End of Summer

On Wednesday our play group went to tour the Ethel M Chocolate Factory. It was a pretty quick tour and then they give you a sample of their delicious chocolate!
Outside they have a cactus garden. (Notice Lexi's shirt - she always does her buttons all the way up and won't let me undo them!)

After the tour a group of us went to lunch at TGI Friday's
Saturday we went to the Tew's pool for what may be our last swim of the summer. (I hope not!)

Goodbye pool! Thanks for all the fun! See you next year!

Game Night Anniversary!

Last September we started a weekly tradition with our friends, the Jensons. (Or I guess I should say they invited us to be a part of their tradition!) We meet every Sunday evening to let the kids play, have dessert, and play cards. Last week we were busy on Sunday, so we had a BBQ on Monday night instead to celebrate our anniversary! Thanks for the year of fun, frustration, fasting & praying(!), winning, losing, hanging out and yummy treats!

PS I just needed ONE card!!

A Blessing (and Lexi's interpretation of it)

This past Saturday, Jeff and a group of guys from our ward drove to Cali early in the morning, went to the UCLA football game in the afternoon, then went to the Dodgers game at night. When the game was over they piled back in the suburban and drove home. They made it back around 3am. First of all, I was so relieved when I heard Jeff come home and knew they were safe, but that's not the story I wanted to talk about...



So, Lisa called on Friday and said she wanted to have people over to swim and have lunch on Saturday while all of our husbands were gone. Sounded great to me! We headed over around 11, and it was a perfect, warm day. We had a great time swimming, then we all got out to eat lunch. And then we all swam again. At one point Lexi was done, so I changed her and she went inside to play. I was still in the pool with Lisa, Jackson, and Lisa's kids and nephew. Lisa and I were talking in the pool on the little wet deck (an area in about a foot of water), when Jackson climbed out and started running around the pool to the other side. He had done this several times to get to the hot tub, and I figured he was doing the same thing and I would go get him before he had a chance to climb in. So, I turned to Lisa to say something (this all happened SO FAST) and turned back to watch Jackson running, but I couldn't see him. I looked around, and then I saw him in the pool just under the surface. As this all registered, I pushed off and swam over to him as quickly as I could. I grabbed him and brought him up, and he was coughing and crying. It took a few minutes to calm him down, but then he started laughing and having fun again.


What had happened when I turned my head for that half of a second was that Jackson was running one way and another kid was running near him and bumped into Jackson, so he fell into the pool. It was just an accident, and the little boy apologized over and over again to me. I was obviously so relieved that I had gotten to him so fast and that he was fine. The other thing that was amazing to me was that Jackson was just underneath the surface of water the whole time (the top of his head was even with the surface) - in a section of the pool that is a few feet deep. Somehow he must have been moving his arms/legs to keep him up. He has never done this before. Anytime I have let go of him or tossed him in the air to play around, he immediately sinks straight down.


As I reviewed this event over in my head, I couldn't help but think of my prayer the night before:

"Heavenly father, please help us to be safe and protected...And please HELP ME TO ALWAYS BE AWARE OF MY KIDS, especially since we're going to go to a new pool tomorrow that we're not used to, and I will have the kids there by myself. Please just help me to be aware of them and not let anything happen to them." I am so grateful that my prayer was answered, and I have prayed several times since then to thank Heavenly Father for answering my prayer and helping Jackson to be okay.


So, Lexi was inside while that happened to Jackson, and I didn't tell her until last night. After we put her to bed she came into my room (she always finds some excuse to get out of bed!) while I was reading the BofM. She climbed into bed with me and asked me to tell her "the story," pointing to what I was reading, so I told her about Samuel the Lamanite. She wanted another story, so I told her about Jackson falling into the pool and how mom had prayed to always be aware and Heavenly Father and Jesus had helped him to be okay and helped me to be aware of Jackson so I could help him. Lexi thought about this for a second then said, "and Jesus was in the cool(pool)? and Jesus put his swimsuit on?" I just had to laugh. But who knows...

Lexi Language

Lexi has her own pronounciations or words for many things, and I need to write them down before she grows out of them and I forget!

bebu = belly button or stomach

cool = pool (mom, do they have a cool?)
pretty tail = pony tail
pretty hair = hair done in any way
applekine = pineapple
anybody = somebody, everybody, or anybody
alutter = another
loodle = little
loodles = noodles
logurt = yogurt (what's with the "l"??)
dippie = any dressing, salsa, sour cream, sauce,
see friends = go to kids gym
princess hello = Barbie Island Princess
clippies = any sort of rubber bands, clips, bows, or hair accessories
jumpy house = trampoline
Talego = diego
Chrowfridge = drawbridge

And here are some recent experiences with my three year old

last week during FHE
me: Jesus was obedient. He ALWAYS listened and obeyed.
Lexi (totally sincere and excited): like me!
me(cracking up): something like that...


almost every time Lexi gets dressed
Lexi (head tilted to the side): mom, does this look hot?
me: it looks really cute (I don't love my three year old wanting to look "hot," not that she even knows what it means)
Lexi: no, does it look hot?
me: you look really pretty
Lexi (annoyed): but is it hot?
me(also annoyed): yep



last week while we're making breakfast for dinner, Lexi sitting on the counter
Lexi: I'm so cute making waffles!



Few weeks ago, as I was heading to the temple.
Lexi:mom, where are you going?
me: to the temple
Lexi: I want to come to the temple!
Me: Sorry sweetie, just moms are going
Lexi (sobbing now):But I want to go to the temple. Mommy, I want to go with you!
She was so upset. It was so sad and so cute at the same time. I had recently taught her the song I love to see the Temple, and I think she just thinks it's a castle. I told her I'd take her to see it sometime.


