Casa Bonita.

Lilly & Luke enjoy the fun at Casa Bonita!

This evening we caught up with our Arizona friends (and fellow K-Staters) -- the Zienkewicz family. They were in Denver visiting family, so we met for dinner at the legendary Casa Bonita restaurant. Why is it legendary, you may ask?? Although it’s located in a strip mall, one would never know the adventures that await inside … cliff divers, mariachi band, coves & caves for seating … oh, and Rob & Lori said it was mentioned on South Park! Ha! The kids enjoyed watching the cliff divers, while the adults loved the time spent catching up. It was such a treat to see their adorable girls -- Lilly and lil’ Claire, the new addition to the Z family.

Jami & Lori chatted it up.

Dads and kiddos pose for a pic at the Casa Bonita fountain: Rob, Lilly, Claire, Luke, Scott & Reid.

Explorers.

The boys have enjoyed exploring the new house, and it has much to offer from their pint-sized perspective. Here are a few videos of their early adventures in our new home.

Oh, give me a home...

... where the Leahys may roam! It's official -- we are now Colorado homeowners! We closed on our new house today. Here are a few photos of our new digs.

The backyard. Notice the swingset & clubhouse ... and mountain views.

We can take a book from the shelf and curl up by the fire during a winter snow!

Reid checks out the jet tub in the master bathroom.

View of the dining room (sans table & chairs.)

Today we also started shuttling our boxes and belongings that have been "residing" in the garage of our rental house for the past 8 months. Papa came down to help and coral the boys. We shuttled over 7 van loads! It was a very productive day ... and tiring, too.

Sad news...

This photo from April 2007 is one of our favorite 4-generation pics.

Tonight we learned that Great-Grandma Eleanor (Jami's dad's mother) passed away. Her health had been declining since having a stroke about a month ago. She shared many great memories with us in her 93 years, and we'll always remember her love of the Swedish culture, her great stories about growing up, and her little chuckle at seeing her great-grandsons' antics. She will always hold a special place in our hearts and will be missed greatly.

Leahy Moving Co.

We kicked it in high gear this weekend for the Big Move. Everything is packed up and ready to go! Jami's parents have been very generous to loan us their van so we can shuttle boxes over during the week, and then the big items will go on Saturday. If anyone would like to come over for dinner, we're using some great Mardi Gras paper plates we found in one of the boxes since our regular dishes are neatly packed away.

The Queen of Packing

Scott & the mini-movers

Gymtastic!

With all the craziness that comes with moving, we're trying our best to keep the boys' days as routine as possible. We took a break from all-things-moving to treat the boys to a playdate with the Moms Walking Group at Stars gymnastics club. Mom and the boys had a blast (while Dad stayed home and took down the bunk bed.)

Watch toward the end of this video when Reid copies Luke's lead and takes a running dash on the mat into the foam pit. Reid is a bit too cautious to actually jump in, so he starts his dismount into the foam pit a few feet before the edge. Risk-taker!!

Get movin'.

This weekend is filled with organizing, throwing out, packing, and cleaning as we prepare to move from our rental house to our new permanent house! Our rental has been a great temporary residence as we waited for our AZ home to sell, but now it's time to bid farewell to our first home sweet home here in CO. But we're not moving far away ... just a couple miles up the hill! The last year has felt a bit unsettled with all the transition of making a major life move, but we are glad this is the final chapter of our moving mania!

These are the people in my family.

Reid offers a quick review of our family tree.

Swell dwellings.

This week's Mom School theme relates to "Where People Live," which is building up to our big move next week to our permanent house (watch for more info and pics coming soon!) So we ventured to the Manitou Cliff Dwellings at the foot of Pikes Peak today to learn more about this ancient home of Native Americans. We got to walk and climb inside the cliff dwellings (very interesting ... and dusty), and we witnessed some traditional dancing, too. A good history lesson for us all!

On the car ride home, we were reviewing the lesson of our field trip.
- Mom: So did you boys know that long ago people lived in those cliff dwellings?
- Luke: Did you know that Jesus lives in outer space?

Mom knew no other response than to chuckle at the insight of a young mind trying to grasp where people from long ago live.

A traditional dance resembling an eagle in flight.

Modern day cliff dwellers.

Luke checks out the deck.

Pillow pit!!

Upstairs we have a long hallway that works as a perfect runway for one of the boys' favorite games -- pillow pit! Instructions for the game are easy. Remove all pillows from beds, couches, etc. Place them in a huge pile at one end of the long hallway. Go to the opposite end of the hallway. Run full speed ahead. Dive onto pillows. Giggle often. Don't jump on your brother.

Care Fair.

Care Fair volunteers in the haircut station

One of the Junior League's big service events in the community is Care Fair, which provides back-to-school medical and health services for uninsured children. The Junior League helps to arrange many of the physicians and volunteers assisting with this event. Jami volunteered at today's event in the haircut area and had a blast! Hairstylists from Aveda Salon donated their time to give haircuts; Jami as the Junior League volunteer was the official hair sweeper! Our station was filled with lots of positive comments and bright faces as the children left with new styles. What a rewarding (and fun) volunteer experience!

