A visit from Grandma & Grandpa Nelson

We are enjoying some time with Grandma and Grandpa Nelson visiting us this week. Grandpa and Luke have taken advantage of the awesome weather for some park time and daily walks to Cupz Coffee Shop. Grandma has loved helping out with Reid. On Saturday, we went to a Fall Festival in our neighborhood park. Here's a photo opp we couldn't resist!

Burrito baby.

Reid has been such a good baby in his first week! We hope it continues! He eats like a champ and is sleeping so well, too. He's starting to be more awake and alert after eating and loves keeping an eye on what big brother is up to. This pic was taken when he was fast asleep and looking so peaceful all bundled up like burrito.

Good Morning, Sunshine!

In the morning, Luke loves to get up and hold Baby Reid. This morning they even watched some cartoons together. Luke is showing him the ropes already!

Quite a quilt.

Grandma Dixie has been crafting a very special gift for Luke ... a handmade quilt for his bed. She used fabric swatches incorporating the colors of his room: blue, brown, bright green, and ivory. This is the first of Mimi's quilting efforts, and Luke loves this new addition to his room!

Zip - Zip - Zoom!

Today we took Luke to open gym at Rolly Pollies. We were 'regulars' there for a while on Wednesdays, but my weekly OB appointments on Wednesdays conflicted for a few weeks so Luke was all too happy to return this week! Grandpa was able to catch this video of Luke on the zip pull.

The first of many of Mom's photo shoots...

Today Jami took some photos of Reid for a little thank you note project she's doing. He tolerated it pretty well, but little does he know that's the first of many 'photo shoots' that he'll have to endure with Mom's love of taking photos. Below are 2 photos from today.

A shot with Reid's eyes open:


Trying to escape the paparazzi:

The brothers.

Goodbye twenties. Hello thirties.

Scott bid farewell to his twenties on Saturday, Oct. 14 as he celebrated his 30th birthday. This milestone birthday will always be one to remember as we brought Reid home from the hospital that afternoon. We also celebrated in the evening with Eric and Charity and take-out from one of our favorite restaurants Oregano's. We plan to celebrate Scott's birthday a bit more in a few weeks after we get a little more settled into life. He did enjoy opening up his gifts including a special keepsake photo book with pictures through the years submitted by his friends and family. His other surprise gift is a discovery flight with an aviation company where he'll learn all about flying and then take to the friendly skies for an hour of flight time! Guess he's taking a flying leap into his thirties... Happy Birthday, Scott!!

Reid Nelson Leahy has arrived!

We are so proud to announce the addition of Reid Nelson Leahy to our family. His grand entrance into the world was on Oct. 13, 2006, at 12:58 p.m. He weighed 8 lbs. 9 oz. and was 22 inches long. He has a very full head of hair and is a pretty solid eater already! Big brother Luke is so excited to finally have him here. Below are some pictures. Enjoy!

Still waiting.

Our scheduled induction for Monday night was postponed due to a very busy OB department at the hospital, so we are still waiting for the baby to make his grand entrance into the world. It's been a tough few days waiting for 'the call' but hopefully we're making our way to the top of the priority list! Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and calls ... we'll be sure to let you know when we have news to share.

The big day...

Since the doctor's appointment last week, we have been preparing for a scheduled induction. The baby seems to be very cozy and there hasn't been much progression over the last month so we'll have a little 'assistance' with getting this little guy welcomed into the world. The time is finally here ... we will head to the hospital tonight to be induced at 11 p.m. and will hopefully welcome our newest addition on his actual due date of Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2006. This weekend was a great final chapter to our days as a family of three ... lots of quality time and laughs. Here's the final pregnancy pic. Baby Leahy is ready for life on the outside!

You say it's your birthday...

We had an early birthday celebration tonight for Eric and Scott, who will celebrate back-to-back birthdays this week on Oct. 13 and 14. We hit Pita Jungle for dinner and exchanged gifts. Here are the birthday brothers!

