Leuck Top 12 in 2012

This was supposed to be a part of our family Christmas letter, but I just didn't take the time to write the letter last month. So I decided to put it here on our blog. It's been WAY too long since I have posted anything and I thought this would be the perfect way to update the blog.

2012 was a very eventful year for our family and we were quite blessed by our Heavenly Father. We are indeed grateful for His love and the love and sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Leuck Top 12 in 2012

#12 – We moved out of Utah.

#11 – We moved back to Las Vegas.

#10 – We hosted several guests in our home.

#9 – Annalyce graduated from elementary school & started middle school.

#8 – We made new friends.

#7 – We celebrated Annalyce’s 12th birthday.

#6 – We celebrated Peyton’s 8th birthday & she was baptized!

#5 – Jeremiah started a new job only two weeks after being laid off.

#4 – We (Jeremiah) bought a new truck.

#3 – We bought a house … with a pool!

#2 – We received lots and lots of answers to prayers.

#1 – We welcomed a baby boy – Liam Kai Leuck - in an unexpected home birth!

Liam - five days old. Photo courtesy of Melisa Tennies, owner & photographer at Glamourazzi.

Our first family picture with my OB/GYN, Dr. Steven Harter.

Liam's blessing day.

Annalyce's elementary graduation with Mr. Tinetti, her teacher.

Our new backyard. It's the perfect oasis.

Peyton and Jeremiah on her baptism day.

Jeremiah's new truck.

Our sweet children at Christmas.

Annalyce's 11th Birthday

Annalyce celebrated her Golden Birthday this year. She turned 11 on 11/11/11! Tradition in our home includes decorating the table/kitchen and opening presents in the morning. A new birthday outfit is always a must and she was so thrilled with the Aeropostale sweatshirt! Annalyce was also quite excited to go to school on her birthday; November 11th is a holiday in both Nevada and Washington, but not in Utah! So Jeremiah and I took full advantage of the special day and delivered roses and balloons (roses from Dad & balloons from Mom).


Since it was such a special birthday, we decided to have a real party (we usually just take the birthday girl and one or two friends to a movie for their "party"). Annalyce chose to celebrate at Nickel City in Provo and we all had so much fun! The Laser Tag was definitely the highlight of the party!

Halloween 2011

The Red Barn Pumpkin Patch


We took a trip to The Red Barn for family night and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves (though it got dark too soon). The girls were amazed by the big pumpkins they had on display and always enjoy searching the patch for the perfect pumpkin. It was a lot of fun and the apple cider donuts as our treat were absolutely worth the trip!

A Black Cat and a Mummy Princess


I hate store bought costumes and have made several costumes over the last few years. My favorites are the animal costumes, they're just a piece of cake. So Peyton's black cat was easy this year. Annalyce's mummy princess was a little more challenging, but I found a pattern online and that helped. I even got to try my hand at tea dying the fabric, leggings, and tee shirt. That was a fun experience. I am not a seamstress by any means, but I think it turned out pretty good. She loved it and that is all that really matters.

The girls participated in Halloween violin concert this year. The music was so much fun, but there were A LOT of kids (about 200) and it was a bit crazy. They did amazing and enjoyed getting all dressed up!

Exciting (Old) News

As most of you know in October 2009 I had the opportunity to help my sister by giving her one of my kidneys. At the time we had been trying to get pregnant and it wasn't happening. I like to think it is because my sister needed me. In the process of all the testing we were told by the kidney docs that it wouldn't be a wise decision to have any more children post donation. They were concerned about my body and the chances of developing Type 2 Diabetes later in life since I experienced Gestational Diabetes with both of my previous pregnancies. It was amazing how long the team deliberated about allowing me to donate knowing that we wanted more children. I distinctly remember a conversation I had with the doctor who was the team leader regarding this situation and saying to her, "Dr. K if you are telling me that I need to make a choice between giving my sister life and giving a baby life, there is no decision to make. I want to do this for my sister." We proceeded with the surgery and I decided that we wouldn't worry too much about having another baby until I had waited out the year of recovery post surgery. We also felt that the Lord would guide and direct this decision and that it wasn't something we needed to worry about until the time was right.

In October 2010, after consulting with several Obstetricians we learned that there were many women with more serious risk factors having babies and that it wouldn't be too concerning in my case since my Gestation Diabetes had only been diet controlled and I had not needed insulin. So we decided to start trying for a baby.

After several months of trying with no success we started to get discouraged and, in August, while visiting family in Washington I went to see a Acupuncturist to discuss why it was taking so long to get pregnant. She did her assessment and suggested that my body might not be ready. She also shared several reasons why pregnancy might not be safe for me since I only had the one kidney. I walked away from that appointment (and our follow up conversation) a little more discouraged. And went home to share the information with Jeremiah. She had shared some scary statistics which got Jeremiah a little concerned and we talked a little about adoption; however, we both know that through the Lord anything is possible. So we decided to try one last time for a baby and if it didn't happen (which we were sure would be the result since it had been 10 months since we started trying), we would pursue adoption.

Just a couple of weeks later I realized my cycle was late and decided to sneak into the bathroom to take a pregnancy test. Jeremiah had no idea that I was late or that I had purchased a test. It was 6 a.m. and I sat nervously in the bathroom waiting for the results. When it was time I looked at the test and saw a faint line, but couldn't decide if it was real or not. I went out to the bed and woke Jeremiah to get his response. He was surprised and doubtful so he suggested I give it a few days and take another test. In my gut I was sure I was pregnant, but decided to humor him. Four days later I took the test again and sure enough, the line was darker. We were beyond thrilled!

First Day of School

Okay, here we are again with some major catching up to do. I was hoping to pull it together in a couple of posts, but I think I will do it in several mini posts, maybe an event at a time to keep them in some sort of chronological order.

Let's start with the first day of school. I know, this is almost pathetic, but I had to go back to the events that followed the very last thing I posted and this is it.

This year Annalyce is in 5th grade and Peyton is in 2nd. The girls were both thrilled to start school, be with friends (old and new), and meet their teachers (Mrs. Nielson and Mrs. Sugu). It's hard to believe how fast these two beautiful girls of ours are growing!

We're Expecting

We are so very excited to meet this little man!

Jeremiah's New Toy

One of our neighbors bought a new motorcycle some time ago and I drive past it every time I leave our neighborhood. It's a nice cruiser. About two months ago I finally told Jeremiah that I thought he should get one. After all, he has kept up his motorcycle endorsement on his license even after he sold his old motorcycle in 2004. He was so excited and had a hard time believing I was serious. Well, I was and so was he. He found this motorcycle while I was in Washington and couldn't wait to purchase it. We picked it up last weekend and he has thoroughly enjoyed riding it all week. We are on the hunt now for protective gear and a new helmet. I love making my husband happy!