Summer movies beneath the stars.

The Leahys are lovin' the outdoor family activities this summer!! Cooler temps, no bugs ... it's a dream! Our local outdoor shopping center blocks off part of its parking lot on Thursday nights to show a movie outdoors beneath the stars. People swap the traditional movie theater seats for lawn chairs and blankets, but even better is the kettle corn served there! This week's featured flick was "WaterHorse," a spin on the legend of the Loch Ness Monster.

Concert in the park.

The family ventured to Downtown Monument tonight for the summer concert series in the park. The band Sweet Revenge played some great oldies and country tunes. The park was packed with lawn chairs, blankets, kiddos, dogs, and lots of people from the community.

Reid reads.

Reid may not be reading textbooks yet, but he sure enjoys a good picture book!

Day out in Denver.

Today we hit the road northbound to spend the day with Mimi and Papa. The destinations of the day included a tour through Tiny Town (a kids' village of miniature size buildings with a train ... or "twain" as Reid now says). We also lunched on the deck at the favorite Morrison Inn and enjoyed some good Mexican food. Then we made a stop by the creek for a little after-lunch wading and scoped out a frog and some crawdads. All that activity resulted in two napping boys for the ride home.

Is King Kong sitting on the front porch? No, it's just Big Reid at the Small House!

Touring one of the mini-houses.

All aboard! The Tiny Town train is about to depart!

Creekside cuties!

"Let's see how wet we can get ... even though Mom told us not to!"

A zoo-tiful day!

We've had a few scorcher days. (Okay, it was in the 90s which is hot here ... props to our Phoenix friends who deal with MUCH hotter). Some cooler weather blew through so we took advantage of the good temps for a day at the zoo. Jami & the boys are experienced zoo-goers, but this was Scott's first trip to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

Scott & Luke check out this grizzly bear swimming!

Pudding people.

Reid was eating pudding for dinner and ended up like this...

Scott and Luke couldn't let him have all the fun, so Reid was joined by some partners in pudding!

Then & now.

Once upon a time and many moons ago, Scott and Jami met their freshman year of college at K-State. This was our first "party pic" taken together at a Theta date party.

Our wedding day.

Today we celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary with a picnic dinner at Palmer Lake. The menu was inspired by our Home Sweet Homes through the years and included K-State Purple Pride Ensalada, Kansas City BBQ Ribs, Spicy Southwest Mashed Potatoes, and our traditional anniversary dessert of Chocolate Covered Strawberries from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Here's to 9 years and many more!

Boys of summer.

I scream. You scream. We all scream for POPSICLES!

With Mama away, the boys will play! These are some past photos from back in June when Jami was gone. Special thanks to Papa for sending these pics from a fun family afternoon outing in Denver.

Braving the creek.

Water waders.

Another branch of the family tree...

On the way home from Omaha yesterday, we stopped through Horton, Kansas, to visit Great-Grandma Eleanor who has been in the hospital. It was good to see her and have 4 generations of the Nelson family together. Luke & Reid sure are lively visitors!

Celebrating the 4th with Family.

Fourth of July 2008 will be remembered as fun times at the family reunion! We roadtripped to Omaha for a family reunion with the Leahy side of the family. Scott's father was one of 7 siblings, and nearly 40 family members joined together over the holiday weekend. We hadn't seen some of these aunts and uncles since Luke was a baby; others we hadn't seen since our wedding almost 9 years ago! It was so great to see everyone and catch up! Here are some trip highlights:

• Driving in a caravan with Eric & Charity from the Springs to Omaha
• Getting together with Jami's high school pal Stacie
• Swimming at the Filipi pool
• Luke was stung by a wasp 3 times. (No worries ... he's okay!)
• Attending a patriotic concert in the park
• Full-family photo opp
• Christmas in July gift exchange
• Family whiffleball game in the park
• Lots of laughs and stories!
  

For more, check out this slideshow: 4th of July Album. More photos are also below. Hope your 4th was full of sparkle!

It's a high school reunion! Jami met with friend Stacie Tucker, who lives in Omaha. It was great to catch up on 7 years.

The Leahys really know how to run the railroad. Kids of all ages enjoyed playing trains!

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a swan-diving Scott! He shows off his diving board skills.

With swimming all wrapped up, Luke & Sawyer watch the many tricks of others on the diving board!












We enjoyed a patriotic evening in the park listening to a concert. Lil' sparkler Stratton with Juli and Jami on the blanket.

The boys with the Keary grandparents at breakfast.

Time out!

