Yuletide Gatherings #2 & 3

Last night, we hit two more seasonal soirees. The first party was with Eric and Charity, who had gone all out for a cookie-decorating, eggnog-sipping good time. The guys also enjoyed playing Eric's new Nintendo Wii ... even Luke got in on the action!
Luke and Scott create their cookie works of art.

Charity takes a turn at holding Reid. What a treat!

Our second event was with some of Jami's girls' night friends. We enjoyed catching up with these friends, most of whom we've known for the majority of our time here.
A holly jolly grin from the girls' night group and their guys!

The other big highlight of the night was that we left both boys with a babysitter (other than Mimi and Papa) for the first time -- an ASU Theta named Jessica. They had an A+ report.

Holiday Party #1

This is a big weekend of holiday parties for the Leahy family. Our first holiday party was tonight with our poker friends and their families at the home of our friends Rob, Lori, and Lilly Zienkewicz. Here are a few pics from the festive occasion.

The next generation of the poker group: Zach Kitchen, Lilly Zienkewicz, Luke and Reid, Robby and Ethan Glanville, Kaitlynn Deakins, and LeAira Kitchen.

Reid and his gal Lilly ... and yes, they're holding hands! Too cute!

I get by with a little help from my bro.

This morning Reid was a little fussy, so big brother Luke jumped to the rescue. I walked into the nursery to find Luke had scaled the crib and performed this stunt maneuver for feeding Reid.

Ho, ho, ho & choo, choo!

Last night we enjoyed a festive night out with the playgroup families. We hit Patsy Grimaldi's in Old Town Scottsdale for some delish pizza and then zipped over to the train park to enjoy its holiday light display. Luke LOVES Christmas lights, so he was amazed by the combo of a train and lights together!! He and Mom even stopped for a quick pose aboard this caboose.

Cruising the mall.

We did a little Christmas shopping this week at the mall and met Dad for lunch. We decided not to get a double stroller when Reid was born because we knew Luke would never sit still in it. Usually, he runs alongside or way in front of us, but sometimes he loves to hitch a ride on front of the baby jogger. Hold on tight, boys ... here we go!

Ho-ho-holiday boat parade.

This weekend our neighborhood held its annual holiday boat parade. Most of the people who live on the lakes have a boat (nothing fast, more leisurely). At Christmas, they deck them out with lights and decorations. Here's one of the boats complete with Dasher, Dancer, and Prancer (not sure where the other reindeer are!) On top of the boat is one of those big inflatable snow globes.

Sweet dreams.

We have been super spoiled this week, as Reid has decided to sleep through the night for the last 4 nights! The first night we thought it was a fluke, the second night that it was luck, etc. but we would be far too lucky if this continues. Now on the flip side, he does get a little cranky in the evenings and eats A LOT so he's pretty much tanking up for a long night's sleep. He wakes up fairly happy and hungry in the morning bright and early at 5 a.m., but that's been a good way for mom to rise and shine and get things done! Cross your fingers that this continues ... and that we didn't just jinx it by blogging about it! Ha!

New developments for the Greeks.

As you may know, we both have been involved in advisory roles at our sorority and fraternity chapters at ASU for the past several years. We recently have switched gears a bit with our commitments ... still involved just in different capacities. Scott will be heading up a committee to look at housing for the Delta Upsilon chapter, which currently does not have formal housing on the ASU campus. Jami is finishing up her second year as Advisory Board Chair for Kappa Alpha Theta and is trading in her hat for a new one in Theta land. She recently was appointed as the Director of Risk Management for District 7, which includes 15 schools in Southern California, Arizona, and Nevada. We both still very much enjoy these volunteer opportunities, but there are times when we feel very old compared to when we were in school! Keeps us up on the changing times!!

Sting Ray Bay.

Today's playgroup outing was to the zoo to check out the new exhibit Sting Ray Bay. The kiddos enjoyed rolling up their sleeves and sticking their hands in the water to touch the sting rays (yes, this was what they were supposed to be doing and they weren't breaking any rules -- it was all safe as their barbs were removed).

Bathtime with the boys.

The other evening we decided to put the boys in the tub together for bathtime. Luke was in the regular tub and Reid in his baby tub inside the regular tub. Luke provided the entertainment by singing the theme song of "Blue's Clues" while splashing around. This picture shows what Reid thought of the whole event ... it was a hair-raising experience!!

The trials of taking a family photo...

We recently attempted to take some family photos in the backyard to use for our Christmas cards. It was a major feat to get everyone looking pleasant and at the camera. This photos says it all! (This was not staged but rather real life. No stunt actors were used.)

Chilly Willies.

It's been a little colder here lately so the boys had to bust out their hats one day. Luke loves to wear hats, but Reid could take it or leave it sometimes.

Guy Smiley.

Check out the live action footage of the littlest Leahy smiling!

A day out with the fam...

With Jami's family in town, we've been enjoying showing them the sights. Today we ventured out for breakfast at the Farm at South Mountain. It was delish! Afterward, we headed over to Rawhide (an old Wild West town) to see what kind of trouble we could rustle up. Here are a few photos from the morning.

The fam at the Farm.

Luke is serious business about covered wagons.

Just one of the guys.

Gobble, gobble.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Leahy Family! For Turkey Day, we hosted a whole flock of family members for the big meal -- Grandma and Grandpa Nelson, Briana and Craig, and Eric and Charity.

Reid, the littlest gobbler, enjoys his Thanksgiving meal.