Family foto.

Dressed in our Sunday finest, we went to a brunch today for the ASU Thetas who were having Parents Weekend. It's been a pretty low-key weekend for us. Friday night we enjoyed one last date night out for Indian food before the baby's arrival while Luke enjoyed some time with a Theta babysitter. Yesterday the boys hit the movie theater in the afternoon. We tossed some salmon on the grill for dinner and then hit the park in the evening. Of course, there was much R&R time, too! Gotta rest up before the sleepless nights are upon us.

Lego baby.

There's a lot of role-playing going on with the lego creations these days. Luke has turned some of his lego men into "babies." He and Dad constructed a lego crib, and Mom helped Luke make a lego stroller for the baby to ride in. Luke likes to change lego baby's pants (which involves taking the legs off and swapping it with another pair of legs) and giving him a bottle. What an imagination!

The Final Countdown.

With Baby Leahy's arrival coming up soon, we've started the final countdown and preparation for our new addition to the family. Here's a little inside scoop as to how we are each preparing for the baby...

Jami: The weekly doctor visits have begun, and the only news is that she's dilated to 1 cm with no effacement yet. The Braxton Hicks are becoming more frequent though. Long morning walks in the now much cooler AZ morning air are still a highlight although these are now less for fitness and more focused on bringing on labor!

Scott: Dad has turned into Mr. Clean and is Jami's right hand man with house chores that are becoming a little too difficult for her with the bowling ball belly. He's also kicked into protective husband mode ensuring that Jami doesn't overdo it. Scott is getting in lots of extra R&R before the little one arrives and imposes on his normal sleep routine.

Luke: He can hardly wait for his little brother to arrive. Today at Babies R Us he picked out a special toy for the baby just from big brother. He also loves to hang out in the nursery ... although not sure what the baby will think of him playing legos in there while he's trying to sleep peacefully!

Here's the latest pregnancy pic taken this last week.

So Long to Summer.

With fall officially beginning this weekend, we bid farewell to summer today with some backyard splash time. We filled up the kiddie pool and got out the slip 'n' slide. It's hard to say whether Dad or Luke had more fun sliding! Check out the footage...

Superman on a skateboard.

Luke has taken up a new sport ... skateboarding. Our neighbor Justin who's in 5th grade had an old skateboard he was going to get rid of because he got a new one. Well, the Pokemon skateboard found a new rider in 2 1/2 year old Luke! Justin showed Luke all kinds of good tricks for "beginners." Check out the video!

Lunch with the ladies.

Jami's friends hosted a lovely lunch at Grayhawk Golf Course in Scottsdale to celebrate the baby's upcoming arrival. We lunched outside overlooking the water and enjoyed the nice cooler weather. Jami and her playgroup pal Jen show off their 'bumps'. Jen is due any time now and Jami in 3 weeks ... both with boys!

Charity's birthday.

We celebrated with Charity, the birthday girl, today! Her birthday is actually next weekend, but we enjoyed celebrating a bit early. Jami and Charity enjoyed a girls shopping trip at the mall in the morning and then met up with the boys for lunch at California Pizza Kitchen. What fun!

Ready for move in.

Here are some recent pics of the nursery. The paint is "retro colonial blue," and the theme is zebras. The accents are white and black. You'll notice a few Luke toys in the room for the time being. We only have one finishing touch we need to add ... the name in white letters above the crib. But of course we have to decide on a name first!

Time for tea to celebrate baby!

Today Jami was treated to a baby shower tea with the Poker Group wives. We enjoyed high tea at Abbey Gardens Tea Parlour complete with fancy teacups, tiny tea sandwiches, apricot scones, and a stunning Tammie Coe cake with green and purple zebra stripes. What a fun girly afternoon to celebrate Baby Leahy's upcoming arrival! Here are a few pics.

Eva, Lori, Jami, Ginger, and Liz at Abbey Gardens.

