Nouns & Numbers

Things are off and running with Luke and first grade. Today he came home from school and the following conversation was overheard between Mr. 1st Grade and Mr. Preschool.

Luke: Reid, do you know what a NOUN is?

Reid: A noun? No...

Luke: Well, it's a person, place, or thing. Did you know that?

Reid: No. Not really.

Luke: Well, you should. Nouns are important.

Reid: Okay.

Then in the car last night, Luke announced that he'd like to play the Noun Game. So Mom, Dad, and Reid tossed out random words, and Luke would tell us if they were a noun or not. Smart cookie! Wonder if the next chapter is verbs or adjectives?

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Lately, Reid has been surprising us with some whopper words. It's hard not to chuckle when you hear his little voice say "archaeologist" or "dalmatian." When he gets dressed in the morning, we practice counting to see how long it takes him to put on his clothes. Reid is doing a fabulous job with counting and hit 30 the other day. It's only on occasion that he forgets 15 ... not sure why, but it just gets skipped. Guess that's just one less number for him to count!

Boy ... oh, boy ... oh, BOY!

Today we had a sneak peek via ultrasound of Baby Leahy #3. We are proud to announce...

All along, we had a hunch that the baby might be a boy, as this pregnancy has been so similar to with Luke and Reid. We love our life with boys and are so thrilled to have another one on the way! Oh, the things that the littlest Leahy will learn from his 2 big brothers ... can't wait! Scott is one of 3 boys, and it's so special that our little guys will share a similar bond as Dad has with his brothers.

Baby Boy is looking great at the 20 week mark and now weighs 10 oz. He was moving around during the ultrasound and keeping his fists up by his face (maybe he'll be a boxer!)

Here are some ultrasound photos (complete with captions). For a better view, you can double click the image and it will enlarge.

As we hit the halfway mark of Week 20 and Month 5, here are some pregnancy highlights:

• The biggest craving that Jami has been having lately is soup. Thank goodness for our farmshare veggies and a nearby Panera!
• The baby's movements are more frequent and strong now. Perhaps he's practicing his soccer skills like his dad.
• The boys continue to brainstorm names for us. Reid's latest favorite name is Anakin. Luke likes the name Jack.
• We are gearing up to find a newer, BIGGER vehicle that will comfortably fit our 3 sons. We hope to test drive some soon. The Ford Flex is the frontrunner as of now.

Boy ... oh, boy ... oh, boy! What an exciting time for the Leahy crew!

Date Night

With Dad away this weekend, Mama and the boys enjoyed a special date night ... out to dinner at Piazza Italian Kitchen! Evenings like this are a great chance to catch up about school and activities (and work on manners for dining out!) It's cute to listen to the boys place their own order with the waiter. The boys were such gentlemen ... only climbing under the table one time. Ha!

Mom & Sons Date Night

Top Chef

Reid has really taken an interest to helping Mom in the kitchen. This week, we made bierocks (AKA runzas ... a German recipe of beef and cabbage wrapped in dough). He sat up on the counter and patiently patted out the dough. This weekend he stepped back into the kitchen to assist with the making of Caramelitas (family recipe for some great bar cookies) and Swedish pancakes (made into the shapes of Star Wars characters, thanks to the great pancake molds at Williams Sonoma.) Wonder what Chef Reid will have on the menu for next week?

A Little Perspective

Tonight while driving home, we had our eyes on the sky, admiring the big puffy clouds reflecting one of our colorful Colorado sunsets. Luke's little voice from the back seat piped up and said...

"Mom, I think Mimi sent those pretty clouds for us ... and for the baby."

Wow. Such perspective for a little guy. We have told the boys before that when we see rays of sun streaming through the clouds or a rainbow or other beautiful sights in the sky that these are gifts sent from our loved ones up in heaven. It is amazing though to hear reminders of their perspective on this and how they are keeping these family members close in their memories.

Thanks, Mimi, for sharing those pretty clouds with us ... such a treasured gift for us all.

Laugh Track

Bright lights, big city ... big laughs! Friday night we took off to Denver for a fun date night out. Thanks to a tip from Scott's brother Eric, Jami surprised Scott with tickets to Comedy Works to see Adam Carolla, one of his favorite comedians. Scott is a fan of Adam's daily podcast and enjoyed seeing his live show. What a great evening out on the town!

Back 2 School.

After a summer of fun adventures, the Leahy boys have been switching gears to go back to school. First up ... Reid! He switched to a different preschool that is a little closer to our house and has a start time that coordinates better with our schedule. The faith-based preschool is also highly regarded in our community. On his first day, we saw so many familiar faces and families! Reid is looking forward to attending Monday, Wednesday & Friday.

Oh-so-preppy for preschool!

Next up ... Luke. He started his first day of 1st Grade today! With his Star Wars lunch box packed and wearing his lucky green shoes, he was excited to tackle this new adventure.

1st Day of 1st Grade!

Good luck, boys. We are so proud of you!

Cherry Creek ... Revisited

One of our favorite finds of this summer has been Cherry Creek State Park in Denver. We returned this week to visit Papa who was camping there in his Airstream. He had a great set-up at the campground and even had free wifi! We enjoyed a few hours at the beach, and then the boys stayed for an overnight camping trip with Papa, complete with grilled pizza for dinner and s'mores for dessert. Hopefully, we can squeeze in one more trip back to Cherry Creek this summer.

Splash and dash!

All smiles about playing in the sand!

Lifeguard in training

Fun in the Sun

Sweet 16.

Today marks Week 16 for Jami & Little Leahy #3. At our monthly doctor's appointment, Baby Leahy's heartbeat was ticking along nice and strong. Jami has been feeling the baby move already, particularly in the evening right before bedtime. According to BabyCenter, our little one is now the size of an avocado and will have a big growth spurt over the next few weeks. Here we grow!

Cooling Off

Colorado doesn't have that many hot summer days, but today was a bit toasty. So we found a great solution: hook up the sprinkler under the trampoline and turn it on full blast!