Christmas in KC.

Yes, we like drawing out the holiday celebrations! Our 3rd and final destination on the Christmas 2007 Tour was to spend time with Scott's family in Kansas City.

Brothers Scott, Paul & Eric hold the youngest generation of Leahys -- Luke & Reid with cousins Sawyer & Stratton (Paul & Juli's sons).

Proud Aunt Jami loved meeting 4-month-old Stratton. He's adorable and full of smiles and giggles. So precious!
A family picture in front of Ted & Margie's beautiful tree.
One evening we caught up with some fraternity brothers and their wives. From left: Byron Vogel, Scott, Marty Gilmore (seated), Will Long & Greg Ahlquist.

Cousins Luke & Sawyer had a ball playing together. One afternoon we went bowling, and they LOVED it! Here are the clowns goofing off!

Christmas in Wamego.

Christmas ... Take 2. We headed to Kansas to continue our celebration of Christmas with our families. We first stopped in Wamego to gather with the Nelson side of the family for the fa-la-la-la-la festivities.

Who's that behind the wheel of that tractor? It's Luke! Uncle Craig worked his connections, and Luke took this tractor out for a spin.

Our nephew Dalton celebrated his 1st Christmas! What a cute stocking stuffer!

There's no place like ... the Oz Museum in Wamego. We enjoyed taking a walk down the yellow brick road.

Oh, what fun it is to ride on a 4-wheeler pulling a sleigh! Luke, Scott & Reid take a spin in the snow.

Christmas in CO.

We kicked off Christmas 2007 by celebrating in Colorado with just the 4 of us opening gifts. We sprinkled the reindeer food in the front yard and left cookies for Santa, and low and behold, he managed to come early before we left on our road trip. (There's a longer story as to what we had to tell Luke, but thankfully he didn't ask too many questions!)

Reid checks out his cool new toy!

Luke asked Santa for green roller skates (a funny request ... we know!) Guess Luke was on his nice list. Glad Santa included the safety gear, too!

Nice dinner with a cheapskate.

It's been ages since we've had a date night out, so Mimi and Papa watched the boys tonight so Scott and Jami could enjoy an evening out and about! The itinerary included fine dining at The Blue Star near downtown. The chef is the son of a family friend of ours, and the food was divine! The grand finale was a yule log dessert ... so festive!

Afterward, we headed to a city skating rink to lace up the skates and hit the ice. Tonight was 'cheapskate night' so it was super reasonable to skate. No falls, no broken arms, but some sore calves ... and fun times!

Super sledders.

With some fresh snow from last night, we decided to show Papa our sledding hill when he and Mimi made the trek down to visit us today. It's fun to watch how brave the boys are getting in the snow and how much they enjoy outdoor winter activities now. We spent a lot of time laughing this afternoon on the sledslope.

Loading the troops on the sled.

Scott and Luke attempt the speed-sled with going headfirst down the hill! Wheeee!

First impressions.

Our first month in Colorado has been a good one as we settle into our new digs. We've made some interesting observations with this transition.

Hot or cold? The #1 comment we get asked is "How do you like the snow and cold weather?" Truth is ... we love it! We used to think we would take the heat over the cold any day, but perhaps those ultra hot AZ summers burned that preference out of us. Now we just bundle up and off we go!

Merry Christmas to you. Colorado Springs is known to be a pretty conservative Christian city. As a result, everyone says "Merry Christmas" ... store clerks, waitresses, you name it. The politically correct cousin "Happy Holidays" is definitely less heard this time of year.

Well-Schooled. The schools in Colorado (particularly the district in which we live) get rave reviews. Glad to know this will help our boys follow in Dad's footsteps with going to Stanford.

Where is...? We live far north of the heart of the city of Colorado Springs in an area that is still developing. This means we have to do more exploring, internet searching, and asking to find the basic "necessities" ... like Target, Walgreens, and other stores that were literally every 3 miles in Phoenix.

Pack your lunch ... and snowgear. When Luke heads to school on snowy days, he has to pack a few extra items for recess. His school requests that they also bring snowpants and boots -- and of course the coat, hat, & mittens -- so they can play outside. That makes for one stuffed backpack!

Closed on Mondays. We live near several smaller towns where most businesses are closed on Mondays. Better get that errand running done Tuesday through Saturday. They are closed Sundays, too.

Because it's a hat...

