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!

Step it up.

Reid's walking skills have been growing by leaps and bounds and strides. As you can see in the video, the technique is enhanced by walking with his hands over his head. Better balance that way...

Let it snow.

This weekend we took a quick trip to Colorado for our house-hunting trip. On Sunday morning when Scott and Jami were getting ready to head south to Colorado Springs to tour a few potential houses, it started snowing ... and snowing ... and snowing. Nothing says "Welcome to Colorado" like a big snow of nearly 7 inches! We safely made our way to Colorado Springs (and avoided sliding off the road or getting into an accident). Searching for a new home in a winter white-out puts a new perspective on "looking" for a house since we couldn't see further than about 100 feet. After we toured the prospects and had a little lunch, the snow cleared up and melted off the road by the time we were ready to head back to Denver a few hours later. What a great "first" memory!

Here's what the boys thought of the snow. Special thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Keary for the boys' winter coats!

Luke LOVED the snow and kept trying to find reasons to go outside! The cold didn't seem to phase him.

Reid's first encounter with snow was less than favorable. He was a sad little snowman on this quick stroller ride.

On the move.

Big news from the Leahy Family ... the Leahys will be relocating from Arizona to Colorado in the next month! As we close this 8-year chapter of our lives, we will miss so many things about Arizona: all our amazing friends here, living near Scott's younger brother Eric and his girlfriend Charity, our wonderful home and family-friendly neighborhood, the cooler 6 months of the year, and our many memories and milestones over the years. We are so thankful for the AZ experiences that helped to shape our lives!

Now as we look ahead to our new Colorado adventure, we greatly anticipate Scott's new job opportunity with a high-tech company called RT Logic just north of Colorado Springs. He'll be working on satellite ground stations at this smaller company of about 125 employees. We are also excited to be within driving distance of more of our family. Jami's parents will be about 1 hour away, and we will be able to drive back to Kansas now to visit the crew there including our family and friends from high school and college.

The moving van is loading up on Nov. 10, and we should be settled in Colorado Springs by Thanksgiving. Stay tuned...

Just one of the guys.

Reid enjoyed another small birthday bash at the train park on Monday with his playgroup buddies. We gobbled up some yummy fall sugar cookies and enjoyed a nice autumn afternoon. Here he is hangin' with the big boys: Owen, Skye, Reid, Thomas, and big bro Luke.

The doctor will see you now.

This has been a big week of doctor check-ups for the boys. On Monday, Reid visited Dr. Mike for his 1-year wellness check and received a clean bill of health. Here are his 1st birthday stats: height at 85th percentile, weight at 50th percentile, and head circumference at 75th percentile.

Luke also had his first official dentist appointment yesterday. On the way to the dentist's office, Luke said, "I'm so excited for them to look at my teeth." Pretty sure he's the only person to ever get excited about visiting the dentist! Guess mom and dad did a good job of talking up the experience. He was a model patient and loved riding in the dentist chair and getting his "teeth tickled." No cavities for this little guy!

31 reasons to celebrate.

Birthdays, birthdays, and more birthdays ... today Scott celebrated the Big 31 with an omelet breakfast (candle included). Rise and shine!

He and brother Eric were then treated to a special birthday surprise -- a guided Segway tour! Sporting red helmets (safety first!) and these 2-wheeled personal transport systems, Scott and Eric buzzed around the Marriott Desert Ridge this afternoon. The Segway was ultra easy to use and super fun. Here are a few Segway facts for you. It can recharge on 20 cents of electricity. It tops out at 12.5 mph. It is super smart and quickly reads your movements.

Eric & Scott are all smiles about their Segway tour!

Even Charity & Jami got to go for a quick spin at the end of the tour.

The Big One.

Happy 1st Birthday, Reid!

One year ago today, we welcomed Reid Nelson Leahy into the world. Today, we celebrated " the Big One" with a pizza party in the park and cupcakes. Below is a video and some pictures from the party.

The birthday boys - Scott is 31, Reid is 1, Eric is 28!

Cupcakes with candy corn and pumpkins ... festive for fall!

I don't want the fun to end!

Time for tea.

Jami's parents are in town to celebrate the October birthdays. Today Jami and her mom enjoyed lunch at a chic new tea house called Tea Dreams. Ooh la la! What a lovely ladies' lunch out!

A day with meaning.

Oct. 10 is a day with special meaning for us.

9 years ago today: Scott and Jami got engaged near the Crown Center fountains in Kansas City.

100 months ago today: We were married. (Scott likes to recognize mathematically unique milestones, so we celebrated 100 months with cake and ice cream.)

1 year ago today: Reid was due to join us in the world. He had other plans to wait just a bit.

Happy hikers.

