Cell phones & suspension bridges.

Normally, these two things should have nothing in common. Today they did. Jami's cell phone has been on the fritz and seemed doomed for any further use. So we did a little research only to find the nearest location to get a new phone with our provider Alltel was in a town nearly 90 minutes away ... Canon City. Not such a popular cell phone provider in CO, eh?! It just so happens that this town also is the site of some correctional facilities (prisons), a dinosaur museum, a quaint downtown district, the only Alltel store in what seems like most of the state, and the Royal Gorge Bridge. Jami & the boys took off on an afternoon adventure to 1) get a new cell phone and 2) get a view of the Royal Gorge.  We have no pics from our 1st mission to Alltel, but the 2nd mission certainly made the trip even more worthwhile.

The Royal Gorge Bridge is the highest suspension bridge in the world!

"C'mon, guys. This way to the big bridge!"

Tiny tourists.

When standing in the middle of the bridge, the wind is pretty strong and the bridge sways a bit. That didn't seem to scare someone away...

It's a long way down...

A fall hike to the falls...

This morning Jami & Reid set out for a beautiful fall morning hike to Queen's Falls in Glen Eyrie while Luke was in school. This area is by Garden of the Gods, so only about 20 minutes from our house. As Mom hiked along the trail winding along a mountain stream, Reid chattered a mile a minute about "trees ... water ... rock ... bird ... leaf" while perched in the backpack. We had some tests of balance as we had to cross over the stream via stepping stones and wisely placed fallen trees (the center of balance is slightly skewed when transporting someone on your back!) We reached the falls and found an absolutely amazing view. Take a look for yourself...

Queen's Falls

Crisp autumn morning.

Jami & Reid by the waterfall and pool. Brrrr ... that water was cold. No wading today!

On the way down, we met up with our hiking friends from the Moms Walking Group. They got a little later start, but we enjoyed seeing friendly faces along the trail!

Reid's Room.

The painting is done. The furniture is rearranged. Reid's room is starting to take shape. He has a new theme ... monkeys (specifically, sock monkeys.) How fitting, too, since these days it's hard to keep him in his crib because he likes to crawl out! 

Fun sock monkey art on the wall!

Someone loves his new room!

Another angle.

A new hue.

The previous owners of our home did a fantastic job selecting paint colors. Very stylish and our decor matches amazingly well with the paint, except for one room -- the girly lavender bedroom upstairs now inhabited by a little boy named Reid. Our K-State friends might say, "Well, just turn it into a Wildcat themed room and show that purple pride." Unfortunately, the lavender was too much for even that. Today, we set to work repainting Reid's room a lovely brown color, which Luke described as looking like a "chocolate shake." After taping, painting edges, rolling, touching up, etc., we finished the job in just a few hours. We utilized the skills of 3 painters -- Mom, Dad, and Luke -- while Reid was sleeping. (Yes, we used a drop cloth and Luke was highly supervised.) Mom later broke out the antique dark silver spray paint to refinish some light switch/outlet covers and coordinating picture frames. We have a few finishing touches to put on the room before we show you the finished results, but here are some action shots of the Leahy Painting Co.

Scott paints the edges first.

Picasso shows off his painting skills.

Superhero saga.

Okay, so the Halloween costume plans ended up taking a different twist. The Superman-with-muscles costume arrived for Reid, and well, it was too big. So we asked the superheroes if they'd be willing to switch ... still fighting crime and saving the world but in a different get-up. They were agreeable to this after long contract negotiations with their lawyers. Below are the Leahy superheroes all geared up for Halloween. Now we just have a few more weeks to wait... 

Superman, Superdad & Batman. 

Send out the bat signal...

The first Halloween costume has arrived! Batman (AKA Luke's costume) arrived in the mail today, and he was beyond excited about it! Can't you just see the superpowers activating above. (For some reason, they seem to activate better when jumping off the couch.)

Stay tuned for the smaller superhero's costume yet to come...

Lap of Leahys.

Goodbye, September ... Hello, October.

A nearby lake is speckled with fallen aspen leaves.

Dear September,

We kind of forgot what you were all about living in that Arizona heat for so long, but it's nice to see how you really play up the change of seasons here in Colorado. We've taken every opportunity to enjoy the warm days & cool nights, the many new hues present in the foliage, and the fun fall festivities that abound. Thanks for sharing all your wonderful attributes for the past few weeks, and we look forward to what your close cousin October has to share (although we hear Halloween can often require snowboots!) Oh, well. That keeps things exciting, right?

Much Love,

The CO Leahys

Jailbreak.

