Theta Trip to LA.

Jami continues to volunteer for Kappa Alpha Theta as a Director of Risk Management for her district, which encompasses 16 chapters in Southern California, Arizona, and Nevada. This Theta volunteer position involves occasional travel opportunities, one of which was this weekend to LA for the District Leadership Conference. Jami spent the weekend facilitating educational sessions for the chapters' executive officers and advisors discussing topics of social events, liability, and Theta policy. It was a great weekend with her District Team friends (see below) and the chapters she advises.

Reid-ito.

This week we tried out one of the new Mexican restaurants in the neighborhood, as we continue the quest to find our favorite spicy fare. Reid gave the chips and salsa (very mild) two thumbs up. He also likes black olives and refried beans. Strange combo ... we know.

Ski bums.

The grand finale of the January birthday extravaganza was this weekend's ski trip to Monarch Mountain, a very family friendly resort about 2+ hours from Colorado Springs. We were lucky to have Mimi and Papa join us for this roadtrip adventure. (They also were great Reid-watchers while the rest of us were skiing!) This was Luke's first time to ski, and he spent the morning in ski school learning some new skills for the slopes. Jami and Scott (who had taken an 8-year hiatus from skiing) really enjoyed the great snow conditions, bright sunshine, and short lift lines. Monarch Mountain lived up to all the rave reviews we'd heard about it, and we're sure to return again!

We're trying out a new option to post online photo albums. You can check out the album link here for our Monarch Ski Trip.

4 candles on the cake.

Our little Luke celebrated his 4th birthday today. What a great year it's been for him! He's taken some major steps in life with starting pre-school, moving to a new state, and being a good role model as his little brother gets older. We are so proud of him!

Luke celebrated the Big 4 with a ski cake.

Gymboree fun.

Reid received a very special birthday gift back in October from our AZ neighbors to attend a Gymboree class for a month at the Colorado Springs location. He's been loving the class ... especially the climbing opportunities, bubbles, and parachute time. It has been interesting to watch Reid's personality on his own among his peers (since he's usually tagging along after Luke!) He's very fun-loving, adventurous, and gets the other kids giggling, too.

Foxy.

Two interesting facts about our neighborhood ... 1) ice harvesting was a major industry here years ago and 2) fox farms were common, too. We learned these 2 tidbits from our realtor Ray when he was showing us around back in October. He also mentioned that every once in a while we may see foxes running around. Hmmm. Interesting.

This week, we've had 3 different fox sightings! One was by our mailboxes trotting across the street toward perilous I-25. Wrong turn, buddy. The other sightings were 2 different occasions while driving through the Gleneagle community near us, and they were roaming around in people's yards (not ours). It's likely the snow has them looking a little harder for food these days.

What's up, doc?

Today we ventured over to Monument to see our new pediatrician for well-checks for both boys. Here are their stats:

Luke (4 years)
Height: 41 inches - 60th percentile
Weight: 36 lbs. - 75th percentile

Reid (15 mos.)
Height: 32.25 inches - 90th percentile
Weight: 22 lbs. 15 oz. - 30th percentile

A few other notes of interest...

• Luke took his first vision test today. The nurse asked if he could recognize letters (yes) so she decided to test him. Luke was identifying letters from the eye chart while standing 25 feet away that Mom could hardly read (maybe she needs glasses!)
• Luke has gained 3 lbs. since we moved in November. Colorado agrees with him!
• Part of Luke's well-check involved some coordination exercises. He passed those with flying colors and enjoyed jumping around with our pediatrician!
• Reid had 2 shots. Luke had none. The little guy always gets the short end of the stick.
• Reid decided halfway through that he'd show the doctor his excellent vocal talents of screeching. Lovely.

A clean bill of health for both boys!

Homework.

Luke recently had a take-home class assignment that required a little help from Mom and Dad. The task at hand was to trace a life-size Luke on paper and then decorate it. Here's the finished masterpiece and below is a description of how it was decorated (as told by Luke to Mom.)

"The hair is macaroni and cheese because I like to eat it and it's yellow. The shirt is my favorite color green. I'm holding a cupcake because I'm turning 4 years old. The picture in my other hand is of me and my family. I like to do stamps so I put some on my pants. The stickers on my shirt are for Superman and Jesus."

Birthday breakfast.

Breakfast at Snooze. We enjoyed a visit with our friend Megan, too.

