Yule Log Hunt.

Dad & Luke search for the Yule Log.

"Yule" love this story ... one of our nearby communities of Palmer Lake hosts an annual Yule Log Hunt every Christmas season. What is a Yule Log Hunt, you say? It is a revival of an old world custom with roots tracing back to ancient Egypt. The word "yule" comes from an old Egyptian word "yol" meaning wheel, and this symbol was used to indicate the spirit which turns the wheel of the weather and causes the seasons to come and go. The primitive wheel was merely the cross-section of a log ... hence, you see the connection. Down through the Middle Ages, bringing in the Yule Log continued to be an essential part of Christmas festivities. Gradually, the idea of peace and good will was incorporated. Family feuds were ended and quarreling forbidden during the Yuletide.

In Palmer Lake, the community celebrates this tradition by gathering together to seek out the hidden Yule Log in the forest. The finder rides the log back to town, and everyone enjoys wassail and sings carols. While we didn't end up finding the log, we did get a kick out of watching everyone scramble around in the woods and sharing in this very community-spirited event!

Winter wonderland.

The Leahy Snow Removal Co. cleans off the driveway.

Let it snow! It started snowing this morning, and enough had accumulated by later in the day that we did some scooping and sledding in the afternoon. We found a little hill in our neighborhood that was perfect for our first sledfest.

Picking up the pace.

We posted some earlier videos of Reid first walking, but here is a new one. He's pretty steady and picking up the pace. This means more chasing for Mom and Dad!

The new kid.

After a short hiatus from school, Luke headed back to the classroom today. This was his first day at his new preschool -- St. Peter's Catholic School. Our parish of St. Peter's in Monument has its own school, and we were very fortunate they had an opening mid-year. One major change is that Luke is now attending 3 days of full-day preschool from 8:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. He reported that his first day was "just great!!" and that he'd made a new friend named Tyler. The school seems like a wonderful fit for Luke!

Luke bids farewell to little brother Reid before heading off to his new preschool!

Running miles a mile higher.

As runners, Scott and Jami both enjoy hitting the sidewalk, road, trail, etc. for a jog. With our recent move, the increase in elevation adds a little challenge to our workouts since we're over a mile higher. We've been lucky with the good weather to enjoy some running on the Santa Fe Trail near our house. This great path winds along the same route as I-25 and has great scenery and a few challenging hills, too. At least the good views are a distraction from feeling so winded! Hopefully soon we'll adjust to the altitude.

Above: Jami and her running partner Reid take to the trails.

Festival of Lights.

One thing we've noticed about Colorado Springs is that it's a city with a small-town feel. The people are so friendly, and the pace of life is slower. Oh, and they do know how to plan a good parade! Tonight we attended one of the great holiday traditions in Downtown Colorado Springs -- a parade called the Festival of Lights. We bundled up and made the trek to the heart of the city for this fabulous showcase of well-lit floats, antique cars, marching bands, fire trucks, etc. Oh, how we love a parade!

Kicking off the holiday season.

Today we ventured over to the nearby town of Monument for its "Small Town Christmas" festivities. We enjoyed shopping at the local merchants and taking part in the holiday activities: visiting some reindeer and donkeys, taking a hayrack ride, visiting with Santa, and stopping for cider along the way. What a fun way to kick off the holiday season!

Dasher, is that you? Or are you Blitzen?

Happy December!

Hope everyone is getting into the holiday spirit as much as we are. If you need a little ha-ha-ha for your ho-ho-ho, check out this video of these jolly elves.

Zoo with a view.

Today we enjoyed a playdate with our friends the Giffins. Jami and Torie used to work together at Banner Health many moons ago. Torie and her family have lived in Colorado Springs for several years so she gave us the grand tour with a cruise by the Broadmoor and then a trek through the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. What a fun afternoon! The zoo is built into the mountain and has an amazing view of Colorado Springs. Plus it has a great giraffe observation area and penguins (any zoo with Jami's favorite animal gets bonus points!)

These giraffes were very friendly and ate right out of our hands. Well ... Mom's hand anyway. Luke was leery about getting that close to the giraffe's mouth.

Although they just met today, Luke and Levi were instant friends and had a ball exploring the zoo.

Dad's 1st Day

Today was a big day for Scott ... it was his first day at his new company RT Logic! He enjoyed being off for 3 weeks (although some parts of moving were more 'enjoyable' than others), but we were all so excited for him to start this new chapter in his career. Scott has been making the rounds to meet his new co-workers and getting up-to-speed with his GPS-focused projects for the government.

Fun-lovin' cousins.

Luke, Reid, and their cousin Dalton had a ball playing over the last few days. Dalton (who is 9 months) was quite entertained by his older cousins. Luke enjoyed singing to Dalton and sharing toys with him. Reid liked having someone his size to pal around with. What fun-lovin' cousins!