Here's the family ready for a feast. (A few family members didn't make the photo ... Luke was having a little tantrum in his room, Reid was asleep in the swing, and Jami was taking the photo.) But this thankful crew is ready to dig in!

Polar Express.

On Friday, we took a road trip north to Williams, Arizona, to ride the Polar Express Train on the Grand Canyon Railway. Seven of our playgroup families made the trek, and it was a great way to kick off the holiday season! Here are a few fun pics from the adventure. Luke loved being around so many trains, and Reid was a champ on his first big trip!

Nothing puts you in the holiday spirit faster than seeing a beautiful Christmas tree ... unless you are Reid and are tired of wearing a hat!

All aboard! Time to get on the train!

The boys show off their PJs! Just like in the movie, all the kids (and even some adults) wore their pajamas on the train.

Giddyup!

When he was just a little buckaroo, Luke received this pony from Great Uncle Max. (Yes, it's more of a zebra with a saddle on it.) He recently has been riding the bucking bronco a bit more. He also uses it as a stepstool to climb up on things, which is usually preceded by the phrase, "Need help. Gotta go get the pony!" He's kind of a surfer cowboy in this video with his "beach shirt" as he calls it. You'll hear Reid crying in the background at the end. Perhaps he's jealous that he can't ride the pony yet!

Smilin' Reid.

Look who is starting to smile! This week Reid has started to respond more to us with smiles and sounds like a giggle. What a fun first milestone!

Sitting up is serious business.

Reid is getting closer and closer to being able to sit in his Bumbo seat.

Wonderful Weekend.

We enjoyed a great weekend and are really getting into the swing of things as a family of four! On Friday night, we went to the drive-in movie theater to see the kid's flick "Flushed Away." On Saturday, Mom and Dad both enjoyed a little alone time with the boys. Jami had to do a little 'continuing education' on Saturday morning by attending driving school to dismiss a speeding ticket she got right before Reid was born, so the Leahy boys hung out in the morning. Then Dad took off for Poker Night with the guys on Saturday night, so Mom and the boys got Pei Wei take-out and had a picnic at home. On Sunday morning, we headed to the Farm at South Mountain for breakfast. It's a quaint collection of organic eateries, farms, a pecan grove, and little shops. What a great morning out with the family! Then we attended a birthday party for some playgroup friends at The Little Gym in the afternoon, and Luke honed his skills on the balance beam!

Leahy boys then and now.

Thought it would be fun to look at a baby pic of Luke next to one of Reid. Here's a 'head-to-head' comparison. Both of these photos were taken at about 3 weeks of age. It's fun to look at the similarities and differences!

Yeehaw Yawn

It looks like our lil' buckaroo is saying "Yeehaw." Too bad he's actually just yawning. The Wild West better look out!

Campout!

We decided to have our first Leahy family campout in the backyard last night. Eric and Charity joined us for making s'mores over the toasty fire (courtesy of the grill). Scott and Luke braved the cool evening temperatures and the wildlife in our backyard (our neighbor's cat) to spend the night outside in the tent, which could be considered a 1 1/2 man tent because it was a little short and Scott had to sleep with his feet sticking out the door! Jami and Reid stayed nice and cozy indoors. This is likely to be the first of many backyard camping adventures ... Luke loved it!

Happy 3 weeks, Reid!

The keen observer.

Luke is adjusting quite well to having Reid around. He often has some funny responses and observations. Here are just a few:

- "He's AWAKE!" Luke keeps a keen watch on when lil' bro's eyes are open. Now that Reid's getting a little more alert which means he's awake for longer stretches, the frequency of this phrase coming from Luke has proportionately increased ... as has the volume, too! He's so excited!
- "He's kinda loud." This phrase is accompanied by the action of Luke sticking his fingers in his ears to block out the sound if Reid is crying. Commonly used when riding in the backseat of the car with little brother.
- "His hair is soft." Perhaps Luke is jealous because he didn't have as much hair as Reid does now until well after Luke turned one.

Happy Halloween!

A drink for you, a drink for me.

Luke is really into the swing of his big brother duties. Here he demonstrates how he can multi-task by feeding little brother Reid while enjoying a beverage himself!

Superman and his sidekick Superbaby

Luke and Reid save the day as Superman and Superbaby! The boys dressed up as these superheroes for our playgroup Halloween party. A label printed out with a Superman logo makes for an easy costume for a two-week-old!

Getting ready for Halloween.

Today the Leahy family took part in the time-honored tradition of carving a jack-o-lantern to prepare for Halloween! Luke was so excited to "cut the pumpkin" although he didn't think too highly about removing the goop from inside the pumpkin. Reid was present (and sleeping soundly through the whole thing!) Our pumpkin was glowing brightly tonight and is ready for trick-or-treaters on Tuesday evening!

2 punkins.

As you can see the Leahy boys are getting ready for Halloween! Reid was sporting his pumpkin hat (a must have for an October baby) and his big boy jeans (still a little big but not for long!) Luke even took some time out from riding his bike to snap this picture with lil' bro. Stay tuned for pics of their matching Halloween costumes!

Scott's high-flying adventure for his 30th birthday!

Below are some pictures from Scott's day out as a pilot-in-training. He flew on the afternoon of Sunday, Oct. 22 and departed out of the Scottsdale Airpark for his 1-hour flight with a pilot around the city. (Soon Scott will add to this blog with highlights from the experience.) Here are photos for now...

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!