the next workout. I know I have accomplished a short term goal and did my best at it. It's personal and rewarding. It is the time I can meditate & relieve any stress!

9.Mmmm... I love chocolate! Not just any chocolate, the good chocolate! Homemade chocolates are the best. See's Candies curbs my sweet tooth. The retail chocolates are limited, Doves and Symphony bars. Cadbury has some mean chocolate, mainly New Zealand Cadbury yummy yum!

10. I can be sooo Indeceive when it comes to eating out! I could care less where I eat I will always find something I like no matter where we go! This is something Robbie & I butt heads on. He asks me where I want to go eat, I say "anywhere". He asks me to pick a place and I have the hardest time deciding. I would prefer to have the other person decide on a place and I go along with it!! I think of myself as just being laid back and easy going. I will enjoy myself no matter what!!

11. Two years ago I had foot surgery( by the best podiatrist) for a bunion. It sounds painful , but that was not the painful part! When I was on my mission I somehow got toenail fungus on my right foot. Most athletes get this, it is caused by athletes foot. I had 5 toenails removed & the beds of my nails cleaned in hopes that the fungus would not grow back. Oh my! That was painful!It was the most painful part of the whole thing! It takes several weeks for your nails to grow back.. lets just say they were very sensitive. Unfortunately the removal of the nails did not cure my problem. I will always have funky toenails on my right foot. A great souvenir from the mission!

12. One last bonus since we are talking about feet.. I love shoes! Any and every kind of shoe! I think they can make or break an outfit. Accessories with an outfit also tells a story; the rings, bracelets, earrings, shoes, nail polish, scarfs the list can go on! Dare to tell a story!!!!I love accessorizing!<---( not a word, but I often make my own words up anyway!)

Our little fish...
I love this time of year! All the blossoms are blooming, the birds are singing and we have warmer days! It has been beautiful here in Las Vegas; so warm we thought we better get to the pool and get a head start on our swimming practice. London loves the water! She loves to splash around and kick! They start swimming lessons at 18 months, so we thought we would get her comfortable with the water as she will be eligible to attend in just a few months. London is so active I am running out of ideas to keep her little body and mind busy! It defiantly keeps mom going!
Love, love, love being a mom! London is such a cool girl!

First swim of the year <---- click to see pictures

The Past Couple Weeks....

We have had several visitors come through town over the past couple of weeks. It gets so crazy busy and fun that blogging along with many other things go to the wayside. Here are the wonderful momemts with our loved ones.

HAPPY 50TH DAD!!!!

March 6th we celebrated my Fathers 50th birthday! Robbie, Londs & I flew home to attend the surprise party celebrated on friday the 9th. It was a success, as for months it had been in the workings & with as many people who attended not one let the goose out of the bag!
We planned on going to a "crab feed" (aka surprise party) that evening with Dad. When we arived to the party and walked in; he saw a few friends and thought it was great they were too at the crab feed. It took awhile for it to register as he continued to see his friends at the "crab feed". He then realized it was not a crab feed and it was a party for him!
Dad was a little bummed that he didn't get crab that night but, had a great time with family and friends. He had about 150 people attend! It was a night full of dancing, eating and of course catching up with friends and family! His sisters flew out with some of his nieces & nephews! It was a blast. In honor of his Big 50 I made a video about his life....... here it is! ( forewarning 18min. long)

Our little ballerina ........



Auntie Ashley sent this adorable little tutu for London. She loves it!!! The moment we put it on she ran around, danced for everyone and wore it for quite some time! Thanks Ash!!! =)

We have Grandma & Grandpa Lueck in town! They are visiting with us for a couple of weeks. We have had Grandmama Lueck ( Robbie's grandmother) in town for a couple of weeks already and have enjoyed every minute. We love having family around!

I know London is enjoying our company as well.... I think she gets a little confused when you ask her where grandma is, or you ask her who is grandma? She just looks at both grandmas. She might start thinking everyone's name is grandma! Too Fun!!!



Here is a view from the back, with a little London groovy move!

London insisted on wearing the tutu the next day when we went out side to take a walk. She is a crack up!!!!

Here we have Grandma Lueck with her hair night guard; (to keep Ralph the hair night dresser away!!!)She calls it her flippers! She is too cute, and might I add such a great poser!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!

Robbie's early surprise for Valentines Day!

I usually don't gloat about my possesions, but this is one time I will show off what a wonderful husband I have. Plus several of you have asked to see it! Robbie came home from school the other night abit early and surprised me with this ring. He couldn't wait until Valentines day to give it to me. He tends to get excited about the gift and wants to give it away in the moment. (That is how our engagement happened!) He was so sweet with the words and gratitude he expressed it brought me to tears. It was very much a sweet experience!!!
We have had the diamond for awhile... that is another long story,( some of you may already know our diamond story). Anyhow, neither of us are big fans of the pear shape diamond so we didn't know what to do with it. We talked about making a pendent or putting it in a new setting to preserve the investment. Robbie is very creative and thought up this particular setting. I love it! It is very different and so useful as I wear it as a sports band when teaching my classes or working out. I have to admit; it is a big diamond for a sports band, but simple and fun! (Diamond weighs 0.95 carats of I color SI1 Clarity)