Hats off to you!

Cute boys in caps.

Many blessings, many thanks.

This year as we celebrate Thanksgiving we have so many blessings to count. The year -- with its ups and downs -- has made us appreciate each and every day so much more. We are so grateful for the love of family and friends!

Today we hosted Jami's side of the family for the full turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Our first houseguests have been Briana, Craig, and Dalton. Mimi and Papa drove down for the day and the "big meal," which was topped off with 3 of Mimi's homemade desserts -- pumpkin pie, chocolate pecan pie, and pumpkin swirl cheesecake.

All in the family! Jami's family joined us for the feast.

Buzzin' Cousins Luke, Reid, and Dalton.

Snow!

Let it snow!

This morning we woke up to a nice blanket of powdery snow! The boys bundled up and headed outside bright and early to check it out. Mom, Luke & Reid cleaned the snow off the cars with our new handy dandy window scrapers. Then Dad and Luke surveyed the scene in the backyard and created a snowball factory. Hurray for the snow!

For a kid who's grown up in the desert, Luke was skilled at making snow angels!

Reid takes a warm seat indoors while watching the snowball fight outside. Guess who was the target then ... watch out, Reid!

Take a hike.

Today the Leahy family ventured out to one of the landmarks of Colorado Springs -- Garden of the Gods. It's known for the unique red rock formations, nice hiking paths, and gorgeous scenery. Luke enjoyed climbing on the rocks, and Reid enjoyed scouting out all the dogs on the path. This is sure to be the first of many visits there!

High-flying adventure.

As we get to know our neighbors, we paid a visit to a rather unique and highly respected neighbor: the Air Force Academy. It's less than 5 minutes away! Jami's parents came down for a visit Friday afternoon, and we journeyed over to the Academy to see the cadets march. We also toured the chapel and visitor center. Very interesting!

The cadets marching.

Luke & Scott in front of the Cadet Chapel.

(Sometimes Luke wears these fake glasses. Perhaps he's playing up his intellectual side so one day he can enter the Academy.)

Getting settled.

We are feeling pretty settled in our new digs. The garage still houses a fair share of boxes, but we'll eventually work our way through those or just leave them packed until we move into our more permanent abode.

We live on the north side of Colorado Springs, which is a quickly growing community. There are many new home subdivisions and a lot of open space still that's yet to fill in. (Our neighbors were very excited that the road just opened making it a straight shot to the grocery store!) The views are amazing, too, with the mountains visible from our bedroom window.

Our neighborhood has a small park which we've hit almost every day. Scott took the boys today, and Luke made a new friend named Nicholas which resulted in a funny conversation...

Scott: "Luke, his name is Nicholas. Can you say hi to Nicholas?"

Luke: "Oh, I have a Nicholas at home."

Scott: "What do you mean?"

Luke: "A Nicholas ... like you put around your neck."

Oh, that Nicholas.

Home sweet home.

We've been in Colorado for just a few days, but our house is shaping up nicely. Our first day here it was 70 degrees. Yesterday it was in the 30s and we woke up to snow flurries! Here's a pic of the new Leahy residence for the next 6 months. We found a great rental house in a very family friendly community. The boys are adjusting well, and we are all having a ball exploring our new surroundings.

Quick trip.

Reid at the Four Corners, walking in two states at once!

Our movers really got a move on and called to say they were set to deliver earlier than later, so we had to speed up our road trip to make sure our belongings didn't beat us to Colorado Springs. On the second day of our driving adventure, we left the Grand Canyon, made stops at the Four Corners and then Durango for dinner (and some other random towns along the way), and then kept on trucking into Colorado Springs. We started driving at 9 a.m. and reached our destination at 11:30 that night. We were weary travelers to say the least.

Grand finale.

The movers arrived on Saturday and loaded the truck, while we cleaned the house and prepped the car for our roadtrip ahead. We stayed with Jami's friend Terese during our final night in Phoenix and then started our trek northward this morning.

First stop: Grand Canyon. We are embarrassed to admit that in our 8 years in Arizona our first time to visit this amazing spectacle was on our way out! We enjoyed hiking around near the top of the canyon and seeing the historic hotels/buildings near the rim. Luke kept saying he didn't want to stop at the Grand Canyon ... that he just wanted to go to Colorado Springs. (Guess he's in a hurry to get there!) But he thought it was A-OK after we checked out the train. Reid enjoyed scoping out the scene from his perch in the backpack. We also spotted a bald eagle, endangered species of condor, some deer, and big horn sheep on a cliff.

Stay tuned for more adventures from the Leahy Roadtrip '07!