Giffin Get-Together.

This afternoon we hosted the Giffins for lunch & a playdate ... and what fun we had! The little guys Reid and Daniel both napped, Luke & Levi entertained themselves by playing trains and on the swingset outside, and Jami & Torie chatted extensively about blogging and Facebook!



Levi & Luke pal around outside.

A day at the beach...

Luke & Reid spend a day at the beach ... Colorado-style, that is!

With summer coming to a close and Luke starting school next week, we are squeezing in some final summertime excursions. Today we ventured to Denver to hit Bear Creek Park & Soda Lake, which are about 15 minutes from where Mimi & Papa live. We took full advantage of the outdoor options available: played at the beach, ate a picnic lunch by the lake, and rented a paddleboat (which operated better in reverse than going forward ... go figure). The boys also enjoyed feeding a friendly goose and riding on the board of Papa's windsurfer (although there wasn't enough wind to see Papa actually windsurf.) In all, it was a great day soaking up some rays and some good times with the fam. Luke & Reid were in their element splashing in the water, throwing rocks, finding sticks, wading around, digging in the sand, etc.

This inner tube is just my speed and style!

Mom and Reid soak up some rays and warm up ... the water was a bit chilly!

The beach boys test out the board to Papa's windsurfer.

The fam after a fun day out at Bear Creek!

Moms' Night Out.

Dianne, Jami, Torie & Beth chatted the night away over dinner!

Jami and several friends enjoyed a fun night out with teppanyaki & sushi & lots of conversation!

Weekend Edition: Part 2.

DUs take over KC.

So here's the other half of the story from our weekend ... Scott's trip to Kansas City. He enjoyed catching up with many of his Delta Upsilon fraternity brothers. There was even a pick-up basketball game! Several guys flew in or drove the distance to the reunion ... and it was well worth it to relive so many college memories with such good friends.

Scott also got to spend some time visiting his family. What a treat to see so many special people in such a whirlwind trip!

Scott with his brother Paul, Juli, Sawyer & Stratton (who just celebrated his 1st bday!)
Scott with his Mom & Ted
Scott with Uncle Bruce, Aunt Mary Ann & Emily

Weekend Edition: Part 1.

This weekend was full of activities but split into two chapters. Scott jetted to Kansas City this weekend for a reunion with his Delta Upsilon fraternity brothers and visit with his family, while Jami and the boys stayed in Colorado for the weekend. Here's the Colorado portion of the weekend...

On Saturday, Jami & the boys ventured northward to spend the day and overnight with Mimi and Papa. We went to the Farmer's Market, educated the grandparents about the finer entertainment of life at Chuck E. Cheese, rode the bikes & trikes over a ramp that Papa constructed, and checked out the Rocky Mountain Balloon Festival this morning. All that activity made for 2 big nappers on the ride home ... and it was only 10:30 in the morning!

Reid thinks this is the ONLY ride at Chuck E. Cheese worthy of his tokens!
Watch out for these crazy drivers!
Papa made this ramp which was a huge hit with the boys. (Yes, we let them loose outside this morning to ride bikes in their pajamas!)

Dip-n-dinner.

This evening we opted for Fondue al Fresco ... dining outdoors on some cheese fondue with lots of goodies to dip. Ahhhh ... there's nothing like a nice late summer evening outdoors.

Bikes, trikes & tricks.

This evening we were able to catch the Leahy cyclists in action. Reid can now pedal his trike (watch the 1st video ... it's quick at the beginning). You can also hear Reid saying, "Pedal ... pedal." Luke learned how to pop a wheely (and ride through the ditch in our front yard at a high rate of speed.) Hold on to your hats ... or bike helmets!

More from the mud pit...

Got a few more pics of the race. These might be the best yet!

Muddy Buddy.

2 buddies + 1 mountain bike + 5 obstacles + 1 large mud pit (well, actually an entire course of grime & mud with 2 straight days of heavy rain) = one of the BEST races we've ever done!

We participated in the Muddy Buddy race in Boulder today and had a blast! Here's how it works. It's a partner race so we took turns running and biking while switching at 5 different obstacles (including a rock wall, pyramid bar climb, balance beam, inflatable slide, and the grand finale of the mud pit.) The course was 6+ miles long and circled the Boulder Reservoir.

Some of our tough (yet fun) challenges ... Scott had to push the bike up a crazy steep hill and later de-mud the tires because they were so caked in mud that they wouldn't turn! Jami carried the bike while wading through waist-deep water in the reservoir! At the end, we crawled on our hands and knees through a pit of mud and then ran across the finish line together. Such a different kind of race but so much fun! We'll let the pics speak for themselves. We may be muddy, but we're still smiling!

BEFORE: Squeaky clean and ready to race!

AFTER: Head-to-toe mud.

Jami awaits the start of the race. Boulder Reservoir is in the background.

Scott squints to keep the mud out of his eye!

Rinsing off in the reservoir afterward.

We did our best to rinse off the mud, but these whites are doomed!

End of summer.

The weather is cooling. Luke's school will be starting soon. Our first summer in Colorado is coming to a close. There are many reasons to reflect back on what this summer has meant for our growing boys.

PEDAL TO THE METAL: Luke mastered riding his bike without training wheels (and then he mastered many bike stunts soonafter.) Reid is also now pedaling his bike & trike, too! Guess he didn't want Luke to leave him behind.

NEW HOUSE, NEW ROUTINE: In our rental house, the boys played out in the driveway and on our kid-friendly street for hours each day. Now that we've moved, they spend hours in our backyard. Many mornings Luke will wake up and go out for some early morning swing time ... in his pajamas at 8 a.m. At least he puts on his shoes! The boys also love to poke around for bugs in the garden, wrestle in the grass, and play whiffleball.