At this time of year as we search for the perfect toys and outfits for our little ones, we are reminded that sometimes the best gifts are everyday objects and a little imagination. Who knew a padded envelope could be so much fun!

All Aboard!

Pastry chefs Luke and Jami created quite a culinary masterpiece this evening -- a gingerbread train. Luke was the expert on candy placement, while Mom's specialty was icing application. All aboard the Peppermint Express!

The best ornament -- hands down.

We've opted to remove all the ornaments from the tree because the smaller elf kept stealing them and scattering them about the house, and the bigger elf helped his lil' buddy take off the ornaments even after Mom moved them all to the top half of the tree. So our tree is sporting a simple motif this year with only the white lights and gold star at the top. That is ... until now.

Today Luke came home from preschool with a nicely wrapped gift. He reported, "It's for my parents." When Dad arrived home from work we opened the present to find an angel ornament. Not just any angel ornament though. It's personalized with Luke's handprints for the wings, footprint for the body, and a photo of his smiling mug. Guess if your tree only has one ornament, you'd better make it a good one!

Ho-ho-ho on the go!

Reid's vocabulary is expanding more and now includes dada, mama, hello, bye-bye, ba-ba (bottle), down, and all done. Oh, and we can't forget his most festive phrase ... ho-ho-ho! Check out Santa Reid in the video.

Warming up to the cold.

Reid has been the last of us to warm up to the idea of the cold. The big bulky coat makes it difficult to maintain his very active lifestyle. He doesn't understand the necessity of wearing socks and shoes, so he's persistent about prying them off (after Mom takes great time and care to put them on.) We won't even go into mittens. There's a time and a place for wearing them, and that's not on Reid's agenda.

But today, we had a breakthrough. Perhaps we've rounded the corner, and Reid is warming up to the cold! Luke had a snow day from school, so we decided to take advantage of the fresh powder and go sledding with our new super cool sled from Papa. We bundled up and headed over to the sledding spot. Luke took a few solo runs on the new sled, which gets 2 thumbs up because it has much better control and doesn't tip over!!

Before we knew it, Reid was climbing on the sled ... ready to go! Guess he didn't want to miss out on the fun. So he took some rides with Mom, a few with Luke, and some with all 3 of us. In all, Reid was loving it and giggling away. It was all fun and games until big brother Luke decided to put snow down an unsuspecting Reid's coat. Brotherly love at its best!

Ready, set, sled!

Yule Log Hunt.

Dad & Luke search for the Yule Log.

"Yule" love this story ... one of our nearby communities of Palmer Lake hosts an annual Yule Log Hunt every Christmas season. What is a Yule Log Hunt, you say? It is a revival of an old world custom with roots tracing back to ancient Egypt. The word "yule" comes from an old Egyptian word "yol" meaning wheel, and this symbol was used to indicate the spirit which turns the wheel of the weather and causes the seasons to come and go. The primitive wheel was merely the cross-section of a log ... hence, you see the connection. Down through the Middle Ages, bringing in the Yule Log continued to be an essential part of Christmas festivities. Gradually, the idea of peace and good will was incorporated. Family feuds were ended and quarreling forbidden during the Yuletide.

In Palmer Lake, the community celebrates this tradition by gathering together to seek out the hidden Yule Log in the forest. The finder rides the log back to town, and everyone enjoys wassail and sings carols. While we didn't end up finding the log, we did get a kick out of watching everyone scramble around in the woods and sharing in this very community-spirited event!

Winter wonderland.

The Leahy Snow Removal Co. cleans off the driveway.

Let it snow! It started snowing this morning, and enough had accumulated by later in the day that we did some scooping and sledding in the afternoon. We found a little hill in our neighborhood that was perfect for our first sledfest.

Picking up the pace.

We posted some earlier videos of Reid first walking, but here is a new one. He's pretty steady and picking up the pace. This means more chasing for Mom and Dad!

The new kid.

After a short hiatus from school, Luke headed back to the classroom today. This was his first day at his new preschool -- St. Peter's Catholic School. Our parish of St. Peter's in Monument has its own school, and we were very fortunate they had an opening mid-year. One major change is that Luke is now attending 3 days of full-day preschool from 8:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. He reported that his first day was "just great!!" and that he'd made a new friend named Tyler. The school seems like a wonderful fit for Luke!

