England & the Engineer

Scott just returned from a 10-day trip to England for work. This was his 2nd trip in 6 months to the Motorola plant in Swindon, which is about 1 hour outside of London. Swindon is about 7 hours ahead of AZ time, so we enjoyed our daily morning chat with Scott when it was the afternoon there -- probably when Scott was enjoying tea time! Ha! A highlight of his trip was going to Bath, England, on the weekend to take in the sights and tour around a bit.

Luke was so glad to see Dad that he made him a sign for when we met Scott at the airport. (While we were waiting, Luke had to have a little snack, too!)

Boo!

Luke has a funny new habit when he wakes up ... whether it's in the morning or from a nap. When you open the door to go get him up, he shouts out, "Boo!" as if to scare us! Usually, he laughs afterward so he thinks it's a pretty funny joke. Spooky Lukie will be well prepared for Halloween next year.

I'm turning 2 ... choo-choo!

Luke is quite excited to turn 2 in a few weeks. Here's a pic from his recent 2-year photo shoot!

Just say no.

Like all children approaching the age of 2, Luke enjoys exercising his right to say "no" when asked a question. It's that whole "expressing independence" phase. He doesn't really get too sassy when he replies "no" but it is very matter-of-fact. He has developed two funny habits though related to this...

1. The Denial "No" - This is usually used when the answer is obviously yes, but he's in denial about it. The most common example is related to diaper changes. He thinks he can keep on playing and avoid the diaper change all together if he just looks and acts really busy and ignores the obvious. Usually, this "no" is accompanied by the action of running away as fast as possible.

2. The Fake-Out "No" - This version involves the standard "no" soon followed by a mischievous grin and "yes" as if to say "Ha - I tricked you with my first answer!" This one is utilized when asked if he's tired or sleepy (and then he really is and answers "yes").

All aboard the Little Steamers!

One tiny train ... one big afternoon of fun! This afternoon we headed up to the train park in Scottsdale to check out these tiny trains called Little Steamers. You can hitch a ride on them, but extra leg room is not a luxury on this train! Luke loved every minute of this railway adventure, and he served as the tour guide pointing out things along the way to Eric and Charity.

Crocs Club

Now both Jami and Luke are proud to own a pair of Crocs. While these shoes may not score high among fashion critics, they do get bonus points for comfort! Jami got her Crocs last year for her birthday, and Luke received a pair for Christmas from Grandma and Grandpa Nelson. (Grandma Dixie is also in the Crocs Club with a bright red pair!) Luke is still getting used to walking in his Crocs since they fit a little differently than tennis shoes. He calls them his "blue shoes."

Scootin' around...

Now Luke can keep up with the older kids on the block as he zips around on his new scooter he got for Christmas. Within minutes of waking up on Christmas morning, he had mastered riding it. It has 2 rear wheels for easier balancing! Luke has been eyeing the skateboard of a boy down the street ... he'll have to wait on that one!

Lukie, the Red-Nosed Reindeer

You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen ... Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen. But do you recall ... the most famous reindeer of all?

Hot tamale!

In Mexico it's a tradition for families to eat tamales on Christmas Eve. So this tradition crossed the border into the Leahy household for a 2nd Christmas. What a feast with 3 kinds of tamales -- beef, pork, and sweet pumpkin -- as well as rice, beans, salad, and the special treat of cactus. Yes, that's right. Scott found it in the grocery store so we thought we'd give it a try. The cactus (minus any prickly portions) was sort of pickled in a pretty salty juice. There's a first time for everything, right?!

What a way to spend Christmas Eve day!

What better way to show the family the joys of celebrating Christmas in Arizona than to take them hiking on Christmas Eve day (especially when Jami's parents have been freezing in the Colorado snow)! We enjoyed a hike at South Mountain ... and Luke enjoyed being the tour guide with his ever-expanding vocabulary. It's funny that one of his common words is "cactus." He also says "snow," but only in reference to a snowman.