Today, while we were practicing "little letters"
I taught her the capital letters during the summer, so now we've been going over the lower case. On the back are pictures that start with that letter, so after she'd get a letter right I would show her the pictures and say "a, like apple; e like egg,"etc., but Lexi's versions of what the pictures were cracked me up, especially because she is so excited when she says it:

i = ink "like messy!"
d = dog "like a puppy!"
h = horse "like pony!"
j = jet "like air -a -plane!"
l = lion "like tiger!"
o = octopus "like jellyfish!"
r = rose "like flower!"
x = x-ray "like a picture!"

She's definitely not picking up on the link between the letters and pictures!

Baby Tag

Name and meaning: Jackson Tyler Luszeck. We just liked Jackson, but I don't know what it means. Tyler is Jeff's brother's name.

Age: 20 months
Nicknames: Little guy, little dude, Jack Jack, bud

Favorite Activities: swimming, eating, reading books, playing at the park, destroying the pantry, playing with water, watching cars go by out the window from his crib (he probably does this for an hour a day after he wakes up!), and standing on the stool

Favorite Foods: chocolate banana protein shakes (he stands on the stool to watch while I make mine every morning then helps me finish drinking it), pasta, popsicles, peanut butter

Least Favorite Foods: veggies. He usually just spits them out!
Favorite Music: Anything. I sing to him a lot, and he loves to dance around. He loves Itsy Bitsy Spider, BINGO, primary songs, the wicked soundtrack, and rockin' out to The story by Brandi Carlisle
Favorite Toys: The puppy, cars, anything Lexi is using, cups
Favorite Book: He just loves books. I regularly find him sitting on the floor with a book in his lap like today (I didn't pose him for this picture). He loves The Hungry Caterpillar, any touch and feel books, pop-up books, etc. I love listening to the excited oohhs and aahhs and squeals he makes when he's "reading."

Favorite item of clothing: nothing that I've noticed, but he loves his blankie ("deetee")

What makes him happy: mom and dad and Lexi, his blankie and bottle, getting what he wants , eating

What makes him sad: when Lexi hurts him (which happens many times a day), getting something taken away from him, when I leave

Jane's Brithday

Last weekend I flew up to Utah to celebrate Jane's birthday. Jet Blue now flies direct from LV to SLC for $50 each way, so it makes it easy to get up for a quick trip. Friday night Jane picked me up at the airport with her kids. We got the best Thai food on the way home...mmm. That night we just ate and hung out and talked to my parents and Jenn a bit.

Saturday we woke up and Jane and I headed to Salt Lake to check out her new house which is being remodeled. It was AMAZING! It looks great, and I can't wait to see it completely done, furnished, and decorated. They will move in this week. Jane's friend, Erin, met us at the house, then we headed to the Cliff Spa at Snowbird. I worked out while Jane got a pedicure, then we all laid out by the pool on the top of the hotel. Check out this view! Brooke Clayton and Jane's HILARIOUS friend, Julia, came and joined us. We were starving when we left, so Erin, Jane, and I went to eat at Red Robin. I think I found my newst addiction: their fries and BBQ dipping sauce. To die for! They brought Jane a piece of ice cream cake for her birthday.

That night Jane, Whitney, the kids, and I went to the reception for our second cousin, Elizabeth Florence. I hadn't seen anyone in the their family for years, so it was really fun to catch up.

Sunday morning Whitney made us a delicious breakfast: sausage and homemade chocolate chip pancakes served with whipped cream. So yummy! Then we headed to SLC to attend their ward. Everyone there was SO NICE. I have never been to a ward where people were so welcoming. And it was fun to run into one of my old friends, Stan Olsen, who is in their ward.

After church we had planned a surprise party for Jane at the Clayton's house. It was so fun! Whitney and the Claytons made an awesome dinner and cake. Dad and Anna

Sisters

Happy Birthday Jane, I love you!!

Beverly Hills...That's Where I Want To Be!

For labor day weekend, Jeff and I celebrated our 6th Anniversary (which was actually back in July) with a trip to Beverly Hills/Hollywood. Jeff's parents agreed to watch our kids so we could enjoy a weekend of fun. And I had Hilton points left over from when I worked at PwC and travelled a ton, so I booked us a room at the Beverly Hilton for the weekend.
We went to Santa Monica beach. (Which was okay. I've been spoiled by Hawaii beaches!) We lounged by the pool. We ate out and just relaxed! We were able to meet up with Travis (one of my friends from BYUH) and his date, Monica. We went to dinner in Westwood village right by UCLA and then got ice cream cookie sandwiches at Diddy Riese. Then we went to the Griffith Observatory, where there was an amazing view of the valley.

At Griffith Observatory

Then we got Pinkberry frozen yogurt and ate it on our balcony. So yummy! (PS I feel kind of dumb with all these pictures of just me. That's the problem when there's just two of you!)

Rodeo Drive

That night we went to see Wicked, which was AMAZING!!

Then we walked down Hollywood Boulevard to the Chinese Theater where all of the movie premiers are

And in front are the hand and footprints of celebrities
We saw the stars along the street (I uploaded this pictures several times and it would always rotate the wrong way!)

And we walked around Hollywood and Highland Center and got a bite to eat

We met Jeff's parents and the kids at Ikea and then took them to lunch. Thank you so much for watching the kids for us! We had a blast!