Luke bids farewell to little brother Reid before heading off to his new preschool!

Running miles a mile higher.

As runners, Scott and Jami both enjoy hitting the sidewalk, road, trail, etc. for a jog. With our recent move, the increase in elevation adds a little challenge to our workouts since we're over a mile higher. We've been lucky with the good weather to enjoy some running on the Santa Fe Trail near our house. This great path winds along the same route as I-25 and has great scenery and a few challenging hills, too. At least the good views are a distraction from feeling so winded! Hopefully soon we'll adjust to the altitude.

Above: Jami and her running partner Reid take to the trails.

Festival of Lights.

One thing we've noticed about Colorado Springs is that it's a city with a small-town feel. The people are so friendly, and the pace of life is slower. Oh, and they do know how to plan a good parade! Tonight we attended one of the great holiday traditions in Downtown Colorado Springs -- a parade called the Festival of Lights. We bundled up and made the trek to the heart of the city for this fabulous showcase of well-lit floats, antique cars, marching bands, fire trucks, etc. Oh, how we love a parade!

Kicking off the holiday season.

Today we ventured over to the nearby town of Monument for its "Small Town Christmas" festivities. We enjoyed shopping at the local merchants and taking part in the holiday activities: visiting some reindeer and donkeys, taking a hayrack ride, visiting with Santa, and stopping for cider along the way. What a fun way to kick off the holiday season!

Dasher, is that you? Or are you Blitzen?

Happy December!

Hope everyone is getting into the holiday spirit as much as we are. If you need a little ha-ha-ha for your ho-ho-ho, check out this video of these jolly elves.

Zoo with a view.

Today we enjoyed a playdate with our friends the Giffins. Jami and Torie used to work together at Banner Health many moons ago. Torie and her family have lived in Colorado Springs for several years so she gave us the grand tour with a cruise by the Broadmoor and then a trek through the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. What a fun afternoon! The zoo is built into the mountain and has an amazing view of Colorado Springs. Plus it has a great giraffe observation area and penguins (any zoo with Jami's favorite animal gets bonus points!)

These giraffes were very friendly and ate right out of our hands. Well ... Mom's hand anyway. Luke was leery about getting that close to the giraffe's mouth.

Although they just met today, Luke and Levi were instant friends and had a ball exploring the zoo.

Dad's 1st Day

Today was a big day for Scott ... it was his first day at his new company RT Logic! He enjoyed being off for 3 weeks (although some parts of moving were more 'enjoyable' than others), but we were all so excited for him to start this new chapter in his career. Scott has been making the rounds to meet his new co-workers and getting up-to-speed with his GPS-focused projects for the government.

Fun-lovin' cousins.

Luke, Reid, and their cousin Dalton had a ball playing over the last few days. Dalton (who is 9 months) was quite entertained by his older cousins. Luke enjoyed singing to Dalton and sharing toys with him. Reid liked having someone his size to pal around with. What fun-lovin' cousins!

Hats off to you!

Cute boys in caps.

Many blessings, many thanks.

This year as we celebrate Thanksgiving we have so many blessings to count. The year -- with its ups and downs -- has made us appreciate each and every day so much more. We are so grateful for the love of family and friends!

Today we hosted Jami's side of the family for the full turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Our first houseguests have been Briana, Craig, and Dalton. Mimi and Papa drove down for the day and the "big meal," which was topped off with 3 of Mimi's homemade desserts -- pumpkin pie, chocolate pecan pie, and pumpkin swirl cheesecake.

All in the family! Jami's family joined us for the feast.

Buzzin' Cousins Luke, Reid, and Dalton.

Snow!

Let it snow!

This morning we woke up to a nice blanket of powdery snow! The boys bundled up and headed outside bright and early to check it out. Mom, Luke & Reid cleaned the snow off the cars with our new handy dandy window scrapers. Then Dad and Luke surveyed the scene in the backyard and created a snowball factory. Hurray for the snow!

For a kid who's grown up in the desert, Luke was skilled at making snow angels!

Reid takes a warm seat indoors while watching the snowball fight outside. Guess who was the target then ... watch out, Reid!

Take a hike.

Today the Leahy family ventured out to one of the landmarks of Colorado Springs -- Garden of the Gods. It's known for the unique red rock formations, nice hiking paths, and gorgeous scenery. Luke enjoyed climbing on the rocks, and Reid enjoyed scouting out all the dogs on the path. This is sure to be the first of many visits there!