Merry, Merry Christmas to all!

Those Ruby Slippers are clickin'!

The last few weeks have been booming for Jami's graphic design business with everything from holiday photo cards and newsletters to wedding invitations for the spring. Since we returned from our trip to KC at Thanksgiving, Jami has had a steady flow of projects come in. Watch for a new line of products to roll out on the website at the end of January!

Many apologies that the blog has been a little slower lately. It's getting dusted off now ... so stay tuned!

So... what is Christmas like in Arizona?

Luke thinks it only snows inside. We went to a nearby mall this week where they had a snow machine inside rigged to the rafters of the ceiling (and conveniently located near Dillards, too!) Every night at 7 p.m. it "snows" and Mrs. Claus leads the kiddos in a song and dance. Luke was so amazed at the snow falling from the ceiling. It was actually kind of a bubble-like flake and just absorbed into the strategicallly placed mat on the floor below. I guess someday we'll have a lot of explaining to do about why snow falls inside at the mall. Only in Arizona...

It is the week before Christmas, and we've only had to bust out the coats a handful of times so far. Nothing like enjoying 65 degree weather while Christmas shopping rather than sliding around in the ice and snow!

Because it is so warm here, people tend to go a bit overboard with the exterior holiday lights ... we're talking a Clark Griswold-type house on every block. Today I saw one that had at least 5 large inflatable critters to adorn their front yard, roof, driveway, etc. Hope they don't scare Santa away!

Our new subdivision has 3 lakes (manmade of course). Every year at Christmas they have a boat parade where people spread a bit of holiday cheer by throwing a string of lights (or 12) onto their paddle and pontoon boats and parade around the lake. Quite festive!

So that's what makes Christmas so special in Arizona!

Family Foto

Here's a recent photo of the Leahy family. This was taken at the base of Camelback Mountain.

Santa sighting

On a recent trip to the mall, we decided to stop and see Santa. We weren't sure how Luke would react, but we thought we'd give it a try. Hesitation ... looks of concern ... and overall anxiety followed. Luke has lumped Santa into the same category as "men with long hair" because he is scared of Santa because of his beard. So while he may be jolly Ol' St. Nick, Luke still has Santa on the "not so sure he's nice" list. Luke and Dad the Elf ended up sitting on Santa's lap!

To Kansas for a week...

What better way to celebrate Thanksgiving than to spend a week in Kansas City with our friends and family! We spent 6 days in the "colder than we're used to" climate of Kansas. Luke kept wanting to go outside to play ... only to return within a mere 2 minutes with a red nose and chilly cheeks to report that it was "brr, brr" outside.

Here are a few highlights from our trip...
- Lots of playtime with the boys! Luke enjoyed checking out Cousin Sawyer's toys and playing in the basement with all the trucks and trains. We stayed with Juli, Paul, and Sawyer, so the playtime was maximized from sunrise to sunset. In fact, Luke wanted to extend his playtime a bit one day by not wanting to nap and scheming a way to crawl out of the Pak'N'Play where he was supposed to be sleeping. Mission accomplished unfortunately ... he escaped.
- An evening out at Power Play. This evening proved to be fun for all ages as we took the young (and young-at-heart) to this huge indoor arcade/entertainment mecca. The evening was complete with several go-kart races featuring a high-speed crash by Jami head-on into the barrier (she was fine but suffered some major embarrassment) and a heated race between the 3 Leahy brothers.
- A visit to Horton. We trekked up to Horton to visit Grandma Eleanor and meet up with Briana and Craig for dinner. We had a great time catching up with Jami's side of the family, and Great Grandma Eleanor just giggled at all of Luke's antics!
- Special celebrations with the Kearys. We enjoyed a delicious turkey dinner with all the fixins' at Margie and Ted's lovely new home. We even spotted a few deer in their wooded backyard. Luke loved exploring his grandparents' house and playing with the GI Joe guys that his dad and uncles treasured growing up! Margie and Ted also had a special vow ceremony that we were fortunate to attend.