Jami with her favorite of all cakes ... a delicious designer Tammie Coe cake.

M-I-C-K-E-Y

We took in our first big-scale live kids' performance today with Mickey's Magic Show at Dodge Theater. We joined some friends for the Disney fest. Luke loved all the entertainment, and we snapped this photo with Luke's pal Robby afterward.

Enjoying each day...

We are really enjoying our final days with "just Luke" and as a family of three before we welcome the baby and look ahead to days with the four of us. It's cooling off slightly. This week it's been right around 100, which is kind of the breaking point with the heat. So more time outdoors is just around the corner. As we wrap up the swim season, we've been squeezing in a few more days at the pool. Luke is now a pretty self-sufficient swimmer. He's able to jump off the side, swim back to the side, and pull himself out with no assistance. Mom is not needed as much now in her role as swim coach since he can do it all on his own!

Short cuts.

Luke and Dad had both been growing their hair out lately but recently got their locks shaped up a bit. Here are the finely groomed Leahy men ... looking good with their new cuts.

Baby update.

Big news on the baby front. In the last few days, we think the baby may have "dropped" and is now head down. Jami is only at 35 weeks, but the baby appears to have settled a little lower and her belly is sticking outward more than ever. While she has a bit more breathing room, the down side is the hip and back pain ... and the waddling that's beginning. Good progress though. We'll see what they say at the doctor's appointment next week!

Labor Day.

Our Labor Day weekend plans were pretty low key. Luke had a bad cold so we lounged around home a lot and followed him around with a box of Kleenex. It's amazing how children can show some pretty bad illness symptoms but still run around full steam ahead like nothing is wrong. Jami also spent much time this weekend at ASU with her Theta advisor duties. The chapter had recruitment so it was a busy weekend with a few late nights. Scott's highlight was completing a few projects around the house.

Luke is ready for Lil' Bro to arrive.

The other evening we were sitting around reading books before bedtime with Luke. Jami asked if he wanted to talk to the baby. He had his normal dialogue with Mom's belly, "Hi, baby ... What you doing? ... Baby sleeping." But then he surprised us with the next comment showing his obvious anticipation for Baby Brother's arrival, "Baby, get outta there." Guess he's as ready for the little guy to arrive as we are! It's probably a perplexing thought for him as to why Mom is harboring another child in her tummy, when he's ready for his playmate to get here NOW. All in due time.

Chill out.

The Leahy family enjoyed an evening just chillin' out with a popsicle treat. Luke loves to eat popsicles but dislikes when they start to melt and get "kinda drippy."

Locked out.

Luke has discovered how to lock doors. At first, this new skill was only used on his bedroom door. Luckily, he has a jack-and-jill bathroom that adjoins to the other bedroom upstairs, so Mom and Dad always have an alternate route for entering. However, he's decided to apply his technical expertise to the master bedroom door downstairs. Small problem ... there's only one way in and out there ... no back-up plan. The first day he mastered the "lock-out" Jami was able to find the humor in it. She tried to unlock the door using various means, but to no avail. So she had to complete dismantle the door knob and remove it to get the door open. Luke received a short lecture about not locking the doors. We thought that was the end of the silly game.Nope. The next day Luke exercised his right to lock the door again. This time Mom didn't find it nearly as humorous, while Luke didn't find the fun in the extended time-out period in his room following the lock-out. Let's hope the lesson is learned on both accounts -- no more random lock-outs for Luke and that Mom and Dad fix the doorknob so he is unable to lock it going forward.

Nice ride, baby.

What better way to spend a rainy day than with the playgroup pals at Chuck E. Cheese! We originally planned to go there because it's still so hot, but it ended up being a good plan because of the rainy morning. The kids enjoyed all the games. (How can they understand the concepts of tickets and tokens at such a young age!!) Luke and Lucy took a spin in this hip roadster.

Better get out the boat.