It's happened. Reid has climbed out of the crib. Although it's funny because Reid seems to be more of a climber at this age (Luke was more of a runner), yet it's taken Reid a bit longer to hoist himself up and out of the crib despite his Spiderman-like climbing abilities. Here's the story. Some scheming on behalf of Reid was involved.

When Mom put Reid down for a nap, she noticed that he'd positioned a small child's chair next to the crib. Not thinking much about it, Mom left it there and proceeded to put Reid down, who was all too ready for a nap. Upon waking up, Mom heard the rumblings and soft talking of a young child upstairs. She attempted to open the bedroom door, but found it difficult to do so ... because some small person was standing on the other side trying to get out!! Low and behold. Reid was out of his crib and walking around his room. Could it be that Reid had a grand plan for his great escape that involved positioning the chair just perfectly to aid in his dismount? Maybe so... Or maybe it was just convenient that it was there and the timing was right to give it a try today.

We'll see if he repeats this feat tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. If he does, Daddy-o can get up with him...

Brought to you by the letter E...

Excursion. Elk. Estes Park. 

This sums up the weekend's fantastic Red Van Road Trip (what we now call treks in Papa's red van.) Saturday afternoon we drove to Denver and loaded up in the red van with Jami's parents for a family trip to Estes Park. The reason for our autumn adventure was twofold: 1) to see the elk who wander out of the mountains this time of year and 2) to see the leaves changing with the onset of fall. Mission accomplished on both accounts, and it was a wonderful trip! We spent several hours driving through Rocky Mountain National Park, where we spotted numerous elk and even saw two fighting with antlers locked! We also hopped out of the van for a bit to wander down to the creek so the boys could get in their wading time (a mandatory event when Papa's around!) The leaves are just starting to change, and the hues up the mountainside are already amazing.

This morning after enjoying some Donut Haus goodies, we spent some time at a park and then hit the road for more scenic driving for the road home. The boys got a little antsy and needed an outing about the time we passed Nederland, so we stopped in this quaint mountain town. It has a unique story in that it is home to a man whose family kept him cryogenically frozen in a shack behind their house. True story -- read more here -- and there's even a festival related to it! Anyway, we didn't tour this landmark in the town, but we did enjoy a nice lunch in Downtown Nederland and perused a few shops. In all, our trip was a great one ... what a way to celebrate the beautiful fall season!

The Leahy crew at Rocky Mountain National Park.

"Dad, I think I see something through these binoculars!"

This was probably the closest we got to the elk. These guys were grazing on the side of the road.

Boys + water (even cold H2O) = FUN!

Papa & the boys at the park

The entire drive home from Estes Park was filled with scenery like this! Good timing for a road trip!

Fallorado.

Someone must have told the trees in Colorado that this week marked the start of fall. They are starting to change and are beautiful! Today we hit Fox Run Park just up the hill and in the mountains east of our house. The boys had a ball playing in the creek that trickled down the slope. We snapped a few fall photos, too!

Playing beneath the Aspen trees.

Dalton's Gang.

Usually, our posts are about our own little blue-eyed boys, but this one is about another sweet little blue-eyed guy in our family ... our nephew Dalton. At 19 months old, he is busy prepping for a big event ... one that benefits a cause near and dear to our hearts. On Oct. 18, Dalton and his proud parents and many other friends and family members (fondly known as Dalton's Gang) will participate in the Kansas City Buddy Walk. Their goal is to raise money for Down Syndrome education, research, and advocacy programs to ensure all individuals with Down Syndrome -- including Dalton -- are given every opportunity to reach their full potential. 

The amount of support that Dalton's Gang has rallied is truly amazing. The Chicago Chapter of Dalton's Gang (better known as Great Aunt Janette & Great Uncle Dick) just sponsored a garage sale where they raised more than $625 for Buddy Walk! My sister has recruited several of her students to join the team and walk with them on that Saturday.

We wanted to blog about this to help spread the word, too. If you'd like to support this great cause, simply click on this link: Donate to Dalton's Gang. If you or someone you know might want to walk or get involved with this event (they have walks in many cities), check out more info on the Buddy Walk website.

For more info, you can also click on the flyer above to enlarge the image.

Gardening & Goodbyes.

Mimi & Papa jetted south for an overnight visit with us last night. Their early afternoon arrival allowed us to get in a little yardwork time. We trimmed some bushes, pulled weeds, and spaded up the garden. Luke on the other hand completed a self-taught lesson in earthworm dissection. Boys will be boys! 

In the evening, Mimi and Papa watched the boys while Jami & Scott attended a farewell dinner for friends Brian & Sharon who are moving to Houston. It was sad to bid them farewell because their family (with kids Jack, Sam & Ty) were some good first friends when we moved here!

Actions speak louder than words.

I love you, Dad...

Groundhog Day.

