Flour Child

Today we had a snow day from school. In April. Yes, that's spring in Colorado for you! We stayed home all day. This was mostly okay. Until the cabin fever set in late in the day. And mischief ensued. In the form of flour. All. Over. The. Kitchen. Floor.

So proud of his messterpiece!

Thank you to our friends Broom, Dustpan, and Mop for helping us tackle the clean-up efforts!

Bicycle Built for Two

This week we made a funny little purchase.

We've seen these "tagalong bikes" before and thought they looked like so much fun. Basically, it acts like a tandem bike. You hitch the tagalong to the back of an adult bike, and off you go! The 2nd rider can pedal and steer, but most of the momentum, power, and handling comes from the front rider. Shhhh ... just don't tell the back rider...

We bought the tagalong bike in hopes that this would become a new "bike" for Reid this summer. Our neighborhood is very hilly, so it's hard for the boys to ride anywhere other than our rather short driveway. Our friend offered to sell us their tagalong, so we jumped on it!

We spent some time this weekend test driving our newest mode of transportation. Luke picked it up pretty quickly and loves it! Reid on the other hand needs a little more convincing before he's ready to hit the road. A little more practice (and patience), and we'll be pedaling away in no time. Hopefully by summer, we'll be able to take family bike rides around our neighborhood and down to the local breakfast spot!

Everything Easter

Oh, what a lovely Easter it's been! We kicked off the festivities earlier this week with coloring eggs. This year we tried a little twist with the eggs. Did you know that using brown eggs and dying them for a bit longer will turn the eggs into the most beautiful jewel tone colors? It really works! The boys had fun naming each egg. We had the usual eggs named Mom, Dad, Luke, and Reid; then we also had eggs assuming the identities of Superman, Batman, and Clutch Powers (hero from their new favorite Lego movie).

"Hmmm ... which color should I choose?"

On Easter morning, our goal was to go to 8 a.m. Mass so we were up bright and early ready to hunt for eggs.

Treasures for all!

All dressed up for church.

The boys were so funny about wearing their ties.

Luke said this morning, "I'm ready for my work meeting."

Reid thinks ties are what you wear on dates.

Handsome little men

After Mass, we returned home and put the finishing touches on Easter brunch. We hosted several neighbors and Papa for brunch. It was great to spend the afternoon chatting and watching the kids play. It was even warm enough to sit on the patio for a bit. Hooray for spring!

:: Easter Brunch Menu ::

A collaborative effort of our amazing neighborhood chefs

Meyer lemon glazed ham

Asparagus & portobello quiche

Sweet pea crostinis (pictured above)

Roquefert pear salad

Homemade cinnamon rolls (pictured below)

Lemon truffle pie (pictured above)

Easter basket cupcakes (pictured below)

Darling Easter cupcakes in front.

Divine homemade cinnamon rolls in back.

Thanks to our neighbors for sharing their amazing baking skills!

The end of the day brought some time outdoors ...

admiring the good weather and great scooter skills of the boys!

HAPPY EASTER!

A-hunting we will go!

Today we were off and hopping to our MOMS Club Easter Egg Hunt. More than 15 families gathered together for a fun morning complete with a potluck brunch, Easter crafts, and hunting for eggs!

Waiting patiently for the go-ahead

to start hunting for eggs...

A boy and his basket.

Here we go again. Here we snow again!

About 2 hours after we pulled into our driveway from the Phoenix road trip, it started to snow. A lot. A blizzard in fact. It snowed through the night, and this morning we woke up to about a foot of fresh powder! Talk about climate shock! We'd just been running around in flip flops and shorts for the last few days during our time in AZ ... but back to snowboots for us now with our spring snowstorms.

We were getting ready to head out to shovel snow.

Reid dug out this old purple dinosaur Halloween costume

that he wanted to wear outside to play in the snow.

Warm fleece. A hood. Why not!

Reidosaurus trudges around in the snow.

Phoenix Trip

Our blog has been quiet lately, but we've been busy, busy, busy with a recent trip to Arizona for the wedding of Scott's younger brother Eric and lovely Charity. The next several posts highlight our wonderful weekend with the family, soaking up the warm Arizona sunshine and sharing such memorable days together.

