Oklahoma weekend trip.

This weekend Jami and Reid flew to Oklahoma for a fun moms-n-babies weekend with her good college pal Kellie and new baby boy Blake. (We missed seeing the proud papa Chris, as he was out of town coaching his legion baseball team at a tournament.) Jami and Kellie enjoyed catching up and just spending time with the young'ns while seeing some sights in Oklahoma City (where we flew into) and Enid (where they live).

Watch out, ladies! These two are quite the charmers with their blue eyes and full heads of hair! Reid at 10 months & Blake at 2 months.

Bottom left: Out to dinner in Enid.

Bottom right: Blake and Mom.

Common household goods...

... Make the best toys! The boys have been enjoying using the laundry basket (much more than their mom enjoys using it for practical purposes!)

The laundry basket can be a support beam for a pillow fort.

A house all in itself!

A boat for two!

Luke's first day of preschool.

This was a milestone day for our young Luke. It was his first day of preschool! Three days a week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings Luke is attending preschool at First United Methodist Church of Gilbert, which is just a hop, skip, and a jump away from our house. His class has 10 children -- 7 boys and 3 girls. Hope his teacher Mrs. Vallera is ready for an energetic bunch!

Luke was so excited to start school. He got a new green backpack personalized with his name. Today he was telling his teacher ... "There's something on my backpack and it says L-U-K-E. That spells Luke!" Yesterday we were talking about what he needed to take to school in his backpack. He ran to the kitchen, retrieved the entire box of Oreos, and stuffed them in his bag. (Guess he thought he might need a snack ... for everyone!)

When the big moment arrived this morning, Mom got a little choked up, but Luke was all too excited ... never looking back. This is quite a big day for the little man, considering that this is the first day of his formal education for the next 2 decades!

Mrs. Vallera and Luke on the first day of preschool.

Lucy's bday party.

Yesterday we celebrated the 2nd birthday of our playgroup pal Lucy. The Little Gym was hoppin' with youngsters. Both Luke and Reid had a ball!

Luke, Lucy, Dylan, Keegan, Owen & Thomas wait for the airtrack to inflate.

Bouncing baby boy Reid.

Rub-a-dub-Reid.

Squeaky clean.

Spidermen.

The Leahy home is a bit more secure these days thanks to this double dose of superpowers. Luke sporting his Spidey jammies and web-slinging hands shows off his new buddy Lil' Spidey.

Morning wake-up song.

When Jami was a little girl, her dad always used to sing "the morning wake-up song." The song would always surface when you least wanted to rise and shine, but it always brought about a smile. (Jami's dad is not known for his singing abilities, but he can really croon the morning wake-up song, as well as a handful of songs from the ol' fraternity days!)

Passing along this tradition to the younger generation, Jami made it her goal to teach Luke the song before the Colorado trip in early July. Mission accomplished, and Papa was quite entertained (even at 6 a.m.) when Luke woke him up with that.

Since then, the song has backfired on us. What was once a charming little melody has now become an unwanted alarm clock for weary parents. Because Luke can't yet tell time at age 3 and we don't have a rooster ... when Luke is ready to get up, he thinks everyone else should be, too, even if it's during early-morning-normal-sleeping hours. He will bust downstairs at 5:45 (or 6 on the lucky days), stand on Scott's side of the bed, and at full volume begin singing. If at first you don't succeed ... then try again. MUCH LOUDER. If that doesn't work, then you climb in the bed and sing. This alarm clock has no "off" button.

Caution: Do not teach children to sing songs specifically designed for the morning time.

2 monkeys and a zebra.

Is this precious cargo heading to the zoo? Nope. Just playing in the garage! We do NOT really have personalized plates, but Jami added one to suit this funny photo. (Side note: We have some good friends who have 7 children, a large white 15 passenger van, and a personalized plate for "7 Monkeys." Love it! So we'll borrow their humor for this pic!)

L is for ...