A few weeks ago, we noticed some small mounds of dirt in our backyard between our swingset and our fence. At first, they seemed minor but then they began to spread along the fence. Daily a new mound of dirt was popping up. We weren't sure what to think ... was a dog doing this? A fox? Kind of looked like an ant hill ... but way too big for that? That's when an over-the-fence conversation with the neighbor one night revealed the truth. We have a neighborhood groundhog / gopher / burrowing animal. They had spotted it in their backyard. We have still never seen it, but his presence is undeniable with the now 8 mounds of dirt adorning our fenceline. So after much research, we spread some Gopher Repellant on and in the mounds. What's in this rodent repellant, you ask? Dried blood, bone fragments, and chili powder. What critter wouldn't be repelled by that?! Sounds like some concoction just in time for Halloween! Let's hope our little buddy vacates the premises by then...

Masquerade at the Museum.

Who's behind that mask? Why it's members of Junior League! Shannon, Jami & Aimee show off their magnificient masks at last night's Fall Fling fundraiser.

There are fundraisers ... and then there are FUN fundraisers. Last night was one of those! The Junior League sponsored its annual Fall Fling event at the Fine Arts Center with the theme of "Masquerade at the Musuem." We mingled amongst our masked friends, dined on hors d'oeuvres, danced to the tunes of crooner Randy Sinatra, and bid on some fantastic silent auction items. What a great night for a good cause! The money raised from the event goes to support our signature service event CARE Fair, a health fair for uninsured children.

The Fall Fling Committee: Aimee, Shannon, Jami, Amber, Kerstin, Meredith, Tyler & Jill.

Jami & Scott enjoyed a night out after Scott was out of town for a week!

Provisional pals Julia, Shannon, Jami & Cathy

Wrong Feet Reid.

Reid's independence as an almost-2-year-old is starting to shine through more and more each day. He likes to do many things on his own, including putting on his own shoes. Inevitably, they always end up on the wrong feet or the shoes are mismatched. Below are a few pics in a collection known as Wrong Feet Reid.

Don't ask why he's wearing the trash can lid and Mom's shoes?!

The best of both worlds ... a croc and a flip flop.

A long ... but good week.

Our little family of 4 was a bit divided this week with Scott in Savannah, GA, for a work conference and Jami and the boys in CO. Overall, it was a good week for all. Scott now knows the latest and greatest about the field of GPS. The Colorado crew worked in some fun activities with just mama and the boys. Just when we were ready for Scott to be home, he called last night to say that they didn't make their connecting flight in Atlanta, so his trip would be unintentionally extended. So, now we're all REALLY ready for Dad to be home since he's been gone since Monday morning!

A highlight to the end of our week sans Scott was seeing Jami's old college roommate & Theta pal Jenny and her husband Chuck. They were in the Springs for a work meeting and joined us for dinner at the Leahy abode last night. It is amazing how good friends just pick up right where you left off. Jenny is one of those friends where our friendship never skips a beat! 

A fun reunion with a good friend ... Jami & Jenny.

Zoo crew.

Today we joined our friends the Wilsons for a morning out to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. And boy, were the animals ever playful this morning! We fed the giraffes many crackers and watched them eat leaves off 'snack branches.' The mama lion pounced at the glass right where Luke was standing (guess Luke was a little threatening ... good thing that glass is ultra thick!) The grizzly bear was enjoying his morning swim in his pond by the viewing area. And of course, we took the traditional pic in the Big Chair. (Yes, Reid is looking very concerned because there were some rather large chickens below that were kind of cramping his style.)

Luke, Reid, Jack, Sam & Ty.

This monkey must have escaped!

More neighborhood intruders.

Several of our faithful blog readers have asked if they caught the kidnapper on the loose last week. We haven't heard any more exact details, but the police said they've exhausted the search ... and we're pretty certain he's moved on. 

However, there are some new neighborhood intruders now. They are a little more docile though. Today our neighbor called and said, "Look out your back window and see what's in your yard." DEER! First, there was only one, but then a second one appeared walking around on our back patio. They meandered over to the garden area, nibbled on some fruit tree leaves, and then hopped the fence to search for a meal elsewhere. Thanks for visiting. Come again soon!

"Wonder if this yard has any good food to eat?"

Look, it's a deer ... and another deer!

Family fotos.

This evening we journeyed out to Garden of the Gods to take some family photos with a local photographer whom we know through Junior League. This area is one of the most picturesque parts of Colorado Springs, and we are excited to capture the beautiful scenery in family pictures. We won't have the proofs for a while, but here are some outtakes with the amateur Leahy camera taken after the shoot.

Me & my brother.

Mom & her boys.

Some good-lookin' guys.

Reid on the run.

Luke Skywalker.

