Happy Campers

One of the joys of summertime includes camping trips, especially when Papa's Airstream RV is the outdoor residence of choice! Yesterday we ventured up to Bear Creek Lake in Denver to visit Papa and enjoy the warm (well, let's be honest HOT) temps that we've been having lately. We spent some time at the beach, had lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant Morrison Inn, and then returned to the Airstream for the afternoon. The boys ended up staying for their first overnight camping trip with Papa ... and they were on Cloud 9! They loved playing around in the Airstream and exploring the campsite. Evening brought a trip back over to the lake to paddle around on the board of Papa's windsurfer, roasting s'mores and eventually bedtime. Such happy campers!

Beach boys ... Reid, Luke, & Papa in their innertubes.

Back at the ranch ... or rather RV.

Papa added a new awning to the Airstream

to provide some shade while camping.

Snack time! Reid invades the marshmallow bag a little early,

while Luke has one of Papa's chocolate chip cookies.

Looks like they just made themselves right at home!

Colorado Getaway #2 :: Day 1 :: Beaver Creek

Colorado ski resorts are quite the popular destinations in the winter, but these resorts shine just as brightly in the summer months with all the outdoor activities! This weekend we took off on a little road trip to the Vail area on Friday & Saturday and Aspen on Sunday.

Day 1: Beaver Creek

Riding a ski lift to the top of the mountain. Seeing a deer from our bird's eye view on the lift. Playing in a sky-high sandbox. Touring the Western town at the mountaintop. Splashing away the afternoon in a fountain. Dining at Blue Moose Pizza. Roasting s'mores and listening to live music at the base of the mountain. Riding in the gondola (or the "box" as Reid calls it). Visiting the horse stables. Bravely trying trampoline bungee jumping. Exploring Beaver Creek to the fullest!

Up, up & away on the ski lift

Cruising up the mountain

This sandbox is more than 2 miles high

at the top of Grouse Mountain at Beaver Creek!

Outlaws at the Saloon

Yeehaw!

Going down the mountain.

Splash fountain at the base of Beaver Creek.

Water + boys = good thing we had some beach towels in the car!

Roasting s'mores in the evening

Reid's favorite part of the day...

riding the gondola and eating his s'more.

A stop at the stables

The sun sets on a wonderful day at Beaver Creek!

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Two high-flying video adventures

First up: Reid

Listen closely and you can hear his shrieks of delight

(over the jazzy music in the background!)

Luke's Turn

Check out his flips!

Day 2 :: Vail

The next day of adventures took us to Vail where we toured the area on bicycle. Fresh mountain air, beautiful sunshine, a trail that followed the stream, pedaling around the European style village ... what a way to see the sights!

Pedaling around Vail Village ...

Luke, Scott, and Reid (in the bike trailer)

Ahoy, matey! We cruised over to Pirateship Park.

The boys LOVED it!

Walking the plank...

After playing in the park and a picnic lunch,

we hopped back on the bikes to explore a bit more.

Family photo by the stream.

Great scenery with the ski slope in the background.

Park 2 for the day ... in the town of Eagle where

our hotel was located. Oh, the joys of the tire swing!

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