Jami's birthday treat of turning 31 was enjoying breakfast at Snooze, a hip a.m. eatery in Downtown Denver. Snooze is owned by the husband of one of Jami's Theta volunteer friends Megan. So we loaded up yesterday morning, road-tripped north to the Mile-High City, and enjoyed the BEST breakfast ever! We ended up with a full spread of eggs florentine, an omelet, a pineapple-upside down pancake, a sweet potato pancake with pecans and ginger butter, and a peanut butter/chocolate pancake (this was our dessert - ha!) As they say, breakfast is the most important meal of the day ... better do it up right for your birthday! Afterward, we spent some time celebrating Jami's birthday with her parents and took a trip to the YMCA for some playtime and pooltime. What a fantastic day!

Luke-isms.

As Luke approaches the Big 4, he's been spouting off some pretty funny sayings. Here are a few of the latest...

• One day this week we picked Luke up from school. Jami said to him, "Hey, Luke. We missed you today." His response: "Well ... I didn't miss you! Not a bit. We had a snowball fight at school today. It was fun!" Guess he likes school, eh?
• Later that day, Luke shared this piece of wisdom with Mom ... "Tootsie roll, tootsie roll, lollipop. We were talking. Now we're not." We love a teacher who incorporates a little song and dance into classroom lessons!

Swinging in the snow.

Since we've moved to the mountains, it seems like we're averaging one snowstorm per week. It's actually quite nice to see the big flakes falling, play around in the powder, brave the slick roads for a day, and then it all melts back to normal. One day last week, the boys were itching for some park time so we enjoyed an afternoon swinging in the snow.

A little snow can't keep Reid from the park!

Birthdays galore.

January is a big birthday month. On Saturday, Luke's buddy Levi celebrated his 4th birthday, and we joined him for the festivities! Then we journeyed up to Denver later in the afternoon and celebrated with a much more seasoned birthday partier ... Papa is turning 65 on Monday! We also enjoyed dinner out last night with our friends Joe and Mary Fran, while Mimi and Papa watched Luke and Reid. A fun weekend socializing and celebrating!

Celebrating 3 generations of January birthdays!

Indoor slide.

One of the greatest things about having a brother is scheming up random games. We bring you the game of "Slick Leather Couch." Reid designed this game, and Luke caught on quickly. Thank you to our friends at IKEA for developing both a quality leather couch and a playground all in one.

What's in a name?

School is back in session for Luke, and he's happy to be back with his friends. Here's a recent convo about his school pals.

Mom: Hey, Luke, what are your friends' names at school?
Luke: Well, there's Garrett ... but sometimes I call him "Carrot."
Mom: Why?
Luke: Because I do.
Mom: Hmmm. Okay. Anyone else?
Luke: There's George, too.
Mom: What do you call him?
Luke: Oh, he's "Curious George."

The art of nicknaming begins early. Just wait until he joins a fraternity...

Walk this way.

Jami has joined a moms' walking group that walks along Monument Valley River for 3 miles each Friday morning. Usually, just Reid is along for the ride, but today Luke joined us since he's still on school break. (Visual: Today Mom carried Reid in the backpack as she pushed Luke in the jogger ... talk about a full load!) It's been fun getting to know other moms while getting some fresh air! Jami's friend Torie started this group several years ago, and it's still going strong!

Jami & Torie & all the kiddos after a beautiful morning walk!

Denver adventures.

Today we roadtripped up to visit Mimi & Papa. Denver got a ton of snow last week, so we took advantage of it and per Papa's request we hit the sledslope. (Yes, if you are wondering, we are professional sledders.) A church near their house had a longer, steeper incline perfect for some longer runs ... and louder laughs!

Reid keeps up with big bro and his fence-climbing skills.

Papa and Luke brave the hill!

Late-night talk show.

Now that we're home from our holiday travels and with the new year in full swing, we're working on getting our night routine refined a bit. Reid goes down at 7:30, and Luke hits the hay at 8:30. Sweet dreams from there, right? Some nights -- yes. Last night -- no. But the conversation was priceless.

At 2 a.m. Luke was up for his middle-of-the-night restroom visit and afterward wanted to climb in bed with Mom & Dad. He was pretty persistent and wouldn't let the two letters of "NO!" stand in his way ... but he figured we meant business when we pulled out "go back to bed or we'll take away your new Lego toy." Beeline to bed. No further questions. Peaceful sleep and back to counting sheep for us all.

Until 5:45 this morning. Reid's vocabulary is still evolving, but he's using his words wisely. Our alarm clock this morning was this (repeated over and over for emphasis): "Dada. All done. DADA. ALL DONE!" He usually says "all done" when he's finished eating, but guess he figured out it can apply to sleeping, too!

Christmas in KC.

Yes, we like drawing out the holiday celebrations! Our 3rd and final destination on the Christmas 2007 Tour was to spend time with Scott's family in Kansas City.