Because it rains so rarely in Arizona, it's a BIG deal when it does rain. This morning we had quite a thunderstorm and downpour. On the way to our playgroup outing in Scottsdale, we drove through this completely flooded area. Luckily, people were driving cautiously ... except for Jami who was taking pictures of the deep water while driving! Drainage systems weren't a big concern obviously when the city was expanding, so there are a lot of areas that don't drain well when it does rain a lot. Better get out the boat!

33 and 7.

This marks Jami's 33rd week of pregnancy with 7 weeks to go. It's getting a little harder to stay active and chase after Luke, but Jami is still feeling great ... although she's ready for the hot, humid weather to be over. Unfortunately, it doesn't cool down in Phoenix until right when the baby is due. Luke has been talking more about "baby brother" lately, and Dad has been hard at work painting the nursery a great shade of slate blue. We've chosen a zebra nursery theme! The whole family is getting ready for the big arrival!

Kick it!

Luke has mastered the skill of the drop kick. Check out this video! He's also sporting his new fall shoes. What an all-star!

Splish splash.

Luke enjoyed a day out at the Tempe Town Lake Splash Park.

Family pic.

Jami talked the boys into taking this photo one night this week. Cheese!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Lately, Luke's favorite movie is "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." Whenever given the choice for what movie he wants to watch, the answer is always the same: "Charlie Bucket." (If you recall that's Charlie's last name in the movie.) We have the original version with Gene Wilder on DVD, and he never seems to tire of it (and we never tire of laughing about Gene Wilder's unruly hair.) We lucked out and the new version with Johnny Depp was on HBO tonight, so we recorded it. The collection is complete now with the old and new versions! Long live the Oompa Loompas!

Terrible twos.

This past week has been an ultimate test of patience and discipline as Luke took every advantage of exercising his right to behave as many young children have before him in the rite of passage known as "terrible twos." Since we were halfway through 2 and on our way to 3, we were thinking maybe he'd just skip the terrible twos. Nope. Not the case. Instead, he decided to save up all his really mischievous antics for one solid week.

There was the one-hour whining and screaming fit one morning. Or the lunch out with friends where Luke proceeded to spend more time under the table than in his seat. Or how about the boycotting of an afternoon nap for several days in a row that led to him falling asleep on the kitchen floor during dinner (while he was lying on the floor pouting in one of his many fits).

What happened to that well-behaved boy we once knew? He obviously checked out for a week and left quite a devilish character in his place. We are finding the humor in it now, which is much better than the 2 days in a row that Jami cried over Luke's defiant ways (not to mention that her pregnancy hormones plus the summer heat amplified it all).

So send positive thoughts our way as we start a new week. This weekend was better, but we're not out of the woods quite yet.

The intellectual.

Is it Super-da-man or Clark Kent in his glasses? Luke decided that wearing these glasses would be ideal for his evening bath. We had to chuckle at how distinguished he looks in the specs ... but no books in the tub for this guy.

3 lil' monkeys.

Luke and his buddies Ethan and Robby Glanville cheese it up for the camera!

10 weeks to go!

The countdown is on! This marked Week 30 for Jami and the baby. Jami is still feeling great ... no swollen feet or back pains to slow her down yet! The baby is moving all the time now and kicking mom in the ribs!

Counting is cool.

Luke has really been into counting lately. So far he can count from 1 to 13 (not sure why he stops there). On this particular occasion, he gave 4 and 5 the cold shoulder and skipped them. He'll get them all filled in eventually in the right order! When prompted by Dad about the missing numbers, Luke avoids the subject and asks for a photo by his fans! Too cool for counting.

Luke and Lexi.

Today we went to a birthday party for Luke's girlfriend Lexi. She actually turned 2 right around Christmas, but they celebrate her birthday in the summer so it doesn't get lost among the holidays. Hugs for the birthday girl!

