Mummy ... and Daddy.

This morning Mom and the boys were running some errands, including a stop at Michael's craft store. We browsed through the Halloween aisle to see all the ghouls and goblins. They had several large props, including a 5 ft. tall mummy ... TWO of them in fact standing side by side.

Jami: "Luke, that sure is a scary mummy, isn't it?"
Luke: "Yes, a scary mummy ... and daddy, too."

Priceless.

Half pint on the PC.

It is amazing how quickly small children catch on to using the computer! This summer we started teaching Luke how to move and click the mouse, push the arrow keys, and other general web-savvy techniques. Scott set up a home page for him so once Luke launches the internet browser he can click on his favorite sites ... Nick Jr., Disney, and PBS Kids. In the matter of a few months, he has learned to play some pretty skilled games that require better-than-average hand-eye coordination (left hand clicks the space bar, right hand clicks the arrow keys). Here are our favorite Luke-isms related to the computer.

• The name still needs a little work. To Luke, it's called the "teh-puter."
• From Luke ... "Mom, I think you need to put some new battwies in this mouse." (wireless mouse)
• Scott: "Where were you playing that SuperReaders game?" Luke: "Oh, I was just doing that on p-b-s kids ..... dot org."

4 months down, 2 to go.

We've been braving the heat of the summer for 4 months now with 2 left to go. It's been a tad bit cooler in the evenings, so we've been venturing out and about more. Here we are cruising the neighborhood at dusk.

I walk, you walk, we all walk.

These two are a handful!

Playdate with P&P.

All aboard this trolley! Luke, Reid, and Peyton @ Chuck E. Cheese.

Today Luke and Reid enjoyed a playdate at Chuck E. Cheese with gal pals Peyton (almost 2) and Presley Wilde (6 weeks). Luke and Peyton played a zillion games and gobbled up some pizza. Reid and Presley enjoyed hanging out with the moms and watching all the action (Reid) or sleeping (Presley).

All smiles.

It's a rare feat to get a pic of both boys smiling, but this is a fun one and shows off the boys' new haircuts! Last night was Barber Night at the Leahy household, and it was a 3-for-1 deal ... Scott then Luke then Reid courtesy of Mom's Barber Shop. Nothing beats trying to cut hair for little ones who are scared of the clippers or squirm non-stop. But the mission was accomplished in the end!

Mr. Fix-It

With each day, Reid gains new talents ... and today's skill seems to be plumbing! He loves to explore new spaces in the house, and he ventured under the bathroom sink today. It's the perfect size for a little guy, so why not check it out?!

Little boy blue.

Reid tried a new food today ... blueberries! They were an instant hit with him, but the feast required a thorough wipe down afterward.

The other half of our weekend.

While Mom and Reid were in Oklahoma, Scott and Luke took off on another camping excursion with the playgroup dads & kids to Ponderosa Campground near Payson and the Mogollan Rim. The happy campers enjoyed the cooler temps, fresh mountain air, and beautiful scenery. Check out the pics below...





The crew overlooks the Mogollan Rim. What a view!







The Leahy men behold the great outdoors.








Owen, Luke & Thomas keep on truckin' even though it's getting late.

Oklahoma weekend trip.

This weekend Jami and Reid flew to Oklahoma for a fun moms-n-babies weekend with her good college pal Kellie and new baby boy Blake. (We missed seeing the proud papa Chris, as he was out of town coaching his legion baseball team at a tournament.) Jami and Kellie enjoyed catching up and just spending time with the young'ns while seeing some sights in Oklahoma City (where we flew into) and Enid (where they live).

Watch out, ladies! These two are quite the charmers with their blue eyes and full heads of hair! Reid at 10 months & Blake at 2 months.

Bottom left: Out to dinner in Enid.

Bottom right: Blake and Mom.

Common household goods...

... Make the best toys! The boys have been enjoying using the laundry basket (much more than their mom enjoys using it for practical purposes!)

The laundry basket can be a support beam for a pillow fort.

A house all in itself!

A boat for two!

Luke's first day of preschool.

