Day 3 :: Aspen

Our 3rd and final day of our trip, we ventured through Glenwood Springs over to Aspen. We didn't spend too much time in the town before we were off and boarding a bus to travel about 30 minutes to our main destination: the Maroon Bells. The name is a bit misleading, but the Maroon Bells are actually two 14ers (in non-Colorado speak, those are mountains higher than 14,000 feet). This area happens to be the most widely photographed scene in Colorado. And for good reason, it was beyond beautiful. This is Colorado, at its finest.

Maroon Bells

The lake. The mountains. Our family loved visiting here.

"Do you see what I see?"

On this weekend trip, we also celebrated our anniversary.

Here's the happy couple married for 11 years!

Two boys with a stick, a rock & some water...

quite the entertainment!

Boys will be boys...

That mud was just too tempting!

This is debris left from an avalanche.

Mountain Men

Bridge over a mountain stream

Over the river and through the woods...

and up some really big mountains!

Returning home, we drove over Independence Pass.

This is the view from the top of the pass. Amazing!

Tour de Tooth

Over the holiday weekend,

we embarked on a family bike ride

down the hill...

...to get some red, white & blue sprinkle donuts.

Little did we know losing a tooth

would be part of this adventure.

Goodbye to Tooth #2 for Luke!

Back to home sweet home

with the tooth carefully tucked away.

We Love a Parade!

We are blessed to live near the city of Colorado Springs ... AND the small town of Monument. We have the best of both worlds. It's times like the 4th of July that we particularly appreciate the sense of community we have here. Well, let's just show you in our pictures from Monument's 4th of July Parade...

The Leahy crew on the 4th of July.

The boys decorated their vehicles to ride

in the kiddie parade. So patriotic!

"Dad, can you give me a tow?"

All smiles & sporting that 4th style!

Uncle Sam drove his red pedal car.

Last year, Luke rode this car in the parade;

this year, Reid was big enough to drive it!

Dad and his boys watch the parade.

A few notes about the parade... It is nearly 2 hours long and is touted as the biggest small-town parade in America. People arrive at 6 a.m. to stake out their seats. By the start of the parade, the streets are lined with people proudly wearing their red, white, and blue. Entries range from politicians to marching bands to alpacas.

Some horses.

Have you seen that Subaru commercial?

This dealership has a great sense of humor...

and an even better parade entry!

Did you think we were kidding about the alpacas?

Back to the Future ... that's right. It's a DeLorean!

Yeehaw!

Take some cowboys, add a Western dinner and a dash of fiddling ... what do you get? The Flying W Ranch! We rustled up some fun last night (thanks to a holiday gift certificate from Grandma & Grandpa Keary) and spent the evening out on the ranch. Those cowboys serve up some great grub ... and even finer entertainment. What a perfect evening to be out underneath the stars listening to cowboy crooners!

Luke explores the Wild, Wild Western Town

at Flying W Ranch.

No elegant glassware here ... rustic tin cups for us!

The stage & the great backdrop.

The ranch is nestled into the mountainside.

The scenery is beautiful!

Cowboy Reid had on his dancin' shoes!

Sound the Alarm!

Some junior firefighters took over the Wescott Fire Station today. Our MOMS Club visited the local firehouse for a tour and presentation. The children had the chance to see where the firefighters eat, sleep, and park their firetrucks. The boys especially liked learning about all the gear with the firefighter's suit.

Getting out of the fire truck is

a big step doooowwwwwnnnn.

Future firefighters with our local fire crew

Summer is...

Spending the morning in Manitou Springs. Checking out the rides at the penny arcade. Eating brunch at Adam's Mountain Cafe. Enjoying the sunshine and perfect summer weather.

The boys collected the coins from their piggy bank,

packed them in a little red suitcase, and

brought them along to spend on all the rides!

Future astronauts in training.

Happy as can be!

All smiles for a great morning out & about in Manitou!

Colorado Getaway #1 :: Denver

We decided to stay put this summer and trade in traveling elsewhere for enjoying our beautiful home state. Colorado has oodles to offer in the summer, so our hope is to take a series of little trips for the day or weekend. Our first adventure ... a quick trip to Denver. Scott left work early on Friday, and we hopped in the car and headed northbound for the beach at Cherry Creek State Park. This was our first visit to this lake, but it will certainly not be our last. A huge beach, waves rolling on the sandy shore (because of the ski boats further out), and less than an hour drive from our house ... hooray for summer, sun, and sand!

Expert Sand Castle Makers

Little man loves the sand.

Beach bums

After an hour plus spent lounging on the beach, we decided to pack up and traverse to the other side of the lake to the marina. There we found a jet ski rental place. Hmmmm ... there's a first time for everything. And today was the first time the Leahy boys rode on a jet ski! They took turns riding with Dad, and both loved it. Luke proved to be more conservative in his choice of speed, while Reid wanted Dad to go faster!

Safety first. Life jackets ... check.

Waiting on the dock...

Mama & her jet ski boys

"Here we go, Dad!"

After a day at the lake, we enjoyed an evening dining out in Downtown Denver and then catching up with our friends the Park family. When we retired to our hotel, we were ready to hit the hay from our jam-packed day.

This morning we were up early and headed to City Park so Jami could run the Undy 5000 race, which raises money and awareness for colon cancer. She ran this year's race in memory of her mom whose original diagnosis was colon cancer. Moments of the race were pretty emotional, but it was so meaningful to remember our Mimi in this way. We made a donation to the Colon Cancer Alliance, thanks to the funds earned at our garage sale 2 weeks ago.

Jami & Luke pre-race

Our first Colorado getaway was a fantastic trip, even if it was for less than 24 hours. We are looking forward to the next one! Better get out the map and start planning...

Father's Day Festivities

Father's Day was filled with fresh air, fun, and family. We kicked off the day with an outing to see the Skysox (our local minor league baseball team.) Papa joined us for the adventure, and we all had a blast at the ballpark.

Before the Skysox game, we ventured out

on the field to play catch. So fun!

The boys of baseball

Father & sons

After the game, we grilled out over at Papa's house and the outdoor fun continued with playing beanbag toss and wiffleball in the greenspace.

Scott received a great Father's Day gift

from the boys -- this beanbag toss game!

Fun for the family!

Luke batting. Papa pitching. What a pair!

Rookie & The Coach

An exciting new chapter is beginning in our household: BASEBALL! Luke is playing on our local YMCA team, and Scott is the head coach. The team plays in a 6-7 year-old combo league, so they get to try and hit off 4 pitches and then use a tee. The season kicked off with our first game yesterday. Enjoy the photos!

Batter up!

Coach Scott ... pitcher extraordinaire.

Chillin' in the dugout.

Like father, like son. Game face. Serious business.

Luke is ready to make a great play

after a pep talk from Dad.

Friday Funday :: Mini Golf

Our Friday Funday adventures resumed this week, after taking a hiatus last week with the garage sale activities. While Reid was at his summer camp, Luke and Mom enjoyed a morning out playing mini golf. We managed to avoid some of the tricky water hazards, and Luke was always one step ahead figuring out how we needed to work around the obstacles.

Dinosaur School

As Luke continued with summer school this week learning about planets and solar systems, Reid moved on to his 2nd summer program -- a week of YMCA summer camp all about dinosaurs! His teachers kept him busy with making fossils, dinosaur teeth, and even a triceratops t-shirt. What a great week at "dinosaur school" as Reid called it!