HERE WE GROW: Over the summer, Reid has begun to communicate and understand more. He now expresses his thoughts and opinions and even jokes around! It's been amazing to watch his personality change these past few months with blossoming independence ... as one of his favorite phrases is "Myself!" ... meaning "Let me do it myself!" (We found that particularly funny when he said that one day while getting his diaper changed. A self-diaper-changing child would be great!) We've also watched Luke grow into a new level of confidence and courage while hanging out with the older elementary aged kids in our old neighborhood. While he was the youngest of the gang, he did his best to hold his own and keep up with the other kids. We've also seen Luke's appetite boom in the last month and every hour results in the familiar echo, "Mom, I'm hungry."

As we look back on Summer '08, we have so many fond memories ... fun times with family, outdoor adventures, and many lessons learned as the boys grow. We are happy to squeeze in a few more summer weeks before Luke starts school but also look forward to the fun that autumn will bring.

Amusing museum.

Today's destination-of-the-day was Denver. We lunched with Mimi while Papa was at work, and then we ventured over to the Denver Children's Museum this afternoon. Talk about hitting the fun jackpot ... great exhibits, playscapes, and imaginative learning! We enjoyed every moment of our 3 hours there.

Ready, Vet, Go! This exhibit was Luke's favorite ... maybe because he got to be like Papa for a day! Receptionist Reid fielded the incoming calls, while Dr. Luke took care of the sick dogs and cats.

Mom's favorite part of the day was seeing Reid dressed up as ...

... a possum! Reid was climbing in a "tree trunk" here.

Reid's favorite part was building a sand castle with moon sand.

Ahhhh ... this fish is eating Luke!

Wanna take a tour?

We've had several requests for more photos of the house once we got settled. While it's still a work in progress, our home is starting to take shape. Below is a video tour. A few things to note ... Reid's room will not be that lovely shade of lilac for long -- just need to re-paint it! Luke Skywalker makes a cameo appearance with his lightsaber. Yes, the shelves for the toys are the best thing EVER! Happy viewing!

First dinner guests.

Bon appetit! What a treat to have Mimi & Papa over for dinner tonight!

Oh, what a week it's been! Mimi was released from the hospital yesterday and is doing better. So much so that Mimi and Papa journeyed down to the Springs today to see how the Leahy abode is shaping up. They also were our first dinner guests in the new home ... and what a feast it was! We dined on the back patio with a menu of grilled chicken apple brats and fresh veggies from the Farmer's Market, including some delish corn on the cob. It was nice to kick back and relax and enjoy time with the family!

Scott, Reid & Luke play some backyard baseball.

Reid samples some corn on the cob. Yum!

Creative plumbing.

We learned from our neighbors that the former owner of our house was an industrial plumber. (Ah-ha ... explains why we have the swanky remodeled bathrooms!!) While touring the boys' clubhouse one night, we also discovered a strategically placed showerhead over the slide. Oh, yeah ... WATERSLIDE! Yesterday, we tested out this super cool feature of the clubhouse by hooking up the hose, turning the valve (yes, it even has a control to turn the water on/off), and watching the water stream down the slide. However, the water made the slide extra slippery so Luke zipped down a little too fast for his liking. Reid, the cautious observer, decided he wouldn't even attempt the waterslide. He was fine playing around in the puddles of water beneath it. Here's a pic of Luke taking the slow way down.

Shower-n-slide!

Queso al fresco.

The boys like mac & cheese. A LOT. Even better when you can dine outside...

Trying times.

Some of you may know about the challenges that we’ve faced the past 2 weeks with the passing of Jami’s Grandma Eleanor, moving into our new house, Scott’s busy work schedule, and
Mimi’s health concerns & hospitalization. Life has a funny way of testing you sometimes … and all at once. We're staying focused on the positive and taking each day as it comes. We appreciate everyone’s calls, emails, thoughts, and prayers.

Here we mow again...

The new house has many fabulous features about it, but one of the best things is the yard. It’s about 1/3 of an acre … lots of room for the boys to run. Also, lots of grass for Scott to mow. One key find prior to moving was this 33” wide track mower (it came with protective earphones!) It’s a good thing Scott used to be a greenskeeper at Hallbrook Country Club … he was off and mowing in no time yesterday.

New House Campout.

So what's the best way to kick off our days (and nights) in the new house? A "new house campout" of course! We opted for a fun first night in our new digs by camping on the family room floor since our big furniture including beds did not arrive until the next morning. The boys loved it, and it was a good way to help transition them to the new house! Even better … Scott snuck out early the next morning to get donuts for breakfast … yum-o!

I think there should be a dining room table here. I'll just stand and eat.

Casa Bonita.

Lilly & Luke enjoy the fun at Casa Bonita!

This evening we caught up with our Arizona friends (and fellow K-Staters) -- the Zienkewicz family. They were in Denver visiting family, so we met for dinner at the legendary Casa Bonita restaurant. Why is it legendary, you may ask?? Although it’s located in a strip mall, one would never know the adventures that await inside … cliff divers, mariachi band, coves & caves for seating … oh, and Rob & Lori said it was mentioned on South Park! Ha! The kids enjoyed watching the cliff divers, while the adults loved the time spent catching up. It was such a treat to see their adorable girls -- Lilly and lil’ Claire, the new addition to the Z family.

Jami & Lori chatted it up.

Dads and kiddos pose for a pic at the Casa Bonita fountain: Rob, Lilly, Claire, Luke, Scott & Reid.

Explorers.

The boys have enjoyed exploring the new house, and it has much to offer from their pint-sized perspective. Here are a few videos of their early adventures in our new home.