THANKSgiving

Thanksgiving 2011

The last few years we have traveled for Thanksgiving. The boys get the whole week off from school, so what better time to visit our families and spend some quality time with loved ones. This year's Thanksgiving break found us on our first flight as a family of 5 destined for Phoenix. We are proud to report that "zone defense parenting" worked well on the plane, and the boys were rock stars! We loved being able to kick back and relax and share some fond memories with Uncle Eric, Aunt Charity & their pup Chewy (who just might win the award for most kid-friendly dog ever!) A big thank you to our Phoenix family for all the gracious hospitality, delish food, non-stop laughs & lasting memories of Thanksgiving 2011!

"Mom, I can't wait to go on my first plane ride!"

This young man was a champ on the flight!

All aboard! We enjoyed an afternoon at one

of our old faves ... the train park in Scottsdale!

 Anxiously waiting in line for the train... 

 All smiles for the train!

 When given their choice of seat on the train, 

the older boys picked the enclosed car at the end.
This seemed to be the favorite among the younger
crowd as it was packed full with kiddos.

 Up next ... carousel ride!

On Sundays, they run the 

tiny "Little Steamer" trains, too. 

 Smile and wave!

 Grant with his buddies the Keeler Triplets.

Bet he's wishing there's space for a fourth

so he can hitch a ride, too!

 "Dad, can I take a dip in the pool?"

 We loved the warm weather & being outside!

 Oh, what a treat to have dinner at the home of our

friends the Wellings! The kids helped make

gingerbread men for dessert. Yum!

 Music has a strong presence in the Welling household,

and after dinner, we listened to a concert with the children

playing their instruments including piano, french horn, flute,

tuba & marimba (which they constructed themselves
and can be seen in the background here.) The musical
talents of this family are truly incredible!

Legos are fun for all ages!

 The oldest Welling (Christian) 

with the youngest Leahy (Grant).

 Through the years, we have taken 

group photos with our families. 

It's always fun to look back and see how 

much the kids have grown!

 We love our adventures with the Wellings!

 Funny story. Our rental car for this trip ... a Crown Vic.

Usually, this type of automobile best serves police officers

or people over the age of 70. But in our case,

it worked out quite well for accommodating
1 car seat + 2 booster seats ... and these
 crazy characters in the back seat!

As part of an early Christmas gift, Eric & Charity treated us to a day at the Phoenix Children's Museum. We loved playing the day away there!

 Noodle Forest

"Wait ... this guy looks familiar?!"

 The Children's Museum had an
awesome indoor tree house full
of eclectic features ... like this
winged bathtub. Can you
spot the Leahy boys?

Time for a car wash ...
all vehicles welcome!

Eric & Charity with the twins
she watches. Cute!!

Who needs a luxury car when you can

drive a green pickle mobile!

 Turkeys with turkey cookies!

 Our family on Thanksgiving.

We are blessed beyond measure 

with our three sweet boys.

 Bring on the Thanksgiving dinner ...

My bib is on, and I'm ready for the feast!

 Expert Crescent Roll Maker

 Mmmmm ... Turkey Leg!

(Note: Grant didn't actually eat this, but we thought

it would be a funny photo opp. He's more of a 

white meat guy anyway ... and he did gobble that up

with some mashed potatoes, stuffing, 

green beans & a crescent roll.)

 Do I have Thanksgiving dinner on my face?

We moved from Thanksgiving right into Christmas.

We helped decorate Eric & Charity's tree and then

opened gifts. What a lovely day celebrating 2 holidays!

Peekaboo!

Never a dull moment...

Little boy. Big snowboots. Great idea!

Bookworm

Our home is inhabited by a bookworm ... a 7-year-old boy whose reading has skyrocketed in the last month. We started reading the first Harry Potter book to the boys at bedtime. Then Luke started reading it with our help. And in the last few weeks, Luke has been reading on his own whenever he has some spare time. The book accompanies him at school and in the car, and he even tried to bring the book into the grocery store one day (guess he thought shopping would be boring so he'd just read instead.) It is truly AMAZING to watch the love for reading click in his young mind! After 309 pages, Luke completed his first major book today -- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Way to go! Good thing we have the 2nd Harry Potter book in the Leahy Library...

First Reconciliation

Second grade is full of several faith milestones for Luke. He attends Religious Education class weekly at our parish St. Peter. They have been busy preparing to receive two sacraments this year -- First Reconciliation this fall and then First Communion in the spring. Tonight was the service for Luke's First Reconciliation (AKA first confession). This evening, he was very reverent and gave much thought to what he would say to the priest. He also has been working hard to memorize several key prayers. 

Luke - It warms our hearts to see how your character is developing and how conscientious and kind you are to others. You are a great role model to your little brothers and inspire us as parents with how you approach life and take on new challenges. As our oldest son, you made us parents, and you continue to make us so proud each and every day!