Rise and shine! This morning the boys and Mom got up bright and early for a hiking expedition at South Mountain. Luke decided that hiking was too slow for him, so he decided to jog most of the way. Reid was all too happy for the free ride in the backpack carrier. Mom was just content to enjoy the fresh air and cool breeze! A hiking we will go!

Latest on the Leahy boys.

The last few months we have been enjoying how much the boys are growing and learning. So here are the latest updates about our little guys.

Luke has been in school for 7 weeks now and absolutely loves it. He's always been a good kid and minded pretty well, but he's been on exceptionally good behavior at home since starting school (let's hope the same holds true for when he's in the classroom). Speaking of, his teacher recently completed a baseline learning assessment with Luke to see how much he knew about the basics ... you know ABCs, 123s, etc. We met with her to find out more about this initial evaluation, and we wanted to hear if he was raising a ruckus in the classroom. She said he's showing preference to writing and cutting with scissors left-handed. We already suspected that! She also said that she wasn't sure what he thought of the music portion of class because he just doesn't sing and doesn't really get into it. (That's probably because they aren't singing the Superman theme song which he hums non-stop at home.) But overall, he received a good report from Mrs. Vallera, and she said he gets along well with the other children in class.

As for Reid, to say the boy is "active" is an understatement. Luke was energetic at this age, but Reid wins the contest for making mom chase him non-stop. Could it be that he's trying to keep up with his big brother?! The best way to illustrate this is with the simple act of climbing. Reid learned to climb our stairs soon after learning to crawl. So he's had about 4 months to perfect the art of climbing. Reid can now hoist himself onto the couch, climb up the back of the couch, and then perch himself on Mom's desk which is backed up to the couch. He makes a nice paperweight ... until he starts ripping paper. The McDonalds Playland is now a favorite of both boys. Reid has found it to be a climbing paradise. Mom has to watch closely because he's been known to start the ascent up into the tubes or up the twisty slide. (Adults don't fit well in those small spaces when trying to retrieve small squirming children.) Oh, and Reid has figured out "what goes up must come down" and can now maneuver his way back down the stairs safely.

We've also seen the boys' friendship developing more, too, and it's adorable. If Reid is napping, Luke will say, "Where's Reidy? I want to play toys with him." One day after picking him up from school, Luke leaned over to Reid in his carseat and said, "Hi, Reid. I'm back from school. Did you miss me?" On the flipside, Reid's greatest entertainer is Luke as he's always able to make his little brother laugh. Reid admires Luke so much and is so intrigued by what he's up to.

It's fun to share a little glimmer of the boys' personalities. We are proud parents!

Road trip & the road less traveled.

Our original weekend plans were to cruise up to Payson for a family camping trip. However, Scott and Jami both ended up with colds, so we rested up on Saturday instead. We took off early this morning for a day trip to Payson to picnic among the pines and then do a little hiking and sightseeing. When we first arrived, the weather was pretty chilly, rainy, and foggy. We enjoyed lunch just up the bank from Christopher Creek and then ventured down the winding trail to explore the creek. The weather had cleared up a bit so we then loaded up our gear and headed up the mountain to the Mogollan Rim and Woods Canyon Lake. Both Luke and Reid are truly at home in the outdoors, and we all appreciated a good dose of fresh air!

Mom and Little Reid Riding Hood.

Dad and the boys make their way across the creek.

After this full day, we decided to start the drive home. (This is where the road less traveled begins.) We noticed a sign that said our highway to return to Phoenix was closed. This seemed a little strange, so we inquired in town and learned an oil tanker had exploded on the highway and it was closed in both directions. We found out more about the detour and off we went. To look on the bright side, we were able to see some parts of the state we'd not yet seen: Roosevelt Dam and Lake, the towns of Miami and Globe and their many antique shops, and the nearby mines. We imagined it would take us a little longer than the normal 2 hours to get home ... but not 4 1/2 hours!! The traffic was very backed up. The boys did well considering, and Mom did her best to keep the boys occupied with bribes of graham crackers & oreo cookies, crazy games involving funny faces, and playing the ring tones on her phone. Oh well. Sometimes memories come both from the road trip and the road less traveled.

Here's a toast.

For 5 years, Scott has been involved in a local Toastmasters club that meets weekly at Motorola. He was a founding member of the Ocotillo Breakfast Club and initially joined to improve his public speaking skills. In the club, he has served as president and has risen the ranks to Advanced Toastmaster Bronze.

Several weeks ago Scott gave a humorous speech about our flooding/fire alarm saga, and he won his club contest. This meant he moved on to the area competition, which was last night. Scott presented the same speech complete with props and many witty jokes! He was competing against 3 other humorous speech contestants ... and he won! Jami surprised him by showing up at the contest to support him (Scott didn't realize she was there until he got up to speak ... luckily that didn't add to his nerves!) He will next speak at the division contest on Oct. 6. Good luck, Scott!

Scott sports his medal along with the other winners and alternates at the Toastmaster contest.