Amusing museum.

Today's destination-of-the-day was Denver. We lunched with Mimi while Papa was at work, and then we ventured over to the Denver Children's Museum this afternoon. Talk about hitting the fun jackpot ... great exhibits, playscapes, and imaginative learning! We enjoyed every moment of our 3 hours there.

Ready, Vet, Go! This exhibit was Luke's favorite ... maybe because he got to be like Papa for a day! Receptionist Reid fielded the incoming calls, while Dr. Luke took care of the sick dogs and cats.

Mom's favorite part of the day was seeing Reid dressed up as ...

... a possum! Reid was climbing in a "tree trunk" here.

Reid's favorite part was building a sand castle with moon sand.

Ahhhh ... this fish is eating Luke!

Wanna take a tour?

We've had several requests for more photos of the house once we got settled. While it's still a work in progress, our home is starting to take shape. Below is a video tour. A few things to note ... Reid's room will not be that lovely shade of lilac for long -- just need to re-paint it! Luke Skywalker makes a cameo appearance with his lightsaber. Yes, the shelves for the toys are the best thing EVER! Happy viewing!

First dinner guests.

Bon appetit! What a treat to have Mimi & Papa over for dinner tonight!

Oh, what a week it's been! Mimi was released from the hospital yesterday and is doing better. So much so that Mimi and Papa journeyed down to the Springs today to see how the Leahy abode is shaping up. They also were our first dinner guests in the new home ... and what a feast it was! We dined on the back patio with a menu of grilled chicken apple brats and fresh veggies from the Farmer's Market, including some delish corn on the cob. It was nice to kick back and relax and enjoy time with the family!

Scott, Reid & Luke play some backyard baseball.

Reid samples some corn on the cob. Yum!

Creative plumbing.

We learned from our neighbors that the former owner of our house was an industrial plumber. (Ah-ha ... explains why we have the swanky remodeled bathrooms!!) While touring the boys' clubhouse one night, we also discovered a strategically placed showerhead over the slide. Oh, yeah ... WATERSLIDE! Yesterday, we tested out this super cool feature of the clubhouse by hooking up the hose, turning the valve (yes, it even has a control to turn the water on/off), and watching the water stream down the slide. However, the water made the slide extra slippery so Luke zipped down a little too fast for his liking. Reid, the cautious observer, decided he wouldn't even attempt the waterslide. He was fine playing around in the puddles of water beneath it. Here's a pic of Luke taking the slow way down.

Shower-n-slide!

Queso al fresco.

The boys like mac & cheese. A LOT. Even better when you can dine outside...

Trying times.

Some of you may know about the challenges that we’ve faced the past 2 weeks with the passing of Jami’s Grandma Eleanor, moving into our new house, Scott’s busy work schedule, and
Mimi’s health concerns & hospitalization. Life has a funny way of testing you sometimes … and all at once. We're staying focused on the positive and taking each day as it comes. We appreciate everyone’s calls, emails, thoughts, and prayers.

Here we mow again...

The new house has many fabulous features about it, but one of the best things is the yard. It’s about 1/3 of an acre … lots of room for the boys to run. Also, lots of grass for Scott to mow. One key find prior to moving was this 33” wide track mower (it came with protective earphones!) It’s a good thing Scott used to be a greenskeeper at Hallbrook Country Club … he was off and mowing in no time yesterday.

New House Campout.

So what's the best way to kick off our days (and nights) in the new house? A "new house campout" of course! We opted for a fun first night in our new digs by camping on the family room floor since our big furniture including beds did not arrive until the next morning. The boys loved it, and it was a good way to help transition them to the new house! Even better … Scott snuck out early the next morning to get donuts for breakfast … yum-o!

I think there should be a dining room table here. I'll just stand and eat.

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?!