Lounging, low-key, laidback. That's the weekend for the Leahys! We joined Eric and Charity for dinner at Costa Vida on Friday, and today's itinerary featured a long bike ride for Mom and the boys and parktime in the evening for the whole crew. Here are some fun pics of us ... just hanging out!

Wisdom & wealth.

Today, Jami and the boys were enjoying some lunch at Panda Express. After finishing his meal, Luke cracked open his fortune cookie and handed the little slip of paper to Mom to read. Here's the conversation that followed:

MOM: "Luke your fortune says, 'You will live a life full of comfort and material wealth.'"

LUKE: "Hmmm ... matewial wealf?? Okay."

MOM: "Do you know what material wealth is, Luke?"

LUKE: "Yep ... I do." (Very matter of factly stated.)

Perhaps he's wise beyond his years. Hope that wisdom earns him some of that material wealth he seems to know so well...

Turbo crawler.

Reid has found a new mode of transportation that is much faster than the traditional crawl. We've been getting a kick out of this speedy crawler over the last few days ... hope you do too!

Artwalk.

Our crew ventured out to Downtown Chandler's Artwalk for a family night out. Once a month, artists showcase jewelry and paintings (and even some painted pet rocks) along the streets downtown. We happened upon this friendly fish named Fozzy who's the mascot for the artists' guild.

Opa!

Last night we helped our friend Shauna celebrate her birthday with a night out to the Greek restaurant Bacchanal near Downtown Phoenix. This place is one of our favorites, and it's always guaranteed to be a good time with the delish Greek food, belly dancing, plate breaking, and audience participation! As the Greeks say ... OPA!!

3 blondes and the birthday girl Shauna

Scott shows off his Greek dancing talents! The owner of Bacchanal (middle) picked him out of the crowd to dance.

Parkin' it.

The weather has been a bit cooler this week (under 100!) so we hit the park this morning. The caravan included 3 bikes, the bike trailer, and Reid's walker hooked on the back. What a sight!

Follow me, Dad ... I know the way!

Teeter totter tots

Arrrgh!

Tonight we spent the evening at Way 2 Play Cafe for Pirate Night. Luke enjoyed playing with the kids, but he steered clear of this pirate ... too scary for him! But Reid was a brave little guy and buddied up to him for a photo opp.

Reid learns the basics of swashbuckling.

Bright eyes & a bright smile!

Car cart.

When shopping with two small boys, the car cart at the grocery store is a must. Usually, Luke is the driver and Reid is along for the ride, but look who's the chauffeur today!

Bitten by the blog bug.

Lately, we've had a flurry of friends and family members start blogs! We love keeping in touch this way and hearing what's happening with you all! So if you are checking our blog and we don't know about yours, then zip us an email with your blog info so we can keep tabs on you, too!

Ruby Slipper Designs -- Jami's graphic design company -- has also been bitten by the blog bug! Check out the newly revised website (courtesy of highly skilled web designer Scott) at www.RubySlipperCards.com. New samples, new focus, new fun ideas! It's been 3 years since our heels started clicking! Amazing! In addition to the new site, RSD also has a new blog at www.rubyslippercards.blogspot.com, a great resource for invitations, announcements, and other creative concepts on paper! This will be updated twice a month so check back often!

Slip-n-slide-n-slurp.

Luke's buddy Owen came over for a playdate today. On the agenda ... the slip-n-slide. The boys had a blast splashing around and slurping popsicles afterward.

Top right: Ready, set, splash!

Middle left: Reid wasn't the fastest guy down the slip-n-slide, but he had fun all the same!

Bottom left: Popsicles are serious business.

Fun times with our Meyer friends.

Tonight, we attended Luke's VBS program. His class stood up and sang 2 songs. Luke however chose to not sing ... or do the actions. It seems he had a case of stagefright during his moment in the spotlight!! He did however do a great job of standing very still in place, which is rare for him! Afterward, we grabbed some dinner with the Meyer family. Lexi, Colby & Luke were all smiles!

Walk 'n' roll.