Jack gives Luke his medal & certificate for completing his Jedi training!

Luke is at that age where he's now interested in Star Wars. Light sabers. The boxed movie set. Even building spaceships out of Legos. Yes, Luke is becoming Luke Skywalker. He even wants to dress up as Luke Skywalker for Halloween (and thinks Reid should be R2D2!) Oh, and let's not even discuss the current McDonald's Happy Meal toys. They have a very strange design, but both boys love them!

And today, Luke attended a Star Wars themed birthday party for his friend Jack. It was a great collection of games and activities. The kids even got a light saber, made from a pool noodle cut in half and a little duct tape. He loved all the intergalactic action. Here are some pics.

Getting ready to do a version of the 3-legged race ... but this group had 3 people!

The Vocabulator.

Reid loves to look at books. He has a few "first word" books that he's really getting the hang of "reading." Here's a storytime session with Reid. There's still a lot that's in his own special language, but some words are coming through loud and clear. Enjoy this video clip. He attacks the papparazi at the end! Ha!

On the loose.

The last 12 hours have certainly been interesting here. There's a kidnapper who is armed and dangerous and on the loose ... and the SWAT team was searching for him less than 2 miles from our house!

Short story ... the man kidnapped a woman leaving work in New Mexico and made her drive at gunpoint. They got to our exit off I-25, and the car broke down. She was able to flee on foot and get away from him. But he's still lurking around the neighborhood. A reverse 911 call went out to warn the neighborhood in the wee hours of the morning, and all the local schools were on lockdown today. Pretty scary. Here's a local news story.

So we've been locked up in our cozy little home all day except for the trips to Luke's school. The boys don't understand why they can't go outside to play. Hmmmm ... can't really tell them "...because a crazy man might be hiding in our treehouse out back!" It's raining off and on so we've defaulted to that reason ... much better. Let's hope the police find him soon!

Reid has a plan...

It is funny to watch Reid in action because he comes up with some pretty creative schemes. Many times he's plotting a plan which often involves dragging a stool over to somewhere (kitchen counter) so he can get something (cookies).

Or then there was the time this week while riding in the grocery store car cart when he "secretly selected" a KitKat from the checkout aisle (unbeknownst to Mom) and proceeded to bite into the entire thing -- through the wrapper leaving a perfect set of teeth prints in the candy bar. Guess that means we had to buy it then, eh?

Today's scheme involved a small ride-on toy and a VCR tape (yes, we still have some ... and this one was the movie Osmosis Jones ... random). Anyway, Reid decides he wants to come up two flights of stairs while trying to carry both items at the same time. He fumbles around on the steps. Drops the VCR tape. Screams at the ride-on toy because it's not cooperating until Mom rescues both items of choice and moves them to the stop of that set of stairs. Mom is not understanding the scheme so she thinks he's done with the quest and just wants to ride around on the hard wood floors. Reid starts to maneuver up the 2nd set of stairs and meets the same frustration. Toy is too big for him to handle. Tape isn't minding well. So it's another lift for all 3 (Reid, VCR tape, ride-on toy) to the top of the stairs. Reid then hops on the toy, drives it over to the TV in the master bedroom with the VCR tape on his lap, hops off, stands on the toy like a step stool so he can insert the movie and watch it. What a determined (and creative) fellow to bring not only the movie selection, but also a height booster so he can do it "myself" as he likes to say. Visuals below.


I can almost reach it!

With the mission accomplished and the tape in the VCR, Reid kicks back for some movie time.

Under the weather.

Luke woke up feeling a little under the weather, so we made today a lazy day (not common in the Leahy household since we are usually on-the-go somewhere.) After lounging around in pajamas for well over half the day...... we then moved on for something more suitable to play "Dinos in the Cave" (These are last year's Halloween costumes.)
Who says lazy days are boring days?!

Small world.

As we get more settled here, we really value the sense of community around us. Since we are located out of the city of Colorado Springs and closer to the small town of Monument, we have the best of both worlds -- city access and a close-knit community. Here are a few recent small world moments.

• At Luke's soccer clinic last week, we saw several familiar faces out on the field watching other games, going to practice, etc. The YMCA on Saturday morning was THE place to be, and it was fun seeing acquaintances we've made as we've settled in here.
• Jami has found a hairstylist here that she loves (ladies, you understand the importance of this). During her cut with hairstylist Courtney tonight, we made a small-world connection that our husbands play on the same soccer team ... and Courtney even has met and talked to Scott before. Crazy coincidence!
• Reid (and Mom) started a music class at a local kids' gym on Monday. Jami knew two other moms in the class -- one from Junior League and another from Theta connections! It was so much fun meeting their little ones, too. Reid had a ball and has good prospects of being a drummer when he grows up!