Captain Reid's 4th Birthday

For months, Reid has been asking us, "Am I four yet?" We could tell that he was really getting excited for his next birthday. So we set the wheels in motion for his party plans: pirate theme, pumpkin cupcakes (his favorite), and even a pinata!

Today nine lil' swashbucklers joined us for

Walk the Plank Pizza, Landlubbers Lemonade, and

Captain's Pumpkin Cupcakes (with cream cheese frosting!)

Pint-sized pirates!

With a rainy day upon us, we had to improvise the

pinata festivities. Brave Scott held on tightly

while the kiddos took a swing.

The treasure inside... packets of candy corn!

Our next game ... Pin the Patch on the Pirate. Arrrgh!

4 Candles for Captain Reid

Oh, look! 4 TRICK candles!! They kept relighting.

He had to huff and puff but finally blew them out.

Thanks, friends, for a wonderful day!

Superheroes

It's a bird, it's a plane...

it's Batman, Superman & Robin!

Air Force Football

Fall, football, friends ... and so goes our Saturday! Today the neighbors gathered together for our 2nd annual tailgate & Air Force football game. We kicked off tailgating about 9 a.m. with a full brunch spread ... and a chill in the air (glad we packed our coats!) With game time upon us, we headed into the game to see the Air Force Falcons take on the Colorado State Rams. Not only did we see a great football game, but the Air Force fanfare always adds so much to the game with the mascot parachuting onto the field, the F-15 flyover, and the marching precision of the cadets & band. Oh, what a day!

Two Air Force football rookies Luke & Jake

Cadets marching on the field

The Air Force Falcon mascot soars onto the field.

The flyover ... always impressive!

Breckenridge Bound

Some days everything just seems to fall into place for a perfect road trip! Here are our favorite highlights from today's fun road trip to Breckenridge.

1. Luke had today off school for a teacher work day. Now that he's in school full-time, we try to make the most of his days off and do something special and memorable.
2. The Meyer family (good friends from Arizona) were in Summit County on vacation this week. Since we are always looking for a reason to trek to the mountains, what better way to spend the day than catching up with dear friends! We first met the Meyers early on in our Arizona days, and we've been friends ever since. Today was so much fun to see how the kids have grown and to hear about their interests now.
3. Today's trip showcased fall weather at its finest! The leaves in Breckenridge were the most beautiful golden shade with snow-capped mountains set in the background. As if that wasn't enough to enjoy, then it started to SNOW mid-afternoon! What a treat to see our first flakes of the season!

Jami & April in Downtown Breckenridge

Is it a rock or a frame? Why not both!

Mom & the boys with the

Breckenridge ski resort in the distance

Perfect day for some park playtime

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Fall Fotos

The boys recently had photos taken, so we wanted to share. Aren't they looking so grown up these days?! Or perhaps it's just that they are all cleaned up with their hair nicely combed. Ha! Enjoy these recent individual photos of our little guys.

Reid's 4 Year Pics

Taken near the beautiful fall trees

in Papa's neighborhood

Luke's 1st Grade Photo

Bump Watch :: 24 Weeks

24 weeks. 6 months. Feeling great!

The last month has flown by and has been filled with some fun pregnancy milestones and memories.

• Baby boy has been moving so much lately! At our recent doctor's appointment, the baby had some super strong kicks when Dr. Weary was trying to zero in on the heartrate. The baby also wakes up at 3 a.m. nearly every morning with enough movement for a dance party! Love our active little guy!
• Speaking of movement, Mom has been staying active with morning workouts and even continues to run sometimes (although the distance and speed are quite scaled back.)
• Plans for the nursery are in full swing. We're decorating in a contemporary nature theme with colors of brown and blue with white accents. The nursery will be a wonderful combo of old & new. Old ... Great-Great Grandma Pearson's rocking chair, the chambray blue crib bedding that the older brothers used, and several sentimental blankets. New: Vinyl tree decal for the wall and a round hanging pendant lamp (the moon for our nursery.)
• This month has had a few interesting pregnancy symptoms, but thankfully, they don't last long. One week it was allergies. This week -- hello, heartburn! Steering clear of the marinara sauce and orange juice for a while...

Trailbusters

Colorado Springs is known for being an active, outdoorsy community, and it's great to see that trickle down into our youth! Today Luke's school held its annual Trailbusters fundraiser. Prior to the event, the children raised donations and pledges to benefit school playground renovations. At the event itself, the kids walked and ran laps outside on the field, earning 1 rubberband per lap to wear on their wrist to help them count the laps (6 laps = 1 mile). Our little trailbuster Luke completed 10 laps! Way to go! A popsicle at the finish line has never tasted so good!

Off he goes! Luke runs with the other 1st graders.

Look at that stride!

Walking and talking with his teacher Miss Lee.