This was a milestone day for our young Luke. It was his first day of preschool! Three days a week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings Luke is attending preschool at First United Methodist Church of Gilbert, which is just a hop, skip, and a jump away from our house. His class has 10 children -- 7 boys and 3 girls. Hope his teacher Mrs. Vallera is ready for an energetic bunch!

Luke was so excited to start school. He got a new green backpack personalized with his name. Today he was telling his teacher ... "There's something on my backpack and it says L-U-K-E. That spells Luke!" Yesterday we were talking about what he needed to take to school in his backpack. He ran to the kitchen, retrieved the entire box of Oreos, and stuffed them in his bag. (Guess he thought he might need a snack ... for everyone!)

When the big moment arrived this morning, Mom got a little choked up, but Luke was all too excited ... never looking back. This is quite a big day for the little man, considering that this is the first day of his formal education for the next 2 decades!

Mrs. Vallera and Luke on the first day of preschool.

Lucy's bday party.

Yesterday we celebrated the 2nd birthday of our playgroup pal Lucy. The Little Gym was hoppin' with youngsters. Both Luke and Reid had a ball!

Luke, Lucy, Dylan, Keegan, Owen & Thomas wait for the airtrack to inflate.

Bouncing baby boy Reid.

Rub-a-dub-Reid.

Squeaky clean.

Spidermen.

The Leahy home is a bit more secure these days thanks to this double dose of superpowers. Luke sporting his Spidey jammies and web-slinging hands shows off his new buddy Lil' Spidey.

Morning wake-up song.

When Jami was a little girl, her dad always used to sing "the morning wake-up song." The song would always surface when you least wanted to rise and shine, but it always brought about a smile. (Jami's dad is not known for his singing abilities, but he can really croon the morning wake-up song, as well as a handful of songs from the ol' fraternity days!)

Passing along this tradition to the younger generation, Jami made it her goal to teach Luke the song before the Colorado trip in early July. Mission accomplished, and Papa was quite entertained (even at 6 a.m.) when Luke woke him up with that.

Since then, the song has backfired on us. What was once a charming little melody has now become an unwanted alarm clock for weary parents. Because Luke can't yet tell time at age 3 and we don't have a rooster ... when Luke is ready to get up, he thinks everyone else should be, too, even if it's during early-morning-normal-sleeping hours. He will bust downstairs at 5:45 (or 6 on the lucky days), stand on Scott's side of the bed, and at full volume begin singing. If at first you don't succeed ... then try again. MUCH LOUDER. If that doesn't work, then you climb in the bed and sing. This alarm clock has no "off" button.

Caution: Do not teach children to sing songs specifically designed for the morning time.

2 monkeys and a zebra.

Is this precious cargo heading to the zoo? Nope. Just playing in the garage! We do NOT really have personalized plates, but Jami added one to suit this funny photo. (Side note: We have some good friends who have 7 children, a large white 15 passenger van, and a personalized plate for "7 Monkeys." Love it! So we'll borrow their humor for this pic!)

L is for ...

Lounging, low-key, laidback. That's the weekend for the Leahys! We joined Eric and Charity for dinner at Costa Vida on Friday, and today's itinerary featured a long bike ride for Mom and the boys and parktime in the evening for the whole crew. Here are some fun pics of us ... just hanging out!

Wisdom & wealth.

Today, Jami and the boys were enjoying some lunch at Panda Express. After finishing his meal, Luke cracked open his fortune cookie and handed the little slip of paper to Mom to read. Here's the conversation that followed:

MOM: "Luke your fortune says, 'You will live a life full of comfort and material wealth.'"

LUKE: "Hmmm ... matewial wealf?? Okay."

MOM: "Do you know what material wealth is, Luke?"

LUKE: "Yep ... I do." (Very matter of factly stated.)

Perhaps he's wise beyond his years. Hope that wisdom earns him some of that material wealth he seems to know so well...

Turbo crawler.

Reid has found a new mode of transportation that is much faster than the traditional crawl. We've been getting a kick out of this speedy crawler over the last few days ... hope you do too!

Artwalk.

Our crew ventured out to Downtown Chandler's Artwalk for a family night out. Once a month, artists showcase jewelry and paintings (and even some painted pet rocks) along the streets downtown. We happened upon this friendly fish named Fozzy who's the mascot for the artists' guild.