High-flying adventure.

As we get to know our neighbors, we paid a visit to a rather unique and highly respected neighbor: the Air Force Academy. It's less than 5 minutes away! Jami's parents came down for a visit Friday afternoon, and we journeyed over to the Academy to see the cadets march. We also toured the chapel and visitor center. Very interesting!

The cadets marching.

Luke & Scott in front of the Cadet Chapel.

(Sometimes Luke wears these fake glasses. Perhaps he's playing up his intellectual side so one day he can enter the Academy.)

Getting settled.

We are feeling pretty settled in our new digs. The garage still houses a fair share of boxes, but we'll eventually work our way through those or just leave them packed until we move into our more permanent abode.

We live on the north side of Colorado Springs, which is a quickly growing community. There are many new home subdivisions and a lot of open space still that's yet to fill in. (Our neighbors were very excited that the road just opened making it a straight shot to the grocery store!) The views are amazing, too, with the mountains visible from our bedroom window.

Our neighborhood has a small park which we've hit almost every day. Scott took the boys today, and Luke made a new friend named Nicholas which resulted in a funny conversation...

Scott: "Luke, his name is Nicholas. Can you say hi to Nicholas?"

Luke: "Oh, I have a Nicholas at home."

Scott: "What do you mean?"

Luke: "A Nicholas ... like you put around your neck."

Oh, that Nicholas.

Home sweet home.

We've been in Colorado for just a few days, but our house is shaping up nicely. Our first day here it was 70 degrees. Yesterday it was in the 30s and we woke up to snow flurries! Here's a pic of the new Leahy residence for the next 6 months. We found a great rental house in a very family friendly community. The boys are adjusting well, and we are all having a ball exploring our new surroundings.

Quick trip.

Reid at the Four Corners, walking in two states at once!

Our movers really got a move on and called to say they were set to deliver earlier than later, so we had to speed up our road trip to make sure our belongings didn't beat us to Colorado Springs. On the second day of our driving adventure, we left the Grand Canyon, made stops at the Four Corners and then Durango for dinner (and some other random towns along the way), and then kept on trucking into Colorado Springs. We started driving at 9 a.m. and reached our destination at 11:30 that night. We were weary travelers to say the least.

Grand finale.

The movers arrived on Saturday and loaded the truck, while we cleaned the house and prepped the car for our roadtrip ahead. We stayed with Jami's friend Terese during our final night in Phoenix and then started our trek northward this morning.

First stop: Grand Canyon. We are embarrassed to admit that in our 8 years in Arizona our first time to visit this amazing spectacle was on our way out! We enjoyed hiking around near the top of the canyon and seeing the historic hotels/buildings near the rim. Luke kept saying he didn't want to stop at the Grand Canyon ... that he just wanted to go to Colorado Springs. (Guess he's in a hurry to get there!) But he thought it was A-OK after we checked out the train. Reid enjoyed scoping out the scene from his perch in the backpack. We also spotted a bald eagle, endangered species of condor, some deer, and big horn sheep on a cliff.

Stay tuned for more adventures from the Leahy Roadtrip '07!

Trick or treat.

The boys ventured out and about to trick or treat in our neighborhood. Then the goblins paid a special visit to Uncle Eric and Charity. What a treat!

Have a dino-mite Halloween!

A special message brought to you by the Leahy dinosaurs...

David, Posh & a couple of dinos.

Our friends Shawn and Amy hosted their annual Halloween party last night, and it was a spooktacular good time! The Leahy family dressed in their Halloween finest. Scott and Jami posed as celebrity couple soccer superstar David Beckham and his wife Posh Spice. The boys sported their dinosaur costumes (and were tolerant considering yesterday was pretty warm!)

David Beckham, Posh Spice & some super cute dinos.

Ahoy, mate.

Our buddy Robby celebrated his 4th birthday and invited all his pirate pals over for a plank-walking good time! The pint-sized pirates searched for buried treasure, munched on pizza, and played outside.

Right: Pirates Luke, Robby, and Logan scare up some fun!

Model student.

Luke recently had "picture day" at school. Spiffed up in his finest school attire, here are his preschool pics. Say cheese!

This is one fancy background for school photos with the 'shrooms and a turtle!

We call this his ventriloquist smile.

Looking so distinguished!