Moms Night Out

The moms of our Thursday Playgroup enjoyed an evening out and about with dinner at Cafe LaBella, a quaint Italian restaurant in Downtown Phoenix. Pictured are Sandy, Misty, Mandi, Stacie, Rachel, Amy, Anne, and Jami.

Super-da-man!

We have a new superhero in our family ... Super-da-man! He's a step up from regular Superman. For some reason, Luke throws in the extra syllable for some added pronunciation flair! When Grandma Dixie found out about his interest in Superman, she set forth on a secret project. The end result was a specially sewn red cape and these stylin' Superman pajamas.

All aboard the Georgetown Loop Railroad!

Today we took a road trip to the mountains to ride the Georgetown Loop Railroad. This 1 hour train trip took us from Georgetown up to Silver Plume and then back. This was Luke's 2nd trip on the Georgetown train, and he loved it as much as the first time! Afterward, we enjoyed lunch in Georgetown at the Happy Cooker and then checked out the town. A great day spent in the mountain air!

Insights from Big Brother Luke

Luke is so excited to be a big brother!! With the excitement and anticipation of welcoming his younger brother, he's also developed some pretty funny insights about the baby. Here are a few...

- Luke enjoys talking to Mom's tummy. When we ask what he thinks the baby is doing in there, he says, "Shhh. Baby sleeping."

- The other day Luke gave Mom a hug and then emphatically announced, "Mama has a BIG tummy."

- While Grandma and Grandpa were watching Luke, they told him they were going to see someone very special (meaning Mom & Dad who'd been gone overnight). They asked Luke who he thought they were going to see. He contemplated it for a bit and then said, "Baby brother?" Too sweet. Sorry, buddy. He's not here quite yet!!

Parents' Night Out

For a bit belated celebration of our 7th anniversary, we enjoyed dinner and an overnight trip to a nearby bed and breakfast on Friday night, while Grandma and Grandpa watched Luke. The B and B was located about 20 minutes from Jami's parents between the towns of Morrison and Aspen Park. The Meyer Park Ranch was a great spot for hiking nearby the B and B, so we enjoyed an evening hike on Friday and an even longer hiking journey on Saturday morning. We took full advantage of the great outdoors and the cooler temperatures ... and the fact that Jami's still feeling active at 7 months pregnant!

On the Moooove in Downtown Denver

Today's Colorado adventure took us to Downtown Denver to see the CowParade exhibit. We rode the lightrail downtown and hopped off to see the brightly painted herd of cow statues. Each cow depicted a different theme as determined by the artist. We're pictured behind the "Rhythm and Moos" cow!

Luke Armstrong.

Colorado here we come! We are enjoying a nice vacation in Colorado. We bid the 110+ degree heat goodbye and swapped it for some cool mountain air. Luke is loving the time outdoors, especially since he discovered the bike that Grandma and Grandpa Nelson got for him. Last night, he rode up and down their front sidewalk and entertained the neighbors. Scott had to jog several times to keep up with the lightning pace of Luke Armstrong!!

Cheese!

When Jami was a little girl, her family used to tease her because she would smile "too big" for the camera. Usually, she was grinning from ear-to-ear so much that she would squint her eyes. Now many moons later, that same smile-for-the-camera cheesy grin is surfacing in Luke, as he loves to get his picture taken and belt out a loud vocal "cheese!" He also likes to take people's pictures with his ViewMaster slide machine or this nifty camera that Dad made for him out of Legos. You outta be in pictures, baby!!

Nap wherever whenever.

In preparation for the baby's arrival in a few months, we have begun to transition things to the new nursery downstairs. We have already moved the changing table/dresser, crib, and rocker to the new baby's room. Scott still needs to paint and we need to pick out a theme, but at least the big ticket items are moved in and ready to go! Since this furniture is no longer inhabiting Luke's room, he now has found great joy in treating it like a jungle gym ... climbing on the changing table and crawling under the crib for his new hiding place.