It was a wonderful week-long vacation and time well spent with our family!

Pizza!

Scott and Luke share many special moments -- and meals -- when it comes to pizza! They both love to celebrate their Italian heritage by chowing down on pizza. Like father, like son ... just hold the anchovies and pile on the pepperoni!

Hoops and Bikes

HOOPS: Scott and Eric play in a city basketball league on Sunday nights. They've been playing for about a year. The team finished in 1st place in the least competitive division the city had to offer, then moved up to the most competitive league (meant for college and very good high school level players) where they were in over their heads. This season, they're playing in one of the intermediate leagues, which seems to be about the right pace. Scott had a 5 point play in their last game (fouled on a 3-pointer, made the first two free throws, missed the 3rd, but got the rebound and made a 3-pointer) in the final minute to put his team up by 3 to win the game.

BIKES: Jami has gotten back on her bicycle recently now that the weather has cooled down a bit here. She likes to hit the roads around the new neighborhood for some fast-paced cycling. We also recently purchased a bike trailer that Luke can ride in, so now we can also take rides as a family. Luke's cue that he's ready to roll is to hop in the trailer and say, "Need a ride!" So much fun!

Luke's first dentist visit.

For the last 3 days, Luke has had something stuck between his 2 front teeth. Every attempt was made to remove it, but with no luck. Actually, Luke took it on as his biggest challenge to keep us from looking in his mouth -- screaming, kicking, biting, etc. It was like wrestling with the tazmanian devil.

So today Jami decided to drop by her dentist's office to see if they could help. Upon first examining the tooth issue, the dental hygienist said, "It looks like a cavity." Gasp. Jami nearly fainted.

Then Amy, the hygienist, got out the "hook scraper" (there's probably a much better term for this but you know the tool). Luke sat perfectly still without a single peep while she checked out his front teeth. When she turned on the overhead light, he just looked up and gave her a big ol' grin. Great Luke ... why couldn't he have been more cooperative with his parents! With one attempt she slipped out the lodged food particle, which looked like part of an oat perhaps from a granola bar.

Luke's first visit to the dentist took less than 5 minutes, involved no tears, and was an all-around happy experience. Let's hope that future visits to the tooth doctor are just like this one! Yeah right...

Elmo's Adventures on Halloween

Luke really enjoyed the Halloween festivities tonight. Jami and Luke hit a few houses in the neighborhood for Luke to try out his newly expanded vocabulary: "Trick or Treat" and "I'm Elmo!" Dad stayed home and manned the candy distribution for the Leahy household.

All was well until we encountered a man with a scary mask and long black robe handing out candy at his house. Luke started wailing when he spotted the guy 10 ft. away. We quickly walked off, despite the man yelling behind us, "You sure you don't want any candy?" No thanks, buddy.

Then we drove over to see some friends who live nearby. Luke started taking the candy out of his bag and giving it to them ... reverse trick-or-treating!

Colorado Visitors

Grandma and Grandpa Nelson came to Arizona for a 5-day visit. Here's a glimpse of our fun itinerary while they were here.

Taking bike rides. We got a new trailer (AKA burley) to pull behind the bike. Luke loves to go for rides. He climbs in and matter-of-factly states "Need a ride!"
House projects. Jim and Dixie helped with some house projects like repairing a sink, hemming curtains, etc. All in a day's work!
Rest and relaxation. Luke (and his grandparents) had to take a little afternoon siesta each day. Perhaps Luke's youthful energy wore them out!
Pumpkin farm. We paid a visit to the pumpkin farm to check out the latest crop of pumpkins and see some farm animals.
Time outdoors. Now that the weather has cooled off, we are spending tons of time outdoors. We had a BBQ one afternoon ... nothing beats grilling salmon, playing badminton, and carving pumpkins!