Last week we dug out the walker to see if Reid wanted to give it a try. He's been cruising all around on the furniture, so we thought he might be ready for the "next big step." From the start, he was off and walking and loving every minute of it. Walk 'n' roll, baby!

Schoolhouse rocks.

Luke has been test-driving his new school routine by attending Vacation Bible School at the church where he'll attend preschool in the fall (it's a Methodist church just around the corner from our house). He's loved the time spent learning with the other kids and his teachers. Here he is with his classmates.

Reid-atouille.

Tonight the Leahy family ventured out and about for a movie night. The feature film was "Ratatouille," a charming story about a rat who can cook. This was also a milestone movie as it was Reid's first movie in the theater (and Luke's umpteenth movie ... he's quite a fan of the cinema). Reid watched the first half of the flick and then dozed off for the latter part, while Luke munched away on his Skittles, his preferred movie snack. It was a nice way to escape the heat and spend the night with the family!

Baptizing Reid.

Today we celebrated the blessed event of Reid's baptism at our home parish of St. Mary's in Chandler. We were fortunate to have several friends and family members join us for this very special day. Reid cooperated well and was on his best behavior. He is such a gift to our lives, so it was wonderful to share this spiritual gift with him.

Mr. Baptism is ready for the big event.

Deacon Hintze baptizes Reid with the rest of the family watching over him.

Here we are with Reid's godmother Emily Cappo (Scott's cousin) and Uncle Eric who is standing in for Reid's godfather Uncle Paul (Scott's older brother).

We enjoyed a nice family dinner afterward at our home. This special occasion warranted a striped Tammie Coe Cake, placecards with pictures of each family member with Reid, and a special blessing card from Mom & Dad.

All in the family.

What a special treat for us to have some family fly in for Reid's baptism! Scott's Aunt Mary Ann and cousin Emily (Reid's godmother) flew in this morning to share in this special celebration with us. They hopped off the plane and on to a family breakfast with all of us at TC Eggington's.

A date to celebrate eight!

To celebrate our 8th anniversary, we spent the evening in suspense at the Broadway Palms Dinner Theater's interactive murder mystery show "Murder in Paradise." We enjoyed the night out, while the boys had a ball with Uncle E and Charity at Amazing Jake's playland. Rumor has it they rode the teacups and go-karts while we were out solving crimes!

Clownin' around.

Luke enjoyed a morning out to Rolly Pollies summer camp today. Can you tell what the theme was? CIRCUS! Move over, Bozo ... there's a new clown in town!

8th anniversary.

As we celebrate our 8th anniversary today, we thought this pic would be a fun walk down memory lane ... or down the aisle in this case! Here's to 8 great years!

Mimi, Papa & the munchkins.

One final photo from our trip: the boys with Grandma and Grandpa Nelson, our great Colorado tour guides!

Boulder adventures.

One of our final Colorado adventures was making a day trip to Boulder. We enjoyed a lovely lunch at the Sunflower (delish organic food) and then took a stroll down Pearl Street, famous for its eclectic feel and street performers.

Wouldn't you know ... Luke found more water! He and Reid (and Papa) enjoyed splashing around in these fountains.

The fam on Pearl Street.

Just the two of us.

Since Mimi & Papa provide a great free babysitting service, we've enjoyed some time out just the two of us. Last night we met our friends Mary Fran and Joe who just moved to Denver after getting married a few weeks ago. We enjoyed pizza and vino at The Oven in Belmar. Then this morning we took off on a 17-mile bike trek from Lakewood to Morrison along a scenic bike trail following the Bear Creek. Somehow we took the more challenging route and ended up scaling some crazy small mountain on our bikes, but it was quite a cruise down! Our final destination was meeting up with the family at the Morrison Inn for some Mexican food. We hauled the bikes back in town ... it was a one-way only trip!

Tales from the creek.

Luke has been on the Colorado Creek Tour. Yesterday we ventured over to a park with a creek flowing through it. Tons of kids were splashing around in the water, so Luke joined in! He also made up a game to throw his blue crocs in the creek and run downstream to catch them. Of course, we were sitting on the bank laughing at him!


Today Luke and Papa ventured down to the creek behind the townhouse for a little more water fun.

Bear Creek Park or bust!

One of our first adventures in Colorado was venturing to Bear Creek Park. Just 15 minutes from Mimi & Papa's house, we spent some time splashing around on the beach at Soda Lake in the afternoon. Last night, we grilled out lakeside and watched the windsurfing and kayaking entertainment. Then Grandpa, Scott & Luke enjoyed a night camping beneath the stars. Grandma, Jami, and Reid roasted s'mores and then headed back into town for more civilized accommodations.

A beach in Colorado?! Sure enough. Sun, sand & mountains in the background!

Happy campers and their humble abode.

Happy 4th!

Red, white & blue ... here's to you!

Goodbye June. Hello July.

We wrapped up the month of June with a quiet weekend at home (vs. traveling). Okay, maybe it wasn't so quiet after all. We ran some errands, checked out the pool at Uncle E's new house, and hit birthday parties for our friend Amy who turned the big 3-0 and our friend Lilly who turned 1.

The pint-size partygoers at Lilly's big bash.

Swimming ... Part 2.

In an earlier post, we noted Luke's recent disliking that he'd taken this season to swimming. We are proud to report that he's officially turned the corner and loving the pool once again. At his final swimming lesson at the YMCA, he received a report card of sorts, which noted he "did much better toward the end." You got that right, Mr. Randall. Today we spent several hours at the pool at the gym. The favorite activity was jumping off the side into the shallow end where he didn't have to go underwater. After 50 or so times, Mom hauled out the camera for some pics!

Brothers.

Here's a recent pic taken on our front doorstep. It is rare these days to take a photo where both boys are looking at the camera. (Guess we'd have to pay them extra for them to both be smiling! )

The family that walks together ... Crocs together.

Escaping the heat.

The ultra hot summer temps have set in, and we've been hitting 110+ lately. We try to make the most of our indoor fun, so today we hit the play area at the mall for a long time. Of course, Luke was all too happy to run crazy with the other kids, and Reid was holding his own among the younger crowd and loving it, too. Now that he's crawling and pulling up, Reid had a great time exploring the play area (and trying not to be run over by the bigger kids!)

2 front teeth.

Reid has been working on getting his first teeth in, and they are finally visible. Two little front teeth are sprouting on the bottom. This is one extreme close-up picture!!

Dallas & Time with Dad

SuperDad was on duty this weekend as Jami zipped off to Dallas for the Officers Conference for her Theta volunteer position. The boys enjoyed a weekend of swimming, pizza, and movies, while Jami enjoyed catching up with old Theta friends and making some new ones, too.

The side effects of TiVo.

For a while, the Leahy family (along with many other American households) have been enjoying the benefits of recording their favorite programs via TiVo, DVR, or any other similar recording device. While we aren't huge TV watchers, our DVR is set to record some of our favorites each week (like The Office and Brothers & Sisters), as well as a full slate of Luke's picks.

Well, actually, Luke's shows rule over the digitally recorded kingdom on our DVR. Each day new episodes of Sesame Street, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse & LazyTown (crazy show about kids' fitness) are recorded. Since these shows are his favorites, he usually asks if he can watch one of those when he's having some downtime. What has resulted is that at any given time on any given television he thinks he can request to watch one of "his shows." This hit home with us when we were on vacation, and he was asking to only watch Mickey Mouse when we were in the hotel room. For some odd reason, there's not a 24-hour channel featuring The Mouse in San Diego like there is on the TV at home! Guess San Diego has to have some flaws.

Dear Ol' Dad ... Happy Father's Day!

What a treat to be able to celebrate Father's Day on the tail end of our trip! We woke up bright and early this morning and headed to the beach to get in one last sandy outing. Then Luke & Reid treated Scott to his favorite for lunch -- pizza! The first half of his Father's Day was grand. The latter half -- driving home from San Diego -- wasn't as exciting!

Hugs for our dad on Father's Day!