Today like many days, he was playing in the nursery. It got very quiet very quickly in there. I walked in to discover that Luke had found his new perch in Little Brother's room. He was fast asleep in a pool of drool on the changing table!

Lucky 7.

We celebrated our 7th anniversary on Monday, July 10! Where has the time gone?!! We enjoyed a nice dinner out to a restaurant called 98 South in Downtown Chandler, complete with a jazz band. Luke enjoyed a nice "date night" too with his babysitter Maribeth, a Theta from ASU who also happens to live in our neighborhood. With our 7th anniversary comes several other milestones just around the corner ... 7 years living in Arizona and of Scott working for Motorola.

Seeing in 3D.

Today we ventured out to the IMAX movie theater for Luke's first 3D movie. The feature film of choice was about the deep sea. Turtles and sharks and squid ... oh my! We explained to Luke beforehand that we were going to a special kind of movie where you had to wear glasses. He likes wearing glasses so we figured he'd like wearing the 3D specs. We settled into our seats and put on our 3D glasses, which resembled something that Bozo the Clown might sport because these spectacles were gigantic! Luke debated back and forth whether to wear them or not. At one point when he was pro-glasses, he hopped off Scott's lap and started flapping around in the air in an attempt to catch the swimming fish who looked to be a mere two feet before us. He must have been quite intrigued ... until he experienced the downside of these magical glasses. A shark quickly swam on the screen and toward the audience. Luke jumped back in fear and ripped the glasses off his face ... gasping and his heart pounding. Of course, Scott and I were laughing it up because of his funny reaction. Soon after that, Luke tried to take Scott's glasses off. Perhaps he was worried Dad might get scared, too. Objects in the 3D glasses may appear closer than they are!

Happy 4th of July!

We celebrated the 4th of July by having our friends the Wellings over with their 7 kids plus Jami's parents who are visiting. Eric and Charity also joined us later. What a fun evening! The kids splashed around in the kiddie pool and slip-n-slide, and we enjoyed root beer floats with homemade root beer and homemade ice cream. Luke and his buddy Nate especially enjoyed the dessert treat!
We walked over to the lake area to watch the fireworks from a show at a high school about a mile away. It was a perfect view to watch the grand fireworks display over the water with palm trees in the skyline and ducks paddling across the lake. A storm started to blow up during the fireworks show so we got double the entertainment with some far-off lightning, too, and not to mention a personal mister system with the rain sprinkles that started falling toward the end. Last year at this time we were just getting moved into our house, so this ideal firework-watching location is another great recently discovered perk of our community.

When Grandpa babysits...

We left Grandpa Jim in charge for a bit one morning. When Luke was hungry for a mid-morning snack, what better thing to eat than leftover pizza with chips and salsa! Two peas in a pod!

Ruling the pool.

Luke has achieved another pooltime milestone ... jumping off the diving board. This feat was accomplished at Uncle Eric's pool last weekend with some assistance from Dad. As you can see, there's little hesitation in the warm-up and approach to jumping in the pool. Ready ... set ... JUMP!

San Antonio Travels...

Jami spent the last 4 days in San Antonio for the Kappa Alpha Theta Grand Convention. Nearly 500 Thetas from across the United States and Canada gathered together to meet regarding Theta policy and planning for the years ahead. The trip started off a bit rocky as Jami was without luggage for the first half of the conference since her bags were somehow mistakenly sent to Ithaca, NY, by America West!! But things started looking a bit brighter as the chapter that she advises at Arizona State won fantastic honors as the top Theta chapter internationally! Here's a photo from the awards ceremony: College District President Stacy Rini, Jami, Fraternity President Karen Ledbetter, Current Chapter President Katie Hernandez, and Past Chapter President Jackie Vollmer.
Here's another photo of Jami with her friend Heidi Pollmann, who's the new president for the Greater Kansas City Alumnae Chapter ... and also a K-State Theta.