Brothers Scott, Paul & Eric hold the youngest generation of Leahys -- Luke & Reid with cousins Sawyer & Stratton (Paul & Juli's sons).

Proud Aunt Jami loved meeting 4-month-old Stratton. He's adorable and full of smiles and giggles. So precious!
A family picture in front of Ted & Margie's beautiful tree.
One evening we caught up with some fraternity brothers and their wives. From left: Byron Vogel, Scott, Marty Gilmore (seated), Will Long & Greg Ahlquist.

Cousins Luke & Sawyer had a ball playing together. One afternoon we went bowling, and they LOVED it! Here are the clowns goofing off!

Christmas in Wamego.

Christmas ... Take 2. We headed to Kansas to continue our celebration of Christmas with our families. We first stopped in Wamego to gather with the Nelson side of the family for the fa-la-la-la-la festivities.

Who's that behind the wheel of that tractor? It's Luke! Uncle Craig worked his connections, and Luke took this tractor out for a spin.

Our nephew Dalton celebrated his 1st Christmas! What a cute stocking stuffer!

There's no place like ... the Oz Museum in Wamego. We enjoyed taking a walk down the yellow brick road.

Oh, what fun it is to ride on a 4-wheeler pulling a sleigh! Luke, Scott & Reid take a spin in the snow.

Christmas in CO.

We kicked off Christmas 2007 by celebrating in Colorado with just the 4 of us opening gifts. We sprinkled the reindeer food in the front yard and left cookies for Santa, and low and behold, he managed to come early before we left on our road trip. (There's a longer story as to what we had to tell Luke, but thankfully he didn't ask too many questions!)

Reid checks out his cool new toy!

Luke asked Santa for green roller skates (a funny request ... we know!) Guess Luke was on his nice list. Glad Santa included the safety gear, too!

Nice dinner with a cheapskate.

It's been ages since we've had a date night out, so Mimi and Papa watched the boys tonight so Scott and Jami could enjoy an evening out and about! The itinerary included fine dining at The Blue Star near downtown. The chef is the son of a family friend of ours, and the food was divine! The grand finale was a yule log dessert ... so festive!

Afterward, we headed to a city skating rink to lace up the skates and hit the ice. Tonight was 'cheapskate night' so it was super reasonable to skate. No falls, no broken arms, but some sore calves ... and fun times!

Super sledders.

With some fresh snow from last night, we decided to show Papa our sledding hill when he and Mimi made the trek down to visit us today. It's fun to watch how brave the boys are getting in the snow and how much they enjoy outdoor winter activities now. We spent a lot of time laughing this afternoon on the sledslope.

Loading the troops on the sled.

Scott and Luke attempt the speed-sled with going headfirst down the hill! Wheeee!

First impressions.

Our first month in Colorado has been a good one as we settle into our new digs. We've made some interesting observations with this transition.

Hot or cold? The #1 comment we get asked is "How do you like the snow and cold weather?" Truth is ... we love it! We used to think we would take the heat over the cold any day, but perhaps those ultra hot AZ summers burned that preference out of us. Now we just bundle up and off we go!

Merry Christmas to you. Colorado Springs is known to be a pretty conservative Christian city. As a result, everyone says "Merry Christmas" ... store clerks, waitresses, you name it. The politically correct cousin "Happy Holidays" is definitely less heard this time of year.

Well-Schooled. The schools in Colorado (particularly the district in which we live) get rave reviews. Glad to know this will help our boys follow in Dad's footsteps with going to Stanford.

Where is...? We live far north of the heart of the city of Colorado Springs in an area that is still developing. This means we have to do more exploring, internet searching, and asking to find the basic "necessities" ... like Target, Walgreens, and other stores that were literally every 3 miles in Phoenix.

Pack your lunch ... and snowgear. When Luke heads to school on snowy days, he has to pack a few extra items for recess. His school requests that they also bring snowpants and boots -- and of course the coat, hat, & mittens -- so they can play outside. That makes for one stuffed backpack!

Closed on Mondays. We live near several smaller towns where most businesses are closed on Mondays. Better get that errand running done Tuesday through Saturday. They are closed Sundays, too.

Because it's a hat...

At this time of year as we search for the perfect toys and outfits for our little ones, we are reminded that sometimes the best gifts are everyday objects and a little imagination. Who knew a padded envelope could be so much fun!

All Aboard!

Pastry chefs Luke and Jami created quite a culinary masterpiece this evening -- a gingerbread train. Luke was the expert on candy placement, while Mom's specialty was icing application. All aboard the Peppermint Express!

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!