Fun on the Farm

The Fam at the Farm

One of our very favorite places in Phoenix is the Farm at South Mountain. Great ambience sitting at picnic tables on the green lawns beneath the pecan trees. Perfect spring weather. Delicious food. And our latest visit to the Farm was made even more special with the whole family joining us!

Aunt Mary Ann pitches to Luke.

The best of buddies ... cousins Sawyer & Luke.

Memorable Meal

On the evening before the wedding, we gathered together with family and friends from near and far for a special dinner hosted at Eric & Charity's home. The evening was filled with a meaningful mix of stories from the past, toasts to the future, and great joy to have everyone together for the occasion of this wonderful weekend wedding.

The Colorado Leahys before the dinner

(We were thrilled to swap

our snowboots for short-sleeves!)

Soon-to-be husband and wife!

Eric is holding a special keepsake,

wedding advice that their father Jim had shared

with Scott before our wedding 10 years ago.

In his toast, Scott passed this along to Eric & Charity.

Handsome ringbearers Luke & Sawyer

with darling flower girl Macie

The 3 Leahy Brothers: Paul, Eric & Scott

The Lovely Ladies of the Family:

Scott's mother Margie with her

daughters-in-law Juli, Jami & Charity

Scott & Jami

Dad and Reid

Getting ready for the Big Day!

On Saturday morning, it was rise and shine ... and time to set up for the wedding! What a gorgeous day to be outside in the AZ sunshine as we prepared for the Big Day! Here are some fun pics from the morning...

Juli & Jami worked on the centerpieces ...

white hydrangeas with petite pale pink roses.

How many Leahy brothers does it take

to string lights in a tree? All 3 of them ...

and a lot of laughs!

The Rehearsal

Charity gives her dad a hug

as they rehearse for the wedding.

The Wedding

We will always remember when Eric first told us about Charity. You could immediately tell he thought the world of her, and when we met her, we did, too. Her quiet nature, generous spirit, kind heart, and creativity are just a few of the many charming qualities about Charity. She is a wonderful match for Eric, and they bring so much to our family. Since we lived in Arizona while they were dating, we feel blessed to have shared so many memories already with them. But our favorite memory to date comes from just this past weekend at their beautiful wedding. Set outside on a plush green lawn overlooking a lake in Tempe, they exchanged vows with nearly 100 family members and friends attending. Enjoy the photos below.

Beautiful day. Beautiful wedding.

Luke standing in the aisle before the wedding.

Girls just wanna have fun!

Juli, Mary Ann, Emily & Jami

pose for a pic before the wedding.

The KC Leahys

Paul, Juli, Sawyer & Stratton

Sawyer & Luke carried the rings,

while Macie followed sprinkling petals.

Eric & Charity exchange vows.

Eric's college friend Casey officiated the ceremony.

Reid and his cousin Stratton fell asleep right

before the wedding began and napped through it.

So sweet.

Divine wedding cake!

Meet the Parents

Ted & Margie, Eric & Charity, Vicki & Bill

The AZ Leahys and the CO Leahys

The Leahy side of the family.

Scott's dad was one of seven siblings.

Today these siblings do an amazing job

of keeping the family ties close. Four of the siblings

attended the wedding (including 2 aunts who drove

all the way from Omaha through a major blizzard.)

Eric, Charity, Jami & Scott

The Happy Couple with the Cappos

Bruce, David, Eric, Charity, Emily & Mary Ann

Mr. & Mrs. Leahy sit a spell

at dinner. The food was delicious!

Elvis (AKA Charity's Dad) made a special appearance

at the wedding for the father/daughter dance.

Her dad is an Elvis impersonator for church functions,

and he added a fun twist to the wedding reception, too!

Jami's dad also joined us in AZ

for the wedding festivities.

Once the sun set, the family hit the dance floor!

Scott and Reid dance with Emily

(who is Scott's cousin and Reid's godmother).

Years from now, Luke & Sawyer will probably

look back on this evening as "the night they learned

to dance!" Eric and his friends taught the boys

many fun dance moves. We all enjoyed the laughs!

Reid enjoyed dancing, too, and even

asked the flower girl for a spin on the dance floor!

Stratton struts his stuff

with Grandma Margie & Emily!

Luke & Mom on the dance floor

Dance Dance Revolution

The boys danced for hours that night.

Toward the end of the evening, Luke said, "My legs hurt.

Can I stop dancing?" But then another song would come on

and he'd be back on the dance floor. Party animal!