The children singing at the First Reconciliation service. 

Luke standing by two of his best pals.

To the left of Luke ... Gavin (blue shirt/tie) and

Andrew (red shirt). These boys are in the same

2nd grade class, play sports together, and

attend the same Religious Education class.

They are such respectful boys and great friends, 

and it's wonderful to see these boys 

growing up together!

 The Leahy Men

 Mama & Her Boys

Prepster in his argyle sweater.

 

After the church service, we celebrated with shakes

at one of our local favorites ... Rosie's Diner.

Our tradition is to order 2 shakes.

Vanilla for Dad and Luke.

Chocolate for Mom and Reid.

Wonder what Grant will prefer?!

Welcome Message

Luke's school sponsored its annual DARE Week (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) a few weeks ago. It's always interesting to see what "take-aways" the kids have for life lessons like that. Luke informed us all about what he learned and even made a sign that he wanted to post on the door. If you come to the Leahy home, you will be greeted by this message on our front door...

DON'T DO DRUGS!

Sigeretes. Wine. Beer. Bad Things.

(The UPS guy and our neighbors enjoy it!)

Happy Baby

 Goodnight, Sweet Grant.

Look closely and you can see my FIVE teeth!

Three on top, two on the bottom.

Bring on the steak!

Sharp Dresser

In this next video, we attempted to get some live action shots

of Grant with his walker. Instead, we captured the true essence

of Grant ... smiling and happy as can be. 

Front & Center

Reid's Pre-K class has been busy preparing for their concert. After the practice performance in the chapel a few days before the actual concert, Reid's teacher shared that she didn't think he was really interested in singing because he didn't sing much in class. But apparently, all that changed when they went to the chapel to rehearse. She said Reid came alive on stage and belted out the songs! In fact, he was such a little songbird that he was placed front and center for the concert! Today Reid's school performed for two of the Sunday services at the church where his school is located. In the video below, Reid is in the light blue shirt with a tie. Enjoy a front row ticket to the concert...

Reid - You are always such a joy to watch! We are so proud of you and your musical talent! Way to shine on stage, little man!

Backyard Sightings

Sometimes we look out our windows into our backyard, and the sights are surprising...

Recently we had a really windy day ... as in 50-60 mph wind. Some local gusts were clocked at 86 mph at the Air Force Academy! With that kind of wind, some things are likely to get toppled and twisted and turned. Imagine the surprise when we looked out the back window and saw that the howling wind had picked up our trampoline and flipped it over onto our back fence! Then shortly after that, it picked it up again and moved it another 20 feet away. After the wind subsided, we flipped the trampoline back over and discovered that the poles securing the net were in poor shape and bent. Our beloved trampoline is out of commission for a while, but hopefully, we'll have it back in working order for warmer weather.

Oh, Deer!

Recently while cooking dinner, we spotted this mama & baby deer in our backyard. They are often just passing through, but on this occasion, we snapped a few quick pics! We have lived here 4 years now, but the sight of these beautiful creatures is always a run-to-get-the-camera moment!

...And they're off! 

Hopping the fence and on their merry way!

More Visitors!

... And the great visits from friends and family continue! This weekend some friends from our college days --Kerry, Teresa and their sweet kiddos Krew, Keera & Kelton -- were on a weekend trip to Colorado Springs. We loved catching up with them over lunch at our house, and the kids all had a blast playing!  They live in Western Kansas and come to Colorado every so often ... hope we get to meet up again sooner than later!

Little Moments. Big Laughs.

Sometimes little moments make for big laughs.

 One day Grant was napping as though he had

been sitting upright and then just tipped forward

and fell asleep. At least he had his lion as a pillow!

Perhaps he's integrating yoga and napping...

 Quiet baby in the pantry =

Bagel buffet on the floor!

Doesn't he look so proud of his efforts!

Our neighbors have this furry little friend.

Grant was so intrigued at the idea of a ball
with this guinea pig inside! 

Snow Day. SLED DAY!

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

When life gives you snow, go SLEDDING!

Today the boys enjoyed their first snow day 

from school for this year. What to do?

Break out the sleds!

We had some friends join us for a sledfest

over by Luke's school. Now THIS is how
to spend a Snow Day!

Snow Tires

The great thing about Colorado weather is that it will snow one day and melt the next! And a little snow adds an extra bonus on outdoor adventures. It is always amazing to see how well Luke takes on new challenges. On our most recent trail ride at Spruce Mountain on a beautiful 65 degree Sunday, Luke biked through a few obstacles of snow and mud on the trail ... never once complaining and leading the way on the path. As parents, we live for moments when our children can join us in The Great Outdoors and enjoy these adventures as much as we do!

Sometimes the terrain was too tough...

Time to walk the bike!

We biked past this bench and found

someone had made a tiny snowman.

The muddier ... the merrier!

Luke thought it was pretty cool

how muddy we got!