Down on the Farm Field Day.

Remember back to the days of old when you had field day at school? Today was that special "first" for Luke at St. Peter Catholic School. Jami volunteers with the PTO and helped plan the preschool field day with a "Down on the Farm" barnyard theme. The activities included:

• Fetchin' the Eggs (digging through hay to find eggs to put in the basket)
• Milkin' Old Bessie (water bucket relay)
• Dressin' the Scarecrow (the students had fun dressing the teachers as scarecrows)

Top Photo: It's not about finding a needle in a haystack. Luke's looking for an egg!

Middle Left: Farmer Scott ran the snack station. Reid sampled the coffee cake.

Middle Right: Moooo-ve over! Luke's on the run.

Bottom: Old McLeahy had a farm. E-I-E-I-O!

Head, shoulders, knees & toes.

Check out Reid's latest favorite game. This video also showcases how he likes to laugh at himself (what a ham!) and that he doesn't sit still for longer than 3.2 seconds. Enjoy!

Bowl-a-rama.

Tonight the family enjoyed a night out to our local bowling alley Pinz. With the bumpers raised on the gutters, we were ready to bowl! Luke bowled an amazing 103 using the skills in the video below (who knew bowling required kneepads!), and Reid was infatuated with the nearby driving video games.

13.1 Reasons to Visit California.

This weekend Jami joined 5 friends from Phoenix to run the Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon. The 13.1 mile race route took us through vineyards, lavender farms, fruit orchards, horse ranches, and along many rolling hills and the dreaded Corkscrew Hill (whew ... that was a tough climb!) The course finished in the Danish village of Solvang where we celebrated with some winetasting at the post-race Wine & Music Festival. Not only did the finishers earn a medal but a wine glass, too! After resting up, we then took a trip north to Santa Maria to visit some wineries -- Cottonwood Canyon and Cambria. In all, it was a fantastic weekend with a mix of work(out) and play!

It's 6 a.m. and we're ready to race in our Girls Running Wild shirts ... Jami, Meghan, Mitzi, Singne, Stacia & Terese.

Checking out the gorgeous views helped pass the time while running.

All smiles about being done with 13.1! Meghan, Singne and Jami finished with a time of 2:11.

To celebrate, we did some winetasting near Santa Maria.

Mother's Day Tea.

Today Mimi Dixie and Jami were treated to a lovely Mother's Day Tea at Luke's school. Luke's class provided refreshments and entertainment with some spring / mother-inspired songs. The guests also received elegant paper flower wrist corsages and fancy flower pins. We felt like quite the guests of honor!

Slim Goodbody.

Some of you are likely experiencing a blast-from-the-past moment! Slim Goodbody was around when we were kids ... and he's STILL around ... and yes, he's still wearing a spandex suit covered in bones, muscles, organs, etc. Jami, Luke & Reid headed to the City Auditorium this morning to see Slim's show that tours nationally called Bodyology. He still preaches some wise lessons about taking good care of your body and the importance of healthy eating and exercise. It was a fun educational morning for all!

Mom's the word.

We celebrated Mother's Day a weekend early since Jami will be out of town next weekend. The boys surprised Jami with their traditional Mother's Day brunch. One exciting part of moving means starting new traditions, so we swapped our old AZ favorite of Wild Horse Pass Resort for a Colorado restaurant called the Sunbird perched atop a cliff overlooking the city. The Sunday brunch is well known in the Springs, and it certainly lived up to its reputation. Crab legs and bananas foster were highlights of the meal. The boys preferred the waffles and hot chocolate!

Cheers for hot chocolate!

Hats off to the graduates!

The Junior League Spring Provisionals celebrated graduation with a Kentucky Derby themed event ... hats and all! What a grand finale to our first few months in the League!

Jami, Julia, Cathy & Sharon are oh-so-happy in their hats!

Off to the races!

Meeting Marilyn.

Marilyn Monroe paid a visit to Colorado Springs on Friday ... well, via her art exhibit. The Fine Arts Center hosted an opening event for the exhibit "Life as a Legend: Marilyn Monroe," featuring a mix of art and photographs. Jami and some Junior League pals attended the event.

Pillow pit.

When it's movie time, the boys enjoy kicking back in a "pillow pit." Optimal comfort for the at-home cinema.

Kiddo comments.

Below are a few videos of the boys giving political speeches in support of the presidential candidates. Okay, just kidding. The first one is Luke saying the Pledge of Allegiance. Please remember to be thankful for the "ation" in which we live and that together we stand "indibisible." The 2nd video is Reid reciting a few words. His vocabulary has recently exploded, and he can also clearly say "no" although THAT word is not encouraged nor is it cute when repeated frequently at loud volumes.

April showers bring May blizzards.

That's right. Most of today it snowed ... and snowed ... and snowed some more. May certainly is off to an interesting start!

The truck and the trike in the backyard are sidelined due to snow. Wonder if they make a toy snowplow?!

Spring snowball fight!

To sleep or not to sleep...

This is a bit of a random post, but this one is dedicated to sleeping (or NOT sleeping in the Leahy boys' case because they are busy little monkeys.) The first video was a tagteam effort of the boys. Luke scaled the crib. Then Reid tried to climb in (still too short), so big brother hoisted little brother over the railing so they could do this...



Luke was thrilled this week that the part to fix his top bunk arrived. He's on Cloud 9 sleeping sky high in his room.

It is a rare occasion when Reid will sit still these days, let alone fall asleep by Mom. Ahhh ... peaceful zzzzz's and treasured moments.

Mimi & Co. at Mimi's Cafe

Today's adventures with the family landed us at Mimi's Cafe for dinner. The kiddos were good entertainment as always, and it was nice to all be together before Briana and Dalton head back tomorrow.

Dalton and Briana are all smiles!

The boys try to test if this high chair can hold 3 kids.

All in the family. (Notice Dalton is being sneaky and is trying to pull Grandma's hair!)

Royal treatment.

In the mail this week, Scott received a fun gift from his good friend Will Long. You see they are both HUGE Royals fans. Have been ... and always will be probably!! Anyway, Will and his wife Raegan recently went to a Royals game, where the promotional giveaway at the game was a powder blue jersey. They arrived 2 hours before game time to be one of the first 20,000 fans who would be granted these fine freebies. Afterward, Will sent one of the jerseys to Scott, who was so surprised!! Not only was it very thoughtful of Will, but it might be the all-time greatest gift ever that Scott's received. (Yes, he loves the Royals THAT much.) Now that this fact is out in the open, any of you KC folks who attend games and get good promo items can feel free to send them to Scott when you are done! Ha! There's been talk that Will and Scott might go to Royals fantasy camp to celebrate turning the Big 4-0, so maybe they can wear their powder blue jerseys then!

Future Royals fans.

Crazy cousins.

We are so happy to have Aunt Briana and Cousin Dalton visiting this weekend. Luke and Reid adore Dalton and love entertaining him ... and likewise, Dalton is always so intrigued by the antics of his big cousins. These cousins sure have fun together!

Dalton gets ready to show off his army-crawl skills!

Paws to Read.

Our local library offers a program called Paws to Read where children can read books to dogs. Our boys both love dogs even though we don't have a four-legged furry family member of our own. At today's reading time, Luke "read" two of his favorite books to Sequoia (pictured here). The literary choices included Brown Bear, Brown Bear and Goodnight Moon. (Side note: Luke can't really read yet but he's heard these favorites so many times he has them memorized.) Reid enjoyed petting Sequoia during the storytime and only had to be reminded a few times to not pull out ALL the dog's hair.

Sweet as Shuga.

This evening the Junior League Provisional Class had another fun-filled evening on a bus tour to the different groups who received Junior League assistance to get started, including the Ronald McDonald House and CASA (which just happens to be Kappa Alpha Theta's philanthropy, too ... talk about paths crossing!) It was great learning more about these non-profits in the Colorado Springs community. Afterward, we met at a hip, eclectic restaurant downtown called Shuga's to grab a bite to eat. Great food and amazing iced tea. A fun night out with the JL gals!

P is for park.

Today we ventured out to one of our favorite parks, which has a Charlotte's Web theme and an amazing view of the mountains. What better way to play the day away! Reid has mastered climbing the ladders, and Luke loves to zip around on his scooter.

Tunnel vision.

Reid hitches a ride on Wilbur.

The boys love to swing high and fly like Superman with a little help from Superdad.

Saturday afternoon adventure.

This afternoon the Leahy crew headed to Denver. We then decided to take off on a little road trip adventure to the mountains with Mimi and Papa.

Our First Destination: The Jefferson County Open Space right outside Pine. These pictures say it all ... we enjoyed the fresh air, mountain stream, and gorgeous scenery.

Luke loved wading around in the water. Guess he didn't care that it was freezing cold.








Reid loved the stream, too. He enjoyed digging around with this stick ... and trying his best to get all wet.





Even Mom took a wade.








After the stream we walked up to the lake. Well, some people walked; some people just hitched a ride.








Destination #2: Some of Jami's Junior League friends had been talking about this unique restaurant right outside Pine that has been around forever and is a small gem in the rough of the Colorado terrain. It's name is a funny one ... the Bucksnort Saloon. After winding several miles on a narrow dirt road, we reached what resembled a village of small mountain dwellings somehow anchored into the side of the mountain carefully so as to not fall in the creek below. In the midst of it all was the Bucksnort Saloon. We sipped Antler Ale, ate some great burgers, and soaked up the character of the establishment and this quaint little area.


The Bucksnort Saloon -- off the beaten path but well worth the experience!

Blondies at the Bucksnort.

As we headed home, we saw some pretty amazing sights as we took the scenic route. Several years ago, a wildfire significantly damaged the area and the toll was devastating to see even today. We also were "wildlife watchers" and spotted 4 elk ... then 4 deer ... then 2 more elk. So incredible to see up close!

Let's go fly a kite.

Our evenings tend to get a little windy, so we've enjoyed flying our lizard kite lately.

Giddy Up!

Today's field trip was to Castle Rock, which is about 30 minutes north. The only claim to fame that we've known to date about Castle Rock is the fantastic outlet mall there, but we figured there must be something more to the downtown area. So we set out on our excursion, and Mimi and Papa met us, too. We found Downtown Castle Rock to be a charming little place with shops, antiques, and a great lunch place called Pegasus. It also has a strong equine influence. Here are the boys horsing around...

Luke attempts to make the horses go faster, while Reid is just trying to avoid being bucked off.

Reid holds onto the reins, while Luke holds onto the Reid.

Stylin'.

Reid has decided he likes to wear his footed pajamas and tennis shoes. What a style icon and trendsetter! This will come in handy when he's out for a jog and then gets tired and needs a nap.

Vintage Camping.

Here's a fun story for you. Jami's parents have owned a vintage 1967 Airstream RV for close to 30 years. But for the last 20 or so, it has not been used too often (except for that summer when Jami was entering 6th grade when we were moving from Horton to Hiawatha ... it was our temporary residence by the Horton Lake ... great memories!) Anyway, for many years, it's been stored in a barn in Kansas. Just recently, the Airstream has resurfaced and is in the process of getting a makeover. Jim has been working diligently on the RV to scrub, clean, reupholster, recarpet, etc. to prep it for the upcoming summer months. Can't you just picture how much fun Luke and Reid will have in Papa's camper! Fun times are ahead.

The other part of the recent Airstream adventures has been getting to know more about the "culture" of those who own these unique silver campers. This past weekend, Jim and Jami attended the Wally Byam Caravan Club International meeting (Wally Byam is the founder of Airstream). The meeting was held in Colorado Springs. The club focuses on upcoming rallies, repair assistance, and story sharing. Jim even won the door prize ... this lovely banner to hang on the Airstream when out camping.

Stay tuned for more "vintage camping" adventures...

GlowGolf.

Tonight we ventured out for a Family Night Out. The destination was our local Chapel Hills Mall for some GlowGolf. (Think minigolf in the dark with blacklights and lots of neon things.) The outing was humorous to watch how Luke & Reid "play" mini golf. Luke likes to skip to the next hole before he's ever even finished the current hole. Reid likes to climb in and on the "obstacles" ... and he also likes to jump in with other groups and walk around while they're putting. We didn't keep score, but Jami did win a free game at the end! Guess we'll be headed back again sometime soon.

An example of how Reid likes to REALLY check out the course. Yes, he's crawling through the bridge.

The putting pros.

Lunch bunch.

The crew dines at Adam's Mountain Cafe in Manitou Springs.

We enjoyed a family day out to explore Manitou Springs yesterday. Our first stop was lunch at Adam's Mountain Cafe for some healthy, wholesome grub. Afterward, we browsed the nearby shops, and the boys enjoyed playing at the arcade.

Bicycle built for two ... Reid & Papa.

Celebrating six-tea five.

Today was one surprise after another for Mimi Dixie as we celebrated her 65th birthday! First, she enjoyed a surprise visit from Briana, Craig, and Dalton! Then the ladies slipped away to a surprise birthday tea and luncheon at Serendipi-Tea Shoppe in Downtown Littleton. Donning lovely hats, we enjoyed lunching with some of Mom's close friends and sharing fun stories while sipping black currant and chai tea. We finished up with lemon birthday cake ... ooh, la, la! What a treat it was to celebrate her special day!

Hats off to turning 65!