There are times when Luke does something that doesn't sit well with Reid (not sharing a snack, hogging a toy ... the usual squabbles of younger siblings). Well, Reid has determined a way to get even. When Reid's had enough and is about to boil over due to Luke's antagonizing, Reid yells at Luke "TIME OUT!!" At first Luke would get sad and say, "Reidy just put me in time out." The unknowing parents said, "Well, that's impossible, Reid can't say that and mean it." Famous last words. Then we witnessed it for ourselves multiple times over the past week. The two would be playing nicely. Luke would push the envelope with Reid, who would institute time-out disciplinary measures against older brother. Hey, if Mom and Dad use it and it works, why not Reid?!

Luke & the ladies.

We are fortunate to have tons of children in our neighborhood. This summer the boys have enjoyed getting to know the neighbor kids better, as they all play outside and ride bikes together every day! Across the street and a few houses down is a house of 4 girls ranging in ages from 9 to 2 1/2. The girls seem to like hanging out with Luke, and several times we've had the doorbell ring or opened the garage door to find one of them asking if Luke can come out to play.

Last week the oldest girl rode by on her bike from getting the mail and greeted Luke with a coy smile and "Hiiiiiiii, Lukie." We got a good chuckle that Luke was charming ladies twice his age! Ha!

But the real kicker happened today and was witnessed by both the parents and grandparents sitting in the driveway watching the bikefest in the street. Another one of the sisters (age 4) rode right up to a very unsuspecting Luke and planted a big ol' smooch on him!! His first kiss! Of course, the audience (Mom, Dad, Mimi & Papa) were laughing hysterically as it was obvious Luke was caught a little off guard.

Oh, Luke. The Ladies Man.

Fishing with Papa.

Reid, Luke & Papa fishing at Monument Lake.

Today we embarked on a fishing expedition to Monument Lake. Guess others had this same great idea as the lake was bustling with people fishing, swimmers splashing in the beach area, and a few folks canoeing. While we didn't catch any fish, we did catch 3 crawdads (Luke 1, Jami 2) that were about 6+ inches long. That was exciting enough! Papa soon learned that fishing with the boys is less about catching fish and more about the experience -- watching the boys splash/wade/throw rocks/run/dig in the sand/get wet/etc. Luke was particularly interested in the worms that Papa bought for bait, and he was brave enough to hold one!

A la (shopping) cart.

Parenthood has taught us many valuable lessons ... like it's better to grocery shop alone (even if it that means going at 6 a.m.) than to have to try and keep 2 antsy boys confined within a shopping cart. Alas, there are some instances -- while few and far between -- when it's 1 parent vs. 2 monkeys cruising the grocery aisles. The beloved Car Cart is usually a favorite of the boys at the grocery store because they can drive ... but prefer to practice their Dukes of Hazzard moves getting in and out of the cart everytime it stops. However, our Wal-Mart does not feature this Car Cart. Instead it features THIS, which Jami has lovingly termed "the bus." Don't let its sleek design fool you. It is impossible to maneuver.

The boys have never shown an interest in this cart, until yesterday. Mom needed 3 items, but they NEEDED to ride in this cart. Okay. Fine. Luke sat nicely strapped into the contoured seats. Reid on the other hand wanted nothing to do with this luxury ride. SCREEEAMING as we entered the store, he wanted no part of it. Visual: Mom now carries screeching not-yet-2-year-old while pushing bus with other child seated. After about 10 minutes, Reid decided he would "ride" in the bus, but his interpretation of "ride" is hanging from the handlebar. Wait, more accurately, swinging from the handlebar with glee and shouts of "whee." Why? Because sitting quietly in one's designated seat is too much to ask! After the 5 minute trip turned into 20 long drawn out moments, we finally rounded up the items and hit the checkout stand. Nice Wal-Mart employee comments, "Oh, what busy boys!" So true. Mom smiles with courtesy and scurries (wait, as much as one can scurry while pushing the mammoth bus cart along) out the door while Reid dangles from the handle.

Lesson Learned: Just because the grocery cart has designated seating for small children, that doesn't necessarily make the shopping journey any easier ... but it does provide for good laughs after the frustration wears off!

Peaceful moment.

Not quite 2. Eyes of blue.

Likes to wear jammies and tennis shoes.



Reid wasn't quite ready for bed yet, so he decided to cruise the neighborhood right before bedtime.

Aquarium adventure.

We embarked on an ocean adventure today to the Denver Aquarium. After hearing rave reviews, this destination seemed like a great field trip for this week's Mom School lesson ... "Under the Sea." We walked through aquarium tunnels with fish, turtles, and eels swimming all around us. We learned about sharks and sea cucumbers and starfish. Our trip was made even better by having our friend Mary Fran and one of her friends Marci join us for this outing. Mary Fran has a background in marine biology, so she was a great tour guide by pointing out fish and sharing fun facts along the way!

All smiles as long as the shark stays on the other side of the glass!

Luke gets up close and personal with some sharks.

Reid, Mary Fran & Marci

Come here, stingray! We want to pet you!