Mom was excited to cheer for Luke

and volunteer for this event as an official

rubber-band-counter-and-certificate-writer!

Fall Foliage Field Trip

With the leaves changing and great weather upon us, we escaped to the mountains today for a little trek to one of our favorite spots ... the area near Pine, CO. Our last visit there was about 2 years ago. This also marked the last road trip for our beloved Mazda Tribute. We've had so many wonderful excursions in that vehicle, so it was fitting to take it out for one last spin before it's traded in next week!

The bridge by the Bucksnort Saloon,

our destination for lunch.

If you double click on the photo,

enjoy a little giggle about the sign ...

and don't "block" the bridge!

Look who just rode in on his Harley!

Well, maybe not Luke, but lots of other folks did!

Pre-lunch pool game.

Bear Attack Ice Cream Pie ... WOW!

Wrangled up a few guys at the saloon...

Mama & the boys.

Next stop ... Pine Valley Ranch Park.

There's no better entertainment than watching

two boys play in a mountain stream.

These little guys braved some chilly water,

and they loved every minute of it!

Expert Rock Tossers

The leaves were just beginning to change.

Watching the stream below.

Luke with the surrounding scenery of the canyon.

On our drive home, we passed by this area

burned by a wildfire several years ago.

Sad to see how the damage remains.

We caught several sights of mountainsides

lit up with vibrant gold hues. Amazing!

Happy Apple Farm

Autumn in Colorado ... how we love you! Today took us on a little road trip adventure to the Happy Apple Farm near Penrose, CO, just over an hour drive from our house. We packed up the wagon and the kiddos and off we went for "harvest time." Our friends Debbie, Nathaniel & Kayleigh joined us for this fun outing. The apples have been in season for some time now and were a bit picked over, but we still enjoyed meandering up and down the orchard rows. Afterward, we stopped by the neighboring patch to pick out a pumpkin. What a beautiful day to be out & about enjoying fall!

Farmhands hard at work

Luke was so, so excited to use this

special apple picking tool!

Little kiddos ... BIG PUMPKINS!

Mama & Luke

Our friends Kayleigh, Debbie & Nathaniel

"Ready ... set ... pumpkin race!"

Leahy crew down on the farm

Brothers hitchin' a ride

Bike 2 School

Because we live less than a mile from Luke's elementary school, it's nice some mornings to enjoy the fresh air with a walk or bike ride down the hill to school. Time to soak up those autumn days now ... before the snow sets in!

The Gymnast

With the start of the school year, we scoped out some extracurricular activities for the boys, too. For Reid, we decided to give our local gymnastics program a try because we'd heard so many rave reviews about it. Reid is in a Tuesday morning class with 5 other boys who are 3 and 4 years old with Coach Steve as their fearless leader. The boys run through obstacle courses, practice forward rolls, try cartwheels (that was funny to watch!), and hop on the trampoline. There is never a dull moment, and Coach Steve keeps these little guys on the move. This has turned out to be the perfect activity for Reid ... he LOVES his Tuesday class!

Ready, set, run! A gymnastics classmate, Reid wearing green,

and Coach Steve during their warm-up exercises.

Bump Watch :: 21 Weeks

We've had some requests for a new "baby bump" photo ... so here's Baby Boy at 21 weeks! Thanks to the big brothers who have been so helpful with taking photos.

Scott & Soccer

For years now, Scott has played in soccer leagues ... indoor, outdoor, co-ed, men's over 30, you name it! He started playing soccer long ago with some Motorola friends (pre-kids) when we lived in Phoenix, and he's continued to play ever since. When we moved to Colorado Springs, our realtor Ray connected him with an indoor league here, and Scott started up playing right away after moving here. As for his current soccer schedule, he's playing in a men's over 30 league on Wednesday nights and in a co-ed outdoor league at our YMCA on Sunday afternoons. The "fan club" was excited to see Dad play this weekend on this warm autumn day. Enjoy the photos of our star soccer play!

Blue skies. Green field. Perfect day for some soccer!

Reid goes for the goal!

Scott works his way around this defender.

Go get 'em, Scott!

Balloons at their Best

This week didn't hold big plans for us ... pretty low-key and uneventful ... that is until a fun little impromptu neighborhood gathering popped up on Wednesday night! One of our neighbors is a magician (how cool is that!), and they had a friend in town visiting who also has some very entertaining talents -- he's a balloon artist. When we went over to our neighbors' house for pizza and socializing, little did we know we'd come home with such balloon masterpieces! Check out the fun below...

John the Balloon Artist

The neighbor kids with their balloons!

From left: Spiderman-hanging-from-a-building-hat,

motorcycle, another Spidey hat on Reid,

Thomas the Tank Engine, and Ariel the Mermaid.

Luke & his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle